America’s “Stupid Quotient” appears to be on the rise, again. Some have long said it’s directly related to the “Good Ol’ Boy” phenomenon. Now it appears we’re seeing the “Hockey Mom” effect.

It’s always been there but in numbers small enough to ignore. Then along came George Bush. The SQ-index surged and hovered near the 50% range during the 2000 elections, dropped off a little, then climbed back up into that area again during the elections of 2004.

But, in recent months, those numbers have shrunk down into the low-30’s range. Were people finally waking up? A feeling of glee swept the land. Then along came Sarah Palin:

(CNN) — A national poll of people who watched the vice presidential debate Thursday night suggests that Democratic Sen. Joe Biden won, but also says Republican Gov. Sarah Palin exceeded expectations.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. said 51 percent of those polled thought Biden did the best job, while 36 percent thought Palin did the best job.

But respondents said the folksy Palin was more likable, scoring 54 percent to Biden’s 36 percent. Seventy percent said Biden was more of a typical politician.

Both candidates exceeded expectations — 84 percent of the people polled said Palin did a better job than they expected, while 64 percent said Biden also exceeded expectations.

On the question of the candidates’ qualifications to assume the presidency, 87 percent of those polled said Biden is qualified and 42 percent said Palin is qualified. (emphasis mine)

36 + 54 + 84 + 42 = 216 / 4 = 54%

With those numbers, it looks like the SQ-index has surged back up. Lord help us.

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Close call, but polls show Obama as last night’s favorite.

Round 1 in debates goes to Obama, poll says

OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) — A national poll of people who watched the first presidential debate suggests that Barack Obama came out on top, but there was overwhelming agreement that both Obama and John McCain would be able to handle the job of president if elected.

Fifty-one percent of those polled thought Obama did the better job in Friday night’s debate, while 38 percent said John McCain did better.

And now, from the mindless set, some humor for your Saturday afternoon…

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MSNBC Live Vote: Screen grab of tonight’s debate between Obama and McCain:

Go vote!

UPDATE: (11:30pm)

197118 responses

McCain: 36%
Obama: 50%

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More on that pesky thirty-something-percent pro-Bush crowd. A screen grab from CNN:

It’s so amazing that so many people with barely the means to get by day to day, would vote against their own best interests. But they do. Following Bush, like lemmings, over a cliff. And dragging the rest of us with them.

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By a 2-to-1 ratio, roughly one-third of the country DOES NOT think republicans are at fault for our crappy financial mess. That must be that imbecilic 30-something-percent, “Bush can do no wrong” crowd.

What say we ship these morons over to Iraq?

CNN poll: GOP takes brunt of blame for economy; Obama gains

WASHINGTON (CNN) — By a 2-to-1 ratio, Americans blame Republicans over Democrats for the financial crisis that has swept across the country the past few weeks, a new national poll suggests.

That may be contributing to better poll numbers for Sen. Barack Obama against Sen. John McCain in the race for the White House.

In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey out Monday afternoon, 47 percent of registered voters questioned said Republicans are more responsible for the problems currently facing financial institutions and the stock market; only 24 percent said Democrats are more responsible.

Twenty percent blame both parties equally and 8 percent say neither party is to blame.

The poll also indicates more Americans think Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, would do a better job handling an economic crisis than McCain, the Republican presidential nominee.

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Voting with your dick. How intelligent is that?

Men’s support gives Palin edge in latest poll

When it comes to support for Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, a new national poll suggests men and women don’t see eye to eye.

The gender gap is also apparent when it comes to whether Palin is qualified to serve as president. Fifty-seven percent of male respondents said Palin was qualified, 14 points higher than women. A majority of women polled, 55 percent, said Palin is not qualified.

Overall, 50 percent of all respondents think Palin is qualified to serve as president, compared with 70 percent who see the Democratic nominee for vice president, Sen. Joe Biden, as qualified.

I’m confused. Could someone explain these numbers to me? If 50% respondents think Palin is qualified, as compared to 70% for Biden… then how the hell could McCain/Palin be polling ahead of Obama/Biden?

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Four more years! People can’t get enough of the Bush White House.

