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Is Hillary Clinton really ‘undamaged’ by scandals? [As trumpeted by the polls]
Hotair ^ | 5/7/2015 | Noah Rothman

Posted on 05/07/2015 7:39:59 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

It’s becoming a trend. A variety of polls now trumpet the claim that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ran the gauntlet and emerged unscathed. Despite the best efforts of Republicans and the press, her candidacy cannot be derailed. Her hour come round at last, Hillary Clinton slouches unremittingly toward the White House.

“Hillary Clinton appears to have initially weathered a barrage of news about her use of a private email account when she was secretary of state and practices of her family’s foundation,” The New York Times reported this week in a write-up around a poll the organization conducted in coordination with CBS News. “Americans now view Mrs. Clinton more favorably and more see her as a strong leader than they did early in the year, despite weeks of scrutiny about her ethics.”

With the release of a Quinnipiac University poll on Thursday came the related assertion that Clinton maintains “an early lock on the first-in-the-nation presidential test, apparently undamaged by a nationwide flood of negative publicity.”

But The Times and Quinnipiac aren’t talking about the likely general electorate exclusively. They’re talking about Democrats.

Among self-identified Democrats in The Times/CBS survey, Clinton is seen as trustworthy, a strong leader, and the prohibitive favorite to win the nomination. The majority of Democratic poll respondents also claimed that they had heard nothing – nothing at all – about the scandals involving the former secretary of state that have dominated coverage of her candidacy.

Quinnipiac’s survey of Iowa’s Democratic caucus-goers found similar results. The vast majority of Iowa Democrats view Clinton as an honest and trustworthy figure as well as a strong leader, and 61 percent are prepared to back her at the caucuses next winter.

If the late breaking news is that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic presidential nominee, I don’t think you’ll soon see crowds forming in Times Square staring slack-jawed at the news ticker as they digest that revelation.

But even among Democrats, there are signs that committed liberals are rallying around self-described socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as the only viable progressive alternative in the race. Quinnipiac found 15 percent backing Sanders in Iowa. While that is a minuscule amount of support compared to the former secretary’s 61 percent support, this finding confirms the Democratic survey firm Public Policy Polling’s results in April that found Sanders surging from no support to having the backing of 14 percent of Hawkeye State Democrats.

New York Times journalists crowed that Clinton’s favorability rating has “improved by nine points since the disclosure in late March that she did not use a government email account as secretary of state.” That sounds amazing, until you learn that her favorability rating in that survey is 35 percent compared to 36 percent unfavorability — two figures omitted from the paper’s write-up around that poll.

Yes, this is a marked improvement from last March when only 26 percent told Times/CBS pollsters they had favorable feelings towards Hillary Clinton. Today, another 17 percent said they were undecided and 11 percent declined to respond or did not know enough about Hillary Clinton. That’s bad news. From 2007 to 2013, the number of “did not know enoughs” about Clinton never exceeded 5 percent. Every American all they need to know about Hillary Clinton. It’s not that these voters don’t know enough about her; it’s that what they thought they knew isn’t true.

Moreover, this Times/CBS survey comports with NBC News/Wall Street Journal’s latest survey that found Hillary Clinton clearly tarnished by the scandalous revelations involving her tenure at state and her family’s charities.

“Clinton’s unfavorable rating has ticked up six points since March, and the percentage giving her high marks for being honest and straightforward has declined 13 points from a year ago,” NBC News’ write up read. “In the new NBC/WSJ poll, Clinton’s favorable/unfavorable rating stands at 42 positive, 42 negative (even) – down from 44 percent positive, 36 percent negative in March (+8).”

GOP pollster Bill McInturff discovered in the NBC News/WSJ poll what The Times and Quinnipiac have found: Democrats are utterly unmoved by or indifferent toward Hillary Clinton’s scandals. Only the most committed progressives, many of whom never trusted Clinton in the first place, have turned on her. The rest of the party is perfectly Ready for Hillary.

As for the general electorate, it would be dishonest to suggest that they are not paying attention to the revelations involving Clinton’s behavior and that they are taking a toll on her image. And, yet, there appears to be a concerted effort to advance that contention.


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2016; hillaryclinton; scandals
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1 posted on 05/07/2015 7:40:00 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Why would liberals want an honest politician?


2 posted on 05/07/2015 7:41:24 AM PDT by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Doesn’t matter. This is what the pinkos in the so-called “news” media will report.

And the LIVs will come to believe it.


3 posted on 05/07/2015 7:41:52 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

hey its a POLL...and POLLS are SACROSANCT!! arent they!?


4 posted on 05/07/2015 7:43:04 AM PDT by MeshugeMikey ("Never, Never, Never, Give Up," Winston Churchill ><>)
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To: SeekAndFind
If she wasn't damaged goods, she wouldn't be hiding and would welcome reporter's questions.
5 posted on 05/07/2015 7:43:29 AM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: SeekAndFind

Obviously the MSM plan on airing Hillary’s money scam, then declaring she survived, the people still want her, and then slam anyone who tries bringing them back up during the campaign.


