Obama Likes Biden but Public Reaction Could Sound Alarm

Initial public reaction to Biden's selection appears rather unenthusiastic, according to national surveys, news outlets and various political blogs. Although Flingjore's World believed Senator Obama hedged toward chosing Senator Clinton as a running mate, it's now confirmed that the two rivals could not bridge the great divide on policy. Digging deeper into the numbers suggest the party is uniting around its likely nominee, but not completely.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows Barack Obama attracting 46 percent of the vote while John McCain earns 42 percent. On the day that Barack Obama announced Joe Biden as his running mate, 39 percent of voters said he made the right choice. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 25 percent disagreed and another 35 percent are not sure.

The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update finds a precise tie between John McCain and Barack Obama, with 45 percent of nationwide registered voters currently supporting each candidate for president. The two have been closely matched in Gallup Poll Daily tracking for the last 11 days, with neither candidate enjoying a statistically significant lead (though Obama has typically held a slim advantage).

A New York Times/CBS News poll, which was taken before Obama selected Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware as his running mate, also suggests that Clinton’s 1,640 pledged delegates are evenly split over whom they plan to vote for on the floor of the convention during the roll call vote on Wednesday evening. Forty-two percent of Mrs. Clinton’s pledged delegates surveyed say they would vote for her. But 43 percent say they would vote for Mr. Obama while another 15 percent have not decided what they will do when Mrs. Clinton’s name is put into nomination.

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The Democrats now face an uphill battle trying to bridge a gap within their ranks. In response, the McCain campaign released another ad that underscores the pother among some Clinton supporters today at the start of the Democratic convention.

Video: Debra



The new McCain spot features a former supporter of Sen. Clinton who has jumped from the cause of the Democrats to back the likely Republican candidate, Sen. McCain. Debra Bartoshevich, the subject of the above ad, will be speaking at a presser later this afternoon from Denver.

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