Obama all but sweeps snap polls

In snap polls conducted by CNN/Opinion Research Corp and SurveyUSA, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama made a strong showing, with almost twice as many of those polled saying they thought he had won. In both polls, Obama was seen by most people as bettering his rival in almost all the categories.

The SurveyUSA poll respondents thought McCain had got off the best one-liner.

And the CNN poll indicated respondents thought McCain had been on the attack more. Whether or not one views that as a good thing is subjective. But most independents -- who are, after all, the people who must be convinced -- tend to view aggressive personal accusations quite negatively and recent attacks by McCain on his campaign are seen to be the cause of a recent acceleration in McCain's downward plunge in national polling regarding the preferences in the race.

Perhaps one of the most interesting findings was on taxes. As CNN notes:

During the debate, McCain attacked Obama's stance on taxes, accusing Obama of seeking tax increases that would "spread the wealth around." But by 15 points, 56 percent to 41 percent, debate watchers polled said Obama would do a better job on taxes. By a 2-1 margin, 62 percent to 31 percent, debate watchers said Obama would do a better job on health care.

CNN: Poll: Debate watchers say Obama wins

KFSN (Fresno): SurveyUSA Final Presidential Debate Poll