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YOUR WORLD IN POLLS: POLARIZING MCCAIN.
Via the new Pew Poll comes evidence that McCain's broad coalition of People Who Like Him is beginning to polarize by party as he moves towards the Republican nomination. His favorability numbers among Democrats have tanked, and his ratings among independents have fallen, even if only to 51 percent. Meanwhile, Republicans seem to have discovered a newfound affection for the guy, and their recognition that he too supports endless war and upward redistribution have sent his numbers skyrocketing. None of this is particularly shocking -- in fact, expect to see the same phenomenon with Obama before very long -- but it suggests that McCain is vulnerable in exactly the ways everyone is saying he's vulnerable. As Matt noted the other day, both McCain and Obama have faced their toughest battles in primaries, and so very few voters have heard McCain attacked from the left, or Obama assailed from the right. But they will soon.
COMMENTS (4)
This is a comforting number, but it is badly offset by another one. The question is, "Has [candidate] provided enough information about policies and plans?" McCain splits 51-37 yes; Clinton splits 67-28 yes; Obama splits 36-56 no.
I understand Clinton's high number, and I get why it would be a shade higher than Obama's, but the idea that McCain has laid his plans out there and Obama has not is completely divorced from reality. The only thing I can figure is that "experience" and "straight talk" are substituting for "information about policies and plans."
Hooray, stupid media narratives!
Posted by: jhupp | February 29, 2008 9:48 AM
Good to see the independents coming down. Hard to say you have a big following among independents when your favorability rating is barely 50%.
Posted by: Jose Padilla | February 29, 2008 10:08 AM
That one comment was almost worth enduring Matt's week of 'I don't care about little people' spiel.
Nobody is immune to this. But expect this to affect McCain more, as he's simply more hard-edged and partisan.
Posted by: Soullite | February 29, 2008 11:00 AM
So, Republicans are beginning to click into lock step agreement with McBush, en masse, and everyone else is getting increasingly suspicious of him?
Wow! What a shocker! Gosh Ezra, I'd bet that only about 95% or your regular commenters here could have predicted that one!
Posted by: chowchowchow | February 29, 2008 12:42 PM