Florida and Ohio looking good for Barack Obama, new L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll finds

As John McCain continues to commit time and energy to winning typically Democratic Pennsylvania, a new L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll shows Barack Obama poised to snatch Florida and Ohio from their usual roost in the Republican column.

Among likely voters surveyed over the last few days, Obama led in the Sunshine State by 7 percentage points (50% to 43%) and in the Buckeye State -- which no victorious GOP presidential candidate has ever lost -- by 9 points (49% to 40%).

The margin of error in both these match-ups is plus-or-minus 4 percentage points, meaning that there is a statistical chance (a small one) that McCain could be ahead in Florida, but virtually none that is he leading in Ohio.

The Times' Janet Hook has more on the poll here.

McCain was in Pennsylvania today, appearing jointly with running mate Sarah Palin as part of his campaign's unrelenting effort to claim its 21 electoral votes. But even if he succeeds in doing that next Tuesday (which several polls indicate would rank as a major upset), Obama victories in Florida (27 electoral votes) and Ohio (20 electoral votes) almost assuredly would claim the White House.

As the underdog in the race for several weeks, McCain's stump speeches and ads have focused on attacking Obama. That may partially explain a significant advantage Obama enjoys ... 

... in the feeling registered voters in Florida and Ohio said they have about each candidate.

In Florida, 53% expressed a positive opinion about Obama, while 36% had a negative view. For McCain, the figures were 46% positive, 40% negative.

In Ohio, 51% gave Obama a positive rating, 36% said they feel negatively toward him. McCain, on this question, is in a slight hole in Ohio -- 42% gave him positive marks, 44% negative ones.

Obama remains a mystery to registered voters in both states on at least one count -- his religious beliefs.

In Florida, only 44% correctly identified him as a Christian, while 7% said he was a Muslim and 44% said either they had "heard different things" or did not know.

In Ohio, those identifying Obama as a Christian shrunk to 39%. He was labeled a Muslim by 7%, while 49% put themselves in the heard different things/did not know category.

-- Don Frederick

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Comments

[Phil]

I can't understand how Mc Cain can be anywhere close to Obama due to the current state of our country.
Evidentally people who vote for Mc Cain can't add.
He is hung up on "Joe the Plumber" Who claims he makes $260000.00 a year.
A small business he don't own. that would be about $180.00 per hr. for an unlicenced plumber not bad work if you can get it.
Could it be that Joe the Plumber is Joe the PLANT?

[Gail]

I don't think I want to live anymore.

[Daudi]

The poll is given in terms of standard deviations (the chances of an accurate poll occurs 68% of the time within the 1st standard deviation [4 points] and 98% of the time within the 2nd standard deviation [8 points]). Therefore, it is not correct to assert that there is no chance that McCain is leading in Ohio. In fact, you can only be about 95% or so certain that Obama is leading according to this poll, which is still statistically significant.

[yasmin]

GO OBAMA! We love you!!!!!

[Sharon]

"Obama remains a mystery to registered voters in both states on at least one count -- his religious beliefs." 44% correctly identifying him as Christian in Florida and only 39% in Ohio, plus 7% in both states clinging to the "he's a Muslim" nonsense? General Powell was right--Obama's religion is irrelevant to his qualifications for President--but how in heaven's name can anyone be so ignorant of such basic information in this age where information is so freely available that only the color of a candidate's underwear on any given day remains a secret? Perhaps lack of education or intelligence can explain not understanding a tax policy, but something as simple as a religious preference? That's willful ignorance.

[steve rodriguez]

Hey Obama, America is the great country on earth, and you're gonna change it?

McCain - Palin 2008

[serious voter]

Withdrawing troops and cutting off funding for Iraq are what Biden and Obama will do in a hurry. Biden and his friends did that during the Vietnam war and when the South Vietnamese government collapsed, a lot of South Vietnamese were killed or put in prisons by North Vietnam. Biden is willing to sacrifice Iraq and Afghanistan to fullfill his promises. Who will be in trouble this time? Israel? Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait?

[serious voter]

Socialism has never worked in communist countries such as Russia, China, Vietnam, Cuba and North Korea. Mr. Obama, you are going to waste your time if you try socialism in America!

[Joe Smilth]

Amen to you Serious Voter!!!! Socialism never works!
Let's ship Obama to North Korea!

[Ed Dee]

HOW DO YOU DECIDE.
What do you consider in making your decision. WHO DO YOU VOTE FOR. You're stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, you have the Republicans who have been in control over the government for a long period of time and seem to have managed to screw things up. They have a war in Iraq where they've spent over $650,000,000,000.00 ($650 billion) to date and counting. They are bailing out financial corporations in the tune of $700,000,000,000.00 ($700 billion).

