Clinton's performance viewed negatively in poll

Buffalo News ^ | 4/9/2003 | By DOUGLAS TURNER

[NYpeanut]

WASHINGTON - The job performance of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., is viewed negatively by a majority of New Yorkers, despite her being in the news almost daily on issues dealing with homeland security.

A new poll by Zogby International released Tuesday showed that those interviewed rated her performance as 47 percent excellent or good against 51 percent fair or poor. Only 2 percent of the 709 New Yorkers interviewed about Clinton on Thursday and Friday said they weren't sure about her.

The margin of error in the poll is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

When asked how they viewed Clinton generally, 55 percent said they looked on her favorably against 42 percent who said unfavorably. That result shows major slippage since the last survey taken Feb. 23, when she earned 62 percent positives against 35 percent negatives.

Clinton colleague Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., earned a 52 percent excellent/good score on his job performance versus 36 percent who thought his work was only fair or poor.

The results for Clinton were parallel to those reported on Monday by the Marist poll, which gave her work a 47 percent positive rating against 49 percent who saw her work negatively.

Upstate - which excludes New York City and its suburbs - gave Clinton a net negative of 21 points.

Upstaters, whose support was critical to her 2000 election victory, rated her work only 39 percent positive and 60 percent unfavorably. She did best in New York City - 62 percent positive and 35 percent unfavorable. But across the line in the city's suburbs, she rated only 43 percent positive against 54 percent negative.

Other than former Sen. Alfonse M. D'Amato during his final term, it is unusual for a New York senator's performance to be consistently viewed negatively.

Clinton's office declined to respond to a request for a comment.

James E. Campbell, political scientist at the University at Buffalo, said Clinton "has not been a major presence up here for quite a while."

"I don't know why her numbers should be moving that way - so little has happened," said Michael Haselswerdt, Canisius College political science professor.

Of Gov. George E. Pataki, the Zogby poll reported that 61 percent said it's time for a new governor, while 31 percent said he should be re-elected. Even so, Pataki enjoyed a 54 percent excellent/good performance rating compared to 46 percent who said it was poor or fair.

In theoretical matchups for the 2006 gubernatorial race, Pataki would still defeat Democrats Eliot Spitzer or Andrew Cuomo.

Bureau assistant Eric DuVall contributed to this article.

e-mail: dturner@buffnews.com

[kittymyrib]

Hillary's fadayeen are all the pathetic female losers whose only religious belief is the right to kill babies. Since it is highly doubtful that any of them will ever be pregnant, one can only suppose they don't want anyone else to have babies either. That women are responsible for putting democrats into office is truly shameful, and it gives the lie to any claim that women are the smarter sex.

[Sacajaweau]

Rudy found out that he had cancer, remember?? Decisions are tough. God had a plan and that would be that he would be in charge in NYC at the time of 9-11. He failed neither God nor man and Hillary's true colors "it's all about money" not people came through loud and clear.

[Grand Old Partisan]

Rudy could have run for the Senate, taken his seat, then retained the option of resigning for health reasons, to be replaced by another Republican appointed by Governor Pataki. If it was God's plan to have Rudy in charge of New York on 9/11, what does that say for God's plan for the thousands of people killed that day?

[monocle]

One can only appreciate my comment if one call recall the New Yorker cartoon showing a New Yorker's view of the world.

[nicmarlo]

"I don't know why her numbers should be moving that way - so little has happened," said Michael Haselswerdt, Canisius College political science professor.

He sounds like the Arabs who believed the propaganda of Baghdad Bob and Al Jazeera rather than reality.

[ontos-on]

The Bard said it best: The truth will out. Re the picture: It ain't the years...it's the mileage.

Can you imagine what a drag it must be to be her! The joyless radical marxist-feminism which she has to hide as best she can from the public. When she is alone and quiet, what can appear to her to be the purpose of it all. It can't be an uplifting vision.

That's what I think of as the real mileage that will show through in her features.

[ontos-on]

At first glance, I thought your Billy the Kid photo was actually of the woman who played the wickede witch in the Wizard of Oz.

[gridlock]

It is a testement to Hillary!'s continuing "Star Power" that although Schumer's numbers are worse, and he faces re-election in '04 instead of '06, the story about this poll is all about Hillary!.

I say one thing at a time. Let's liberate Chuckie's seat first, and depose one of the most anti-2A Senators, and worry about Hillary! in 2006.

[em2vn]

He was being treated for prostste cancer. What did you expect him to do?

[anoldafvet]

Thanks for reinforcing why I will never live in New York again.

[syriacus]

"I don't know why her numbers should be moving that way - so little has happened," said Michael Haselswerdt, Canisius College political science professor.

Maybe NYers are getting tired of seeing her around. She brings back bad memories.

[syriacus]

Wait!! I've got it....

She's just too "9/10".

[HitmanLV]

You and me both. I vowed if Roidham won I'd be out of manhattantown and the state. She won in 2000, and I gave myself till the end of 2001 to leave. 9-11 actually delayed my escape from NY. I moved into my new apt in Las Vegas in late December, 2001, and completed my move in April,2001. I have never regretted it.

NY has one direction to go: DOWN.

[Quix]

Until the figures are more in the direction of

2% good to tolerable

and

98% evil and intolerable,

her uhroyal lowness,
her hideous heinous--
Bwitch Shrillery

WILL STILL BE A
REAL AND PRESENT
DANGER TO THE REPUBLIC.

WE HAVE WORK TO DO, STILL.

[Stay the course]

Upstaters, whose support was critical to her 2000 election victory ...

Nice spin, but upstate voted for Lazio. So did Lawn Guyland. Hillary's million vote margin in NYC got her elected.

[JohnnyZ]

Nice spin, but upstate voted for Lazio. So did Lawn Guyland. Hillary's million vote margin in NYC got her elected.

But Lazio should have had that margin upstate (& central, don't forget central, everyone says upstate when they mean "north of the city"), and he didn't.

[mwl1]

It's their own damned fault to be stuck with this corrupt fraud for their junior senator. If they don't like her, they need only look at themselves in the mirror.

That said, getting rid of Schumer is the next priority... 2004 comes before 2006.

[Mamzelle]

Do you think she came by her election honestly? Even considering Dem traditions in NY, her election didn't ring true. There's Pataki and Guiliani, after all. If she rigged her first election, could be that she might not be able to rig her second.

[lodwick]

Very fitting that this comes from the Buffalo News.

No slam on buffaloes.

[b4its2late]

She did best in New York City - 62 percent positive and 35 percent unfavorable.

Figures.