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Perceived Experience Major Asset for Clinton, McCain in 2008 Race

Perceived Experience Major Asset for Clinton, McCain in 2008 Race

Giuliani hailed for performance, Obama for youth and new ideas

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- A recent USA Today/Gallup poll finds that a majority of Americans think each of the four leading 2008 presidential contenders would make good, rather than bad, presidents. Americans also said, in their own words, why they felt Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Barack Obama would make good or bad presidents. These open-ended responses reveal particular strengths for each candidate as they seek the highest office in the nation. Clinton and McCain are cited for their lengthy experience in politics. Giuliani is lauded for his performance as mayor of New York, particularly his handling of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Obama's relative inexperience cuts both ways -- his supporters believe he has fresh ideas, but many of his detractors believe he lacks the experience necessary to be president.  

The Feb. 9-11 USA Today/Gallup poll finds Giuliani (65%) edging out McCain (60%) and Clinton (60%) when Americans are asked whether each would make a good president. Obama gets slightly lower marks at 53%, in part because a substantial minority of Americans, 28%, indicate they don't know enough about him to render a judgment. About one in five thinks Giuliani, McCain, and Obama would make "bad presidents." Slightly more, 35%, say this about Clinton. 

Perceptions of Whether Leading Candidates Would Make Good or Bad Presidents

 

% Would make
good president

% Would make
bad president

% No
opinion

Rudy Giuliani

65

19

15

John McCain

60

20

20

Hillary Clinton

60

35

5

Barack Obama

53

19

28

When asked to indicate in their own words why they think each candidate would make a good or bad president, respondents largely focused their answers on the candidates' resumes and their personality characteristics. That is especially true when explaining why they think a candidate would make a good president. Issues did not register nearly as often, but were more common when describing why a candidate would make a bad president.    

Rudy Giuliani

Those who say Giuliani would make a good president mainly focus on his perceived competence -- 21% mention his performance on the terrorism issue and 18% give him credit for doing a good job as mayor. Another 14% believe he is experienced and qualified to be president because of his service as mayor (without explicitly saying he did a good job as mayor). Leadership is another perceived Giuliani strength, 13% of his supporters mention that he is strong and a good leader, while 7% also say he has strong beliefs and stands up for what he believes in.

Reasons Why Rudy Giuliani Would Make a Good President
Based on 679 Adults Who Say Giuliani Would Make a Good President (±4 pct. pts.)

%

Terrorism issue/Way he handled 9/11

21

Did good job as mayor

18

Experienced/Qualified/Served as mayor

14

Good leader/Strong

13

Strong beliefs/Stands up for what he believes in

7

Compassionate/Caring

5

Like him

4

Has exercised good judgment/Makes good decisions

4

Knowledgeable/Intelligent

4

Moderate/Middle of the road/Independent-minded

3

Honest/Has integrity

3

Agree with him on issues

3

Conservative

1

Charismatic/Speaks well/Good speaker

*

 

Other

2

No reason in particular

3

No opinion

2

Percentages add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

 

Giuliani's biggest liabilities, according to those who believe he would not make a good president, include perceptions that he is not qualified (13%), that he is too loyal to the Republican Party and/or George W. Bush (8%), that he is dishonest or lacks integrity (8%), and that he did not do a good job as mayor (8%). Seven percent also say they just "don't like him" and the same percentage believes he is "phony" and a "publicity hound." While his extramarital affair and subsequent messy divorce may feed into perceptions of dishonesty and low ethics, only 2% specifically mention his marital history when giving reasons why he is not fit for the White House. 

Reasons Why Rudy Giuliani Would Make a Bad President
Based on 189 Adults Who Say Giuliani Would Make a Bad President (±8 pct. pts.)

