Just what are swing voters?

[dsc]

The name of McCain coming up for VP, assuming that the leak of this was a deliberate attempt to woo swing voters, shows us what Democrats consider swing voters to be.

They either think they vote mainly on personality or that they can't make up their minds as to who is correct Bush or Kerry. That they are directly in the middle.

But what if there is a very different phenomina among swing voters? What if they have a set of issues on which they side with Bush and another set of issues on which they agree with Kerry? What would the naming of McCain tell these voters especially when coupled with the proviso that McCain would have to refrain from naming pro life judges? The people in this category have to weigh both their feelings about the importance of the issues as well as their preceptions of the importance with which the candidates view the issues. Naming McCain would send these people a very disturbing message. Namely that Kerry finds the differences on most issues, aside from abortion, campaign finance, and corporate welfare, to be very unimportant. If a voter agrees with Kerry on economic issues, the war, and the role of government but disagrees with him on abortion just what message do you think that voter gets?

I admit I have no proof which view of swing voters is right. But I do think that some number of them are in the third group. I think there is a significant number of voters who are swing voters due to the fact that they are Democrats on some issues and Repubicans on others. The correct prescription for attracting those voters is to highlight the differences on issues where those voters are Democrats which is the exact opposite of what this activity with McCain does. Even without the ire that liberal voters would feel, this effect would be devastating.

[Scoopie]

1. I consider myself a swing voter

because, while I'm vehement on any given issue, the issues and the side I choose isn't all on the left of all on the right side of the fence.
However, I will take substance and the ability to reason into account as a voter.
I live in a highly Republican area, but, since my parents were Democrats and I was one of those "old-fashioned" reporters who actually LOOKS at both sides of an issue (and I'm only 34! Old-fashioned got old really quickly when consolidation took place!), I can see merits in certain compromises.
Being a Tennesseean, I wanted Gore to win. The Clinton years were remarkable and I thought Gore would further those goals. Heck, the only think Gore was, in my opinion, really "liberal" on was the environment. He was a Blue Dog Democrat: socially liberal, fiscally conservative and willing to hear folks out.
I voted for McCain in the primaries because I figured, if Gore didn't win, I would by happy with a McCain presidency. He's a smart, reasonable man whom I respect. I have voted for Republicans before and been pleased with my choices (save one, but that's a local issue).
Heck, y'all, I was ABB before the term was even phrased! I've voted directly against Shrub two times - most of you guys only once (not including primaries).
Why? Because he's stupid, vapid, and spoiled. He has no moral compass because he was never allowed to learn from mistakes. He has no conscious because he didn't learn that when he was "saved," that he had to also accept responsibility for past behavior. He also has no depth of thinking. He's shallow - not "dumb," but not nuanced.
To me, that's a swing voter.
Someone who votes for the person, not the party. And for reasons all their very own.

[RafterMan]

2. These posts from Democrats wondering what an Independent is are funny

If Independent/Swing voters were a "they" to be considered as a block, they would have formed their own party!

I would guess in this case that the bump Kerry gets when he adds McCain are from people who trust McCain but are unsure of Kerry.

[JayS]

3. I think you are correct in that a sizable number of swing...

...voters have a foot in each camp. They can either like or dislike both candidates to varying degrees. I think this year the dislike option factors most heavily. I think that Kerry, way more than Bush, is trying to play to both sides on each issue and is doing poorly on this. To me, it is much better to state your beliefs and at the same time show that you value the other side's opinion but do not strongly agree with it. Kerry comes across as agreeing and disagreeing on each issue he deals with...and it sounds schizophrenic.

[JI7]

4. they are turned off by partisan politics, don't have many strong beliefs

they can easily switch from supporting one candidate to the next depending on how they feel. they tend to be moderates. this is why they liked mccain. they saw bush as the extreme one and mccain as more of a moderate/independent.

[seaglass]

5. Agree with your take on swing voters. I think McCain's appeal

however had more to do with his vocal efforts to cut government waste - that was really the theme of his campaign and it appealed (and still appeals) to many people. I think most of his other positions were peripheral.

[Darkamber]

6. Swing voters...

I see them as registered members of one party or another that lean to the center of that party or to the opposite edge. IE a liberal Republican or a Conservative Democrat. They have some core values of the party but they disagree with the leadership in some areas.

In the GOP, what has happened is they have become the 'borrow and spend' party. This has angered fiscal conservatives of that party. It's what McCain has been pissed off about as well.

There are others of that party who might be angry at Bush for other specific reasons including the war as well. They are the ones who might feel the need to cross party lines and become the 'swing' voters that they talk about. Having McCain with Kerry would make them more at ease in crossing over.

[liberalmike27]

7. While

I think that many swing voters are sincerely in-between on many issues, I think there is another group that likes to wait until the last minute, and is fairly clueless as to what either party does. I have to give them a break on this, as politics these days is confusing, and with Clinton destroying safety nets, and conservatives spending huge money on corporate giveaways, it is hard to tell. But this second group is the uneducated one that resides within both parties, more in the right-wing than the Democrats. They simply want to vote for the winner, and they wait and try to ferret out this from the polls and then vote that way. They find being on the winning side more important than personal though, and decisions. They like being able to say "I voted for him," more than they like the feeling of voting for the person that they might have agreed with, had they done a bit of research.

Along with all of that, I don't get it when people say they vote for the person. Does that mean Reagan's sense of humor overwhelms all of the nasty things he did to people while in office. While I can see someone being split on issues, voting for "the person" when that person doesn't encompass any of your issues, and simply seems likeable, is as foolhardy as anything in politics. Generally people tend to benefit more economically by each party, and truly a majority of us are suffering from idiots who vote against both us, and themselves by voting for "the person." What "the person" believes is far more important than "the person" themself. Sure, Reagan put on a good face, but he did terrible things, and believed in a near Fascism, a worker suppression if you like. He caused much death, and the destruction of many lives. He cut taxes on the rich, while raising taxes on the poor and middle class, and that is what you get when you vote for "the person."

[JayS]

8. "what you get when you vote for "the person.""

I am sure that some people vote for the person based on personality or other less important things. However, a sizable number of voters that vote for the person look at things like the candidate's stance and knowledge of the issues, their honesty, their integrity, their personal convictions, and ability to consider others stance on issues and work to seek a compromise.