NEW YORK - David Tayman is a registered Republican who thinks the economy is turning around, a defense industry worker who considers Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) to be "flippy-floppy." Sounds like a vote for President Bush (news - web sites).
But the 31-year-old LaPlata, Md., resident is angry about the war in Iraq (news - web sites), and finds the Republican incumbent to be more conservative than compassionate. "So I'm undecided," Tayman said Monday night as he turned on his television in search of the GOP convention. "What am I going to do?"
Wouldn't Bush and Kerry like to know? Whether fence-sitters like Tayman break for the Democrat in a thirst for change, stick with Bush and the comfort of status quo or stay home Election Day out of disgust, so-called "persuadable voters" may well determine the election. Conventional wisdom gives Kerry the edge among these wavering voters, but interviews with dozens of them suggest the incumbent has advantages, too.
Undecided voters account for just four to five percent of the electorate, according to most polls, though the universe of persuadable voters ranges up to 20 percent when pollsters include people who say they lean toward one candidate and still might vote for another. By any measure, the number of voters still open to persuasion is smaller than normal.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040831/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_the_undecided&cid=694&ncid=1963&sid=96378798
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