%

Not qualified

13

Too loyal to the Republican Party/George W. Bush

8

Didn't do a good job as mayor

8

Dishonest/Lacks integrity

8

Don't like him

7

Phony/Publicity hound

7

Too rigid/Inflexible/Close-minded

6

Power hungry

5

Disagree with him on certain issues

4

Not knowledgeable

3

Not conservative enough/Too liberal

3

Marital/Family issues

2

Too wishy-washy/Lacks conviction/Changes mind too much

2

Terrorism issue/Way he handled 9/11

2

Moderate/Middle of the road/Independent-minded

1

 

Other

12

No reason in particular

5

No opinion

7

Percentages add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

 

John McCain

McCain's strength lies in his background -- his supporters most commonly refer to his experience and long service in the Senate (26%) and his military background (17%) as reasons why he would make a good president. Leadership is not as common a theme for McCain as it is for Giuliani, though 7% do mention McCain's strength of convictions and 6% say he is a strong leader.   

Reasons Why John McCain Would Make a Good President
Based on 637 Adults Who Say McCain Would Make a Good President (±4 pct. pts.)

%

Experienced/Qualified/Long service in Senate

26

Military background/Veteran

17

Strong beliefs/Stands up for what he believes in

7

Knowledgeable/Intelligent

6

Agree with him on issues

6

Good leader/Strong

6

Honest/Has integrity

5

Like him

5

Done a good job as senator/Good track record

4

Has exercised good judgment/Makes good decisions

4

Loyal to Republican Party/George W. Bush

3

Moderate/Middle of Road/Independent-minded

3

Compassionate/Caring

2

Conservative

1

Charismatic/Speaks well/Good speaker

1

 

Other

4

No reason in particular

4

No opinion

5

Percentages add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

 

Fifteen percent of those who believe McCain would make a bad president simply say they don't like him (15%). In addition, his detractors believe he is too wishy-washy and lacks conviction (14%) and is too loyal to the Republican Party and George W. Bush (13%). Thirteen percent also say they disagree with McCain's views on certain issues; a reading of the actual verbatim comments shows that the war in Iraq is the most common issue mentioned. Although some suspect McCain's age could be an issue -- he will be 72 at the time of the election -- only 2% mention that he is too old or that the time for him to be president has passed.      

Reasons Why John McCain Would Make a Bad President
Based on 201 Adults Who Say McCain Would Make a Good President (±8 pct. pts.)

%

Don't like him

15

Too wishy-washy/Lacks conviction/Changes mind too much

14

Disagree with him on certain issues

13

Too loyal to Republican Party/George W. Bush

13

Hot-headed/Bad temper

4

Not qualified

4

Too rigid/Inflexible/Closed-minded

4

Dishonest/Lacks integrity

3

Not knowledgeable

3

Not conservative enough/Too liberal

3

Conservative

2

Too old/Time has passed

2

 

Other

14

No reason in particular

6

No opinion

10

Percentages add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

 

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Like McCain's supporters, Clinton's supporters view her political experience as her greatest asset. Forty-five percent say she is qualified and experienced or mention her tenure as first lady from 1993-2001 and as a U.S. senator from 2001 to the present. Fifteen percent of Clinton supporters say she is knowledgeable or intelligent, more than say this about Giuliani and McCain, and the same as say it about Obama. Another 11% of Clinton supporters cite general issue agreement with her. 

Reasons Why Hillary Rodham Clinton Would Make a Good President
Based on 565 Adults Who Say Clinton Would Make a Good President (±5 pct. pts.)

%

Experienced/Service in the Senate/First lady/Qualified

45

Knowledgeable/Intelligent

15

Agree with her on issues

11

Would be first woman president

6

Good leader/Strong

6

Compassionate/caring

5

Strong beliefs/Stands up for what she believes in

4

Done good job as senator/Good track record

4

Healthcare issue

2

Honest/Has integrity

1

Charismatic/Speaks well/Good speaker

1

Like her

1

Has exercised good judgment/Makes good decisions

1

Liberal

*

 

Other

9

No reason in particular

2

No opinion

2

Percentages add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

 

Issue disagreement is the primary contention Clinton detractors take with her -- 17% mention this when asked why she would make a bad president. Unlike McCain, there is not a dominant issue that emerges from the verbatim comments of those who say they disagree with her on issues. In addition to these responses, 7% of those who believe she would be a bad president say she is "too liberal." Ethical concerns are also a prominent theme, with 13% describing her as "dishonest or lacks integrity" and 11% mentioning past controversies or scandals that have plagued her and her husband over the years. 

