Posted on 08/21/2007 6:04:36 AM PDT by PilloryHillary
No other candidate running for President in 2008 has a higher negative rating than Senator Hillary Clinton. Most polls currently show Hillary with a 49% negative rating.
Rasmussen Reports, who had one of the most accurate polling results prior to the 2004 Presidential race, has Hillary’s unfavorable rating at 54%, with a 45% favorable rating.
Gallup has Barack Obama, on the other hand polling at only a 34% negative rating. While Hillary is the current front runner for the nomination, Barack Obama is polling head to head better against top Republicans, and therefore could fair better to win the national election because of his lower negative ratings.
No Presidential candidate has ever won the Presidency with a negative rating as high as 49%. Yet Senator Clinton claims that her negatives won’t keep her from winning . While she blames her negatives on the "right wing" attack machine against her, it’s her trustworthiness, and authenticity that is also a key factor in her unfavorable ratings.
In 2000, Al Gore had overwhelming popularity and won the popular vote, yet it was not enough to win the national election, and he lost the electorate vote. In 2004, John Kerry’s negative rating was averaging 43% before the election. He of course was able to win the Democratic nomination, but he was unable to win the general election.
Polls indicate that Hillary is favorite to win the Democratic nomination. While not impossible to overcome these numbers, having such high unfavorables 14 months before the general election may not be a good starting point for Hillary. Many people have not yet begun to focus on the Presidential election this early, and negative numbers could increase as voters begin to focus on the candidates as the election draws near.
Currently, Hillary is struggling in some blue states against Rudy Guiliani. In Colorado, Rudy has a 10 point lead over Hillary. In Oregon, 52% of the states voter’s currently have an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic frontrunner.
In the latest Rasmussen Report poll Hillary trails Rudy by seven points nationally.
As the primaries approach, Democrats will need to consider her negative ratings as a factor in winning the national election. If her negative numbers continue to rise over 50% and she wins the Democratic nomination, she will have an uphill battle to keep her negative numbers from rising further during the national campaign.
See post 100. We both agree about Ron Paul.
LOL!
That will siphon off a good couple hundred votes.
They need someone with a little viability to pull this off. Michael Bloomberg, for example, who could also finance his own campaign.
“Can Hillary win the Presidency with a 49% unapproval rating?”
If the Republicans are dumb enough to trash its traditional conservative base by nominating a liberal like Guiliani,,,,then we DESERVE Hillary.
Without help, no. The problem is, she might have help.
I don’t always point out glaring errors but I have to admit that using “fair” when one means “fare” is (dare I say?) offensive. It’s a lot like going out on a date without brushing your teeth, or wearing two different color shoes. Not atrocious, but it makes people wonder what qualifies that person and why they should be paying him valuable attention. A certain level of fastidiousness (not to mention literacy) ought to be attained before appearing in public or addressing same.
Nothing above should be interpreted to apply to freepers posting in the forum. ;)
Oh boy, but I can see Gore getting in and actually making a dent.
I think Hillary is as vulnerable as a baby kangaroo, but she can pull this off if we screw this up. I believe the worst possible screwup would be nominating a New York lib to run against a New York lib, leaving our party divided and independents flipping a coin.
Or McCain...or Bloomberg. Bloomberg would probably take votes from her, but nothing's certain.
Bubba cannot be VP either. The VP cannot be someone who has already fulfilled the presidential service limits.
Ain't that the truth! When she screeches about her experience, I think 'What experience? Being Bill Clinton's wife?'
Hillary could have 90% negatives and the election would still be a squeaker.
Continues? Rudy's numbers among Republican primary voters dipped in April but have been consistent since May with only minor fluctuations. His numbers in the general election match-ups have been fairly consistent the last three months as well.
The only Republican who has been in continual decline during the past six months is McCain. Romney has been constant at about 12% and Thompson gained support quickly and then it has flattened out over the past two months to settle into second place 10-12 points behind Giuliani.
Actually, it’s disapproval. Five million young women with cellphones who would not otherwise vote have not been polled. Yes, she absolutley can win.
I would not vote for Giuliani over abortion. I am firm on that. Republicans can put forward a better candidate. Period.
Hillary selling tax increases?Hardly
She will be selling”middle class tax CUTS”
The tax increases will come AFTER she gets elected
Even Hillary couldn't be that Machiavellian...could she? Wait...what was I thinking?
W barely carried CO, and R's lost everything else. Even our western, rural county, where registered R's outnumbered D's 2 to 1, went D. The governor's D, the state senate is D, and they've wreaked a lot of damage in just the short 18 months they've been in. The Republican party has been shattered here, and appears unable to stop them, or pick up the pieces.
Just my humble opinion.
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