The Insecurity Gap

It's this: the more economically secure you feel, the more likely you are to back John McCain. The more financially squeezed you feel, the more likely you are to back Barack Obama. According to a fascinating new Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg poll, of the 50% of Americans who feel economically insecure, 60% of them back Barack Obama. Just 21% back McCain; the rest are undecided or don't know. By 13 points, Obama is deemed better equipped to handle "next year's" economic crisis and 14% think he's got a better grip on the economy. Among voters making less than $40,000, 54% are more comfortable with Obama's vision; among voters making more than $100,000, just 36% are. 

Interestingly -- and perhaps a reader can explain this for me -- the McCain-supporting affluent respondents also favored more regulation with a greater intensity than voters making less than $100,000. (My guess is that voters making less than $100,000 have more material concerns like health care...)