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Obama Gets Lift From Bad Times

By Matt Cooper

J. Jennings Moss writes from New York: John McCain's campaign has accused Barack Obama of playing politics with the bad state of the economy. Looks like that's paying off for the Democrat.

A new ABC/Washington Post poll is getting attention today because it shows Obama breaking the 50 percent mark in the presidential race. Obama is up 52 percent to McCain's 43 percent, well outside the poll's margin of error.

The reason for Obama's lead? "It is all about the economy," ABC's George Stephanopoulos told "Good Morning America". "People are angry and shocked and worried about the economy and that is all helping Barack Obama right now."

The poll said that half of registered voters say the economy and jobs are the campaign's most important issue. What about Iraq and national security, key issues that the McCain camp thinks works well for them? Nine percent say it's the crucial issue this election.

Other polls are showing the same advantage for Obama. A Ipsos-McClatchy poll released this week showed 36 percent of voters ranked jobs and the economy as the No. 1 issue. Asked who would do better on the economy, voters polled gave the edge to Obama by 48-40 percent.

The Washington Post's Dan Balz writes that the poll findings are a real danger to McCain because it's the first time Obama has been over the 50 percent mark in an ABC/Post poll.

"McCain now needs events to help reduce the importance of the economy as an issue. Or, he must find a way in the debates to challenge Obama's standing on the issue," Balz writes in his paper's The Trail blog.

J. Jennings Moss

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Full post as published by Portfolio.com: Capital on September 24, 2008 (boomark / email).