Having covered a few of these presidential elections, it strikes me that there is a different feel to the crowds that show up to hear the candidates in the early weeks of 2008.
In past elections, when you talked to people who were interested enough in the election to come out and hear the candidates, many of them would cite an issue or two that was driving their vote–i.e., abortion or prescription drug prices or national security. And even a few months ago, that was the case, particularly in Republican crowds on the question of immigration and Democratic ones on the question of the Iraq war. But now, as I wander around and ask people what is on their minds, they talk almost exclusively about the character of the candidates. One Republican voter (and McCain supporter) I talked to, citing a personal voting history that went all the way back to Nixon, told me that this is the first time he is casting a “moral” vote. What’s ironic is that this comes after what has been the most issue-specific campaign I can remember in a long time, particularly on the Democratic side, where all the candidates have presented, for example, extraordinarily detailed health care plans. And certainly, given all the new media avenues that are out there, the details of those plans are available in ways they never have been before.
Will this dynamic continue? Possibly, though as we move beyond the primaries into a general election campaign, it may be that the issue differences become sharper and therefore more compelling.