And some interesting points about the basic flat line (in the polls) for Obama even though he has announced his VP, and is in the middle of his convention:
Barack Obama’s ‘flat line’ in polls spells trouble - BostonHerald.com
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Barack Obama’s divided and poorly timed convention has given him no boost in tracking polls, leaving him in danger of trailing Republican John McCain by the time the GOP conclave ends next week.
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The danger that the GOP convention - starting next week in an unprecedented back-to-back schedule for the party conclaves - will immediately steal any Democratic thunder.
“McCain could come out of the convention with a five-point lead, and if it sticks around through October, that’s hard to shake. Then McCain is the leader and people are wondering why Obama’s losing,” Smith said.
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Complaints from pundits and party operatives that the DNC was focused more on infighting with the Clintons than taking on McCain.
“More Republicans support McCain than Democrats support Obama,” said national pollster Scott Rasmussen, saying the Dems haven’t hit McCain hard enough in convention speeches. “I think it is possible that McCain people will start out (at the convention) drawing contrasts with Obama.”
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Polls showing McCain holding down Obama in the polls despite the nationally televised convention, and no bounce from Obama’s long-awaited running mate pick - an event that pollsters say ususally draws at least a two-percentage point gain.
“There was zero, nothing, a flat line,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, referring to Obama’s selection of Deleware Sen. Joe Biden. “It was a bland choice because nobody knows who he is.”
Quote:
Obama and McCain are neck and neck in the national polls despite three days of glowing speeches about the Illinois senator during a highly publicized convention viewed by 22 million people.
“It’s a big concern,” said Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos. “You’ve got poor job approval for (President George W.) Bush, you’ve got the Iraq war and the economy. When you take the sum of all of these issues it suggests a larger lead (for Obama).”
There is indeed reason for concern in the blue camp, but I don't think they'll really start to worry unless McCain gets a bump when he announces his VP choice, or more importantly during the red team convention. If indeed McCain comes out of the convention with more than a 5 point lead it could be a down hill ride for the blue team once again.