To Know Them Is To Love Them (Democratic presidential candidates lose popularity)

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | 18 Aug 03 | By Charles Hurt

[.cnI redruM]

Most of the Democrats running for their party's presidential nomination have lost overall popularity among Democratic voters in key states since starting their campaigns this year.

"I don't get the feeling that the electorate is very happy with the field right now," said Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, which has been polling the state's Democrats since the start of the year.

[.cnI redruM]

redruM's musings.

1) Graham's excuse-mongering lays me out w/ a laughing fit. It's nice that his shiney now tin-foil hat fits him so comfortably.

2) No wonder the libs hate Rev. Al. He's the only entrant in the race with a sense of humor.

3) Dean continues to gain. Ominous. Internet fascism works in the primaries!

4) Hillary watches it all fall into her lap.

[Nonstatist]

Dean's looking like "The Man". According to Time magazine, he's a "fiscal conservative". Perfect match, for the fiscally conservative Denmocrat voter base!

[DustyMoment]

If this trend continues, it will underscore what I have thought about the Dems and the '04 election for some time. When the convention is held next year, Terry McAuliffe will declare that there is no front runner and will initiate a Draft Hillary motion. So as not to break her promise NOT to run for Pres in '04, Hillary will allow herself to be 'drafted'. This fix has long been in the works and was part of the deal BJC made when he appointed McAuliffe to be DNC chair. Hillary will accept the nomination and conduct a whirlwind campaign in the fall, losing to W by huge numbers in Nov. The pieces are falling into place.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Wow !

[doug from upland]

I called it three years ago. If Dean makes it through as the leader at the convention but does not have enough delegates, Hillary is named by the convention. If he has enough to be nominated, she has him whacked, either just before the convention or just before the election.

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

In South Carolina, Mr. Simmons said, Democrats are registering their dislike for Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who won his seat in November. In New Hampshire, he said, Democrats are confusing Mr. Graham during telephone surveys with former Sen. Phil Gramm, a conservative Texas Republican who ran for president in 1996.

At least Bob Graham is being honest in admitting that RAT voters are idiots.

[sinkspur]

If this trend continues, it will underscore what I have thought about the Dems and the '04 election for some time. When the convention is held next year, Terry McAuliffe will declare that there is no front runner and will initiate a Draft Hillary motion

Can't happen. Primary voters elect delegates in each state, who are OBLIGATED to vote at the convention for their candidate, according to the outcome of the primaries in their states. Primaries are designed just to prevent what you describe.

There will be a Dem primary winner, and he will be the Democrat nominee. All of this "draft" talk is nonsense. If Hillary wants to play, she'll have until the end of September to decide if she wants to get into the primaries. After that, she's SOL.

[sinkspur]

If he has enough to be nominated, she has him whacked, either just before the convention or just before the election.

He will. Other candidates will get their delegates to vote for him long before the convention.

[RippleFire]

Mr. Graham faces similarly low popularity in South Carolina, where his rating has dropped 15 percentage points since he began campaigning. According to surveys conducted by American Research Group, the number of respondents with an unfavorable opinion of Mr. Graham surpasses the number of those with a favorable opinion by nine percentage points.

Graham spokesman Jamal Simmons said the campaign is aware of the problem.

In South Carolina, Mr. Simmons said, Democrats are registering their dislike for Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who won his seat in November. In New Hampshire, he said, Democrats are confusing Mr. Graham during telephone surveys with former Sen. Phil Gramm, a conservative Texas Republican who ran for president in 1996.

"It's no surprise that Democrats thinking of conservative Republicans would respond unfavorably," Mr. Simmons said. "We're sure those numbers will change when people get to know Bob Graham of Florida."

Bwahaha! Maybe the dog ate Bob's homework too!

[.cnI redruM]

Yeah, they respond unfavorably to morons, drivel-brains, and nincompoops as well. I don't have up to the minute polling data on that one, but I doubt that I'm out on a limb and it may have some significant effect on Mr Graham's numbers in SC.

