Poll: McCain poses greatest threat to Democrats
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Republican presidential field will face a tough general election fight from the Democrats, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Saturday.
According to the survey, either of the Democratic frontrunners, Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York or Barack Obama of Illinois, hold mostly double-digit – and statistically identical - advantages over Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee, drawing more than 50 percent support in each hypothetical matchup.
The Republican candidate who gives Clinton and Obama the closest race in the new poll is Arizona Sen. John McCain, who is essentially tied with both: he draws the support of 48 percent of those surveyed to both Clinton's 50 percent and Obama's 49 percent.
Hillary Clinton is one of the least confrontational of the candidates. However, for nearly two decades she has been singled out by the Right (conspiratorially or not) for every level and kind of attack they can think of. They cannot say her name without a smirk as they think about the dispersions they are about to heap on her. We, whether liberal or conservative, know this to be true.
Now that she has been annointed as the number one whipping girl of the Right, SHE gets blamed for "being divisive." How often has she been in a public dispute with another politician? How many "radical" ideas has anyone ever heard her espouse? On what specific topics has she been controversial in any way other than by simply being Hillary?
As is often theirr tactic when discussing abused women , the Right and the media are blaming the victim for having been attacked. Hillary does not divide us. The Hillary Factor is a creation of her conservative opponents who will continue to attack her with absolutely no regard for what she has actually done or is planning to do. Note that in the comments above there is considerable anger toward her and virtually nothing specific. Facts have nothing to do with the animus some feel toward her. It is regretable that the Right hate her so intensely but it is they who are being divisive, not Hillary.
i want to know what the next president plans to do about the fact that it seems like america wants to poke it's noes in to every lil thing every other country is doing and help all these ppl over in foriegn countries when u walk down any street in a Bigg city and i bet u'll find a person that needs help weather be a old crippled war vet or a homless person or a starving child because there parents cant afford to live and they dont get god jobs and they cant pay bills because jobs aren't paying well and and who know maybe the mom and dads just lost there jobs because the econmy has went down due to funding for the war that we are in that we dont even know why we are in it ....
when can america stop trying to help every one else AND TO TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN
Hey Chris from Jacksonville, you say Romney was a "no show" in NH? He lost by 5%, how is that a no show? He actually has MORE VOTES total than the other Republican candidate. Gimme a break!
Romeny has the best chance to turn this economy than ANY of the candidates. He has an extensive private sector record. In MA he reduced taxes several times and balanced the budget every year. He was talking green before it became so fashionable by looking to eliminate MA sales tax on hybrids while he was governor. Look at his record. A win in MI will be a boost. He is not well known which is why he's had to spend so much money. It's hard to get to know someone in such a short period of time.
When you start listing the reasons you support someone you should say why. Not why you are against the other guy.
P.S. To the joker who says Mormonism is a cult, I am a Catholic and don't believe it is. He's a Christian, just like the rest of them. I know it's difficult, but let's try to be constructive here.
It is unfair to hate or attack Hillary because she is a woman candidate for presidency. We must admit her ability. Gender should not be a factor in any election. We need some one who can run the office from day one because we don't have time get on the job training. So experience matters more than anything.
Some of the candidates on both sides are really great if they get time and experience. But when we have one with good vision ,experience and sinceriety
why should we take a chance. I hope my message would open the eyes of people who read this comment esp WOMEN. All men and women should be treated equal. We cannot have a double standard. We must stick to the golden principles
and let us have a fair election.
Can any one of you Hillary supporters tell me exactly what she has done, and please stop repeating what you hear these politicans say. Use your own mind for once, unless the people who are writing on these blog work for these campaigns, which I believe is the case. Please tell me what has Hillary done, I'm listening.
"Google before you vote"
Are those Democrats who want to opt for McCain over Hillary to avoid divisiveness, polarization and partisanship the very ones who voted for Bush the uniter over Al Gore and John Kerry in the last two elections for the same reason? McCain is a maverick who will not listen to anybody and polarize this country like never before. Has not the problem over the last seven years been just that, Bush refusing to change course even as it drives the country towards a recession? McCain takes pride in doggedly doing what he thinks is right even if it is not popular or even if he is in fact wrong. This is just like Bush who, undeterred by poor poll numbers, is hell bent on staying the wrong course. McCain and his pal Lieberman have made it clear they want to continue the Bush doctrines in Iraq and Iran beyond 2008 no matter what it costs or what the American people want. This important election is about stopping this phony war that is draining American blood and treasure, and about re-investing in America and its people. It is about uplifting our own lives. Not about continuing to stay the course initiated by a dreadful administration.
