NBC/Wall Street Journal Embarrassed on Oversampling
AND then: Polls Show Obama Damaged by Reverend Wright
March 25, 2008 12:28 PM ET | Michael Barone | Permanent Link
******************EXCERPT*******************
Before the Wright revelations, Rasmussen in its nightly tracking showed Obama ahead of Clinton nationally 48 percent to 41 percent, a statistically significant 7 percentage point lead. On March 18, the day of Obama's Philadelphia speech, that was reduced to a 45 percent to 44 percent lead. The most recent results, reported March 24, showed Clinton ahead 46 percent to 44 percent. In other words, over two weeks, Obama was down 4 percentage points, Clinton up 5 percentage points—major movement, given the usually glacially show movement in Rasmussen numbers.
You can see something similar in Rasmussen's favorable and unfavorable numbers for the three surviving candidates. The table below shows the appropriate numbers for favorable and unfavorable:
| Obama | Clinton | McCain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 13 | 51%-46% | 48%-50% | 51%-45% |
| March 18 | 52%-44% | 47%-50% | 53%-43% |
| March 24 | 46%-52% | 42%-55% | 55%-42% |
Clinton's numbers have become somewhat more unfavorable. But the major difference is that McCain's fav/unfavs have become marginally more favorable, while Obama's have become significantly less favorable.
Yup, the fine, fine beloved Republican candidate John McCain, so respected by all aspects of his political party that his supporters cheer in the streets and strew dollar bills at his feet, gets a boost from Obama and the Revrun Wright train wreck.
So yesterday he goes out and says America will need a new Kyoto treaty and the overjoyed Republican masses gasp in the sheer joy of this fine man’s timing.
Because if John McCain opens his mouth he will say something to anger everybody.