Why the race is so close...

I'm sick of reading news stories that reiterate the falsehood that all voters care about this election is the economy, and that Barack is the clear choice of voters on this issue. The numbers don't support either assumption.

The big question in this campaign, rarely asked or explained, is why Barack leads by 4 or 5 points in the polls while in generic match-ups, the Dems lead Republicans by 15 points. In other words, Democrats lose 10% points when the name Obama is added into the mix.

The answer is plain to see. McCain and Obama are viewed pretty evenly by voters on key issues, according to the Rasmussen poll. The first column is the percentage of voters who prefer McCain on the issue, the second is Obama's number.

Economy	44%	44%	C, T
National Security	49%	41%	C, T
Energy	44%	44%	C, T
Ethics	42%	44%	C, T
Iraq	43%	44%	C, T
Immigration	38%	37%	C, T
Environment	33%	52%	C, T
Balance Federal Budget	36%	45%	C, T
Negotiate Trade Agreements	39%	44%	C, T
Taxes	43%	43%	C, T
Social Security	42%	44%	C, T
Healthcare	38%	48%	C, T
Education	34%	49%	C, T
Abortion	36%	38%	C, T

Most news coverage of the issues focuses on how all voters care about is economic issues, and how Barack dominates on voter preference on this category. But here are the top voter concerns followed by the number of people who consider them a Very Important or Extremely Important factor in the election.

1. Iraq - 93%
   
2. The economy - 84%
3. Gas Prices - 77%
   
4. Health care - 83%
   
5. Terrorism - 77%
   
6. Education - 83%
   
7. Social Security and Medicare - 77%
   
8. Taxes - 77%
   
9. Illegal immigration - 67%
   

Note that Education is the only issue making the top 9 issues (important to at least two thirds of voters) in which Barack has a substantial advantage amongst voters.

Barack also has big leads in Budget Balancing and the Environment, while McCain's shows a solid 8 point lead on National Security. None of these make the top 9 list above. Otherwise, they run pretty much even.