Tuesday, September 23, 2008

New Poll

Diageo | Hotline Poll

September 23, 2008

New York, NY - The Diageo/Hotline Daily Tracker Poll shows a 4-point lead for the Obama-Biden ticket. In today's Poll, Obama-Biden is at 47% and McCain-Palin is at 43%, with 9% of voters undecided.

General Election Ballot: McCain-Palin v. Obama-Biden*

The Diageo/Hotline Daily Tracker Poll continues to show a record high in voters' view that the economy is the top issue facing the country, with little change from the September 22 Poll.

Top Issue Facing Country: The Economy

Spotlight on Financial Market Crisis: Most Voters Agree with Obama on Who to Blame

In general, more voters agree with Obama on who to blame for the current financial market crisis. The Poll finds that Obama's statement on the root cause of the crisis in the financial markets resonates with voters more than does McCain's view.

Specifically, respondents were given two, excerpted and anonymous portions of both candidates' official statements on the financial crisis, but neither position was identified as having been made by either presidential candidate. Respondents were then asked to choose which statement came CLOSER to their own opinion.

Overall, the Poll finds that more voters agree with Barack Obama's statement (in blue text below).

Explanation of Crisis in Financial Markets % of Voters Who Agree
The challenges facing our financial system today are more evidence that too many folks in Washington and on Wall Street weren't minding the store. [Eight] Years of policies that have shredded consumer protections, loosened oversight and regulation, and encouraged outsized bonuses to CEOs while ignoring middle-class Americans have brought us to the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. 46%
The financial crisis we're living through today started with the corruption and manipulation of our home mortgage system. At the center of the problem were the lobbyists, politicians, and bureaucrats who succeeded in persuading Congress and the administration to ignore the festering problems at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. 31%

However, the Poll finds that this issue has not yet crystallized as a major predictor of how voters will cast their ballots in November. Most voters who agree with a candidate's assessment of the financial market crisis tend to support that candidate in the head-to-head match-up. However, each candidate pulls roughly one-third of those who agree with the other candidate's assessment of the crisis.

Head-to-Head Among Those Who Agree with Each Candidate's
Assessment of the Financial Market Crisis

% Voting for Candidate Agree with Obama Position Agree with McCain Position
Obama 56% 35%
McCain 33% 57%

With regard to perceived performance on the economy, McCain continues to close in on Obama's lead, which has decreased from a 5-point lead in the September 20 Poll, to a 1-point advantage in today's Poll, (43% - 42%).

Who would do Best Job Handling Economy?*

In terms of perceived performance on other issues, McCain is growing his advantage over Obama on managing America's energy policies (46% - 41%), moving from a 2-point margin to a 5-point margin since the September 22 Poll. McCain also continues to rank better in perceived performance on national security, (56% - 34%). On the other hand, Obama maintains his advantage in healthcare, with a 7-point lead in today's Poll, (49% - 36%).

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