"Now more than ever, it's the old guy against the agent of change."

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/AP: Old guy vs change: McCain, Obama images take shape
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 7, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Now more than ever, it's the old guy against the agent of change. Ask people to blurt out their first words about the two presidential candidates and one in five say ''change'' or ''outsider'' for Barack Obama and ''old'' for John McCain, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll released Monday. Those are not only the top responses for each man but the ones used most often since January, when fewer than one in 10 volunteered those descriptions.

Four months from Election Day, the survey underscores that people see quality and question marks in both contenders as they struggle to control their images. Lack of experience is the next most frequently offered view of Obama, 46, the Democrat who came to the Senate from Illinois less than four years ago; for McCain, 71, the Republican senator from Arizona and Vietnam prisoner of war, it's his military service....

Obama is seen as warmer and more empathetic, McCain stronger and tougher. When people are asked whether specific words and phrases apply to each man, the Democrat does 12 percentage points better for caring about ''people like you'' and is 11 points more likable. McCain has a 24-point edge as a military leader and is 9 points more decisive....

***

Both are seen favorably by about half of those surveyed, and unfavorably by roughly four in 10. But Obama's image has deteriorated with two crucial groups: 52 percent of whites view him negatively, up 12 points from November. And 48 percent of independents have an unfavorable view of him, up from 31 percent last fall....

Obama has not capitalized on his party's far stronger popularity than the GOP, while McCain is exceeding his party's miserable public perception. Obama is viewed less positively than the Democratic Party by 5 percentage points, while McCain's favorable image is 9 points better than the Republican Party's....McCain has problems lurking, too. Six in 10 think he will follow the policies of the widely disliked President Bush, including more than half of whites, three in 10 Republicans and nearly six in 10 independents. That's a linkage Obama is sure to emphasize in hopes of fraying McCain's support....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-AP-Yahoo-Poll-Candidate-Images.html?_r=1&oref=login

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. This is the Change you will see if McCain gets elected