WSJ: Obama's Lead Widens in New WSJ/NBC Poll

Presenting himself as a man of action, it seems, was not terribly attractive to independents

Independent voters are starting to swing behind Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who continue to benefit from economic turmoil and the public response to their debate performances, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The survey gives the Democrats a six-point edge over John McCain and Sarah Palin, 49% to 43% with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. That's up from a slim two-point advantage from the last Journal poll two weeks ago, and parallels other recent national polls.

The new poll is full of good news for the Democratic ticket. Obama increased his advantage over McCain when voters were asked which one they prefer to handle conomic issues, as a growing percentage of voters said that was their top concern heading into the election. More voters said they're "more reassured" by how Obama was responding to the financial crisis than by McCain.