WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is in a better position to win November’s election than any presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1996, according to a nationwide poll released Wednesday that shows him with an eight-percentage- point lead among likely voters.
In the survey by the Pew Research Center, Obama is ahead of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney 51 percent to 43 percent, the largest advantage in September the survey has shown for any presidential nominee among likely voters since 1996, when Clinton — then seeking re-election — led Republican challenger Bob Dole, 50 percent to 38 percent.
At the same point in 2008, Obama and Arizona Sen. John McCain, the Republican, were tied in the Pew poll at 46 percent. Obama went on to win the White House, getting 53 percent of the vote to McCain’s 46 percent.
“It’s a substantial lead for Obama” in the latest poll, said Carroll Doherty, associate director of the Washington-based Pew Research Center. “His image is stronger at this point and he’s doing better on most, but not all, issues.”
The survey was taken Sept. 12-16, after both national party conventions and before a videotape surfaced of Romney referring to 47 percent of Americans as government-dependent “victims” who will support Obama in the election.
A poll of likely voters taken during the same period by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal gave Obama a five-point lead among likely voters, 50 percent to 45 percent. Still, the Gallup tracking poll covering the Sept. 12-18 period showed Obama with a one-point lead, 47 percent to 46 percent. That is down from a seven-point lead, 50 percent to 43 percent, Obama had in the tracking poll during the period Sept. 5-11.
A Sept. 11-17 USA Today/Gallup poll of registered voters in the swing states of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin, put Obama ahead by two points, 48 percent to 46 percent.
A USA Today/Gallup survey of 885 registered voters taken Tuesday found 36 percent saying they were less likely to vote for Romney as a result of his videotaped comments, with 20 percent saying they were more likely to back him and 43 percent saying that his remarks wouldn’t make a difference. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.
In the Pew poll, Obama had a 56 percent to 38 percent advantage among likely women voters. Romney led among men, 48 percent to 46 percent.
Among registered voters, almost two-thirds, 66 percent, said Obama connected well with ordinary Americans, compared with 23 percent who said the same thing about Romney.
The poll found registered voters saying Obama would do a better job than Romney on health care, 52 percent to 39 percent, and on Medicare, 51 percent to 38 percent.
Romney’s running mate, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, sponsored legislation passed by House Republicans to end traditional Medicare and offer vouchers for private insurance or a government plan with a cap on expenditures for when those Americans now under age 55 become eligible for the program. The legislation, blocked in the Senate, also repealed Obama’s health-care law, which extends coverage to 30 million uninsured Americans and is modeled after similar legislation Romney enacted as governor of Massachusetts.
In the Pew poll, Obama was favored, by 53 percent to 38 percent, as the candidate who would make wise decisions on foreign policy; by 48 percent to 42 percent as the one who would do a better job of dealing with taxes; and by 46 percent to 45 percent as best able to improve the job situation. Romney led, 46 percent to 43 percent, on the question of who would do a better job of reducing the deficit.
The survey of 2,192 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points. Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed said they were Democrats, 30 percent Republicans and 30 percent independents. In the 2008 exit polls of voters, 39 percent were Democrats and 32 percent identified as Republicans. The poll’s survey of 2,424 registered voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
A CBS News/New York Times/Quinnipiac University survey released today of three battleground states shows Obama with a 50 percent to 46 percent edge in Virginia and a 51 percent to 45 percent lead in Wisconsin, Ryan’s home state.
Obama led Romney in Virginia, 49 percent to 45 percent, and in Wisconsin, 49 percent to 47 percent, in August surveys.
The latest poll shows a virtual tie in Colorado — Obama with 48 percent and Romney with 47 percent. Romney led in last month’s poll, 50 percent to 45 percent.
“All the bounces seem to be over as the candidates buckle down for a seven-week down-to-the-wire race to the finish,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac polling institute in Hamden, Conn. While Romney has lost ground, “the races are close,” Brown said.
“President Obama has an edge over Governor Romney on who can best handle a variety of issues — health care, Medicare, national security and women’s reproductive rights,” Brown said. “But on the number one issue to voters, the economy, the two are pretty much tied in the three states. On the topical question, given events in the Middle East, of who can best handle an international crisis, the president enjoys double- digit leads.”
Among women, Obama led 52 percent to 43 percent in Colorado; 54 percent to 42 percent in Virginia; and 55 percent to 42 percent in Wisconsin.
Romney was ahead 52 percent to 43 percent among men in Colorado; 51 percent to 45 percent in Virginia; and 49 percent to 47 percent in Wisconsin.
In Colorado, Obama led among independent voters, 47 percent to 46 percent, while Romney led in Virginia, 53 percent to 42 percent, and in Wisconsin, 50 percent to 44 percent.
