Via TPM, this CBS News poll that came out yesterday shows that Obama's appeal among independents is down quite a bit -- he's at 38 percent now, down from 46 percent in February. McCain's at 46 percent, up from 36 percent. Clinton is at 36 percent, up just one point since February. I'm sure the Wright flap hasn't helped Obama much with these voters, especially with the portion that I mentioned the other day. It should also be noted that the poll was conducted March 15-18, which didn't give much time for Obama's speech on Tuesday to affect opinions either favorably or negatively.
Even if those numbers are somewhat disconcerting for the Obama camp -- and for any Democrat interested in winning come November, since Clinton's figures aren't too impressive there either -- overall the poll bodes well for Obama. He's ahead of Clinton among all registered Democrats, has the highest favorability rating, and would beat McCain by a higher margin than Clinton in current head-to-head match-ups. The question of independent voters, however, is a big one, and it will be interesting to see what kind of effect his speech this week had on them.
--Kate Sheppard
