McCain, Obama, and Football

WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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.

"I think he'd be fun to sit back with and hear his experiences, all his stories," said Kyle Ferguson, 28, a Republican from Santa Rosa, Calif., who picked McCain. But reflecting a sense some voters have of McCain based on the complaints of a few Senate colleagues, he added warily, "I bet he'd probably get pretty angry and lit up if his team was losing."

This is so typical of the liberal AP.

Even when quoting a McCain backer, AP writer Alan Fram finds a quote that takes a swipe at McCain, bringing up his temper.

Ferguson "added warily, 'I bet he'd probably get pretty angry and lit up if his team was losing.'"

How lame!

Gee, now that I think about it, I would be wary of watching a football game with McCain because he might get really angry, with that explosive temper.

Yeah, right.

Democrat James Smith, 29, of Asheville, N.C., picked Obama because he believes he and the Democratic senator from Illinois have more in common.

"With McCain, I have such an age difference," said Smith of the Arizona senator, who is 72. But with Obama, 47, he said, "If things went well with the conversation, the football game would be forgotten. There'd be a lot of back and forth."

There's that ageism creeping in again.

Old man McCain can't relate to a 29-year-old.

Again, lame.

Why the age stuff?

Bart Starr is older than McCain. I don't think football fans would be turned off by his age. I would consider it a privilege to watch a game with Starr.

James Smith sounds like he's fantasizing about having a date with Obama.

"If things went well with the conversation, the football game would be forgotten. There'd be a lot of back and forth."

"If things went well with the conversation"?

Maybe if things went well, Smith and Obama could go out for dinner and drinks after the game. Maybe they could take a long walk on the beach together.

Such views are significant because in many elections, candidates considered more likable have an advantage.

...With Obama struggling to win over former supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the poll had worrisome news: 35 percent of them would rather watch with McCain, well above the 23 percent figure for all Democrats.

There was also a danger sign for McCain: About three in 10 voters are still undecided or say they may switch candidates. That group leans narrowly toward Obama as their football companion.

There's a problem with this football buddy poll in terms of extrapolating its findings to indicate the outcome of the presidential election.

It doesn't account for the impact the candidates' running mates may have when voters fill out their ballots in November.

Would people rather watch a football game with Sarah Palin or Joe Biden?