Election '08: Where We Stand

After months of fawning media coverage, Barack Obama should be well ahead in the polls. We have had eight years of an increasingly unpopular president, we are in a difficult war, and the economy is perhaps sliding toward recession. Many more people now self-identify as Democrats than as Republicans. His is a historic, feel-good campaign about "change." By all rights, Obama should be coasting to victory by now.

Yet despite the coronation the Democrats attempted to portray in Denver the week before last, Team Obama finds itsellf in hand-to-hand combat. A successful Republican National Convention, the stunning selection by John McCain of Sarah Palin, and the sexist media attacks against her (including childish whining that the Alaska governor isn't giving enough interviews) have combined to produce a reversal in the polls.

Obama received no bounce after his convention; McCain apparently has received a substantial one. From 8 points down last week, the senator from Arizona is now 4 points up. It's a long way from over, but clearly the Democrats are back on their heels. Here's hoping the Republicans stay on offense.