Since the Republican nomination was decided long ago, it's not a direct concern to the party, but it is definitely one that has been and will be ever more crucial to the Democrats. Long article, but summary is basically that 28% of Clinton voters would vote McCain over Obama in the general election, should he clinch the nomination, while 19% of Obama's voters would vote cross party should Clinton win. Note that the poll was taken about two months ago but there is no reason to assume that these numbers have dipped, but most likely have only increased. It's undeniable Republicans view Democratic splintering as positive news and would like the nomination process to continue as long as possible (Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos"). My question is how significant of a role do you feel these candidate-only supporters will play in the general election. Link Here
I'm still trying to figure out who is part of that 3% of Democrat voters who would vote Obama in the primaries, but then vote for McCain in the national election.
no one will change an opinion made in May come November. McCain' enthusiasm for Iraqi occupation will suddenly find majority favor, he'll "lurn" economics, he'll find a magic potion to distance himself from the disaster known as Dubya while pushing Dubya's policies. he'll discover the weapons of "mass destruction" ... there is no historical precedent invalidating past polls. everything remains static, just look at Bush's approval rating!
But it's a poll - so that means 3% of the respondents did respond that way, oddly enough. In terms of the original post, both Obama and McCain appeal to non-traditional constituencies in a lot of ways, and don't appeal to traditional constituencies in other ways. McCain has appeal to some Democrats and Obama has appeal to some Republicans, and both have issues with some of their core base. Moreso than any race in our recent past, there is potential for all sorts of crossover vote, which puts a ton more states in play. I actually think this is a good thing - no simply relying on a huge base that will vote for you no matter what (each will still have a smaller base, of course). They actually have to earn their wins.
The thing is a lot of the candidate-only supporters will vote the other party just to spite the fact that the nomination winner is not who they wanted to win. There have been Clinton supporters who have actually made petitions and organizations vowing that they will vote McCain in the instance that Obama wins the primary. The same is true for a significant portion of Obama supporters. These are the exact people that this poll is revealing - Democrats who don't care for the party's overall well-being, but only for their choice candidate. And the longer the primary continues, the more separated the party becomes, leading to people suggesting compromises like split tickets that will undoubtedly result in a loss during the general election.
Voters, like my dad who normally vote republican, but hate the Clintons enough to try make sure she doesn't win.
To this day, I still do not understand the level of venom directed at the Clintons. Can someone explain it to me? Hillary-supporters will ultimately vote for Obama because I think they would rather Obama choose the next Supreme Court candidates.
pick 100 random people in america... then pick the 3 least intelligent ones of the 100.. then try to rationalize anything they say or do impossible
I can't. I can see more Repubs voting for Obama since the GOP has become so odious over the last 8 years and everybody hates Bush.
Millions and millions of right wing propaganda. Conservatives hated that they lost the election and were willing to spend millions to try to overturn it. The Tom Delay type GOP Republicans could not stand it
Bill Clinton is a dishonest man who, as President, changed his opinion and policy at the whims of his supporters and advisers. He has never stood firmly for anything in his life. A lot of people disrespect him for that. He only looks good with 8 years of comparison.
They are a dishonest, power-obsessed couple. I thought Bill did a good job as President, and while I wasn't a Hillary fan for President, it was mostly due to how the country saw her rather than anything about herself. Then, over the past 6 months, they've demonstrated that what the right said about them wasn't all that inaccurate. All the evil Republican tactics they decried when they were in power, they tried to use on one of their own. They showed that there is nothing they won't say or do in order to simply win - that's all that matters to them. They are willing to destroy anything in their path for personal success. For them, it's about winning and not leading.
Concur. They all do to an extent. That's not an excuse - I'd argue Bill's waffling was usually born out of intended compromise (e.g.: welfare policy) Moreover, these "people" who disrespect him as such are outright biased - since they certainly don't harp on the same faults in their own representatives and/or candidates. Most anything will look good compared to dubya's tenure. However, it's a complete misnomer to state he only looks good in comparison. That completely ignores a huge list of accomplishments. I'm surprised, for example, that you would downplay his attempts to actually balance the budget. Seems to me that's the kind of thing you would applaud.
