Posted on 02/17/2007 4:59:08 AM PST by areafiftyone
Could John McCain’s unprecedented old age (he would be 72 when elected) be more problematic for his presidential run than Rudy Giuliani’s rocky marital life (he has been married thrice) in 2008? The latest USA Today/Gallup Poll seems to suggest this might be the case.
The new survey asks voters what they think about certain presidential candidate quirks.
USA Today/Gallup Poll. Feb. 9-11, 2007. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.
“Between now and the 2008 political conventions, there will be discussion about the qualifications of presidential candidates — their education, age, religion, race, and so on. If your party nominated a generally well-qualified person for president who happened to be [see below], would you vote for that person?” Trend includes slight variation in wording. Yes No Unsure % % % Catholic 2/9-11/07 95 4 1 5/30 - 6/1/03 93 5 2 2/19-21/99 94 4 2 2/3-8/37 60 30 10 Black 2/9-11/07 94 5 1 5/30 - 6/1/03 92 6 2 2/19-21/99 95 4 1 1/4 - 2/28/97 93 4 3 7/10-13/87 79 13 8 7/21-24/78 77 18 5 4/19-24/67 53 41 6 9/10-15/58 38 54 8 Jewish 2/9-11/07 92 7 2 5/30 - 6/1/03 89 8 3 2/19-21/99 92 6 2 9/10-15/58 63 29 8 2/10-15/37 46 47 8 A woman 2/9-11/07 88 11 1 5/30 - 6/1/03 87 12 1 2/19-21/99 92 7 1 7/10-13/87 82 12 6 7/21-24/78 76 19 5 4/19-24/67 57 39 4 9/10-15/58 54 41 5 1/27 - 2/1/37 33 64 3 Hispanic 2/9-11/07 87 12 1 Mormon 2/9-11/07 72 24 4 2/19-21/99 79 17 4 4/19-24/67 75 17 8 Married for the third time 2/9-11/07 67 30 3 Seventy-two years of age 2/9-11/07 57 42 1 A homosexual 2/9-11/07 55 43 2 2/19-21/99 59 37 4 4/29 - 5/2/83 29 64 7 7/21-24/78 26 66 8 Atheist 2/9-11/07 45 53 3 2/19-21/99 49 48 3 9/10-15/58 18 77 5 . Asked of those who answered “yes” to each appropriate item above:
“Would you be completely comfortable voting for a qualified presidential candidate who was [see below], or would you have some reservations?” Combined results, based on total sample.
Completely
ComfortableSome
ReservationsWould Not
Vote For
Unsure % % % %
Black 2/9-11/07
84 9 5 1 A woman
2/9-11/07 78 10 11 1
Mormon 2/9-11/07 58
14 24 4 Married for the third time
2/9-11/07 54 13 30 3
Seventy-two years of age 2/9-11/07 43
15 42 1
Voters are more comfortable with an anonymous thrice-married candidate than an anonymous seventy-two year old candidate? Most serious pundits (including yours truly) have long dismissed the notion that McCain’s old age would harm his presidential prospects. This doesn’t necessarily spell doom for the elderly McCain, and the results might be different if Rudy’s name went along with the thrice-married tag and McCain’s with the 72-year-old tag, but these results do pose some interesting questions about what qualities the American electorate requires from their Commander in Chief in this especially trying and weighty era of history.
McCain/Kerry F the POWS/MIAS
McCain/Feingold F free speech
McCain/Kennedy F American Sovereignty
McCain/Gang of 14
McCain/Keating 5
More?
I just don't see him as unstable. Angry at times, yes. I think some of our good presidents in the past have had that quality as well.
Simply doing what you said you would do isn't necessarily principled behavior.
The difference between science and the fuzzy subjects is that science requires reasoning, while those other subjects merely require scholarship.
LAZARUS LONG
It's his willingness to sidestep the Constitution that bothers me.......
I think your list severely distorts McCain's record and position on these areas.
I find him to be a patriot; very strong on American defense and the war against Islamist extremists.
Ronald Reagan would, I believe, have agreed with me.
"Married for the third time " question was skewed biased.
How about "Spouse with candidate's knowledge was having sex with an intern for which he was impeached?
I am not accusing him of lying, so please don't think I am. I could give you several examples, but what would that prove? Here is one small example since you asked. Lately McCain is making himself out to be a good friend of the religious right when clearly he was not in the past. He knows he needs them to win, so it's understandable he would shift gears now when he needs them. I agree, McCain is a good man, and if there were only two choices of who I could vote for between Rudy and McCain, I'd vote for McCain.
No, but I do believe he does act out of principles; we may not always agree on them, but I'm convinced his are strong.
Yes...and that's only the beginning.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1782906/posts
You make it sound as though so long as one has deeply-held beliefs and follows through on them, then one can be termed "principled". Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you, but what I'm hearing from you sounds a lot like moral relativism.
By way of example, McCain made undermining our First Amendment rights a cornerstone of his agenda. I don't care how deeply he believed that was right - his actions were unprincipled because they violated the highest laws of our nation.
It seems you don't know enough about either science or social science. There are bad and twisted versions of both. But don't tell me that "hard science" is any more noble or reasoned than social science. Consider "global warming."
Second time around now for 27 years!
Every vote counts! No I haven't made up my mind yet. :)
I have inside information that soon all will be moot. There are forces pushing to have Rudy pull out of the race because of his extensive "closet."
Keep a good stock of popcorn.
Straight out of the "Clinton FBI file Library" ???
Oh my, you are the only Freeper that I know that supports Mccain
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