Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes conducts what appears to be the first joint interview with Senators Obama and Biden. The Democratic ticket responds to Obama’s nomination acceptance speech and to Senator McCain’s selection of Governor Sarah Palin as a running mate. Kroft (like many in the MSM) seems a bit in awe of Obama (he incorrectly opines that Palin is less experienced than Obama — Palin has instituted reform), and some of his questions strike me as irrelevant, but this 15-minute segment is nevertheless interesting:
On a related note, CNN conducted a poll over the weekend (after the Gov. Palin announcement was made). They have Obama (49) – McCain (48), just a one-point advantage over the dead tie they had on the eve of the democratic convention. The analysis:
“The convention — and particularly Obama’s speech — seems to be well-received. And the selection of Sarah Palin as the GOP running mate, also seems to be well-received. So why is the race still a virtual tie? Probably because the two events created equal and opposite bounces — assuming that either one created a bounce at all,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
Rasmussen also shows McCain gaining ground since the Palin announcement:
There have been significant changes in perception of John McCain in the two days of polling since he named Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Since then, 49% of Republicans voice a Very Favorable opinion of McCain. That’s up six percentage points from 43% just before the announcement. Also, 64% of unaffiliated voters now give positive reviews to McCain, up ten points since naming his running mate.