My question is this....who made all the money that these corporations have lost. Who will really benefit from this bailout. You have big corporations like Mobil and Exxon making billions of dollars in profit. Are they sharing any of the profits with us? Price of gasoline has gone up and they say it's because there are not enough refineries. Are these companies mitigating the problem by building more refineries with ther profits. They seem to use the same lame excuse each time there is a hurricane. Why the hell don't they build refineries away from the hurricane susceptible areas.

But how do you decide who to vote for. You have McCain who is a Republican, then you have Obama who is a LIAR. WHO DO YOU VOTE FOR, THE LIAR OR THE REPUBLICAN.

As I mentioned before, I am a Democrat and supported Hillary but will never vote for that LIAR OBAMA. Consider this, how's Obama going to pay for all the record amounts he received for his campaign. He claims that he received them from donors who donated in small amounts of $200.00 or less. We know that's a lie because a partial list of his top contributors are as follows:

- Goldman Sachs ................. - $430,000+
- UBS AG ............................. - $286,000+
- JP Morgan Chase & C0........ - $274,000+
- Exelon .................................- $269,000+
- Kirkland and Ellis.................. - $256,000+
- University of Chicago.......... - $252,000+
- Lehman Brothers ................. -$240,000+

and so on.....

what's he going to tell the lobbyist for these companies "go away I don't need you anymore" I don't think so.

McCain already demonstrated his love for this country. He is willing to die for his beloved country and its peoples interest. On the other hand, Obama has not demonstrated his love for his country, instead he attended a church for 17 years where the pastor says "GOD DAMN AMERICA". Obama lacks good judgment.

At a time of CRISIS, when DEPRESSION is being talked about, we need somebody who will place the country and its peoples' interest first and not his party affiliation. MCCAIN IS A BETTER CHOICE.

I AM A DEMOCRAT, BUT I AM VOTING FOR MCCAIN.

MCCAIN FOR PRESIDENT OF AMERICA
THE COUNTRY THAT I LOVE.

[Mz Brown]

BATTLEGROUND VOTERS: Before we slap the hand of Wall Street execs, lets try whackin' the butts of Washington buerocrats by McCain's plan of ending earmarks & moratorium on new spending. After all, Reps and Senators are sent there by us and for us, and their first duty is to perform on our behalf, not to encourage Wall Street greed and Main Street eagerness. The tax plans are virtually insignifcant until they become law in some congressionally altered state, but this simple McCain tactic can start on Day One and will save us taxpayers billions and whittle down corruption, and then we can get some real work done on whatever issues America wants with some sanity restored to our budgetary process. OH, PA, FL, MT, CO, NV - VOTE McCain/Palin

[WakeUp!]

The facts are that George Bush and Co. held up a picture of Bin Laden in one hand while they robbed us with the other hand. This country has been looted for the last eight years by Haliburton, oil companies, and Wall Street- to name a few. Then, once theses criminals with red, white and blue ski masks blew through the cash, they started spending on credit- and then handed us the bill. How were they able to do it? Scare tactics. Just like the one’s John McCain and Co. are using now. Fooled you once…

Let me ask you something. If I give $500 to Joe the unlicensed toilet tech and, I give $500 to a recently retired Bank CEO, who is most likely to need the money, spend it, and boost the economy?

Now let me get this straight. This liberal feller with a funny name and a first-rate education wants to send most of us a check? Well, if you are as angry about that as you sound, then you’re more than welcome to send your share to me, patriot- on principal, of course.

You see, as far as I can tell, Obama wants to take the bill out of my hand (“Give me that, you always pay.”) and hand it to the rich guy who had the steak. Is that really the slippery slope of socialism?

Really? Do you have any idea how many states don’t financially support themselves and rely on other states’ tax dollars? Guess what color most of the “welfare” states are? That’s right, red. But, isn’t that redistribution called “socialism”? Or is that a word that only applies to Democrats?

[julie gregory]

I grimace everytime I hear Palin's voice. I don;t like the way she talks, the content of her speech are always oin the attack, a very mean and scary woman to me. Dangerous when given power.

[ED]

“Like most people on my side of the Atlamic,I have for years been mystified by Americam politics.The US has the world’s best unviversities and attracts the world’s finest minds. It dominates discoveries in science and medicine.Its wealth and power depends on the apllication of knowledge.Yet, uniquely among the developed nations( with the possible exception of Australia), learning is a grave political disadvantage.

There have been exceptions over the past century - Franklin Roosevelt, JF Kennedy and Bill Clinton tempered their intellectualism with the common touch and survived - bt Adlai Stevens,Al Gore and Joh Kerry were successfully tarred by their opponentsas members of cerebral elite (as if this were not a qualification for the presidency).”

Any reader interested to know how the US ended up voting for ignorant politicicians such as Bush and even pandering to politicians such as Palin who flaunt their ignorance should read the article -

“How these gibbering numbskulls came to dominate Washington” by George Monbiot, The Guardian, London 29 October 2008.