Wake up fellow Democrats and unite! Hillary is the best hope for the Democratic Party and for this nation. She brings sanity, competence, compassion and a common-sense approach to the country's leadership, something that has sorely been absent in the White House for the last seven years. She will in fact unite Democrats, Independents and Republicans, despite what the pundits and Clinton haters are saying.
Incidentally, in these columns we never hear any Republican voters saying they will vote for a Democrat despite seven years of a fiscally poor Republican administration and being faced with a field of poor Republican candidates. Why is it that they can be so steadfastly partisan, divisive and polarized whereas a section of the Democratic voters can so easily threaten to jump ship if they do not get their way?
This is the way it is being set up by Corporate America with the help of a very compliant media which wants to see either Obama or Hillary Clinton the Democratic canidate against McCain, who let's face it won the mantle from the Republican Party by his endorsements of Bush, even after Bush went after his family in the 2004 primary campaign. Edwards is receiving next to no coverage in this campaign
and takes no money from Corporate interests. And talk about a fairy tale Bill,
how about the fairy tale of either Hillary or Obama " taking on " the very Corporate interests that are backing their campaigns with millions and millions of dollars.
The idea is to keep Edwards out of it. Can't the Democratic public see it coming
yet? Another sad, oh so sad and tragic loss to the Republican candidate. Another close but no cigar general election with one state the deciding vote. Oh so sad
and again the Democrats say to one another that they did the right thing by supporting a minority candidate. But it won't matter as your paycheck gets so
much smaller and your Social Security gets raided and the war goes on.
The collapse of the savings and loan. (AKA the Keating 5) wasn't GW's brother Neal, that you never hear about, also a player in that scandal?
Another reason to nominate Clinton. She's been investigated on every move she's ever made and has come through it all unscathed She's tough enough, smart enough, respected enough, articulate enough, and experienced enough to give McCain a real run for his money. This would be no time to put a rookie into the ring with an old warrior.
McCain is another War Monger and does support many of Bush's actions, you would think that would completely turn off American people , sure scares the heck out of me. McCain is NOT presidential material.
It seem that neither Hillary or Obama have any idea that America is a land of laws and that Illegal Immigrants are breaking the law and most Americans are against that , they are also trying put the big word "racial " in with the stump sucking they are doing they are driving the wedge further apart and they need to be better informed. That Health Care issue is a big joke, how in the heck are they gonna find the financing? They are causing Dr's shortage and such and will cause the whole Medical personal to be downgraded. They want the jobs for Illegal Immigrants, What about the legal American people , we must not matter to them. Get rid of this foreign job takeover and put our people back to work. I hope Ron Paul hangs in there, he is one who knows the Constitution. Oh , and I am a lifetime Democrat who is gonna be changing to Independent here shortly.
To Anthony M:
To answer your "what has Hillary done?" question:
***She sponsored legislation to track the medical status of our troops, in an effort to reduce the number of cases in which hard-do-diagnose illnesses are misdiagnosed;
***She sponsored legislation to expand health benefits to National Guard members;
***She has been tireless in recruiting votes and support for a wide array of bills designed to help the survivors and familes of the victims of 9/11, as well as bills designed to assist with the rebuilding of the affected areas around Ground Zero;
***She has been instrumental in expanding funding for programs designed to bring jobs to struggling communities;
***She has devoted substantial amounts of energy to expanding CHIPS - the program that Bush insisted on vetoing that expanded health insurance for low-income children
......and the list goes on.
The easiest thing in the world for Hillary to have done after Bill left office would have been to take some sort of "honorary" title - Chairman of the Red Cross or something – and basically basked in the glory and accolades generally afforded former First Ladies. She didn't. And whether you like her or not doesn't change the fact that she has done a lot for the people of New York and the people of this country.
Steven, oh Steven,
Hillary is no saint. She might have done all that, but it's still wrong. Get the government out of the healthcare system. are you telling me that all these governmental interventions are more efficient that a private system.
Follow Ron Paul. Cut government spending. Let the people keep their income tax money. let people choose their doctors, and let doctors compete for their customers. Prices will go down, and people will have plenty of money to go to their own doctor.
Why complicate things unnecessarily with big government treating you like a child? do you still need a nanny? how old are you? 5?
why vote for a Hillary? or Obama? $60 trillion of debt are not enough for you? you want more government? more spending? more bailouts?
do you want to bankrupt this country? No you don't. vote Ron Paul. Listen to what he says. He speaks of sound monetary policy, not Hillary. Not Obama.
Study economics. Study the constitution.