A Hug for McCain

The normally barely reliable Zogby International has a new poll with McCain/Palin up four points (49.7 percent to 45.9 for Obama/Biden). And there is this interesting tidbit:

McCain's favorability rating increased from 50% favorable last week to 57% favorable now, a significant jump that indicates the GOP convention was a success. Among independent voters, 61% now have a favorable impression of him, compared to just 49% who said the same a week ago.

If "favorablility" is 61 percent among independents it must be 47 percent among Republicans. But hey, they got to vote for him to vote for Gov. Palin. "To get to Palin, you'll have to go through me," says McCain.

It seems the Democrat machine's attacks on Gov. Palin was a double backfire: it drove a hug audience -- excuse me, a huge and sympathetic audience -- for her speech and a subsequent, and surprising, "hug" audience for McCain's. It was called "workmanlike" and "State of the Unionish." But the portions about his military service and his years as a prisoner must have really grabbed people (most of the folks watching the broadcast would have had little idea of what he went through). The entire Republican Party ended the week in a group hug. Hopefully they won't be complaining about each others garlic breath and BO by election day.

I have friend who is very much a Democrat base voter who was telling me a story from his navy days a few months back. He was an enlisted man on an aircraft carrier. I mentioned McCain was in the jet on the deck of the Forrestal that got hit by the rogue missile. He well knew the story of the raging fire and near loss of the ship but not McCain's involvement. He pretty much changed his voting intentions on the spot. Will it hold? Who knows.

It is still the Democrat's election to lose. I can only tell them, "keep up the good work."