Obama America’s Football Buddy
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James Joyner | Friday, September 19, 2008 |
A new poll finds that a majority of people would prefer to watch a football game with Barack Obana but that they’d settle for John McCain.
People would rather watch a football game with Barack Obama than with John McCain — but by barely the length of a football. Obama was the pick over McCain by a narrow 50 percent to 47 percent, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll released Friday that generally mirrored each presidential candidate’s strengths and weaknesses with voters. Women, minorities, younger and unmarried people were likelier to prefer catching a game with Obama while men, whites, older and married people would rather watch with McCain.
Amazingly silly, yes, but these sort of questions are a good proxy for trust and likability. The football variant is unusual; one normally sees it as “have a beer with.” Like it or not, those kind of gut reactions are how most people chose political leaders.
What’s particularly noteworthy, though, isn’t Obama’s lead (it’s only barely outside the poll’s margin of error) but that both candidates are still viewed so favorably this late in a narrow, increasingly negative race.
RealClearPolitics has been tracking candidate favorability for months and both men have consistently had much higher favorables than unfavorables and been above the 50 percent mark. Indeed, both actually got more popular over the summer as people got to “know” them and they’ve both only fallen slightly from peaks around 60.
UPDATE: I misread the YahooNews headline and reversed the other in the original version of this. I’ve now corrected it in the headline and the text. The analysis remains the same, thankfully.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Actually, I'd be far too afraid of McCain keeling over or falling asleep during the game...
Uh, JJ, did you read your own quote?
50% prefer to watch with Obama, 47% with McCain.
People would rather watch a football game with Barack Obama than with John McCain
This would seem to contradict your headline and lead in.
I think James got started on his pre-game beer a little early.
Ok, it's not just me.
Can't think of many things I would want to do with BHO.
John McCain could call me at 3AM and ask me to bust down and ride through the gates of hell with him.
The only question would be be, "when can you pick me up?"
BHO is a sissy puppy who knows less about the world and has laid at Society's teat all his life.
McCain has kicked that bitch in the belly.
Shorter Eneils:
"I live in a fantasy world of my own devising ... AND I VOTE!"
McCain would make me drink Budweiser. Shudder. Plus I'm sure he would call me his friend, at which point I would definitely throw the remote at him.
Anderson:
I have no idea of what you are alluring to:
If intended to be an insult; you did not disturb me.
If intended to disparage; no harm taken.
I guess the purpose of JJ's post was to solicit comments about the two candidate. I gave my honest opinion. Maybe you should concentrate on giving your opinion about the candidates more than slack-jawing an opinion from a person you don't agree with.
I wouldn't want to watch football with anyone that talks as much as a politician.
I have no idea of what you are alluring to:
I expressly disavow, without reservation, ANY attempt to allure Eneils.
And I'll kick the bitch in the belly who says otherwise.
That's funny.
Anderson, you are right, typo errors can change the meaning of everything.
Enis has probably seen the plunge in Palin's favorable's, hence the hyperbole....
All the hyperbole will be on election day... When the MSM and democrat party goes into emotional overdrive...
All the hyperbole will be on election day... When the MSM and democrat party goes into emotional overdrive...
Yup. Winning can do that to you :)
I would like to play football with 0bama, and a few of you guys can be on his team,tackle no pads.
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