Obama Beats McCain on Most Character Ratings

min0 lee · 07-08-2008, 08:27 AM

Obama Beats McCain on Most Character Ratings

Obama leads on 7 of 10 characteristics, but McCain wins on leadership

<LI class="flag USA">USA <LI class="">Democrats <LI class="">Election 2008 <LI class="">Government and Politics <LI class="">Republicans <LI class="">Americas
Northern America

by Lydia Saad
Page:1 2

PRINCETON, NJ -- In the June 15-19 USA Today/Gallup poll, Barack Obama leads John McCain among registered voters in a presidential preference test, 48% to 42%. The same poll finds Obama swamping McCain in Americans' perceptions of who has the better grasp of the problems Americans face, while McCain leads Obama by a slight margin as a "strong and decisive leader."

More generally, Obama is the more highly regarded of the two candidates on a number of positive personal and leadership characteristics, ranging from his empathy for average Americans, to his political independence, to his ability to solve the nation's problems. He leads McCain by a significant margin on 7 of 10 characteristics tested in the recent poll; he roughly ties McCain on two, and trails McCain on only one.
Empathy, Independence, and Effectiveness
The two dimensions on which Obama does best relative to McCain -- understanding the problems Americans face in their daily lives and caring about "the needs of people like you" -- both concern his perceived empathy for average Americans. He outscores McCain by more than 20 percentage points on both of these.

Obama also leads by double digits on two dimensions that tap Americans' perceptions of the candidates' political independence: being independent in his thoughts and actions, and standing up to special interests.

Obama performs well on two dimensions related to his effectiveness in achieving public policy objectives: working well with both parties to get things done, and having a clear plan for solving the country's problems (though on this latter dimension, a substantial 28% do not express a preference for either candidate).

Obama and McCain are more closely matched when it comes to their personal ethics or values. Obama leads McCain, but only slightly, on the "shares your values" dimension, while the two are nearly tied in perceptions of who is more "honest and trustworthy." Again, many Americans do not see either candidate as superior on the honesty dimension -- something both candidates score well on when rated individually (see Gallup's earlier polling).

A Competent Chief Executive
McCain is slightly more likely than Obama to be credited as a "strong and decisive leader." He also ties Obama in perceptions of which candidate can better manage the government effectively.
While neither dimension is a strong advantage for McCain, his relatively good performance on them signals that Americans see him as someone who can lead people and government agencies. These are core responsibilities of the presidency, and ones on which he at least measures up to Obama.

Implications
Obama clearly wins Gallup's character ratings by volume; the question is whether he wins by a large enough margin on the dimensions that are most important to Americans when electing a president. Obama's six-point lead in the horse race in the same poll is an important summary indicator suggesting that he does.
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,625 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted June 15-19, 2008. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
For results based on the 781 national adults in the Form A half sample and the 844 national adults in the Form B half sample, the maximum margins of error are ±4 percentage points.
Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only).
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
To provide feedback or suggestions about how to improve Gallup.com, please e-mail feedback@gallup.com.

bio-chem · 07-08-2008, 09:18 AM

pretty interesting stuff. these numbers are going to change drastically when the real campaign starts. right now most people know very little about these 2 men. other than obama wants a complete change (or he used to) and mccain wants a little change.

SYN · 07-08-2008, 03:04 PM

DaMayor · 07-08-2008, 07:26 PM

Those figures are seriously skewed. They make Obama look like Dr. Huxtable for God's sake.

Heck, I'd rather vote for Bill Cosby.

I think the problem is that this campaign, to this point anyway, has been a battle of charisma and marketability. Its all Obama has, and everything McCain lacks.

busyLivin · 07-09-2008, 11:27 AM

The fact that a man like Obama even has a chance is embarassing.

Unlike Michelle Obama, this is the first time I'm ashamed of my country.

**Dale Mabry** · 07-09-2008, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by busyLivin

The fact that a man like Obama even has a chance is embarassing.

Unlike Michelle Obama, this is the first time I'm ashamed of my country.

