Obama Acceptance Speech Gets High Marks From Public

Overall reaction to Denver convention is typical, but doesn’t match 1992
by Jeffrey M. Jones
Gallup

PRINCETON, NJ -- Fifty-eight percent of Americans give Barack Obama's speech a positive review, including 35% who describe it as "excellent." Both marks surpass those given to the 2000 and 2004 presidential candidates, with the excellent ratings for Obama's speech 10 percentage points higher than any other recent candidate has received.

These results are based on a one-night USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Aug. 29, the night following Obama's acceptance speech.

Obama is widely praised for his rhetorical skills, so perhaps his positive reviews are not surprising. His speech was rated more positively by Americans than Hillary Clinton's Tuesday night convention speech, which also was highly regarded by the public

Democrats give Obama's speech rave reviews, with 62% saying it was an excellent speech and another 21% describing it as good. A majority of independents rate Obama's speech as either excellent (27%) or good (25%), but Republicans were less impressed (12% excellent and 25% good).

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