John McCain confronts a yawning 'passion gap'

One of the results that leaps out of the new L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll that gives Barack Obama a double-digit lead over John McCain is the "passion gap."

That would be the astounding difference in enthusiasm levels for the two presidential candidates (Times Washington bureau chief Doyle McManus writes here about this and other aspects of the poll).

Among Obama supporters, 81% say they are either "very" or "somewhat" enthusiastic about his candidacy (with 47% putting themselves in the "very" category).

Among McCain supporters, by contrast, only 45% characterize themselves as enthused by his candidacy (and just 13% of them are in the "very" camp). Perhaps more amazingly, a majority of the registered voters who plan to vote for McCain -- 51% -- describe themselves as "not too enthusiastic" or "not enthusiastic at all" about doing so.

These figures underscore one of the challenges facing McCain: With so many of his own supporters lukewarm about him, how can he hope to derail an opponent whose backers are much more fired up about their choice?

At this point in McCain's political career -- with his persona already deeply etched in the public consciousness -- chances are slim that he'll be transformed into a candidate who electrifies his partisans.

So, chances are much of his campaign's own efforts will be targeted at trying to cool the ardor for the new kid on the block. And McCain will be hoping that Obama contributes to this as well, through miscues and missed opportunities.

Along these lines, McCain can take heart from how voters responded when asked in the new poll which candidate had the "right experience" to be president -- he was named by 47%, Obama by 27%.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[coolrepublica]

On McCain's behalf I have this proverb. "It's the calm and silent water that drowns a man."

Just because McCain supporters are not jumping and waving like madmen and fainting does not mean they are not out there and numerous. If great splash meant anything then "Snakes On a Plane" would have made a billion dollars at the box office. Well we all know how that turned out. Don't we.

[Jeugenen]

MC-CAIN’S EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE

Considering his:
• Sacrifice of American Wealth and Blood for the Sole Benefit of Israel
• Amnesty for Illegal Mexicans Aliens Usurping Jobs and Services
• Outsourcing of Jobs and Technology to China
• Early Release from Captivity for Military Secrets
• McCain-Feingold Legislation Suppressing Freedom of Speech
• McCain-Leiberman Control Gun Legislation
• Slander and Ridicule of Huckabee, Romney, and Ron Paul
• Roberts and Falwell, “agents of intolerance”
• Roe vs. Wade Sacrificial Killing of Children
• To “occupy Iraq for 100 years”, “bomb Iran”, and “just keep Afghanistan”.
• Veto of Bush Tax Cuts
• Keating Five Crooks
• Unsolved Recession and Inflation Problem
• Unsolved Heath Care Problem
• Unsolved Social Security Problem
• Long Scandalous, Contentious, and Non-Productive Political Career

Can such an incompetent and dishonest politician; and such a pretentious Christian and patriot, insanely dishonoring Christian culture and Constitution rule, ever be trusted to cherish and honor the American People?

With Leiberman Neo-Liberal Princess Hillary burnt at the stake by the victorious Kennedy Liberals, shall the Reagan Conservatives give this notorious Podhoretz Neo-Conservative puppet, Insane McCain, a date with presidency, or a date with the Republican firing squad?

Google: Mearsheimer Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy; Stricherz “Why the Democrats are Blue”; Wall Street Journal “McCain-Feingold”; “Keating Five Fraud”; Human Events “Ron Paul Interview”; Who Would the World Elect; McClelland "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception”; McCain Keating Five; Abramoff Israel McCain.

[Alex]

I truely believe that the reason Obama supporters are more enthusiastic is because he is not giving the same lines of false hope. He is actually saying things that will bring change. All presidential hopefuls give a lot of big promises, but almost all of them do not truely pursue. It feels like Obama is different, but there is no way to really know. One thing is for sure, McCain is just another George W. Bush. So with McCain it will be the same S*** just a different A** hole.

[magdalen]

All the hype about Bill Clinton finally accepting obama as the Presidential nominee,........... That's all superficial hype; besides, what can the poor man do otherwise?People are not stupid, as they can see it for what it is.
Senator Clinton is the most charming and fascinating woman, and her Political Competence and Wisdom is unparalleled.
It is no wonder Bill and eighteen million Americans adore and are fascinated by her. She earned their passion.

[Christina West]

This non-story had me yawning, alright.

http://www.womenforjohnmccain.com/

[INFO]

If John McCain is another George Bush, then Barack Obama must be another, Rev.Wright, Rezko, Pfleger, and Farrakhan. Obama spent much more time, 20 years in church and friendship listening to these people. John McCain has not been with president Bush. He has been a republican senator in the senate. Johm McCain is not George Bush and their ideas differ in many ways. McCain knows the difficult problems americans face today, and I think he has the best plans to solve them. Barack Obama is very much unclear to me.