Have you noticed a rash of news stories the past few weeks with the theme that John McCain supporters are depressed because they think he has almost no chance? The real purpose of these stories is to demoralize McCain supporters in a effort to make them them think things are so hopeless for their candidate that they need not bother to wait on lines at the polling stations since the Barack Obama landslide is inevitable. And now the Associated Press is using their own poll to emphasize this theme of hopelessness among McCain supporters as you can see by the very title, "AP poll shows Obama backers gleeful, McCain's glum," of their story, by Alan Tram and Trevor Tomson, today (emphasis mine):
WASHINGTON – That smiling guy walking down the street? Odds are he's a Barack Obama backer. The grouchy looking one? Don't ask, and don't necessarily count on him to vote next week, either.
Notice how the AP is promoting the idea of McCain supporters staying home because things are supposedly going so poorly for their candidate?
Supporters of John McCain, long less enthusiastic than Obama's, have become increasingly glum about the presidential campaign in recent weeks, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll released Saturday. Their feelings have turned more negative during a period that has seen Obama, the Democratic senator from Illinois, take a firm lead in many polls.
Obama's backers have retained a higher level of excitement. One expert says the contrasting moods could affect how likely the two candidates' supporters are to vote on Election Day, possibly dampening McCain's turnout while boosting Obama's.
While 43 percent of Obama's backers said they are excited over the campaign, just 13 percent of McCain's said so, according to the survey of adults, conducted by Knowledge Networks. Six in 10 Obama supporters said the race interests them, compared to four in 10 backing McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona.
On the flip side, 52 percent of McCain supporters said the campaign has left them frustrated, compared to 30 percent of Obama's. A quarter of McCain backers say they feel helpless, double the rate of those preferring Obama.
More McCain supporters also feel angry and bored, while Obama's are likelier to say they are proud and hopeful.
Yes, Barack Obama backers are oh so happy and gleeful. Skipping down the street with big smiles on their faces. Meanwhile those who support McCain are ready to OD on bottles of Prozac. At least this is the way AP seems to be portraying it.
All of this is a bad sign for McCain, according to George E. Marcus, a political scientist from Williams College who has studied the role emotion plays in politics. Negative feelings about a campaign can discourage voters by making them less likely to go through what can be a painful process: Voting for someone who will lose.
"If I'm getting my head handed to me by a tennis player, my brain is saying, 'Do I want a second match? No,'" Marcus said. "Why do something that's going to lead to failure?"
Hey Marcus! We haven't even had the first match yet. It is called Election Day.
Enthusiasm by Obama backers has largely stayed steady since September, though slightly more of them — 31 percent — now say the campaign makes them feel proud.
"I didn't like the candidates before," said Angelique Sims, 38, an Obama supporter from Shawnee, Okla. "I like his character. I like the things he represents. He represents my views."
A closer look at the numbers show how that emotions are playing out to Obama's advantage in several pivotal groups of voters.
Forty-eight percent of those under age 30 who support Obama say they are excited over the race, compared to just 21 percent of those young voters who back McCain. That age group has been a reservoir of strong support for the Democrat.
Just 44 percent of whites supporting the Republican say the campaign interests them, compared to 58 percent of whites and 72 percent of blacks supporting Obama.
The AP should just drop all pretense and go all out in discouraging McCain supporters from voting. They should send sound trucks into neighborhoods all over the country blasting: "ALL YOU McCAIN SUPPORTERS! GIVE UP ALL HOPE NOW! OUR POLLS SHOW YOUR CANDIDATE LOSING IN A LANDSLIDE SO DON'T EVEN BOTHER TO VOTE! YOU HEAR US? PLEASE DON'T VOTE!!!"
