My unofficial sampling of the weekend news suggested that Barack Obama benefited from a somewhat favorable spin on his San Francisco remarks: many major news outlets reported that he called rural voters bitter, without mentioning the controversial portion of his statement. As many have pointed out, it’s much easier for Obama to defend calling people bitter than it is to call them racist, bible-thumping gun nuts. But if Obama is benefiting from favorable spin, he’s in real trouble. The latest ARG poll — taken after the remarks were reported — shows Obama losing 20 points in Pennsylvania. And this is just among Democratic primary voters, who are likely to be somewhat forgiving. In other polls, Rasmussen shows that a majority of liberals agree with Obama, while conservatives and moderates disagree. Rasmussen also notes that those who have followed the controversy closely are much more likely to be offended than those who have not. Rest assured that if Obama secures the nomination, the 45 percent who have not followed it closely are certain to hear about it. Rasmussen’s daily tracking poll also shows Obama losing a few points against McCain — he now trails McCain by 7 points in that poll — while Clinton gained against McCain. We should soon see new polls in North Carolina, Indiana, and other states with upcoming primaries.
