ABC/Post Poll Suggests Gains For Obama

A majority of Americans now say that the economy is the country's most pressing problem, and Barack Obama has opened up a double-digit advantage over John McCain on the issue, according to a new Washington Post / ABC News poll. 

Voters, by 14 points more than McCain, trust Obama to handle the economy; his messaging that McCain is "out of touch" is bearing results, as 57% of Americans think that Obama better understands the complexities of the system.  And when asked an open ended question about who'd best handle a crisis of any sort, half pick Obama, up significantly.

The poll's universe of likely voters pushes Obama beyond 50%; he leads by nine points(52 to 43)  over McCain with a smaller number of undecided voters.

More good news for Obama: he's gaining back white women who defected to the McCain ticket; the Democrats have a 25 point enthusiasm advantage over Republicans, and concerns about McCain's age are rising.

And here's an interesting nugget: Sarah Palin's biggest favorability rating drop has taken place among white Catholics.