Would you prefer a hesitant intellectual or a decisive idiot?
Edited on Tue Jul-13-04 05:16 PM by troublemaker
Most reporting of this recent AP Poll about attributes of Bush and Kerry has compared apples and oranges by comparing “yes” totals for each man head to head despite the obvious fact that in every category Kerry has more “Not sure” responses. (People are always more familiar with a sitting President than with a challenger; particularly before the conventions.)
So, to allow apple to apple comparison, I’ve divided the yes’s by the no’s. Example: Say you asked whether Bush has good hair and the responses were 50% yes, 40% no and 10% not sure. 50 divided by 40 equals 1.25.
Any result over 2 (or under 0.5) suggests a distinction in the public mind so clear-cut that it transcends part identification, getting into the territory of questions like “was Bill Clinton a skillful politician,” or “did Ronald Reagan read speeches well.”
ARROGANT: KERRY 0.85 / BUSH 1.11
DECISIVE: KERRY 0.91 / BUSH 2.16
HONEST: KERRY 1.33 / BUSH 1.15
LIKABLE: KERRY 1.72 / BUSH 2.00
COMPASSIONATE: KERRY 1.82 / BUSH 1.48
INTELLIGENT: KERRY 5.93 / BUSH 1.75
WEALTHY: KERRY 9.45 / BUSH 11.25
(On edit: pollsters need to determine whether some percentage of people are hearing the word decisive as "divisive." I'm serious.)
2. What's astounding to me is the closeness of those
"likeable" numbers. Isn't Bush's strength supposed to be his good ole boy, back slapping charm? I guess people are starting to see through that to the foul mouthed, juvenile frat boy beneath.
They forgot that question. John Kerry would win that one! It is important for the US, the number one country in the world, to have a leader with diplomatic skills.
Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators
Important Notices: By participating on this discussion
board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules
page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the
opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent
the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.