Too Much Obama

Are you getting a little too much Obama and wanting to hear more about this McCain dude they keep mentioning every once in a while? You are not alone!

As he has since January, this week, Barack Obama enjoyed much more visibility as far as the public was concerned than did John McCain. By a margin of 76% to 11% respondents in Pew's weekly News Interest Index survey named Obama over McCain as the candidate they have heard the most about in recent days. But the same poll also shows that the Democratic candidate's media dominance may not be working in his favor. Close to half (48%) of Pew's interviewees went on to say that they have been hearing too much about Obama lately. And by a slight, but statistically significant margin - 22% to 16% - people say that recently they have a less rather than more favorable view of the putative Democratic nominee.

In contrast, if anything, Pew's respondents said they want to hear more, not less about the Republican candidate. Just 26% in the poll said they had heard too much about McCain, while a larger number (38%) reported that they had heard too little about the putative Republican candidate. However, as for Obama, a slight plurality reports that recently they have come to have a less favorable view of McCain rather than a more favorable view of him - (23% to 18%).

There's no question there has been, shall we say, some overexposure. The question, even with this poll, is whether it hurts Obama. I'm not sure. The poll here pointedly does not draw a direct correlation between exposure and voting patterns, and people will lie to pollsters. They will also parrot the conventional wisdom of the day.


But the overexposure could be a problem for Obama in that, if he does have a funding advantage... what will he do with his money? If people are tired of Obama now, a media surge may not be the best choice. However, reports do indicate that Obama is channeling his money into local organizing. Oh and comfy chairs with custom stitching.