The Perfect Candidate
A poll conducted earlier this month by USA TODAY and Suffolk University asked respondents what characteristics they found appealing in a president, and which ones they said did not matter. The results were interesting.
Essentially, those conducting the poll say results show the “help wanted” ad might as well say, “Wanted: A 51-to-65-year-old governor with business experience and willing to compromise to get things done. Military experience a bonus.”
That does not fit either the incumbent or the former-and-perhaps-future president.
And to put a finer point on it, more than 6 out of 10 voters surveyed said they do not want either Joe Biden or Donald Trump to run in 2024.
The poll of 1,000 registered voters was taken by landline and cell phone in early December, and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.1 percentage points.
Only 8 percent of those surveyed said their ideal president would be between 66 and 80 years of age, and a scant 1 percent said the ideal choice would be older than 80…at Inauguration Day 2025, Biden would be 82, and Trump 78.
A majority, 55 percent, said gender does not matter. That said, overall, 28 percent of those who did express a preference chose a man over a woman as ideal, while only 12 percent said a woman was ideal.
But check out this difference based on party: Republicans chose a man by 50 to 2 percent, but Democrats chose a woman as the ideal choice by 24 to 11 percent.
Most of those surveyed, 57 percent, said it does not matter where a president is from, but those who do care not surprisingly said they want someone from their own part of the country.
But one of the biggest partisan divides came on the issue of compromise. By a ratio of 4 to 1, Democrats want a president who will cut a deal…while Republican, by 50 to 38 percent, said they prefer a president who stands on principle, even if it means things don’t get done.
No surprise, really, given the partisan nature of our politics today.
