In this Washington Times article, Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli points out something I’ve been saying all along, namely, that issues matter:

“We’d gotten into this mind-set that 2008 would be a good year for the Democrats,” said Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli. “What this shows is that issues still matter.”

Mr. Ciruli isn’t the only pollster to notice a change in attitude:

“The results show increased support for additional drilling, which McCain supports and Obama opposes,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute in Hamden, CT, which conducted the survey with the Wall Street Journal and Washingtonpost.com.

“Roughly one in 10 voters say they have changed their minds and now favor drilling because of the jump in energy prices,” he said. “They support Obama, but with voters saying that the energy issue is now more important to their presidential vote than is the war in Iraq, this group represents an opportunity for the Republican.”

We’ve all seen the right track/wrong track polling that shows an overwhelming majority of voters think that the country is heading in the wrong direction. I suspect that they think that’s because Washington doesn’t listen. Immmigration is the perfect example of that. Sen. Reid and Ms. Pelosi digging in their heels on increased oil production is another perfect example.

The GOP is the party that’s responding to people’s needs, which is shifting votes. This isn’t just theory, either. In Colorado, Sen. McCain now leads Sen. Obama. I think it’s more impressive that Bob Schaffer has come back to tie Mark Udall for the Colorado Senate seat being vacated by Wayne Alard.

This polling data also suggests that people are simply looking for solutions-oriented people, regardless of party. This is just a hunch but I’m betting that they aren’t that fussy about the details, with one exception:

“The energy issue was working for the Democrats until April, when gas prices hit
$4 [per gallon], and then people began looking at traditional sources like oil,
which Republicans dominate,” said Mr. Ciruli. “When you’re paying $4 and looking at $5, you start to get very realistic about your energy sources.”

Call high gas prices the great clarifier. People don’t care how Washington brings prices down. They only care that prices drop. In the end, expect that to be the only result voters are interested in.

Technorati Tags: Polling, Gas Crisis, John McCain, Obama, Bob Schaffer, Mark Udall, Quinnipiac, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog