Obama Poll Numbers Smoked Hillary Out
Obama Poll Numbers Smoked Hillary Out
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., until last year was the the odds-on favorite to win the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Facing a vibrant new force in the person of Barack Obama, however, she’s been forced to speed up her announcement that she is now all but a full-fledged candidate.
And Clinton appears the follower not the leader. Obama announced on a Saturday -- an unusual time to pick for a major news announcement. Clinton has followed suit. Obama announced via an internet video. Ditto Clinton.
Obama has come out of the political nowhere to become the most talked about presidential candidate. Already, the charismatic Illinois Senator is the media’s darling. In comparison, Clinton will have difficulty playing the charismatic role.
What has shocked and prodded forward the Clinton camp more than anything else are the polls. Current polls show newcomer Obama running neck and neck with Clinton.
According to Real Clear Politics, a preference poll for Iowa voters completed in December showed Obama and former North Carolina Senator and Vice-Presidential candidate John Edwards tied for first at 22 percent, favorite son Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack at third with 12 percent, and supposed front-runner Clinton in fourth place with just 10 percent.
In the crucial first primary state of New Hampshire, pollster John Zogby had bad news for Hillary just last week.
The Zogby poll found that Obama leads Democrats with 23 percent, followed by Clinton and Edwards tied at 19 percent in the poll.
[Zogby's Iowa poll also last week found that John Edwards was the choice of 27 percent of those surveyed. Obama secured 17 percent -- with Clinton and Vilsack tied for third at 16 percent.]
A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of 401 likely Democratic primary voters finds that 22 percent favor Clinton, while 21 percent prefer Obama.
Obama has consistently been in second place in several Rasmussen Reports polls, but this is the first time, Rasmussen reports, that he has been in a virtual tie with the former First Lady.
The media’s passionate embrace of Obama has signaled an obvious disillusionment with their former champion, perhaps triggered by her standing in the so-called likability factor – long considered a handicap she might not be able to overcome.
According to NBC News on Friday, Obama wins that race hands-down.
Observed the network: "There are only two other potential candidates who get anywhere near the media attention Obama enjoys: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the putative front-runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination and Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumed GOP leader. These three all lead their various competitors in media ‘traction.’"
And the ability to catch and hold the attention of a fickle, jaded press corps is a must-have for a viable candidate in today's media-centric environment, the network commentary concluded.
"Obama's a real charmer,” NBC continued. "That description can't be applied to the many other probable or possible candidates on either side. Questions are being raised about the impact of McCain's legendary temper on his candidacy. And the rap on Hillary that keeps popping up is that she's 'cold and calculating.'"
And, writes Dan Gerstein, a Joe Lieberman advisor, "After choosing two dislikable nominees to run against George W. Bush, Democrats seem to have little interest in rallying around another wrong-rubbing candidate. "This likability gap," Gerstein argues, "could be fatal for Hillary ..."
Hillary signaled her recognition that Obama is the biggest threat she faces when on Wednesday she went on the attack, calling for a cap on U.S. troops sent to Iraq.
Obama quickly responded, setting off the opening shots in the Clinton/Obama struggle.
Earlier indications that the Clinton camp viewed Obama as a genuine threat were the sudden emergence of stories attacking Obama and citing alleged problems with his claims about his bizarre past.
Some observers, such as Fox’s John Gibson, attribute this sudden rash of unfavorable stories to the fabled Clinton attack machine which, for example, shredded the reputations of women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual improprieties.
(1/22/2007) - NewsMax.com staff, NewsMax.com
BACK TO ZOGBY IN THE MEDIA
http://www.zogby.com/Soundbites/ReadClips.dbm?ID=14279
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., until last year was the the odds-on favorite to win the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Facing a vibrant new force in the person of Barack Obama, however, she’s been forced to speed up her announcement that she is now all but a full-fledged candidate.
And Clinton appears the follower not the leader. Obama announced on a Saturday -- an unusual time to pick for a major news announcement. Clinton has followed suit. Obama announced via an internet video. Ditto Clinton.
Obama has come out of the political nowhere to become the most talked about presidential candidate. Already, the charismatic Illinois Senator is the media’s darling. In comparison, Clinton will have difficulty playing the charismatic role.
What has shocked and prodded forward the Clinton camp more than anything else are the polls. Current polls show newcomer Obama running neck and neck with Clinton.
According to Real Clear Politics, a preference poll for Iowa voters completed in December showed Obama and former North Carolina Senator and Vice-Presidential candidate John Edwards tied for first at 22 percent, favorite son Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack at third with 12 percent, and supposed front-runner Clinton in fourth place with just 10 percent.
In the crucial first primary state of New Hampshire, pollster John Zogby had bad news for Hillary just last week.
The Zogby poll found that Obama leads Democrats with 23 percent, followed by Clinton and Edwards tied at 19 percent in the poll.
[Zogby's Iowa poll also last week found that John Edwards was the choice of 27 percent of those surveyed. Obama secured 17 percent -- with Clinton and Vilsack tied for third at 16 percent.]
A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of 401 likely Democratic primary voters finds that 22 percent favor Clinton, while 21 percent prefer Obama.
Obama has consistently been in second place in several Rasmussen Reports polls, but this is the first time, Rasmussen reports, that he has been in a virtual tie with the former First Lady.
The media’s passionate embrace of Obama has signaled an obvious disillusionment with their former champion, perhaps triggered by her standing in the so-called likability factor – long considered a handicap she might not be able to overcome.
According to NBC News on Friday, Obama wins that race hands-down.
Observed the network: "There are only two other potential candidates who get anywhere near the media attention Obama enjoys: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the putative front-runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination and Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumed GOP leader. These three all lead their various competitors in media ‘traction.’"
And the ability to catch and hold the attention of a fickle, jaded press corps is a must-have for a viable candidate in today's media-centric environment, the network commentary concluded.
"Obama's a real charmer,” NBC continued. "That description can't be applied to the many other probable or possible candidates on either side. Questions are being raised about the impact of McCain's legendary temper on his candidacy. And the rap on Hillary that keeps popping up is that she's 'cold and calculating.'"
And, writes Dan Gerstein, a Joe Lieberman advisor, "After choosing two dislikable nominees to run against George W. Bush, Democrats seem to have little interest in rallying around another wrong-rubbing candidate. "This likability gap," Gerstein argues, "could be fatal for Hillary ..."
Hillary signaled her recognition that Obama is the biggest threat she faces when on Wednesday she went on the attack, calling for a cap on U.S. troops sent to Iraq.
Obama quickly responded, setting off the opening shots in the Clinton/Obama struggle.
Earlier indications that the Clinton camp viewed Obama as a genuine threat were the sudden emergence of stories attacking Obama and citing alleged problems with his claims about his bizarre past.
Some observers, such as Fox’s John Gibson, attribute this sudden rash of unfavorable stories to the fabled Clinton attack machine which, for example, shredded the reputations of women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual improprieties.
(1/22/2007) - NewsMax.com staff, NewsMax.com
BACK TO ZOGBY IN THE MEDIA
http://www.zogby.com/Soundbites/ReadClips.dbm?ID=14279
posted by presgore19 at 3:27 AM
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