HOLY CRAP! "Voters Trust McCain More than Either Democratic Candidate
on Key Issues" (This telephone survey of 400 Likely Voters per night
was conducted by Rasmussen Re****ts April 21-24, 2008. The margin of
sampling error for the survey is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95%
level of confidence)
http://www.rasmussenre****ts.com/public_content/politics/issues2/articles/vot=
ers_trust_mccain_more_than_either_democratic_candidate_on_key_issues
John McCain is trusted more than Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama on
these issues (see video re****t). This ability of McCain to outperform
the party label helps explain why he is competitive with the Democrats
in national polling.
The Economy
Forty-eight percent (48%) trust Democrats more than Republicans when
it comes to the economy while 40% trust the GOP more. Those numbers
are reversed when real names are inserted instead of party labels.
Given a choice between McCain and Clinton, 47% trust McCain more while
42% prefer the former First Lady. Given a choice between McCain and
Obama on the economy, 46% trust the GOP nominee while 39% opt for the
Democratic frontrunner. The economy is the top issue of Election 2008
and is considered Very Im****tant by 79% of voters.
War in Iraq
Tracking polls have shown that roughly 6-out-of-ten Americans want
troops home from Iraq within a year. However, only about one-in-four
want the troops brought home immediately. The gap between those
numbers is filled by Americans who both parties have a chance to
persuade during Election 2008. Overall, when it comes to Iraq,
Democrats are currently trusted more by 45% of voters and the GOP is
trusted more by 43%. However, when it comes to the War in Iraq, McCain
is trusted by more than either Democrat. Fifty percent (50%) trust
McCain over Clinton while 40% hold the opposite view. Forty-eight
percent (48%) trust McCain over Obama while 39% prefer Obama.
National Security
The broader topic of National Security is one of the few issues where
Republicans have a generic advantage over Democrats. However,
following seven years of the Bush Administration, the GOP advantage on
this issue has declined. Currently, 47% of voters trust Republicans
more on this issue while 42% trust the Democrats more. However, once
again, McCain outperforms the party label and dominates against either
Democrat. When it comes to national security, McCain is trusted more
than Clinton by a 54% to 34% margin. With Obama, McCain=92s advantage is
52% to 31%.
Government Ethics and Corruption
This is the issue that breaks the pattern. Democrats are trusted more
than Republicans by a 38% to 32% margin. Most unaffiliated voters
don=92t trust either party on the topic. Here, Obama outperforms the
Democratic Party label and is trusted more than McCain by a 44% to 33%
margin. However, McCain is trusted more than Clinton, 47% to 34%.
Taxes
On taxes, Republicans are preferred over Democrats, 46% to 42%. McCain
is trusted over Clinton 45% to 36% and by a 41% to 38% margin over
Obama.
On average, McCain outperforms the generic Republican label by seven
points when matched against Obama and by thirteen points against
Clinton. The gap between Obama and Clinton is caused almost entirely
by the difference on the issue of Government Ethics and Corruption.
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