Alot is going on in the Obama Campaign. I know there has been criticism with the White House Report about Iraq, that is not supposed to be out, but is OUT. And a question of leadership on Obama and Clinton. Well, that is for them to figure out, so I ran across this article about the "feel good" affect of people between these candidates.
Gallup said today that it recently tested the public images of several of the Republican and Democratic candidates running for president. "Of these, only one -- Barack Obama -- stirs up warm feelings in a majority of Americans," it found. But "Clinton's image is the most polarized of this group: nearly as many Americans say she leaves them cold as say they feel warmly toward her."Obama scores "total warm" with 53%, and "total cold" with 28%. Clinton, on the other hand, seemed warm to 49% but cold to 44%. Sen. John Edwards scored 47% warm and 32% cold.
Does this mean anything? No. But people are fickle. They are. We know many voted for George Bush in 2000 because they felt he is the kind of guy, one would like to have a "beer" with. So, are americans going to vote like this in the primaries, general?
One thing about this "sort of poll", is that Clinton stays consistant with her being polarizing. Though she is scoring high among Democrats, when she wanders outside the Democratic Cloak, the numbers are different. She remains the most polarizing figure of all the candidates, and this does remain a problem. If she is the candidate the numbers will not get better, but far worse.
Then it makes you wonder about Edwards. He is racking up all the union endorsements, and it was expected. But the one from NY Transportation Union was quite different, for me. One, this is Clinton land. Why was she not endorsed? We are talking about the city's transportation, etc.? So, what happened here? Then the endorsement came with "the only candidate to beat the Republicans". That is Edwards, not Clinton.
So, here we go again. Electability. Something Clinton has not been able to squash and this is September. What does this mean?
I don't know. I know that among Democratic voters, many do still have questions. If she is the candidate, we will be busy fighting off everything, especially all that old baggage. Please don't start with it does not matter, because it does. Yes, she can win, but will it cost us? Will new states come over on our side? Are her coattails long enough? Sorry, these are questions that are being asked, down the line. Ask these democrats in independent/republican districts. You will get a different answer. Not on record, but a different answer.
So, do people vote for candiates they like? I think they do. I think in the end, the average american, not us, political junkies, do look at who they like. But more importantly, for this cycle, it will be who they trust, believe. I think it will come down to that. If Clinton has not removed the electability question and the polarizing figure question, let's face it. It won't be removed. For her, people have known her for over 15 years, and the other side has painted her with a wide brush. So, if you are expecting the public to automatically switch to Clinton, I don't think it will happen. Not if they have made their minds up.
Lastly, the "Oprah Factor". Oprah Winfrey is a known enigma in this country and the world. But, I remember Oprah when no one knew Oprah, as many others do. She has evolved. But the most consistant thing about Oprah Winfrey is that many do not look at her as a celebrity, but someone they know and can sit down and talk with. She is beloved, trusted and believed by million of women around this country. I don't know if she can be a factor for the Obama Campaign, and we know she is bringing in big cash, but if she decides to start stumping in these early states, keep an eye out. Especially with women. For anyone to believe that she does not have "influence" is drastically wrong, she has more "cred" with the public than all these politicians put together.
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