Agreed. Nothing against Obama, but it's like having to choose between a Veteran quarterback who is trying to tank the game and a rookie who has never taken a snap.

bio-chem · 07-09-2008, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dale Mabry

Agreed. Nothing against Obama, but it's like having to choose between a Veteran quarterback who is trying to tank the game and a rookie who has never taken a snap.

i dont think mccain is puposefully trying to tank the game. if you would have said vertran with diminishing skills i would have agreed more with the analogy

**Dale Mabry** · 07-09-2008, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bio-chem

i dont think mccain is puposefully trying to tank the game. if you would have said vertran with diminishing skills i would have agreed more with the analogy

Not purposefully, just ignorant. Like cutting the gas tax would do anything other than drive demand back up and bring prices right back to former levels, with the added bonus of taking away money for highways that will have to come from somewhere else.

lifterjaydawg · 07-09-2008, 11:45 PM

I just think Mccain's time has past, he ran against a very weak field of republican candidates. I don't know if either guy is up to the job.

busyLivin · 07-10-2008, 06:37 AM

McCain is running a terrible campaign. The only thing driving me is an intense dislike of Obama & his policies. McCain is a boring candidate. He's never going to get the vote out if he doesn't do something to excite the base.

min0 lee · 07-10-2008, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by busyLivin

The only thing driving me is an intense dislike of Obama & his policies.

I can see you disliking his policies but he's actually a likable guy which may be one of the reasons he's leading the polls.
Intense hatred....that's pretty strong.

busyLivin · 07-10-2008, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by min0 lee

I can see you disliking his policies but he's actually a likable guy which may be one of the reasons he's leading the polls.
Intense hatred....that's pretty strong.

Didn't say hatred, I said dislike. Obama is completely full of shit & grossly unqualified. I dislike him because I doubt every word he spews & because I plainly think he's a racist.

Obama is leading because he's "hip". People today are so uninformed.. it's sickening. If people really knew what today's democrats stood for I have a hard time believing they would have any constituency other than the far-left nuts like Code-Pink.

People don't know the real Obama, and that's just how he wants it. The country has never elected a far left nut, and he knows it. His sprint to the middle is laughable. If people fall for it, he deserves the presidency.. and the country deserves him.

Witchblade · 07-10-2008, 01:10 PM

I can't believe how much hype there is about the elections yet the candidates' programs are still unknown.

min0 lee · 07-10-2008, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by busyLivin

Didn't say hatred, I said dislike.

You said intense dislike, maybe a mistake but intense is deep.....

hate

Audio Help/heɪt/Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[heyt]Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciationverb, hat·ed, hat·ing, noun
–verb (used with object) 1.to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest: to hate the enemy; to hate bigotry. 2.to be unwilling; dislike: I hate to do it. –verb (used without object) 3.to feel intense dislike, or extreme aversion or hostility. –noun 4.intense dislike; extreme aversion or hostility. 5.the object of extreme aversion or hostility.

min0 lee · 07-10-2008, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by busyLivin

I dislike him because I doubt every word he spews & because I plainly think he's a racist.

Obama is leading because he's "hip". People today are so uninformed.. it's sickening. If people really knew what today's democrats stood for I have a hard time believing they would have any constituency other than the far-left nuts like Code-Pink.

People don't know the real Obama, and that's just how he wants it. The country has never elected a far left nut, and he knows it. His sprint to the middle is laughable. If people fall for it, he deserves the presidency.. and the country deserves him.

I can't argue with the fact he may be underqualified but they also said you can't put a Hollywood actor in the white house.
Racist? How? I am curios.

Your from Chicago right...I guess you know more than most, I never heard of him before this.

