(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Adults in the United States believe Barack Obama is well prepared to deal with six issues, according to a poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates International released by Newsweek. 58 per cent of respondents think the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee would do a better job handling health care, and 56 per cent feel the same way about the economy and jobs.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Adults in the United States believe Barack Obama is well prepared to deal with six issues, according to a poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates International released by Newsweek. 58 per cent of respondents think the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee would do a better job handling health care, and 56 per cent feel the same way about the economy and jobs.
In addition, at least 51 per cent of respondents think Obama is better suited to handle taxes and government spending, the financial problems on Wall Street and in the housing and mortgage crises, and energy policy and gas prices.
Conversely, 50 per cent of respondents select Republican John McCain as the more capable politician to handle terrorism and national security. The two candidates are virtually even on the topic of the war in Iraq.
On Oct. 27 in Ohio, McCain criticized Obama’s economic policies, claiming the Democratic nominee plans on "taking your money and giving it to someone else. He believes in redistributing wealth, not in policies that grow our economy and create jobs. (…) He said that even though lower taxes on investments grow our economy, even though it helps that, he favours higher taxes on investment for, quote, ‘fairness’. (…) There is nothing fair about driving our economy into the ground. We all suffer when that happens."
Yesterday in Pennsylvania, Obama dismissed McCain’s comments, saying, "John McCain has ridden shotgun as George Bush has driven our economy toward a cliff, and now he wants to take the wheel and step on the gas. When it comes to the issue of taxes, saying that John McCain is running for a third Bush term isn’t being fair to George W. Bush. (…) Not even George Bush proposed a plan that would leave 100 million middle-class families out of tax relief."
In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2004, Republican George W. Bush earned a second term after securing 286 electoral votes from 31 states. Democratic nominee John Kerry received 252 electoral votes from 19 states and the District of Columbia.
Bush is ineligible for a third term in office. The presidential election is scheduled for Nov. 4.
Polling Data
Please tell me which presidential candidate you think would do a better job handling each of the following issues as president. What about [...]? Do you think Barack Obama or John McCain would do a better job handling this issue?
|
McCain |
Obama |
Equally |
Neither |
|
|
Health care |
30% |
58% |
2% |
4% |
|
The economy and jobs |
33% |
56% |
3% |
4% |
|
Taxes and government spending |
38% |
53% |
1% |
4% |
|
The financial problems on Wall Street and in the housing and mortgage crises |
32% |
52% |
3% |
7% |
|
Energy policy and gas prices |
36% |
51% |
4% |
4% |
|
Issues like abortion, guns, and same-sex marriage |
37% |
47% |
2% |
4% |
|
The Iraq war |
45% |
47% |
2% |
2% |
|
Terrorism and national security |
50% |
40% |
3% |
3% |
Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates International / Newsweek
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,092 registered American voters, conducted on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, 2008. Margin of error is 4 per cent.