The survey was taken Sept. 11-17 of 1,497 likely voters in Colorado with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 1,474 likely voters in Virginia with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, and 1,485 likely voters in Wisconsin with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
The BDN is such a liberal rag citing the one lone poll that puts the Spender in Chief up by 8 points. The Real Clear Politics polling average puts the King of Entitlements up only by 2.9 which is artificially skewed by the biased PEW research polling, not to mention it is still within the margin of error. The PEW poll is called just that because it stinks.
RESTORE AMERICA DEFEAT OBAMA
Note the source of the article–Bloomberg–hardly a liberal rag. Also note the number of polls and what they were asking.
The polls are accurate, People are catching on!
Lies, Deceit, and deception have away of eventually exposing themselves for what they truly are!
The current White House occupant is a perfect example.
What?
Did Romney sneak into the White house again, looking for places to stash loot in case the public is dumb enough to put him in?
LOL
where is he gonna hide the money behind that stained dress hanging in the closet of the oval office, speaking of lies and deceit!
Desperation is starting to show. God Bless Romney.
I notice your use of religious terms and politics, it shows how you bundle religion and politics and make them part of what is supposed to be American. Truly a shameless bunch who uses such tricks, such that morph into a bizarre form of government, something akin to an American Taliban.
I for one don’t want reversible Mittens anywhere near the White House, not even driving by in one of his wife’s Caddys. Note last night Mittens is now speaking for all americans when he was in Miami, he is going to do immigration reform and do something about health care reform.
Now all of this will be reversed sometime lets see when.
I agree with you 100%… However, even though the liberal media attention (like BDN) ignores everything negative regarding Obama Bin Lyin, along with making sure anything Romney says is slanted towards a negative air ( much of which is taken out of context); the truth about the ‘annoited one’ is slowly being heard and people are starting to take notice. Romney is beginning to understand that he is dealing with a person who’s only objectice is reelection and will do or say anything to obtain that goal, including attacks on a person’s character and stupid fiscal policies to attract the less desireable voting block.
As you said; Lies, Deceit and deception have away of eventually exposing themselves for what they truly are!
Your knock on Obama during the heat of an election makes you sound alot like Ruben Sierra. In 1996, after the Yankees traded him to Detroit he said all they cared about was winning. Your particularity on who votes for your candidate is quite a campaign strategy.
Lets face it reversible Mittens can’t keep his silver foot out of his mouth, somebody in his campaign needs to write his speeches and tell him never say anything without a speech. I don’t think the 17 neo-cons he has working for him should be the ones to write the speeches maybe someone like Trump.
Another liberal outfit Fox News has Obama up 3 points, you can bet he is up more than 3 pts. coming from that poor excuse for a news organization. The fact they have 3 or 4 working for
them who also work on the reversible Mittens campaign pretty much tells one where they stand.
Just found a couple of stats in Fox News, they seem to bury some things rather deep, but Obama is up 7 points in Ohio and Va. and up 5 in Florida another bias news organization toward liberals. Sarcasm intended.
OBAMA-BIDEN 2012
Obama is either blind to Letterman’s show or so desperate for votes, he felt it best to shun the head of Israel so he could campaign and be on Letterman. PEW poll is just that. STINKY> and if you believe those figures then you are blind. This muck will typically get worse until the election. This president has not done his job. Vote him OUT in November. The failure of the White House NOT warning of threats of attacks on the U.S. Emabassy in Egypt is a cause for impeachment. If anyone saw the photos of the US Ambassador either dead or nearly dead, the disgust for this administration will sicken you as do those photos of the late Ambassador. Shame on Obama and shame on people who consider voting for him.
Pew polls tend to have a conservative slant, especially on matters with religious impact. Granted, the only poll that counts is the final election returns (and the electoral vote, of course) but leads however slight in the swing states is telling. Romney’s latest foot-in-mouth can only hurt him, including in the long run.
You are hanging on to a dream in thinking Romney will lose the election. And you grasp at straws in saying Pew polls tend to have a conservative slant, And Swing states can and Will, see the truth about this administration and it will be apparent on election day. Romney will win .
The Polls are finally showing us what it is, Mitt’s in the tank, an inevitable outcome, now all we have to worry about is how many votes will the Republican’s be able to suppress.
I think Mitt’s latest video is what folks needed to confirm their suspicions of him. This video should be studied, it’s revealing on so many different levels. I think what struck me the most was how in his element he was at this gathering, a life so far removed from the reality of most people, he’s unable to fathom how someone who didn’t come from privilege lives.
