Undecided voters not satisfied with both candidates

Undecided voters not satisfied with both candidates

A recent AP-Yahoo! News poll found that 18 percent of likely voters are up for grabs — undecided or willing to change their minds — little more than five weeks before Americans choose between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

A large chunk of these voters say they are hurting on a personal level from the country's economic woes, and, like everyone else, they say the economy is the top issue. Most haven't decided who would best solve their problems as president; neither candidate has an advantage on handling the economy.

Simply put: Most are looking for a better life and a leader to help make it happen — and most haven't found what they seek in Obama or McCain.

"There's a person out there who could inspire change, mend the ways of the system and start fixing the economy, but I don't think these two are up to the task," said Rick Villiere, 39, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. A married father of two children under age 3, he feels the tug of economic turmoil and says: "It's impossible to get ahead."

It's difficult simply to stay afloat, says Cristy Jackson, 29, of Hazel Green, Ala. She's on disability, her husband was laid off and they have two kids. "I don't have faith in anyone on the economy," she says, adding that neither Obama — "not experienced enough" — nor McCain — "he doesn't care about people like me who are not even middle class" — is likely to help her family.