Clive Crook's blog: When I read a piece a few days ago by Michael Barone on Real Clear Politics arguing that "the old rule that economic distress moves voters toward Democrats doesn't seem to be operating," I found it somewhat persuasive. He argued that blame for the crisis cannot easily be pinned on Republicans alone, and that voters may fear that taxes will rise faster under Mr Obama than they would under Mr McCain (regardless of the fact that Mr Obama is promising more tax relief for most Americans than Mr McCain), which in turn would be more bad news for the economy. But a new poll this morning seems to say otherwise, according to The Washington Post: "Turmoil in the financial industry and growing pessimism about the economy have altered the shape of the presidential race, giving Democratic nominee Barack Obama the first clear lead of the general-election campaign over Republican John McCain, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News national poll.

"Just 9 per cent of those surveyed rated the economy as good or excellent, the first time that number has been in single digits since the days just before the 1992 election. Just 14 per cent said the country is heading in the right direction, equalling the record low on that question in polls dating back to 1973.