Gallup's got good news

Over at Donkey Rising, Ruy Teixeira's got the latest Gallup poll results. While it's much too soon to put too much faith in these numbers, I do think it's encouraging that even after a deluge of dishonest attack ads from BC04, the situation keeps looking up for our New England patriot.

Kerry leads Bush by 5 points among RVs (49-44), up from a 2 point lead in [Gallup's] May 21-23 poll. It's also interesting to note that, for the second straight poll, Gallup's LV numbers (a 6 point, 50-44 lead for Kerry) closely match their RV numbers.

Gallup helpfully provides a solid red/purple/solid blue breakdown of the Kerry-Bush RV matchup. That breakdown shows Kerry with a very healthy lead in the solid blue states (57-37) and Bush with a surprisingly modest one in the solidly red states (48-44). And, most critical to Kerry's electoral chances, he replicates his national lead of 5 points in the purple states (49-44)....

[Bush's] worst ratings are in two domestic areas of potentially large significance to November's outcome: energy policy and prescription drugs for seniors. In both areas, he receives identically abysmal 33/58 ratings. The energy policy rating suggests that high gas prices are indeed hurting Bush politically and the prescription drugs rating indicates that the new discount drug cards are not--despite the predictions of various Republican operatives--improving public perceptions of Bush's performance in this area.

Not a lot of good news here for the current occupant of the Oval Office. No wonder Republicans have been floating the idea of a Reagan death bounce for Bush. Nothing else seems to be working.

Maybe Bush really can't fool all the people all the time. Senior citizens certainly haven't been suckered by the drug card scam. Some of the yuppies out there could learn a thing or two (or twelve) from their elders.