by Katie Fretland
In this week's National Journal, political insiders were asked to identify the biggest weaknesses about candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.
Here are some examples of what the Democrats said about Obama and what the Republicans said about McCain.
Obama's vulnerabilities
Inexperience 69 percent
Liberal voting record 56 percent
Race 25 percent
"No matter how he tries to paper it over, [inexperience] is on people's minds," one Democratic insider told the magazine.
McCain's vulnerabilities
President Bush's unpopularity 66 percent
Economy 42 percent
Age 31 percent
"In the fall, he must completely divorce himself from President Bush," one Republican insider told the magazine.
To see full results and a list of the 173 political insiders, visit the National Journal.
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Comments
Surprising that Obama's liberal tendencies are ranked below inexperience. Maybe these "patriotism tours" are better spent soothing voters over how he can handle the job.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | July 5, 2008 8:09 AM
In my opinion Senator McCain's biggest vulnerability is his record on the handling of political contributions, influence-peddling and distortion of facts. These three activities, alone, should disqualify Senator McCain from any serious consideration, in being voted our President. Since the election of President Bush, twice, our standards for our Presidency have taken serious hits!! We no longer demand of our candidates, reasonably good records, now they paper over past indiscretions and re-make themselves into " phony heroes ", compassionate conservatives and even " uniters " !!! Of course, on those last three false poses, I am referring to President Bush, though one or two, of those poses, holds true for Senator McCain, as well. Certainly, " phoney hero " doesn't hold true for Senator McCain, given his years of capture, for which, and his service to our country, I give him thanks, as I give any POW and Veteran, my heartfelt thanks.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | July 5, 2008 10:03 AM
I hear far more concerns in my neighborhood -- where his race is an asset, not a liability -- about Obama's Muslim family relationships and his having worked with Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam on the Million Man March. The fact that his father and brother were and are Muslim activists raises the question as to whether he might be a secret Muslim despite his 20 years with Rev. Wright. Racial ties are one thing; taking a chance on the nation's future is another.
Posted by: LaSondra | July 5, 2008 11:15 AM
Obama's biggest vulnerability is a widespread concern over his Muslim heritage and whether he might be a closet Muslim. Considering his father's Muslim activism and the fact that his brother, Abongo "Roy" Obama is a Luo activist in Africa and a militant Muslim raises questions as well as doubts that Obama has not resolved. Obama was pictured with "Roy" on his visit to Africa.
Posted by: Jamal | July 5, 2008 12:09 PM
Oooh! Better watch out for those scary "secret Muslims" boys and girls! We all know they're planning to give away the White House china to black Muslim aliens from space. Republicans wearing reflective metallic headgear like LaSondra and Jamal are confident they can foil this plot. As scary as that all sounds though, I still can't think of anything scarier than four more years of Bush.
Posted by: Tom O | July 6, 2008 3:36 AM