The lines dipped. They should just leave enough alone. That's because, says Luntz, politicians are starting to figure out the no-nastiness mood of the electorate. Both sides are used to using sledgehammers, not subtlety. But when they do go overboard, they lose voters, so they're starting to learn.
Most people think the country is headed in the right direction.
They're happy with their own financial status. In this atmosphere, he says, overt criticism doesn't fit. Another reason for the change, says pollster Floyd Ciruli, is the declining partisanship of many independent-leaning voters. Luntz also attributes some of the antinegative fervor to John McCain. He campaigned for something.