On Obama-McCain polls, it depends on the meaning of ’squeaks by’

[babylonsister]

On Obama-McCain polls, it depends on the meaning of ’squeaks by’
Posted August 6th, 2008


Yesterday, Lifetime Networks released a national poll of women and their presidential preferences. Time’s Mark Halperin said Barack Obama “edged out” McCain in the poll. Obama’s lead? 11 points. “Edged out” made it sound like it was close. It wasn’t.

Similarly, CNN characterizes Obama’s five-point national lead as “squeaking by” McCain.

The race between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama is extremely tight, according to the latest CNN “Poll of Polls.” Just five points separate the two candidates — Obama’s 48 percent to McCain’s 43 percent, with 9 percent undecided.

As Atrios put it, “While it might cause an ulcer, I do sorta hope that for a brief time McCain holds what will be described as a ‘tremendous’ 5 point lead or something similar.”

This seems to happen quite a bit. According to Chris Matthews, when McCain holds a six-point lead with a given demographic, it’s significant. When Obama holds a six-point lead, it’s “almost … negligible.”

It’s largely a function of expectations, I suppose, but it’s getting kind of silly. Sure, I’d be delighted, and feel a lot less stress, if Obama were cruising with a 20-point lead right now. But it’s almost as if news outlets are trying to convince people that a six-point lead against one of the nation’s best-known, media-loved politicians, who has spent every day for weeks bashing the hell out of his less-known Democratic challenger is some kind of disaster.

It’s not.

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[jefferson_dem]

1. All polls are great news...

FOR JOHNNY McSAME!!!!111!

Geesh... I thought we already knew that.

[ErinBerin84]

2. yup

On Hardball, the leading story was "Why isn't Barack Obama running away with this thing? Maybe it's bc John McCain is a better candidate than you thought!" This is a segment on Hardball every day, isn't it? It's so funny, yet sad.