According to Labor Day’s Gallup poll, Obama is leading McCain by 6 points, nearly the opposite of our informal assessment among IJN.com users. For the past month we’ve been running a poll asking users to cast their vote, for Barack, John or even a third candidate. (In retrospect, we could have added an option: write-in ballot for Hillary Clinton.) Our poll as of Labor Day shows 51.1% for McCain with 40.9% voting for Obama. This reflects the overall trend from the past month, a steady lead for McCain.
What about post-convention hype? Here we were in the national, even global spotlight. What a thrill it was to open a national paper such as the New York Times or even the website of an international newspaper such as London’s Guardian…and there it was: Dateline – Denver. All over. Every article covering the elections for near a week.
Yes, people, Denver is on the map!
That’s not to mention the excitement in thinking, “Down the block,” “a mile away,” “just follow Speer,” that’s where some of the most important Americans are right now. And for our reporters who covered the convention, in the depths of the Pepsi Center, amid floodlights, foot high banners, and perhaps even the next president of the United States, reveling in the import of being part of this experience…wow!
But where has all the love and excitement gone? The analysis accompanying the Gallup poll claims that Obama’s “current 49% support [compared] with the 45% he received immediately before the start of the DNC in Denver last week suggests he received a 4-point bounce out of the convention, fairly typical of past convention bounces.” Doesn’t seem too spectacular, does it?
Notwithstanding how we may feel about Obama’s experience, capability, personality, etc., we expected more of an upsurge in the numbers of Denverites and Coloradans rooting for Obama. Even we felt that sense of rapture. However IJN.com users are apparently not easily swayed. A little over the majority think McCain is better and have stuck with that view. (The increase of votes for Obama reflects the aforementioned 4-point Gallup gain.) Perhaps its a good thing that emotion, hype and excitement do not inform our political choices. Casting a ballot is a decision that ideally should be made with a clear head and thorough analysis of the issues. It’s just that usually people are not that balanced, hence the success of the charismatic politician.
So there you have it…IJN.com users as steadfast supporters of their man – whether McCain or Obama. Now let’s see how the latest bombshell – Ms Palin as veep – will influence voting.
And for those of you who do find yourselves deep in post-DNC political heaven, the poll is still open, so cast your vote.
