Would you prefer a hesitant intellectual or a decisive idiot?

[troublemaker]

Most reporting of this recent AP Poll about attributes of Bush and Kerry has compared apples and oranges by comparing “yes” totals for each man head to head despite the obvious fact that in every category Kerry has more “Not sure” responses. (People are always more familiar with a sitting President than with a challenger; particularly before the conventions.)

So, to allow apple to apple comparison, I’ve divided the yes’s by the no’s. Example: Say you asked whether Bush has good hair and the responses were 50% yes, 40% no and 10% not sure. 50 divided by 40 equals 1.25.

Any result over 2 (or under 0.5) suggests a distinction in the public mind so clear-cut that it transcends part identification, getting into the territory of questions like “was Bill Clinton a skillful politician,” or “did Ronald Reagan read speeches well.”

ARROGANT:
KERRY 0.85 / BUSH 1.11

DECISIVE:
KERRY 0.91 / BUSH 2.16

HONEST:
KERRY 1.33 / BUSH 1.15

LIKABLE:
KERRY 1.72 / BUSH 2.00

COMPASSIONATE:
KERRY 1.82 / BUSH 1.48

INTELLIGENT:
KERRY 5.93 / BUSH 1.75

WEALTHY:
KERRY 9.45 / BUSH 11.25

(On edit: pollsters need to determine whether some percentage of people are hearing the word decisive as "divisive." I'm serious.)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/07/12/politics0155EDT0410.DTL

[MasonJar]

1. Yea! At last the public (some of it) is recognizing the Stump is

quite rich.

[Warpy]

2. What's astounding to me is the closeness of those

"likeable" numbers. Isn't Bush's strength supposed to be his good ole boy, back slapping charm? I guess people are starting to see through that to the foul mouthed, juvenile frat boy beneath.

[Warren DeMontague]

3. That might be a valid choice.. However,

what we've got here is a decisive intellectual against a blithering, slithering, dithering idiot.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

4. I'll take

honest, intelligent, and compassionate. Thankyouverymuch.

And Kerry's numbers are higher on all three.

Whoop!

[Jack_Dawson]

5. "Decisive Idiot" LOL

I dunno why but that was funny.

[sushi]

6. Who is more diplomatic?

They forgot that question. John Kerry would win that one! It is important for the US, the number one country in the world, to have a leader with diplomatic skills.

[guitar man]

7. Why the hell

.....do people get the idea the Chimp is more decisive? Is it because of his decision to keep reading "My Pet Goat" instead of reacting on 9/11?

[Generic Other]

8. Prometheus means "forethought"

Epimetheus means "afterthought." Which is the better quality?

[troublemaker]

9. Are you saying Laura is Pandora? They do rhyme...

[Generic Other]

10. Laura is the Whore of Babylon

Look at her clothes. She unleashed the evil of stre-e-e-tch polyester back into the white house.

[leftofthedial]

11. MANY people are extremely intimidated

by intelligence

[noiretextatique]

14. indeed...intelligence is something of a disease

to some people....something to be avoided (an eradicated) by any means necessary.

[Domitan]

12. Goes to show the immature fuckwittery of many

Why do so many people think that making quick firm decisions automatically makes a person a strong fit leader???

BTW, interesting that more people see Bush as the rich guy than Kerry. Anyone from the kingdom of corporate media whores reading this???

[Brian Morans]

13. I'd even prefer a hesitant idiot n/t

[noiretextatique]

15. why would anyone perfer an idiot?

:scared: especially a decisive one