Poll: McCain isn't focusing on the issues

October 13, 2008

Registered voters by a wide margin now believe Senator John McCain is more focused on attacking his opponent than on addressing the issues in the election, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll released today.

Previous polls have suggested that Senator Barack Obama is perceived as more inclined than McCain to stick to the issues, but the gap has sharpened considerably, according to the new survey.

Registered voters, by 59 to 35 percent, now say McCain is more focused on attacking his opponent rather than addressing the issues. That's grown from a 48 to 45 percent split on this question in late August. Voters, by 68 to 26 percent, say Obama is mainly addressing the issues.

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Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden yesterday accused the McCain campaign of trying to distract Americans from their economic woes by launching "unbecoming personal attacks" at Barack Obama.

Appearing at a sports arena rally of 6,000 alongside Hillary and Bill Clinton near Biden's childhood home in Scranton, Pa., Biden said John McCain's campaign is desperate to change the subject from the financial. He said McCain has resorted to making "ugly inferences" about Obama in the waning days of the campaign.

ASSOCIATED PRESS