Barack Obama Elected President!

[Wales2004]

There's no point in her saying anything about John McCain and the GOP if she then makes a backhanded remark about how she wouldn't have been a member of that church because it doesn't make her appear sincere. It's fairly easy for anyone to make a comment like that and it's really like taking a jab at the entire membership of that church.

According to the infinite stories about Rev. Wright, he has always been the same as he is now. The fact that he was invited to that prayer breakfast is mainly an indication that he was a respected minister despite his style.

[DevotedToAMC]

I think we should just move on from Reverend Wright. It happened and is done. Nothing can undo it so let's find something else to discuss, criticize, whatever you want to call it

[DevotedToAMC]

*courtesy of Yahoo! news*

AP Poll: Clinton leads McCain by 9 points

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 25 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton now leads John McCain by 9 points in a head-to-head presidential matchup, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll that bolsters her argument that she is more electable than Democratic rival Barack Obama. Obama and Republican McCain are running about even.

The survey released Monday gives the New York senator and former first lady a fresh talking point as she works to raise much-needed campaign cash and persuade pivotal undecided superdelegates to side with her in the drawn-out Democratic primary fight.

Helped by independents, young people and seniors, Clinton gained ground this month in a hypothetical match with Sen. McCain, the GOP nominee-in-waiting. She now leads McCain, 50 percent to 41 percent, while Obama remains virtually tied with McCain, 46 percent to 44 percent.

Both Democrats were roughly even with McCain in the previous poll about three weeks ago.

Since then, Clinton won the Pennsylvania primary, raising questions anew about whether Obama can attract broad swaths of voters needed to triumph in such big states come the fall when the Democratic nominee will go up against McCain. At the same time, Obama was thrown on the defensive by his comment that residents of small-town America were bitter. The Illinois senator also continued to deal with the controversial remarks of his longtime Chicago pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

"I don't think there's any question that over the last three weeks her stature has improved," said Harrison Hickman, a Democratic pollster unaligned in the primary. He attributed Clinton's gains to people moving from the "infatuation stage" of choosing the candidate they like the most to a "decision-making stage" where they determine who would make the best president.

Added Steve Lombardo, a GOP pollster: "This just reinforces the sentiment that a lot of Republican strategists are having right now — that Clinton might actually be the more formidable fall candidate for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that Obama can't seem to get his footing back."

The AP-Ipsos poll found Clinton and Obama about even in the race for the Democratic nomination. Underscoring deep divisions within the Democratic Party — and a potentially negative longer-term impact — 30 percent of Clinton supporters and 21 percent of Obama supporters said they would vote for McCain in November if their preferred candidate didn't win the nomination.

Obama leads Clinton in pledged delegates, but she has the advantage among superdelegates with about a third yet to make up their minds.

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Monday that one of the two must drop out of the race after the primary season wraps up in June so Democrats can unite before the late-summer convention and the fall campaign.

He also urged undecided superdelegates — members of the Democratic National Committee as well as Democratic governors and members of Congress — to side with either Clinton or Obama before the August convention so the party can come together to take on McCain. The Arizona senator clinched the GOP nomination last month and has been campaigning freely since.

Also on Monday, the head of the Republicans' House campaign committee said the party would rather face Obama in November because the GOP believes Clinton would be more of a threat to McCain among moderate voters.

Said Tom Cole, a congressman from Oklahoma: Obama "is by any definition very liberal, to the left of Hillary Clinton, in a center-right country. That is very, very helpful to us."

Nearly half the people in the AP-Ipsos poll said the protracted Democratic primary will hurt their party's chances in November; more Obama supporters than Clinton backers said they had that fear.

Overall, people said they trusted Clinton and Obama about the same to handle Iraq and the economy; McCain got similar ratings on Iraq but trailed both Democrats on the economy. And while roughly the same percentage of people said they trusted both Democrats to understand their problems, fewer trusted McCain.

When pitted against McCain, Clinton now wins among independents, 50 percent to 34 percent, when just a few weeks ago she ran about even with him with this crucial group of voters. Clinton also now does better among independents than Obama does in a matchup with McCain.

Clinton has a newfound edge among seniors, too, 51 percent to 39 percent; McCain had previously had the advantage. And, Clinton has improved her margin over McCain among people under age 30; two-thirds of them now side with her. McCain leads Obama among seniors, while Obama leads McCain among those under 30 but by a smaller margin than Clinton does.

She also now leads among Catholics, always an important swing voting group in a general election, and improved her standing in the South as well as in cities and among families making under $25,000 a year. But she lost ground among families making between $50,000 and $100,000; they narrowly support McCain.

The poll, taken April 23-27, questioned 1,001 adults nationally, with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. Included were interviews with 457 Democratic voters and people leaning Democratic, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.6 points, and 346 Republicans or GOP-leaning voters, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5.3 points.

___

AP Director of Surveys Trevor Tompson and AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

[David_Vickers]

Great news Devoted. Thanks for posting that poll and the results. This proves that Hillary should be the nominee. I also hope and pray that Obama will be the VP candidate however so his followers will support the ticket and for the sake of not only the Democratic party but also for the US itself.

[DevotedToAMC]

I think the superdelegates should start going for her right now because she is beating McCain by a bigger margin...even though North Carolina will likely go to Obama, she did get a NC superdelegate today with NC's governor endorsing her.

<<<I also hope and pray that Obama will be the VP candidate however so his followers will support the ticket>>>

79% of his followers will support that ticket so far....all I know is 2`% of his followers won't support it if she is the president nominee and he is not on as VP

The numbers are thankfully going down for who will support McCain if either candidate is not on the list (30% of Clinton supporters for him, 21% of Obama supporters for him)

[Roman]

I tell you.......