Letterman, et al, is becoming a trend, The last D played sax on one of those late night shows. Not very presidential in the old tradition; more of a popularity show. I want to have a leader with conviction, not an apologist to the world looking for friends….
Not just a trend. I would describe it as Birds of a Feather, Flock Together. We Need a Leader and NOT an APOLOGIST, ABSOLUTELY. VOTE ROMNEY/RYAN……………. Let’s get our country back and get to business…………..
What Republicans want for a leader is a dictator, or someone like Bush who took his orders from acting as president Cheney and the Neo-Cons around him. Someone who on the surface seemed in charge but in reality completely clueless. Which is what you’ll get with Mitt, he’ll be all the dictator you’re looking for and more so much more. These people aren’t Republicans … they’re Corporatists with a capital C.
Good luck, you’re definitely going to need it.
pulleeeze………….. you just described Obama. The puppet and Soros the puppeteer who is a puppet for Rothchilds and Morgans. the not so funny part of the scenerio is most of my liberal friends who despise corporate Americans, are also worried about their own stock portfolios. so same back at you, Good luck as you will surely need it.
Letterman loves the left. He also got caught with his zipper down as did that D who played the sax, so wonder what is next.
Well, the Clinton saga continues with Monica’s upcoming tell all book.
(I’ve heard the title will be ’50 Shades of Blue.) :)
The CZAR of Redistribution blows off one of our most loyal allies Bibi Netanyahu and invites Morsi to the White House. How does this make sense?
The Captain of Class Warfare campaigns like he is on a GSA Vegas vacation while our foreign diplomats and military men and women are being attacked in the streets of countries that our naive president thinks are our friends?
The sheeple following this guy must be in some sort of hipnotic state because no reasonable person that has any pride in this great Country could find any reason to give the failed administration four more years to further destroy the Reputation, might and financial prowess of this Country that should be looked at as the leader of the free world.
RESTORE AMERICA DEFEAT OBAMA
I’m glad we have a Captain on our side for the war against the Middle Class!
The other side has 5 star Generals plotting the demise of America!This war has been declared long ago and has going on for some time and it’s about time that someone had the cahunnahs to step up to the plate and lead the defense!
Restore it to What? What Bush left us? Maybe the Clinton years when we where truly prosperous or back to the years of the Reagan, how many times did he raise taxes? So where in fabled Republican history is it you would like to take US.
Bush blame is old . The most obvious trait of the current administration, they do not know how to balance a checkbook nor live within their means. The party is almost over for the Left. Decency will be most welcome.
Restore America to what, forget the drivel.
Decency would be a start. A leader who does not feel the need to apologize to a foreign country for America. Leadership that has the intelligence to Stop Spending money we do NOT have. An administration that does not feel the need to get more entitlements for people who cheat the system. Would like to continue but have to get back to work so my taxes can support the White House Spenders.
my-my you’re a Republican talking point, I guess that’s it for independent thought?
Your Taxes? — Lowest tax rate in history, Id say you had better review your business model, sounds like you’re cut to the bone in all the wrong places.
Obama never apologized to any foreign country. If you can prove that he did I will apologize.
“Blaming Bush is old” is old “as well, too.”
Isn’t it terrible Obama is taking money from people and spending it on military, roads, bridges, education, the poor, the sick, the rich through taxes, veterans, research for cures, pell grants and many other things.
The gall of that SOB. Keep America going FOWARD.
OBAMA-BIDEN 2012
You forgot to mention the Posh vacations for Michelle and her entourage, daughter who went to Mexico, ALL his campaigning that rakes in 35 grand per plate and how about those White House dinners that serve 90 dollar plus bottles of wine, yadda yadda yadda. Yawn. I would like the Change back in MY pocket and Hope Romney is elected President.
Oh this is the first time any president or their family went on vacation, I somehow don’t believe that. The campaigning is for his campaign, just like the flip flopper, reversible Mittens, only Mittens charges $50,000 per plate and tells his benefactors how he really feels, like not liking the 47 per cent of Americans and he is not going to try any kind of peace process with the Israel and Palestine he is just going to kick the can down the road.
Reversible Mittens (R)money is the poorest excuse for a elected President hopeful I have ever seen and I have seen a lot of them.
The polls come out multiple times daily and few people care to notice that the margin of error in each makes them basicaly equal by a tiny margin. Since any more than a month to month trend is enough to se a trend, these don’t matter or constitute any more information than a second to second, neck to neck or by a nose horse race, tell me when it’s over.
But hey, the pollsters need a job, too!
Won’t be long now before the Romney/Ryan folks will be saying “you will get what you deserve if President Obama is re-elected.” Always a sign of impending defeat.
