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June 03, 2005
Recent Poll Numbers on Hillary Clinton
The recent numbers on Hillary Clinton at CNN are interesting
More than half of those responding to a new poll said they would be at least somewhat likely to vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton if she runs for president in 2008.But those saying they are virtually certain to vote against her topped those virtually certain to support her by 10 percentage points in the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.
The poll found 29 percent were very likely to cast a vote for Hillary Clinton for president and 24 percent said they were somewhat likely.
Seven percent were not very likely and 39 percent said they were not at all likely. The margin of error was plus or minus 5 percentage points
Some note that
Clinton commands as much strong support as George W. Bush did in a Newsweek poll in November 1998, two years before the 2000 election, though also more strong opposition.
The amount of strong opposition is going to be a big obstacle for a presidential run. I think the Democrats would be foolish to immediately nominate her without considering that factor.
CNN also notes that there is “overwhelming support” (67%) among her New York constituents. However…
Among Democrats [] 65 percent surveyed want her to pledge to serve out a full term if she runs, negating a 2008 White House bid.
Given that, this next piece of news is interesting.
Senator Clinton is believed to be ready to drop a pledge to serve a full six-year term when she seeks re-election as senator for New York next year.This will be the clearest sign of her intention to run for the White House, since she pointedly told New York voters in 2000 that she would not curtail her term in order to try for the presidency.
The official line from her advisers is Senator Clinton is keeping options open. But The Washington Post reported: "In 2000, she repeatedly pledged that she would finish her term without seeking the presidency. Aides say she will not issue such a pledge this time."
So it isn’t confirmed yet, but then again if she were going to issue the pledge you’d think they’d just say that she was.
It still amazes me that so many of our politicians, on all sides, are spending the majority of their time campaigning for other offices rather than doing their jobs. If anyone else spent 4 hours at work every day working on hig resume and reading the classifieds, he'd get fired for sure. But I suppose that’s just the way it is.
While New York Democrats want her to pledge to serve a full term, I doubt that her not doing so will prevent her from winning the 2006 senate run. I often read stories about so-and-so considering running against her, but no good candidates are coming to the forefront. I am sure she will win re-election. The White House is not at all a certainty though.
Back at the CNN article, I enjoyed this quote from her
"My view is that life unfolds in its own rhythm. I've never lived a life that I thought I could plan out."
Yeah, that’s believable. Hillary Clinton reads like she has a detailed 500 page manuscript of her future, including sketches of the clothes she plans to wear to each inauguration, as well as her carefully considered last words.
In other news, Newsday manages to print the stupidest opening line to a story that I’ve ever heard.
Conservatives may strive to portray New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as a polarizing figure, but she unified Hollywood Democratic political donors at a series of fundraisers that netted an estimated $1 million in a single evening, hosts estimated Thursday.
Imagine that! A politician unifying political donors at her fundraiser? That'll show those conservatives.
(Check out the Hillary Watch catagory for more stuff Hillary Clinton has been up to.)
Posted by illuminaria at June 3, 2005 01:14 PM