Choosing Obama

Then Wall Street crumbled, stocks fluctuated, the government intervened, layoffs rose, and retirement accounts leaked. Townsend, who is self-employed, said she knew people who have recently filed for bankruptcy. She thought McCain seemed too vested in continuing the Iraq war at any cost to the economy. She voted for Obama.

ANOTHER BUSH

Before the presidential debates, Edward Miller, 61, of Scottsville, Kentucky, supported McCain because of his political experience and military service. In the primaries, he had supported Hillary Clinton, thinking Obama was too inexperienced. 8220;After she was out of the picture, well I just thought McCain8217;s ideas are all right as well,8221; he said. But Miller, a Democrat who restores cars and raises cattle for a living, began to change his mind when he watched the candidates8217; three debate performances, spread from the end of September through mid-October. 8220;Obama was straight with what he said,8221; Miller said. 8220;McCain was saying the same old thing over and over again, and nothing that I understand.8221; 8220;I think the last two debates really put me over the top,8221; he said.

THE PALIN EFFECT

Living in Florida, a heavily contested battleground state, Sara Sue Crawford, 30, was never at a loss for information on the presidential candidates. Crawford, an independent, wavered between McCain and Obama. She was attracted to Obama8217;s honesty and promise of change, but Palin intrigued her. The stay-at-home mother to a 3-month-old boy liked that a woman could be so close to the presidency. 8220;Just the thought of a woman in a very high office like that,8221; Crawford said, was 8220;very appealing.8221; The intrigue didn8217;t last long. 8220;I really don8217;t agree with her religious stance. She frightens me.8221; she said. The sputtering economy also made her reminisce about earlier years. 8220;I just remember that before we had a Republican president, our economy was very good.8221;

A VOTE FOR HEALTHCARE

Lois Neeley, a 71-year-old retired nurse in Lexington, Kentucky., was rooting for Clinton all the way in the primaries. She didn8217;t know anything about Obama, and was wary of supporting Clinton8217;s onetime opponent. She was impressed by McCain8217;s prisoner of war history and his longtime Senate experience. During the summer, Neeley considered both candidates.

Around the time the candidates were choosing their running mates, Neeley8217;s pharmacy told her that Medicare couldn8217;t cover some prescription costs any more for her. 8220;That got my attention,8221; said Neeley, who has emphysema and heart problems. She favors Obama8217;s health care plan, which aims for universal coverage without guaranteeing it.