Poll: 19% of Americans associate just one word with McCain
An AP-Yahoo poll asked Americans what word comes to mind when they think of the two presidential candidates. Although both had roughly the same favorable-unfavorable split, the specific images of the two men were very different.
For John McCain, the most common response was "old," with 19%. In contrast, 20% responded to Barack Obama's name with "change" or "outsider" and another 8% saw him as "inspiring."
However, the news isn't all bad for McCain, as the Associated Press doesn't mention if one other word allegedly linked to McCain comes to mind.
Among those responders who looked more positively on McCain, 9% referred to his having been a prisoner of war, while 13% noted Obama's "lack of experience." One woman told AP, "I think he talks the talk, but I don't think he can walk the walk." Another 9% called Obama "dishonest."
Obama received more responses associated with caring or likability and was favored on domestic issues, while McCain was cited more often in terms of leadership or decisiveness.
However, AP noted that "Obama's image has deteriorated with two crucial groups: 52 percent of whites view him negatively, up 12 points from November. And 48 percent of independents have an unfavorable view of him, up from 31 percent last fall."
Finally, 7% saw McCain as equivalent to Bush and 6% linked him to Iraq or terrorism. "I think of the people we lost and a country that can never be won, no matter who is in office," said one woman.
The full AP story can be read here.
This video is from The Associated Press, broadcast July 7, 2008.
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