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One out of five Carter backers is not yet certain who the Democratic candidate is and where he stands. In addition, two out of three panelists fault Carter for being fuzzy on the issues. Paul Pizzini, a white-collar worker from Baltimore, likes Carter's fresh face, self-confidence and "Southern-fried charisma" but complained that "he changes his mind." Said Faith Foss, a college professor from Northampton, Mass.: "I think he goes with the wind." Some voters suspect that Carter is deliberately obfuscating. Said Leila Rohde, the wife of a postman in Sun Valley, Ariz.: "He speaks half-truths. He talks like a lawyer, undermining what he said so that you don't know what to believe after a time." Still others would agree with the skeptical view of Douglas Ross, a moderate Republican from Jacksonville, N.C., that "all candidates are fuzzy on the issues." Added Rosemary Werner, an elderly conservative Republican from Lancaster, Calif: "It's very risky to vote for anyone, really."
One out of five panelists fears that Carter would turn out to be a big spender. Said Judith DeWilde, a moderate Republican from Doylestown, Pa.: "He's promising all things to all people. Somebody has to say who is going to pay for the guaranteed wage program and the national health bill." A third of the panel shared the feeling that Carter is too much of an unknown, and that makes it risky to vote for him. Said Marie Silence: "I'm afraid of Carter and the radical changes he might make. Nobody really knows what he will do." Carter's strong religious beliefs also come in for criticism, though mostly from Ford supporters on the panel; 20% of them raised it as an issue. But Claire Briones, a liberal Democrat from Staten Island, N.Y., argued that even if Carter "might get carried away because of his religious beliefs, his common sense will take over and guard him."
At the same time, Carter has demonstrated many strengths to the panelists. Among them is the fact that he is a new face and his election would mean a change in Government. Said Gerald Levy, a college professor from Norfolk, Va.: "He's the sort of person who could run the Congress. He's not a party to the mess in Washington, scandals, Watergate." Added Opal Lafayette, a blue-collar Democrat from Flint, Mich.: "Carter knows what it is like to work, and we need somebody to understand the little guy."
Doubts About Ford. Many of Ford's supporters on the panel have doubts about him. One out of five of them questions whether he has leadership ability, and one out of ten questions whether he is smart enough for the job. Said Francis Lindgren, a white-collar worker from Wayland, Mich.: "I don't look at Ford as being a truly great leader. When he gives a speech, it sounds like it came out of a can." Added Bill Mills, a plant manager from Denison, Texas: "I don't think he is as smart as other Presidents we've had. I think that he might be talked into something and he won't realize what he is doing."