07-08-2008, 08:27 AM	#1
min0 lee Senior Member Elite Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: The Bronx, NYC Posts: 38,792 Photos: 542	Obama Beats McCain on Most Character Ratings Obama Beats McCain on Most Character Ratings Obama leads on 7 of 10 characteristics, but McCain wins on leadership <LI class="flag USA">USA <LI class="">Democrats <LI class="">Election 2008 <LI class="">Government and Politics <LI class="">Republicans <LI class="">Americas Northern America by Lydia Saad Page:1 2 PRINCETON, NJ -- In the June 15-19 USA Today/Gallup poll, Barack Obama leads John McCain among registered voters in a presidential preference test, 48% to 42%. The same poll finds Obama swamping McCain in Americans' perceptions of who has the better grasp of the problems Americans face, while McCain leads Obama by a slight margin as a "strong and decisive leader." More generally, Obama is the more highly regarded of the two candidates on a number of positive personal and leadership characteristics, ranging from his empathy for average Americans, to his political independence, to his ability to solve the nation's problems. He leads McCain by a significant margin on 7 of 10 characteristics tested in the recent poll; he roughly ties McCain on two, and trails McCain on only one. Empathy, Independence, and Effectiveness The two dimensions on which Obama does best relative to McCain -- understanding the problems Americans face in their daily lives and caring about "the needs of people like you" -- both concern his perceived empathy for average Americans. He outscores McCain by more than 20 percentage points on both of these. Obama also leads by double digits on two dimensions that tap Americans' perceptions of the candidates' political independence: being independent in his thoughts and actions, and standing up to special interests. Obama performs well on two dimensions related to his effectiveness in achieving public policy objectives: working well with both parties to get things done, and having a clear plan for solving the country's problems (though on this latter dimension, a substantial 28% do not express a preference for either candidate). Obama and McCain are more closely matched when it comes to their personal ethics or values. Obama leads McCain, but only slightly, on the "shares your values" dimension, while the two are nearly tied in perceptions of who is more "honest and trustworthy." Again, many Americans do not see either candidate as superior on the honesty dimension -- something both candidates score well on when rated individually (see Gallup's earlier polling). A Competent Chief Executive McCain is slightly more likely than Obama to be credited as a "strong and decisive leader." He also ties Obama in perceptions of which candidate can better manage the government effectively. While neither dimension is a strong advantage for McCain, his relatively good performance on them signals that Americans see him as someone who can lead people and government agencies. These are core responsibilities of the presidency, and ones on which he at least measures up to Obama. Implications Obama clearly wins Gallup's character ratings by volume; the question is whether he wins by a large enough margin on the dimensions that are most important to Americans when electing a president. Obama's six-point lead in the horse race in the same poll is an important summary indicator suggesting that he does. Survey Methods Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,625 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted June 15-19, 2008. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. For results based on the 781 national adults in the Form A half sample and the 844 national adults in the Form B half sample, the maximum margins of error are ±4 percentage points. Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only). In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls. To provide feedback or suggestions about how to improve Gallup.com, please e-mail feedback@gallup.com. How To Do The Perfect Bench Press Rep Bodybuilding and Lifting Weights, the Difference ironmagazine-frapper

07-08-2008, 03:04 PM	#3
SYN I am The Mad Hatter Elite Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: maine Posts: 963 Photos: 26	just.a.footnote.in.someone.else's.happiness

07-10-2008, 01:10 PM	#13
Witchblade Succinct Elite Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Holland Posts: 4,474 Photos: 2	I can't believe how much hype there is about the elections yet the candidates' programs are still unknown. My Linkdump [LSFW] IM Official FAQ [WORK IN PROGRESS]

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07-08-2008, 09:18 AM	#2
bio-chem Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Utah Posts: 5,774 Photos: 14	pretty interesting stuff. these numbers are going to change drastically when the real campaign starts. right now most people know very little about these 2 men. other than obama wants a complete change (or he used to) and mccain wants a little change.

07-08-2008, 07:26 PM	#4
DaMayor On a Perpetual Bulk Elite Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: ... Posts: 6,145	Those figures are seriously skewed. They make Obama look like Dr. Huxtable for God's sake. Heck, I'd rather vote for Bill Cosby. I think the problem is that this campaign, to this point anyway, has been a battle of charisma and marketability. Its all Obama has, and everything McCain lacks.

07-09-2008, 11:27 AM	#5
busyLivin Senior Member Elite Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 4,339	The fact that a man like Obama even has a chance is embarassing. Unlike Michelle Obama, this is the first time I'm ashamed of my country.

07-09-2008, 11:45 PM	#9
lifterjaydawg Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: california Posts: 48	I just think Mccain's time has past, he ran against a very weak field of republican candidates. I don't know if either guy is up to the job.

07-10-2008, 06:37 AM	#10
busyLivin Senior Member Elite Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 4,339	McCain is running a terrible campaign. The only thing driving me is an intense dislike of Obama & his policies. McCain is a boring candidate. He's never going to get the vote out if he doesn't do something to excite the base.