If you polled ten intelligent people, I’m confident all ten would vote Obama. If you polled ten really stupid people, you’d have a blowout for McCain. The following numbers tells us a lot about the makeup of this country.

GOP bounce: McCain overtakes Obama

John McCain has overtaken Barack Obama in the Gallup daily tracking poll and has his highest level of support in that poll since early May.

McCain leads Obama 48 percent to 45 percent among registered voters, by Gallup’s measure. McCain has so far earned the same convention bounce as Obama, though at a more rapid pace.

Obama peaked at a 5-point convention bounce in polling published last Tuesday. He was ahead 49 percent to 43 percent in the Gallup poll conducted before the Republican convention. He then soared to 50 percent for the first time of the election, by Gallup’s measure, while McCain fell to 42 percent.

McCain’s 5-point to 6-point bounce so far, like Obama’s, remains at par with historical expectations. In the 22 major-party conventions since 1964, the nominee walked away with, on average in most years, a 5-point to 6-point uptick in Gallup’s polls. The presidential polling will likely remain in flux until the middle of next week.

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Let’s hear it for Iowa!

Once again Iowa is at the forefront in this presidential campaign. In the latest CNN/Time Magazine/ Opinion Research Corporation poll out yesterday, Obama has surged to a commanding 15 point lead over John McCain. 55% Obama to 40% for John McCain. Iowa was rated a toss-up until yesterday, and with the way the electoral map is shaping up these new numbers are huge for Obama.

On CNN’s electoral map, both Iowa and Minnesota have now been changed from toss-up to leaning Obama, putting the most unlikely candidate for president in our nation’s history tantalizingly close to the magic electoral 270 votes needed for election. There are still eight weeks to go, but make no mistake. If Obama goes all the way, white people in Iowa will be a big part of the reason why.

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From TPM:

Another major tracking poll is showing the start of a convention bounce for Barack Obama. The latest numbers from Rasmussen: Obama 49%, McCain 45%, with a ±2% margin of error, up from a 47%-47% tie yesterday.

Bear in mind that this is a three-day rolling poll that stopped sampling some time yesterday — meaning we’ve only just begun to see the impact of Bill and Hillary Clintons’ speeches, and no impact at all from after Obama’s big victory speech last night.

Yesterday’s Gallup poll also showed a convention bounce, with Obama taking a solid 48%-42% lead.

Stay tuned for today’s Gallup tracking poll, due at 1 p.m.

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They say “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” Well it counts in presidential elections too. Remember the elections of 2000 and 2004? When the democratic contender has only a 5 or 6% lead over his competitor, it’s an automatic win for the republican. (I don’t understand it either - it’s just a given.)

Barring a miracle, such as a countrywide rise in IQ points or drop in racism, it’s beginning to look like McCain’s year.

CNN poll of polls: Obama lead cut in half

In what could be an ominous sign for Barack Obama just days before he is formally named the Democratic presidential nominee, a new CNN poll of polls out Tuesday shows the Illinois senator’s lead over John McCain has been cut in half in recent days.

According to CNN’s average of several recent national surveys, Obama’s lead is now a slim 3 points over the Arizona senator, 46-43 percent — half of his advantage in a CNN poll of polls one week ago, and down from a high of 8 points in mid-July. [...]

“Over the last week, we’ve seen Sen. Obama’s lead in the poll of polls cut in half,” noted CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib. “This change was likely driven by a renewed focus on foreign policy after Russia’s invasion of Georgia, as well as by Sen. McCain’s willingness to launch more aggressive attacks against Obama on issues such as off-shore drilling.”

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Democrats are dumbfounded that the race is as close as it is? I’ll admit, in the beginning, I was too. But several points started to make themselves clear.

RACE: I think we underestimate the amount of racism still alive in the country. How a person feels inside, as opposed to what they’ll say when being questioned / polled are many times two entirely different things.

STUPIDITY: We’ve been barraged with the message “America is #1″ since birth. No matter what the subject, this was the case. Same for education. Well, truth is, it’s all been a lie. We really are a dumb country. We have dumb health care. We build dumb cars. And we certainly vote dumb.