6 posted on 05/07/2015 7:43:36 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: SeekAndFind

The plebs have the attention span of a snail darter.


7 posted on 05/07/2015 7:45:17 AM PDT by windsorknot
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To: SeekAndFind

The basic problem is different standards are used to judge Democrats and Republicans.

Imagine for a moment if it were a GOP president caught in the Oral Office, sitting behind his desk, trousers down, and a young intern underneath, servicing him as he chatted on the phone.

Imagine the outrage from the Feminazi spearchuckers. Imagine how Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, and Barbara Mikulski would have reacted. They would have demanded the POTUS’s immediate resignation.

No, but because Clinton was Dem they circle the wagons around him. Ditto with Ted Kennedy and Barney Frank and all of the rest.


8 posted on 05/07/2015 7:47:40 AM PDT by Trapped Behind Enemy Lines
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To: skeeter
Obviously the MSM plan on airing Hillary’s money scam, then declaring she survived, the people still want her, and then slam anyone who tries bringing them back up during the campaign.

Good call.

9 posted on 05/07/2015 7:48:54 AM PDT by Steely Tom (Vote GOP for A Slower Handbasket)
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To: SeekAndFind

Not surprising as the Clinton-hating has gone on for so long that everyone now tunes it out and dismisses it. Even as a conservative and Republican I skip right past it. Recall that Bill Clinton was impeached and yet had higher approval ratings than any other recent president. Today he is still highly popular. Personally, I think everyone would do better focusing on the issues as the scandals will not stop Hillary Clinton from winning in 2016. In fact, I fear just the opposite will happen, the attacks will empower Clinton with a winning Democratic content vs. Republican attacks. Republicans lose if all they do is make personal attacks.


10 posted on 05/07/2015 7:52:41 AM PDT by Reno89519 (For every illegal or H1B with a job, there's an American without one. Muslim = Nazi = Evil)
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To: SeekAndFind

“’The majority of Democratic poll respondents also claimed that they had heard nothing – nothing at all – about the scandals involving the former secretary of state’”

Truly the Know Nothing party. Vaginas have no brains.


11 posted on 05/07/2015 7:52:50 AM PDT by Mike Darancette (Barack Obama is not inarguably sane.)
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To: TexasCajun

Ted Cruz is not damaged goods, isn’t hiding and welcomes reporter’s questions.

But reporters don’t want to be ground into pureed pabulum live on air, so they don’t interview him.

CRUZ or lose!


12 posted on 05/07/2015 7:54:56 AM PDT by elcid1970 ("I am a free man, O Muslim. There's nothing you can do about it.")
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To: SeekAndFind

Her voters are vaginas.

Vaginas are not known for their critical thinking skills.

Not surprising.


13 posted on 05/07/2015 7:55:02 AM PDT by chris37 (Heartless)
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To: chris37

RE: Vaginas are not known for their critical thinking skills.

Ahhh but they can do monologues.... :)


14 posted on 05/07/2015 7:56:58 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: chris37

Her voters are no information voters.

They care nothing of scandal and corruption.

It is all about gimme gimme gimme.

That’s all they care about.

One reason why popular mass democracy is a sham.


15 posted on 05/07/2015 7:57:14 AM PDT by Trapped Behind Enemy Lines
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To: SeekAndFind

She really IS unscathed among her supporters, who number in the fourty-percents.

They’re rabid, die-hard, visceral supporters of Ms. Clinton and they will never change; never.

IMHO


16 posted on 05/07/2015 7:57:31 AM PDT by ripley
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To: SeekAndFind

When the pollsters poll 10% more brain-dead Democrats than Republicans, no wonder she has been “unaffected.”


17 posted on 05/07/2015 7:58:42 AM PDT by txrefugee
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To: SeekAndFind

Hillary is trying the Obama thing , stay out of the News`and Poll numbers go up ,LOL


18 posted on 05/07/2015 7:59:16 AM PDT by molson209 (Blank)
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To: SeekAndFind
Gee ... and Dan Quale trashed his career and got laughed out of town because he couldn't spell 'potato'!
19 posted on 05/07/2015 8:00:34 AM PDT by SMARTY ("When you blame others, you give up your power to change." Robert Anthony)
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To: SeekAndFind

The Beast is afraid to come out of her lair.

Someone not sufficiently awed by her existence might ask an honest question.

And she has no honest answers.

Even the NY Slimes is criticizing her now.

But the faithful legions of Female Plumbing Voters will stand by her.


20 posted on 05/07/2015 8:02:06 AM PDT by Iron Munro (We may be paranoid but that doesn't mean they aren't really after us)
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