Poll: Character trumps policy for voters
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For all the policy blueprints churned out by presidential campaigns, there is this indisputable fact: People care less about issues than they do about a candidate's character.
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To tame a strong personality, an author says, don't force it to play defense.
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Some people who have seen Mitt Romney at recent events say he is impressive but somewhat detached from voters.
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Lately it seems all the leading presidential candidates are discussing their religious and moral beliefs &#151; even when they'd rather not. Indeed, seven years after George W. Bush won the presidency in part with a direct appeal to conservative religious voters &#151; even saying during a debate that Jesus Christ was his favorite philosopher &#151; the personal faith of candidates has become a very public part of the presidential campaign.
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But it still helps for presidential candidates to be likable. Forty percent found Hillary Rodham Clinton likable, compared with 54 percent for Barack Obama, 45 percent for John McCain and 31 percent for Mitt Romney. Clinton's rating has not changed since the first AP-Yahoo News poll in November, while the others' have improved slightly.
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Voters are sending mixed signals about how they want their communities to grow, embracing strict controls in some places and rejecting them in others.
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Some elections are about persuasion. This one is about turnout. In past presidential debates, candidates have tried to change people&#39;s minds and win over undecideds.
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âThe most compelling aspect of these polls is that the voters are not embracing the president so much as they are turning away from Kerry.
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A new poll finds that a majority of Americans wish their president was a fictional character.
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Ever wonder why fear-mongering seems to work so well at the pollsâwhile appeals to reason often leave the electorate cold? A new book applies neuroscience to politics to figure out why the Democrats struggle to push the buttons in voters' brains.
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Speakers will tout his man-of-the-people style, but critics say his policies belie the image.
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Public opinion surveys make it abundantly clear that this election year is not the time for Republicans Ã¢ÂÂ at least those facing tough challenges in battleground House districts Ã¢ÂÂ to run as best buddies of President Bush or the Republican leadership in Congress.
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Christian conservatives, traditionally a reliable Republican constituency, aren't necessarily a GOP gimme this time around. There is an undercurrent of concern that some evangelicals, unhappy that the GOP-led Congress and President Bush haven't paid more attention to gay marriage and other "values" issues, may stay home on Election Day or even vote Democratic.
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In the weeks leading up to November in the US, it&#8217;s abundantly clear that this is not &#8220;election season&#8221; but rather &#8220;polling season&#8221;; with the actual voting still some ways off, our pundits must resort to polls and surveys as an estimate of what the will of the people will be on Election Day. But just how accurate are the samples in those polls?
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(October 7, 2004, 6:31 pm) For most people, their vote, or choice, is something to be protected and safeguarded. So if someone offers to &quot;buy&quot; a vote, others get understandably upset.
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WASHINGTON - In an election where most voters have already chosen sides, the presidency could be decided by a small slice of America in the mushy middle - wavering voters who are more likely than others to question President Bush's honesty and think the war in Iraq was a mistake.    An Associated Press study of 1,329 "persuadable" voters, conducted by Knowledge Networks in advance of the presidential debates, suggests these people are deeply conflicted about change in the White House...
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Democratic voters have conflicted feelings about the Clinton White House years. How they judge that era â politically as well as emotionally â may well decide the race for the partyâs presidential nomination.