It's heartening to see voters turning toward Obama -- and away from the increasingly thuggish smear tactics of McCain and Palin:

Independent voters are starting to swing behind Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who continue to benefit from economic turmoil and the public response to their debate performances, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

The survey, conducted over the weekend, was full of good news for the Democratic presidential ticket. Sen. Obama increased his advantage over Republican rival John McCain when voters were asked which candidate they prefer to handle economic issues at a time when a growing percentage of voters said that was their top concern heading into the election. More voters said they are "more reassured" by how Sen. Obama was responding to the financial crisis than by Sen. McCain.

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Independent Voters Move Toward Obama

New Poll Indicates That Democrat Ticket Is Benefiting From Financial Crisis

By LAURA MECKLER, WSJ

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122332442918808789.html