Americans Trust Democrats More on Top Issues, But Trust Slips on Security

The good news is that, per the latest Rasmussen polls, Americans trust Democratic leadership more than Republican on seven of ten top issues.

The bad news is that last month, Americans trusted Democrats more than Republicans on all ten top issues. And that small slippage could have a big impact on the November elections.

In particular, Americans gained renewed confidence in Republicans on the twin issues of national security and the Iraq War, likely due to John McCain's continual pounding of this topic. For millions of Americans, McCain's military experience, his age, and his hawkish views collectively give an air of gravitas to his war plans. And so McCain pounds away at the issue... to the virtual exclusion of all other matters.

Ironically, though, Americans trust Obama slightly more than McCain on the question of Iraq, although the difference is within the margin of error.

Since this Rasmussen poll was taken, Obama delivered a richly-detailed foreign policy speech, outlining his plans to end the Iraq War, and observing that:

"George Bush and John McCain don't have a strategy for success in Iraq -- they have a strategy for staying in Iraq. They said we couldn't leave when violence was up, they say we can't leave when violence is down."

Additionally, Sen. Obama departs next week for a trip abroad which includes a stop in Iraq to meet with U.S. commanders and troops and various Iraqi leaders. While Obama is committed to the overall strategy of moving U.S. miliitary might out of Iraq and into Afghanistan, I suspect he'll glean valuable info on his visit regarding the tactics of U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. And Americans will listen...

The results of the July 8th, 2008 Rasmussen poll on the Obama-McCain race for the White House are quite fascinating:

Americans trust Obama more than McCain on the following issues:

• Economy (See Obama 101: The Economy for Middle-Class Americans)
• Ethics
• Iraq (within the error margin)
• Environment (See Obama 101: Energy & the Environment)
• Balance federal budget
• Negotiate trade agreements
• Social Security
• Health care (see Obama 101: Health Care)
• Education (See Obama 101: Education Reform)
• Abortion

Americans trust McCain more than Obama on national security and immigration. Interestingly, the two contenders are tied on energy and taxes, which means McCain is making a dent on those issues, as well.

There's plenty of other interesting info at the latest Rasmussen poll, especially Public Perceptions of the Candidates, Likely Outcome of the 2008 Presidential Election, and detailed National Tracking on the War on Terror.

One result that jumps out from the others: 44% of Americans believe Obama will win the Presidential election, as versus only 27% who believe that McCain will emerge the victor in November.