EASILY SWAYED: This actually is a subset of “stupidity”. This is for those who can count backwards from ten, while standing on one foot and touching their nose… but still can be taken in by slick, negative advertising - such as the type McCain’s campaign has been churning out lately.

RELIGION: Last, but not least, religion. It plays a big role in politics. When election season rolls around you know it’s time for wedge issues to be discussed… to death. But religion has a conservative bias, which I find strange. One would think “bearing false witness against your neighbor” (as McCain and his band of merry rethuglicans have done, and are still doing, against Obama) and shitting on “the least amongst us” (this one is a no-brainer) would turn true believers away from the GOP. But, nope. I guess I missed that part in the Bible on sinning: IOKIYAR!

Sad thing is, many of you feel somewhat rested and relaxed that Obama does have a lead, even if a small one. You shouldn’t be. Have you forgotten the last two presidential elections? Do you remember how close they were? Did you forget that the underdog in both still managed (against all logical odds) to come out the winner in the end? Have you forgotten about our republican supreme court or our republican-built voting machines? Wake the hell up people!

Why White House race is a close call

You can’t keep a good man down.

That might be the simplest way to sum up John McCain’s campaign for the US presidency right now. He’s not winning, but he’s running stronger than anyone knows how to explain. [...]

CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser says the Democrats are “dumfounded [sic] that this election is closer than it should be, at least according to the national polls.”

So what’s happening?

Obviously, people like McCain personally in a way that has nothing to do with his party, his support for President Bush or the wars the president has been leading.

But also, think of the US election as a referendum on Obama that Obama isn’t winning. He’s doing well, but many Americans still won’t vote for him and McCain is the beneficiary.

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John McCain can be a “snooze” at times, but people more excited for Obama? Well, maybe… for now. But if Obama keeps lurching towards the right (think FISA / telecom immunity. think SCOTUS overturning Washington gun ban), the only cheers he’ll be hearing will be coming from fringe republicans who think McCain isn’t far right enough.

Poll: McCain’s backers less fired up than Obama’s

While overall interest in the presidential campaign has swelled since last fall, backers of Barack Obama are more fired up and express more loyalty to their candidate than McCain’s do, a poll by The Associated Press and Yahoo News showed Friday. In addition, individual groups backing Obama — African-Americans, Democrats and liberals — are more enthusiastic than whites, Republicans and conservatives, who are more aligned with McCain, the GOP senator from Arizona. [...]

More than twice as many Democrats than Republicans have gotten more excited about the campaign since the fall, 22 percent to 9 percent. Forty-seven percent of Republicans and 29 percent of Democrats express frustration.

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Concerns about Barack Obama’s ability to compete in the key swing states that have decided the last several elections are falling by the wayside, as a new poll Tuesday shows him ahead of Republican John McCain in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

With the nominating contest behind them, Democrats in the crucial swing states seem to be coalescing around their eventual nominee. The Quinnipiac University poll shows Obama ahead of McCain in the three states for the first time in this contest.

•Florida: Obama edges McCain 47 - 43 percent;
•Ohio: Obama tops McCain 48 - 42 percent;
•Pennsylvania: Obama leads McCain 52 - 40 percent.

More at Raw Story

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A survey conducted earlier this year by more than 24,000 people in 24 countries concluded, among other things, that this year’s presidential election has an overall positive effect world-wide.

Are they saying they don’t like George W. Bush?

Next American President

The survey also finds a widespread belief that U.S. foreign policy “will change for the better” after the inauguration of a new American president next year. Among people who have been following the election, large majorities in France (68%), Spain (67%) and Germany (64%) say that they believe that U.S. foreign policy will improve after the election. This sentiment is also common in the African countries included in the survey - Nigeria (67%), South Africa (66%) and Tanzania (65%).

Yet this belief is far from universal. In Jordan and Egypt, more people who are following the election say they expect new leadership to change U.S. foreign policy for the worse than say they expect a change for the better. Two-thirds of the Japanese (67%) who are following the election say it will not bring about much change in U.S. foreign policy. That is the plurality opinion in Russia and Turkey as well.

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Keith Olbermann goes over recent poll showing Obama in the lead. Very good numbers.

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