NEW YORK: All efforts by Republican Presidential nominee John McCain to establish himself as a "change factor" seems to have gone in vain, with a recent poll indicating that most American voter still consider him as a "typical Republican."
In one of the sharpest differences highlighted in the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, 65 per cent of those polled said that Obama would bring real change to Washington, with only 37 per cent voting in favour of McCain, 28 per cent up from that before the two parties' conventions.
At a time when McCain has tried to appeal to the independent voters by separating himself from his party with his convention speech, 57 per cent of all voters said they viewed him as a typical Republican compared with 40 per cent who said he was a different kind of Republican.
The polls conducted after the Republican convention suggested that McCain had enjoyed a surge of support, particularly among white women after his selection of Gov Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate but the latest poll indicates "the Palin effect" was, at least so far, a limited burst of interest.
The poll, the Times said, also underlined the extent to which McCain's convention, and his selection of Palin, had excited Republican base voters about his candidacy: 47 per cent of McCain's supporters described themselves as enthused about the Republican Party's presidential ticket, almost twice what it was before the conventions.
But Palin's selection has, to date, helped McCain only among Republican base voters; there was no evidence of significantly increased support for him among women in general, according to the poll.
The survey also revealed that voters presume that Senator McCain would continue or expand President Bush's policies and was far less likely to bring change to Washington than Senator Barack Obama.
The poll found that 46 per cent of voters thought McCain would continue Bush's policies, while 22 per cent said he would be more conservative than Bush.
About one-quarter said a McCain presidency would be less conservative than Bush's.
The poll, the paper said, showed that McCain had some enduring strengths, including a substantial advantage over Obama as a potential commander in chief.
For the first time, 50 per cent of those surveyed said they considered that the troop buildup in Iraq, a policy that McCain championed from the start, had made things better there.
The survey was carried out during a period of extraordinary turmoil on Wall Street. A overwhelming number of Americans said economy is the top issue that will affect their vote decision.
With more than 6 in 10 apprehensive about McCain finishing his term and Palin taking over him, a majority of registered voters expressed greater confidence in Obama's ability to manage the economy
Sixty per cent of voters said they were confident in Obama's ability to make the right decisions on the economy, compared with 53 per cent who felt that way about McCain.
Sixty per cent also said that the Democrat senator understood the needs and problems "of people like yourself," compared with 48 per cent who said that of McCain.
More than twice as many said an Obama presidency would improve the image of the United States around the world, 55 per cent, compared with those who believed a McCain presidency would do so.
