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September 18, 2008

Obama Leads McCain in New US Opinion Polls
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1E41749:A6F02AD83191E16067CC67EB2F384EA9E55ED32ED25AB8F6&
 
Democratic, Republican presidential nominees now focusing campaigns on
worsening US financial crisis 
Sen. Barack Obama speaks during a rally in Elko, Nevada,17 Sept 2008New
opinion surveys show U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama
has regained the lead over Republican challenger John Mc Cain. A new
poll conducted jointly by the New York Times and CBS News shows Obama
with a five point lead over Mc Cain (48 percent to 43 percent) among
registered voters. The Illinois senator is leading among independents
and young adults, while the 72-year-old Mc Cain leads among white men
and voters over the age of 65. Support for both men are split between
middle-aged (45 to 64 years old) and white women voters. But the poll
found 71 percent believe Mc Cain is prepared to serve as president,
compared to 48 percent for Obama. Meanwhile, the latest Gallup poll -
September 14-16 - shows Obama with a two percent lead over Mc Cain.
Obama and Mc Cain are focusing their campaigns on voters' concerns about
the worsening U.S. financial crisis. Sen. John Mc Cain smiles to an
enthusiastic crowd during a rally at the Tampa Convention Center in
Tampa, Florida, 16 Sept. 2008Mc Cain issued a statement Wednesday saying
poor regulation and reckless management crippled AIG. He called for an
investigation into whether executives in the company misled investors.
Mc Cain originally spoke out against an AIG bailout, but on Wednesday,
he said such action should be used to protect millions of Americans who
hold insurance policies. In a campaign appearance in Nevada Wednesday,
Obama said this week's economic developments represent the final verdict
on Mc Cain's policies. Mc Cain will hold rallies Thursday in Iowa and
Wisconsin with his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Obama will
hold a rally of his own in New Mexico. In a separate development,
Senator Hillary Clinton, Obama's former rival for the Democratic
nomination, canceled an appearance at a rally next week protesting
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after learning Palin had also
been invited. A spokeswoman for Palin responded by saying the governor
believes the threat of a
 nuclear Iran is more important than party or politics. Also Wednesday,
a top Hillary Clinton fundraiser and member of the Democratic National
Committee, Lynn Forester de Rothschild, threw her support behind
Republican John Mc Cain.


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