Ed Morrissey makes an important observation about the new Gallup poll showing McCain-Palin leading by 10 points among likely voters:
But the most significant internal from this poll comes on the economy. McCain’s definition of Obama as another doctrinaire tax-and-spend liberal has begun to take hold. Obama had enjoyed a commanding lead on economic issues all summer, and in the last such Gallup poll led by 19 points on the economy. McCain has whittled that down to three points, within the margin of error.
Perhaps this shift also reflects the fact that voters say the price of gas is the single most important economic issue – and Republicans had three days to chant “drill, baby, drill.” Still, it’s remarkable that McCain-Palin erased Obama’s lead on the economy without endorsing middle-class tax cuts. Maybe Sarah Palin was the perfect messenger to deliver the message that raising taxes will not lead to a stronger economy:
The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes … raise payroll taxes … raise investment income taxes … raise the death tax … raise business taxes … and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars. My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that’s now opened for business – like millions of others who run small businesses. How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up? Or maybe you’re trying to keep your job at a plant in Michigan or Ohio … or create jobs with clean coal from Pennsylvania or West Virginia … or keep a small farm in the family right here in Minnesota. How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy?
