122

Today marks 122 days until John McCain turns 72 years old.

Today Gallup released a poll conducted about the three major presidential candidates. Let's look at the top associations that voters made with each person:

McCain:

Too old 12
Good man/Like him 12
More of the same/Another George W. Bush 10
Good military background 8
Don't like him 8
Conservative 6
Experienced 5
Honorable 4
He's okay/all right 4
Warhawk/warmonger/100 years in Iraq 4

Obama:

Young/Inexperienced 15
Fresh face with new ideas/Good change 13
Like him 9
Dislike him 9
Charismatic/Dynamic/Energetic 7
Dishonest 5
Radical 4
Intelligent/Smart 3
Articulate/Well spoken 3
Liberal/Progressive 2

So if this election is about Old vs. Young, More of the same vs. New ideas, and Conservative vs. Charismatic, how exactly is McCain gonna win again?

Oh yeah, because McCain will win on Experienced vs. Unexperienced. But if McCain's "experience" made him support this disastrous Iraq war and these terrible Bush economic policies, then Americans will be fed up with that kind of experience.

If you are curious, here are Hillary's numbers:

Dishonest/don't trust 15
Past baggage associated with Bill 13
Qualified/Capable 10
Dislike her 9
Strong 8
Experienced 7
Would be first woman president 4
Not electable 4
Power hungry/pushy 4
Would not be good for the country 3
Like her 3

Overall, the top-of-mind responses for the candidates break down to this:

John McCain
Positive: 49
Negative: 42

(I counted "Conservative" as a positive trait, even if my gut tells me it should count against him in today's anti-Bush climate)

Barack Obama
Positive: 51
Negative: 42

Hillary Clinton
Positive: 41%
Negative: 58%