Mound City

There is an interesting poll on ABC's website this morning. The article along with the poll states that Cheney won last night's debate, which the numbers at first seem to back up. Yet in the overall question of who the voters prefer, the Bush/Cheney ticket lost a point while Kerry/Edwards gained a point.

While I understand that the focus of the story was the debate, shouldn't the fact that the Vice President's victory in the debate actually drove the ticket's numbers down be the more important point? How can a candidate win a debate and have his ticket lose ground?

The poll broke down responses according to who they were supporting. It seems that more Kerry supporters called it a tie than Bush supporters did. Considering the relative importance of this debate (VP debates until this year had little effect on the race in general), and the relative levels of experience and position between Cheney and Edwards, a tie in this debate is effectively a win for Edwards. If the sitting Vice President who has been touted for his great experience and wisdom can't beat a wet-behind-the-ears first-term Senator like a gong, then there are some serious issues the ticket needs to work on.

To see the whole poll click here.