JCDPText Box: Campaign 2008 1825 Calder Beaumont, TX 77701 (409) 833-5129 Bookmark us and check back for updates!# Email Us Text Box:   Barack’s Bounce—double-digit lead, 51 percent to 36 percent, over McCain among registered voters nationwide. By Michael Hirsh | Newsweek Web Exclusive Jun 20, 2008 | Updated: 3:37  p.m. ET Jun 20, 2008 Barack finally has his bounce. For weeks many political experts and pollsters have been wondering why the race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain had stayed so tight, even after the Illinois senator wrestled the nomination from Hillary Clinton. With numbers consistently showing rock-bottom approval ratings for President Bush and a large majority of Americans unhappy with the country's direction, the opposing-party candidate should, in the normal course, have attracted more disaffected voters. Now it looks as if Obama is doing just that. A new NEWSWEEK Poll shows that he has a substantial double-digit lead, 51 percent to 36 percent, over McCain among registered voters nationwide. Overall, voters see Obama as the preferred agent of "change" by a margin of 51 percent to 27 percent. Younger voters, in particular, are more likely to see Obama that way: those 18 to 39 favor the Illinois senator by 66 percent to 27 percent. The two candidates are statistically tied among older voters. Obama's current lead also reflects the large party-identification advantage the Democrats now enjoy—55 percent of all voters call themselves Democrats or say they lean toward the party while just 36 percent call themselves Republicans or lean that way. For now, however, Obama is running much stronger at this point in the race than his two most recent Democratic predecessors, Sen. John Kerry and Vice President Al Gore, who both failed in their bids to win the White House. In a July 2004 NEWSWEEK Poll, Kerry led Bush by only 6 points (51 percent to 45 percent). In June 2000, Gore was in a dead heat with Bush (45 percent to 45 percent)—which is essentially where he ended up when that razor-thin election was finally decided. Most other national polls have shown Obama with a 4 to 5 point lead over McCain so far. Random statistical error can explain some of the difference in poll results. The NEWSWEEK survey of 1,010 adults nationwide on June 18 and 19, 2008, has a margin of error of 4 points. But the latest evidence of his gaining ground goes well beyond that margin. Text Box: Mayor Bloomberg Defends Obama before Jewish Voters NYC Chief Executive Urges End To False Online Rumors About Democratic Nominee NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ― Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged Jewish voters to denounce the whisper campaign that for months has pushed the false rumor that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is secretly a Muslim. Bloomberg warned a Jewish group in Boca Raton, Fla., on Friday that the attempt to portray Obama as a shadowy Muslim with a hidden agenda often targets Jewish voters online and with e-mails. The deceptive campaign against Obama, who is Christian, "threatens to undo the enormous strides that Jews and Muslims have made together in this country," the New York mayor said. The lies are "cloaked in concern for Israel, but the real concern is about partisan politics," said Bloomberg, who is Jewish. "This is wedge politics at its worst, and we've got to reject it -- loudly, clearly and unequivocally." Bloomberg, a billionaire independent, had considered making his own run for the White House this year, but decided against it. He has said his endorsement and potential financial backing could still be up for grabs, and there has been occasional chatter about how he might make a good running mate for either Obama or Republican John McCain. Either way, Bloomberg's passionate defense of Obama in front of a Jewish audience in Florida could help the Illinois senator in the state, which is home to many Jewish voters. Some have questioned Obama's commitment to Israel; this stems partly from his stated willingness to talk with leaders of rogue nations, which McCain and others have criticized as a sign he underestimates the threat posed to Israel by Iran and others in the Middle East. There is also uneasiness about Obama among some Jewish people because his former church pastor has praised black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan, who has made anti-Semitic remarks. Obama has disavowed his pastor and left the church. Earlier this month in a speech to Jewish activists in Washington, Obama referred to the e-mail campaign against him as one "filled with tall tales and dire warnings." Bloomberg noted how racial and religious tensions have cooled, and remained calm, in New York City -- an achievement for which he is often praised. One thing he has learned, Bloomberg said, is that one must speak out against those who spread "fear and stereotypes." "That's why I'm speaking out today," he said, "and I hope all of you will join me throughout this campaign in strongly speaking out against this fear mongering, no matter who you'll be voting for." Text Box: McCain Disagrees New Terrorist Attack would help Him FRESNO, California (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Monday he disagreed with a reported comment by political adviser Charlie Black that a September 11-type attack before the November election would benefit McCain. "If he said that -- and I do not know the context -- I strenuously disagree," McCain told reporters at a news conference in Fresno. Fortune Magazine said Black, in discussing how national security is McCain's strong suit, had said when asked about another terrorist attack on U.S. soil that, "Certainly it would be a big advantage to him." McCain, asked about the magazine article at the news conference, did not sound familiar with the article. "I cannot imagine why he would say it. It's not true," McCain said, adding that he has worked hard since the September 11 attack to prevent another such attack. Black is one of McCain's most trusted political advisers.