The Dreaded Septuagenarian Issue...

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_08/014389.php

THE DREADED SEPTUAGENARIAN ISSUE.... There's a new Washington Post/ABC News poll out this morning, and it appears to be the last major national poll before the presidential race shifts gears (it was taken before the Biden announcement and on the eve of the Democratic convention).

Given that the campaign is probably about to change, at least a little, it's hard to know just how much predictive value, if any, a poll like this is going to have. For what it's worth, it shows Barack Obama leading John McCain by four among likely voters, 49% to 45%. The lead is slightly bigger among registered voters, 49% to 43%.

But looking through the data, there was one set of questions that jumped out at me:

"If elected, McCain would take office at age 72. If you honestly assessed yourself, is that something with which you're entirely comfortable, somewhat comfortable, somewhat uncomfortable or entirely uncomfortable?"

The same poll also told respondents, "If elected, Obama would be the first African-American president," followed by the identical question about voters' comfort levels.

Interestingly enough, 87% said they were comfortable with an African-American president, but 55% said the same about a 72-year-old president. Moreover, while 11% conceded they were uncomfortable with an African-American president, 45% said the same of a 72-year-old president. Only 6% said they were "entirely uncomfortable" with a black president, while more than triple, 20%, said the same of a septuagenarian.

Now, I don't doubt that some respondents were being less than honest about their racial prejudices, but even putting that aside, that's a lot of people who are obviously uneasy about McCain's advanced age.

I continue to think this is something of a sleeper issue in this campaign. There's been enormous interest in exploring the racial angles to this campaign, but there's ample data -- going back to early last year -- that McCain's age actually matters to voters, and it's an issue that raises doubts.

Something to keep an eye on.

[Demeter]

1. Maybe It's Because of St. Ronnie

Not everyone thought he hung the moon. Many thought he was a lunatic. Turns out he was senile, and a lot of people knew it, and they said and did NOTHING about it. They used him as a puppet.


NEVER AGAIN!

[mikehiggins]

2. Tweety brought this one up, I think yesterday

He claims the Democrat harping on the seven houses thing is secretly an attack on McCain's (alleged) competency, that maybe it has more to do with senility, alzheimer's, whatever. The Dem he was grilling wasn't about to concede that but the GOPuke hack was in total agreement.

I am shocked, shocked I saw, that anyone would think there was anything wrong with a 72 year old Senator, once an accident prone pilotwho spent FIVE and a half years being tortured by the godless, athiest Communists in VietNam and subsequently cheated on and abandoned his wife after she suffered a disfiguring accident so he could commit adultery and then marry a mega-rich heiress and later was involved in a major banking scandal, ascending to the most powerful office in the world.

After all, the surge worked right? We can bring our troops home, right?

Everytime I think the GOPukes have gone as low as they can go, I find them scraping UNDERNEATH the bottom of the barrel.

[babylonsister]

4. Well put! I'm shocked!1!, too. The Dem was Chris Kofinis IIRC.

And ironically, Ghouliani just chastized Obama for his negative ads. :wtf: Reality doesn't mean a whole lot to these people, does it.

[Colobo]

3. McCain, I believe, is somewhat senile already.

[enough]

5. It's a big issue, and the choice of Biden reinforces it.

The white-haired Biden is six years younger than McCain, making McCain seem extra old. Plus Biden is still very physically hale, very mentally sharp. This makes McCain seem extra-extra old, and reinforces the fact that he is not a healthy 72, either physically or mentally.

And the deal with "not knowing" how many houses he has just adds icing to the old-and-out-of-it image. Everybody knows old men (and women) who are fine functioning within their familiar world and routines, but who don't do well with the unexpected, the new, the sudden, and the unknown. We may even love and respect these old people, but we wouldn't give them the most difficult job in the world.

The longer the campaign goes on, and the more tired McCain gets, the worse this is going to get for him.

[Orsino]

6. Age is not the greatest of his campaign's worries.

When Bubble Boy II tries to speak to the American public, he will betray a profound disconnect that is only partly due to his age. Much more important is his vast wealth, which has turned his concern inward and erased whatever he might once have had in common with working people.

[Overseas]

7. But don't those zip-up jackets and khakis show John Sidney McCain III is a regular guy?

And he says "My Friends" a lot to demonstrate how big-hearted he is to include us in his thoughts.

[Orsino]

10. Oh, okay.

My bad. :blush:

[Overseas]

8. Biden said he was 4th in seniority in Congress, but assured Obama he was younger than 44 other

senators. That was an interesting point.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. that's all you hear. McCain is old, he can't remember things

like his houses