From a reader:

Jonah –
Consider the very interesting response to question number 22 in the recently released WSJ/NBC poll.
By more than two to one, registered voters say they agree that it is more important to “clean up Washington and take on waste and fraud in the system” than to “change Bush policies and have active government oversight …” Doesn’t sound like an electorate at all interested in more government.
I think this also goes a long way towards explaining McCain’s support (growing?) among independents, and his campaign’s very sharp focus on McCain as a populist reformer. This would also argue for letting Obama drift more and more to being seen as a generic Democrat, as he tried to do in is nomination acceptance speech. It also might explain what today is starting to look like movement back to McCain in Gallup’s tracking poll.