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Poll: 90 percent of Americans feeling gas price squeeze, energy costs top election issue
(Associated Press WorldStream Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) WASHINGTON_Ninety percent of Americans are feeling the economic squeeze of rising fuel prices, according to a poll released Monday, but many voters think neither Barack Obama nor John McCain would be able to do much about it if elected president.
The Associated Press-Yahoo News poll underscored why Obama, a Democrat, and McCain, a Republican, have sought over the past three weeks to differentiate themselves on energy issues ahead of the November election.
The survey highlights how energy costs have overtaken the Iraq war and terrorism as the dominant issue in the presidential campaign.
With the July 4 Independence Day holiday weekend approaching, the poll showed Americans were driving less, curtailing vacation plans and thinking about buying a car that uses less fuel.
While the AP-Yahoo poll showed a third of Americans felt both McCain and Obama would be unable to have much effect on fuel prices, those who did gave Obama a 28 percent to 20 percent edge over McCain, while 18 percent said they trusted the candidates equally.
McCain recently changed his position on the quarter-century U.S. ban on drilling for oil and gas in offshore waters, saying states should be allowed to open those resources to oil companies if they wished. He has also called for a major push to develop nuclear power and said he would give a $300 million prize the developer of a battery capable of efficiently powering automobiles.
Obama has focused on increased spending for alternative energy sources funded in part by taxes on excess oil company profits and closing a legal loophole that he says has led to speculation on energy markets and driven prices to record levels.
Plans offered by both candidates were unlikely to have any immediate impact on soaring energy costs. The price of oil topped $143 a barrel for the first time Monday in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
McCain, who said in one point during the Republican primary campaign that economic issues were not his forte, has sought to overcome that remark with a flurry of campaign appearances in which he has unveiled a number of proposals to decrease American dependence on imported oil.
The shift in focus has left McCain with less time to emphasize his security, military and foreign policy expertise _ an issue where he has a perceived advantage over Obama, the first-term Illinois senator who holds statistically significant leads over his Republican opponent in national polls.
The AP-Yahoo survey showed that part of the Obama advantage draws upon voter perceptions that he is more likely to help them through the downward U.S. economic spiral, that began with a crisis in the U.S. mortgage industry and has been compounded by spiking prices for most goods and services as transportation and production costs have shot up in lockstep with higher energy prices. Unemployment also is climbing.
After a day off Sunday, Obama was returning to the campaign trail Monday, marking the coming holiday weekend with an appearance in the aptly named city of Independence, Missouri. His campaign said he would speak about "what patriotism means to him and what it requires of all Americans who loves this country and want to see it do better."
McCain is scheduled to spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Cartegena, Colombia, before traveling Thursday to Mexico City.
The Republican spent part of Sunday at the mountaintop retreat of renowned evangelist Billy Graham and his son, Franklin. The Arizona senator has been working to convince skeptical conservative Republicans and evangelicals _ who strongly backed President George W. Bush _ that he can be counted on as a reliable shepherd of their social agenda against abortion and gay marriage. The powerful evangelical community's support will be critical if McCain is to extend his party's hold on the White House.
McCain grew up Episcopalian and attended an Episcopal high school in Alexandria, Virginia, but now attends Baptist services.
While McCain said in advance that his trip to the Graham compound _ Little Piney Cove in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina _ was not political, his meeting with the religious leaders and a photo of the session was bound to solidify his credentials with the important group of Republican voters.
Earlier this month, Obama met with the younger Graham as part of a session with a group of about 30 evangelical leaders in Chicago. The Illinois senator, who was baptized as a Christian about 20 years ago, is battling Internet rumors that he is actually a Muslim, because of his name, which includes the middle name Hussein, and the Islamic heritage of his Kenyan father and grandfather.
Obama spent his day off Sunday at the gym, getting a hair cut and playing basketball with his daughters.
Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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