[CA Conservative]

Can't happen. Primary voters elect delegates in each state, who are OBLIGATED to vote at the convention for their candidate, according to the outcome of the primaries in their states.

Not exactly true. The delegates are obligated to vote for the candidate that won the primary in their state on the first ballot only! Therefore, if no candidate has enough delegates to win on the first ballot, it will become an open or "brokered" convention, and the delegates are free to vote for whomever the wish on subsequent ballots.

[thucydides]

In the Democrats' world, "fiscally conservative" means quick to raise taxes to try to cover out of control spending increases.

[sinkspur]

Therefore, if no candidate has enough delegates to win on the first ballot, it will become an open or "brokered" convention, and the delegates are free to vote for whomever the wish on subsequent ballots.

But they will know if no candidate has enough delegates long before the convention, and the pressure will be on those at the bottom to throw their support behind the leader.

"Brokered conventions" are usually a disaster.

[Ann Archy]

Just wait and see....rules didn't apply to Torcelli/Lautenberg, and they won't apply to Hildebeast.

Most of the delgates are Union....Teachers....Blacks....all easily led to wherever the Clintons want to take them.

[Ann Archy]

Graham's spokesman is also saying that the Democrat voters are too dumb and stupid to know the difference between the Grahams!!

[CA Conservative]

But they will know if no candidate has enough delegates long before the convention, and the pressure will be on those at the bottom to throw their support behind the leader.

This is true. However, you said it can't happen. My point is merely that is is possible, and has happened before.

Don't get me wrong. I am not in the camp that believes in the inevitability of Hildebeast in '04. Do I think a "Draft Hillary" movement would be successful? No. Do I think it is possible? Sure.

[Tall_Texan]

If he has enough to be nominated, she has him whacked, either just before the convention or just before the election.

That's been my working theory for two years. Candidate Hillary can't stay in the race very long without all the old scandals coming up. So the best way to put her in the race is as a sympathy candidate to take the place of the suddenly demised actual candidate.

Wellstone and Torricelli were test runs for 2004. The Dems were testing to see just how feasable it was to replace one candidate with another at the last minute, after getting the idea during the Widder Carnahan episode.

My scenario is that the Dem nominee will be shot by a sniper in the public square while on television. The sniper will be quickly caught and said to have ties to the Bush family, spurred on by "hate radio" and conservative websites (he could even be labelled a FReeper).

There will be talk of fascism and dictatorships. Who will save the republic from these cruel, vicious Bushes? Why - St. Hillary!, brave St. Hillary! will come forward to carry out the final months of the campaign. No time and not polite to mention any negatives in Old Crusty's past, not in this moment of great national need.

Issues won't matter. Scandals won't matter. Only the flood of national emotion spurred on by the media's 24/7 coverage of brave St. Hillary! and her crusade against evil. Bill and Hillary will SAVE America for democracy!!

Of course, the 50 states will waive their election rules to get her name on the ballot instead of the martyred Dean. And the Democrats can stage their own coup d'twat while we are awash in Oprahizing our sainted heroine.

[LenS]

You wouldn't have to change any election rules to get Hillary elected. Remember the electoral college?

All the Democrats would have to do is to have the nominee publicy announce his withdrawal in her favor at some late date. His name would still be on the ballots, but they could announce that a vote for him will be a vote for Hillary since his electors would promise to vote for her when the Electoral College convenes.

[Tall_Texan]

Good thinking, however she still needs to be catapulted into the race by some form of tragedy so she can look like the reluctant candidate doing this for the good of the county, not for her own ego. And it has to be a short enough time span that digging up all the old dirt will look mean-spirited and ill-mannered rather than relevant for voters to know before casting their ballots.

For Hillary to win, the sucker moms must feel sorry for her - enough to dump President Flightsuit.