Battling for 30%, Obama Remains Ahead

Despite grim news from some pollsters, no small amount of schadenfreude, and a nasty slew of attack ads, Barack Obama remains on top.  The same polls, though, indicate that his hold could be tenuous: more voters credit McCain with the greater leadership ability on a majority of issues.  While this suggests that Obama’s ideological appeal alone is driving him to a plurality, thus giving hope for the redemption of the “liberal” label, he needs to close the “leadership” gap, by hitting points of substance and claiming policy victories where he wins them.  With undecided voters hovering at 30%, there’s a lot at stake.