Obama/Biden 2012
Clinton/? 2016
LOL!!! Even the pollsters are trying to bag it for
the community organizer.
September 1980: Ronald Reagan trailed Jimmy Carter by as much as 7 points (depending on the poll). Presidential polls are not always an accurate barometer of how America is going to decide and the methodology used to determine the figures has not become more precise. It will be interesting to see how the polls look after the upcoming debates.
Everyone knows the polls are bunk, the media’s way of keeping us interested in events that would normally make us ill, but it works, eh. I’m looking forward to the debates as well. From the only video that revels the true Mitt, this latest hubbub I’d say he’s going to be a good speaking opponent but he better bring some substance, because to this point is factually lacking any real substance, all fault and no answers.
WoW! ONE poll makes the headlines and that one is gospel! I guess the others are not good ones then and the Pew is it. What a joke!
PollDateSampleMoEObama (D)Romney (R)SpreadRCP Average9/12 – 9/18—-48.245.3Obama +2.9Rasmussen Tracking9/16 – 9/181500 LV3.04647Romney +1Associated Press/GfK9/13 – 9/17807 LV4.34746Obama +1Gallup Tracking9/12 – 9/183050 RV2.04746Obama +1Pew Research9/12 – 9/162268 LV2.45143Obama +8NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl9/12 – 9/16736 LV3.65045Obama +5Monmouth/SurveyUSA/Braun9/13 – 9/161344 LV2.74845Obama +3
I once made a bet on an election with an arch-conservative. The arch-conservative followed his heart instead of his head and bet on his favorite conservative. I went with the candidate who was up in the polls. The poll had it nailed. That six pack, actually two, was great!
As usual, read further than the headline.
I missed seeing the Fox Poll did you!
Awesome! Why wouldn’t we vote for Obama? After all, the economy is in great shape, everyone has a job, gas prices are low, health insurance costs are coming down, the Middle East is in harmony, the wars have ended, global warming is a thing of the past, Social Security and Medicare are solvent for generations and rich people are getting poorer. Just like he promised!
The poll was skewed toward Democrats:
37.1% Democrats
30.6% Republicans
32.3% Independents
Independents are made up of independents who lean toward Democrats, independents who do not lean toward either party and independents who lean toward Republicans.
The Pew poll doesn’t disclose the make up of the three categories, so oversampling is an unknown. Given that most national polls have Romney leading 8 to 14% among independents, and this one has Obama favored among them, it’s likely some over-sampling is at play.
I think that Party distribution of those polled parallels the voting population.
Looks like the Republicans or whatever name they go by these days has got the clown car stuck in the muck up to it’s axles. People are becoming aware of Romney’s issues, it’s not totally what he says, it’s what he stands for ….. Corporatism, and it’s to late to put that genie back in the bottle.
Send rMoney where he sent Jobs and his Money: OFFSHORE…!!!
Here’s something a poll won’t tell ya,
It’s important to understand in an election year the difference in the two parties. Basically it boils down to the fact that Dems and R’s are playing two different games. While the Democrats play a dynamic and real time game of chess the Republicans are playing checkers, but their game of checkers has predetermined moves and the hand moving the checker is really controlled by the man behind the curtain and the next move was planned years in advance, plus the rules of the game are subject to change without notice. Finally only those Republicans deem worthy are allowed to play in their checker game. Besides that everything is the same.
Robme+orange tanning solution=orange toast……..LMFAO!! Oh well, no matter how you slice it toast is toast.
LOL!
Ann Coulter was right!
Yessah
Americans love an underdog….and the media helps tremendously with this (although they don’t seem to understand it sometimes)!
There is so much that real journalist and news reporters could be investigating of which are huge importance to the nation…… instead of creating and building up the legitimacy of an “underdog”.
By election time poor underdog Romney will not only be against cats, dogs, women, gays, people of color, the poor, democratic Egyptians and Libyans, the elderly, against feeding hungry people, against good American companies that produce wind generators and solar cells in the US (???)to fight global warming……but they will also try to blame Romneycare for the mistakes they made in Obamacare….because Obama didn’t build that!
Has the liberal news media made Romney the new “ROCKY”?
I love an underdog!
BDN…..here is a good story which is not over yet;
Obama + Tony Rezko + Auchi (Iraq) dealings.
Also….does this tie into somehow Syria / Ashmurah area?
How about LA times refusal to release Khalidi / Obama tapes?
Also is Blago telling the truth about the funneling of 25K to Obama?
Nixon on steroids!
While we all are concentrating on polls……the fed is printing more fake paper money to buy over 60% of our debt because foreign countries are no longer buying our bonds.
This is part of your social security “trust fund” which really does not exist.