The tactics of Kerry-bashing and Savior from Terrorism worked: Bush has 11 point lead

[DanS]

This isn't even taking into account the entire bounce, since it was done during the convention.

That said, I think the convention bounce will be temporary, with Bush really only having a four or five point advantage over Kerry. Even that's well more than Kerry would have wanted at this stage. It's tough for him to win against an incumbent with this kind of advantage.

[Vlad Antlerkov]

FWIW, American Research Group did a poll (the second one down) in the same timeframe as the Time and Zogby polls, also covering likely voters, getting Bush 48-47. With Nader added in, it becomes Bush 47, Kerry 47, Nader 3. Those three polls (Time, Zogby, ARG) are the only post-convention polls I'm aware of at this writing.

From that same site, some other data from that same Zogby poll:

Do you think George W. Bush deserves to be reelected as president of the United States, or is it time for someone new?
Deserves Reelection- 46%
Someone New- 48%

Also from pollingreport.com, a chart with Bush/Kerry/Nader data from the last poll from each major polling outfit. Enjoy. No Libertarians were harmed in the making of this graphic.

[Agathon]

I still think Bush will win. This election has nothing to do with rationality, or policy. It is a thoroughly postmodern election in which sense and meaning are fluid and opinions are consistent if you say so loudly enough.

Makes North Korea look reasonable.

[Drake Tungsten]

Bush is going to win and this place will be abso-****ing-lutely hilarious when he does. I can hardly wait...

[chequita guevara]

You really want to screw America that badly just to laugh at your fellow Polytubbies?

[Lefty Scaevola]

I just checked and there aint no fat lady singing yet.

[Drake Tungsten]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
You really want to screw America that badly just to laugh at your fellow Polytubbies?

Yes.

[Agathon]

I just checked and there aint no fat lady singing yet.

Fat ladies.

Hey Drake, remember that some of us don't mind if Bush wins.

[Drake Tungsten]

I'm well aware of your stance, Ag, and I curse you for being no fun at all. Why can't you have an aneurysm on Election Day like the rest of the lefties?

Won't you do it for me?

[Vlad Antlerkov]

Hell, if you want everyone to have aneurysms, just throw the election to Nader.

[Drake Tungsten]

God, that would be awesome.

[The Emperor Fabulous]

Don't lie...you'd HATE Ralph Nader as President

[Shi Huangdi]

I have to say, I am extremely impressed by this. I had figured that there was such incredible polarized neither candidate would ever build up a double digit lead. Give credit to Team Bush; after defeating an incumbent VP after 8 years of Peace and prosperity, they seem to have a good shot now of re-electing a President who started a war and lost over a million jobs.

The combination of Swift Vets for Truth and the GOP convention in the month of August really hit Kerry hard, and Team Kerry has been thrown seriously off balance. The Kerry campaign had hoped that the race would simply be a referendum on Bush, and all they needed was to present a credible alternative. It now seems the Bush campaign has succeeded in turning this from a referendum on the President to a real person v. person comparison. The Bush campaign also felt the Gore campaign in 2000 made it's biggest mistake when it allowed Bush to define himself when introducing himself to the American people. The Bush campaign with it's hard, early, offensive has prevented Kerry from doing that and has soured the campaign early.

I expect Team Kerry, and John Kerry himself, must be fuming over these results and these relentless attacks. Expect them to hit back hard with negative advertisements. The gloves are off, and this can be expected to be the most nasty, most brutal, most partisan, most negative campaign in history. That will favor Bush as well, as it may depress turnout-- with the exception of Republicans, who studies have shown respond the most favorably to attack ads and get energized the most.

But whoever wins, it seems quite clear we will be polarized and devided like never before, and whoever wins will preside over a country half of whom hates them, and maybe their supporters as well. Nasty times seem ahead of us.

[The Emperor Fabulous]

I give them credit too. They come up with conceivable lies, ones which, I might add, aren't often enough questioned by the supposed "left-wing" media.

The Bush Team has done a great amount of work over the past 4+ years. Not only is it unpatriotic to come out against the president or to question what he says, but its almost impossible to get regular citizens to think twice when he talks.

[Drake Tungsten]

Kerry could dispell these "lies" pretty easily if he would just open his records.