That’s What I Like About Me: Obama or Clinton

April 4, 2008, 7:38 pm
That's What I Like About Me
By Andrew Kohut
New York Times

At the start of his run for the presidency, Barack Obama would explain the positive reaction he was getting from admirers by saying "this is more about you than about me." Now that Mr. Obama is the front-running Democratic candidate, an in-depth look at how voters are reacting to him ?- and the reasons for those reactions ?- lends considerable credence to his characterization of public opinion. It turns out, however, that the "it's about you" phenomenon is a little broader than the Mr. Obama might have imagined. It pertains not only to reasons for liking and supporting him, but is also relevant to reasons for disliking him and for supporting Hillary Clinton.

This is what the Pew Research Center learned in a poll conducted in late March. The analysis of the poll focused on white Democrats, as they have been the swing voters in the nomination contests. A series of questions asked respondents about the personal qualities ?- both positive and negative ?- they associated with each candidate, special sources of unease and the general feelings that the two candidates stirred in them.
Overall the polling found that Mr. Obama has a glowing image. Huge majorities see him as honest, inspiring and down to earth, and only very small percentages express negative opinions of him.

Personal views of Mrs. Clinton among white Democrats are quite different. Many fewer Democrats say she is inspiring, honest and down to earth and many associated negative qualities with her ?- 3 in 10 say they view her as "phony," while 4 in 10 say she is "hard to like."

While Mr. Obama's positive personal image plays an important role in his high favorable ratings, the polling found that his ratings are more influenced by how he makes voters feel than by specific characteristics they attributed to him. In particular, views that Mr. Obama inspires hope and pride are the strongest determinants of a person's opinion of him. In other words, he is a charismatic candidate who has made large numbers of Democratic voters feel good, and this is even more important to them than specific perceptions of him.

In contrast, Mrs. Clinton's image is more driven by opinions about her own qualities, rather than the emotions she engenders in others. Although, making voters feel hopeful does register as a significant factor for her, especially among women, it is much less important than for Mr. Obama. Honesty is as much a factor for her as for him, though many fewer see her as honest compared to her opponent.

The poll also found that while large numbers of voters do not ascribe negative qualities to Mr. Obama, views of him are heavily influenced by certain social beliefs and attitudes held by his critics. Specifically, white Democrats with unfavorable views of him are much more likely than those who have favorable opinions of him to say that equal rights for minorities have been pushed too far; they also are more likely to disapprove of interracial dating, and are more concerned about the threat that immigrants may pose to American values.

In addition, nearly a quarter (23 percent) of the largely older, white, working-class Democratic voters who hold a negative view of Mr. Obama believe he is a Muslim.

Indeed, it is "all about the voters" when it comes to Mr. Obama. And in the race for the Democratic nomination, the positive emotions he evokes, at least from the Democratic electorate, outweigh the highly conservative social attitudes that he stimulates. In a general election, this may or may not be the case.

Should he win the nomination and then the general election, Mr. Obama's ability to inspire could serve him well in convincing citizens to go along with his programs, even if his plans call for sweeping changes and require sacrifice. Or he could face the challenge of having to live up to high expectations among voters who were hesitant about his lack of experience.