Reasons Why Hillary Rodham Clinton Would Make a Bad President
Based on 393 Adults Who Say Clinton Would Make a Bad President (±5 pct. pts.)

%

Disagree with her on certain issues

17

Dishonest/lacks integrity

13

Past controversies/scandals/association with Bill Clinton

11

Too wishy-washy/lacks conviction/changes mind too much

9

Don't like her

8

Too liberal

7

Power-hungry

7

Not qualified

6

A woman should not be president

4

Too rigid/inflexible/close-minded

3

Not knowledgeable

1

Too loyal to the Democratic Party

1

Not liberal enough

*

 

Other

17

No reason in particular

2

No opinion

1

Percentages add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

 

Barack Obama

Obama, the least well-known of the major contenders, is hailed by those who believe he would be a good president as being "young, new, and having fresh ideas." The 8% who cite his charisma or speaking ability is higher than that for any of the other candidates. Like Clinton, Obama's intelligence is also a perceived strength.

Reasons Why Barack Obama Would Make a Good President
Based on 548 Adults Who Say Obama Would Make a Good President (±5 pct. pts.)

%

Young/New/Has fresh ideas

22

Knowledgeable/Intelligent

15

Agree with him on issues

9

Charismatic/Speaks well/Good speaker

8

Honest/Has Integrity

6

Compassionate/Caring

5

Done a good job as senator/Good track record

5

Like him

4

Experienced/Qualified/Service in Senate

4

Good leader/Strong

3

Not been in Washington long/Not part of establishment/Not corrupted

2

Strong beliefs/Stands up for what he believes in

1

Moderate/Middle-of-the-road/Independent-minded

1

Loyal to Democratic Party

1

Has exercised good judgment/Makes good decisions

1

Bipartisan/Works with both parties

1

 

Other

13

No reason in particular

3

No opinion

6

Percentages add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

 

Overwhelmingly, Obama detractors cite a lack of experience as the reason he would make a bad president. Forty percent say this; this is not an issue for the other candidates. This could be a serious liability for Obama, particularly because experience is the dominant trait of Clinton, his primary rival for the nomination. 

Obama's issue positions are another potential weakness. Eight percent of those who do not think he would make a good president cite specific issue disagreements with him, and 8% also label him as "too liberal." One troubling finding is the false perception by 6% of his detractors that he is Muslim or not an American. 

Reasons Why Barack Obama Would Make a Bad President
Based on 196 Adults Who Say Obama Would Make a Bad President (±8 pct. pts.)

%

Lacks experience to be president/Not experienced enough

40

Too liberal

8

Disagree with him on certain issues

8

Not qualified

7

Not American/Muslim/Islamic ties

6

Dishonest/Lacks integrity

3

Too loyal to Democratic Party

3

Too wishy-washy/Lacks conviction/Changes mind too often

2

Don't like him

2

Power-hungry

1

 

Other

17

No reason in particular

3

No opinion

7

Percentages add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

 

The above responses present a baseline of how Americans view the major candidates as the campaigning gets underway. One would expect McCain and particularly Clinton to emphasize their experience in trying to win the presidency, while Giuliani would largely focus on his competence and leadership abilities. Obama's chances may depend on whether the public is willing to accept an "outsider" with little or no Washington experience as it did with Jimmy Carter in 1976, or whether they believe the times call for someone with a wealth of Washington experience. 

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,006 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Feb. 9-11, 2007. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.


Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/26596/Perceived-Experience-Major-Asset-Clinton-McCain-2008-Race.aspx
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