Americans’ problem with McCain - too wishy-washy
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http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=24058&pg=1
August 09, 2006
A Closer Look at Americans’ Views of John McCain
His issue positions are more of a negative than a positive for
Republicans
by Jeffrey M. Jones GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ — John McCain is considered by many to be the front-
runner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. He is rated
positively by a majority of Americans, and is unique in that
evaluations of him are similar among Americans of different partisan
affiliations. While that would make him a formidable candidate in a
general election, he could be vulnerable in Republican presidential
primaries and caucuses. Indeed, in a recent poll Gallup found
Republicans were more likely to find Rudy Giuliani or Condoleezza
Rice, rather than McCain, as acceptable Republican presidential
nominees.
A new Gallup Panel survey delved more deeply into Americans’ views of
McCain, trying to get a better understanding of what they like and
dislike about him. In general, Americans admire him for his service
in Vietnam and his time as a prisoner of war there, and for his
perceived principled stand on issues. But not all Americans agree
with the latter sentiment — the most frequent criticism of him is
that he is wishy-washy and needs to take a stand on issues.
In a broad sense, Americans cite McCain’s character more often than
his issue positions or experience when describing what they like
about him, and are more likely to point to his issue positions when
describing what they dislike about him. Republicans are more likely
to say his issue positions are a reason to dislike the Republican
senator than to like him. One positive note for McCain is that about
6 in 10 Americans cannot say anything they dislike about him.
Overall Opinion of McCain
Gallup polling has consistently shown that most Americans have
positive opinions of McCain. According to a June 23-25 USA Today/
Gallup poll, 56% of Americans say they have a favorable opinion of
him, 25% an unfavorable opinion, and 19% do not have an opinion about
him. These opinions have been fairly stable since McCain gained
national prominence during the 2000 Republican presidential
primaries, although he was rated slightly more positively (with
favorable ratings averaging above 60%) then compared to now.
McCain stands apart from most politicians in that his ratings are
similar across the three party groups. Fifty-nine percent of
Republicans, 55% of independents, and 56% of Democrats rate him
favorably.
By comparison, George W. Bush has a 40% favorable rating, but his
favorable ratings are 86% among Republicans, 34% among independents
and 12% among Democrats. Hillary Clinton, the presumed front-runner
for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, has a 51% overall
favorable rating, including 16% among Republicans, 52% among
independents, and 75% among Democrats.
Likes and Dislikes About McCain
Gallup’s July 24-27 Panel survey asked a nationally representative
sample of respondents what they liked or admired about McCain, and
separately, what they disliked about him. In general, Americans have
a lot more positive than negative things to say about him, but the
data also suggest the public does not have very well-formed opinions
about McCain. Forty percent said they had no opinion or said there
was nothing they admired about him, while an even larger percentage,
58%, had no opinion or said there was nothing they disliked about him.
Americans are most likely to say they like or admire McCain for his
service in Vietnam. While there, McCain was captured by the North
Vietnamese and was a prisoner of war for over five years. Fourteen
percent laud him for doing what he believes in and not being wishy-
washy.
McCain has positioned himself as a moderate, sometimes taking stances
that run counter to the wishes of the majority of his party, such as
his work to pass campaign finance reform. In fact, 5% of respondents
specifically reference his not always being aligned with Republicans
as something they like about McCain. Eight percent say he has high
moral character.
The public has less to say negatively about McCain. The top response,
mentioned by 9%, is that he is wishy-washy and needs to take a stance
on issues. Five percent do not like him for his Republican politics
and 4% for his support of President Bush; most of these respondents,
not surprisingly, are Democrats.
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