There are some who in for a very rude awakening if she gets that nomination.

[DevotedToAMC]

Why should she not get it when she is beating the GOP nominee?

[Roman]

Because she's not beating the DEMOCRAT she's running against.

[DevotedToAMC]

Whoever is winning against the opponent in the end should be the one who gets to run as president. I also believe the report I posted shows she is beating the OTHER Democrat in a race to race competition with the GOP nominee as well as amongst fellow Democrats who want to see her as the nominee.

[Roman]

That's it.

I'm done.

I have never heard of the fact that the person in SECOND place should be the nominee no matter what.

Congrats, Devoted. You've made your point.

And you can congratulate John McCain when he becomes president.........because if you honestly think Obama's supporters or the black community will stand for that nonsense, good luck to ya.

You want her, you got her.

[DevotedToAMC]

Fine if you want to be done, go for it. You seem to think the sky is falling and everything negative that might happen will happen. Have some optimism.

Also, she might be in second place but the thing is still not over. Obviously there is that possibility that the one in second place becomes the frontrunner and the first place person.

What point did I make? That she is beating McCain by a bigger margin than Obama? I did not make that point...the news article did.

From what the article says, 21% of his supporters are going for McCain if he ain't on the ticket...of that 21%, not all of them are African Americans. So it seems like she also has some African Americans in her corner in case their choice is not on the ticket.

How would she lose against McCain when she is currently winning the race against him? That makes no sense

[SnCCorinthos4ever]

It should be the best person and even the reports that we are getting here in Australia suggests that Hillary would beat McCain a lot easier than Obama can.

Obama would be better serving 4 - 8 years as VP and then serve as President after that.

[DevotedToAMC]

Yep it needs to be the best person to beat McCain, which means whoever at the end of the primary season is closest to beating him should have the nomination...and sway the rest of the superdelegates

[DevotedToAMC]

I did a list and here is how many superdelegates are assigned to each state

Hawaii-6

Puerto Rico-7

Nebraska-6

New York-46

California-66

District of Colombia-24

Maine-7

Pennsylvania-26

Indiana-12

New Jersey-20

Louisiana-9

Oklahoma-10

Connecticut-12

Washington-17

Wisconsin-16

Georgia-13

Illinois-27

Montana-8

Ohio-19

Arkansas-19

Democrats Abroad-8

Nevada-8

Virgin Islands-6

Kentucky-8

Vermont-7

Massachusetts-26

Delaware-8

South Dakota-9

New Mexico-12

West Virginia-10

Arizona-11

Oregon-12

Guam-5

Iowa-11

Virginia-16

Kansas-8

Idaho-4

North Carolina-17

Tennessee-18

Missouri-16

Texas-32

New Hampshire-8

Alabama-9

Maryland-26

Minnesota-14

Rhode Island-12

North Dakota-8

Colorado-14

Alaska-3

Mississippi-6

Wyoming-5

South Carolina-8

Utah-5

[Roman]

Here's some realism for that optimism:

From The AP:

Heated presidential campaign souring Democrats on rival candidates

The Associated Press

Published: April 29, 2008

WASHINGTON: Voters increasingly dislike the Democratic presidential candidate they are not supporting, according to a new survey and exit polls, raising questions about the party's White House chances as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama's contentious nomination battle drags on.

The Associated Press-Yahoo survey shows Obama supporters with negative views of the former first lady have grown from 35 percent in November to 44 percent this month — including one quarter with very unfavorable feelings. Obama backers who do not like Clinton say they would vote for Republican candidate John McCain over her by a two-to-one margin.

Among Clinton supporters, those with unfavorable views of Obama have risen from 26 percent to 42 percent during the same period — with negative opinions doubling to 20 percent. Those with unfavorable views say they would vote for McCain over Obama by a three-to-one margin, though many have not made up their minds.

The nomination battle has dragged on for months, and is expected to continue at least through June, when the last of the primary contests is held.

Obama remains the front-runner with what appears to be an insurmountable lead in elected delegates, even as he struggles to overcome damage stemming from comments by his fiery former pastor.

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Clinton's faltering campaign, meanwhile, gained new momentum following her decisive win last week in Pennsylvania, and she is trying to win the support of the so-called superdelegates — party officials and lawmakers who are free to vote as they choose. Neither candidate will be able to reach the 2,025 elected delegates needed to secure the nomination, making superdelegate support crucial.

But the protracted, and at times acrimonious, race has some Democrats wondering whether they will have the time to convince supporters of the losing candidate to show up at the polls in the November general election against McCain.

"If we can bring this to a conclusion by mid-June or something, I think that healing can take place," Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said. "If it goes 'til late August, then it's a real problem."

Obama and Clinton campaign officials say they are not worried that the fight will leave party members disaffected.

"When the family squabble is over, the family will come back together," said Obama pollster Cornell Belcher.

In a hypothetical general election match with McCain, Clinton now leads him 50 percent to 41 percent. Obama remains virtually tied with McCain, 46 percent to 44 percent, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Monday.

Clinton also picked up a prized endorsement heading into the North Carolina primary. Gov. Mike Easley announced his support for the former first lady on Tuesday morning in Raleigh, the state capital.

At a joint appearance, the two-term Democrat said Clinton "gets it."

"It's time for somebody to be in the White House who understands the challenges we face in this country," Easley said.

Easley is a Democratic superdelegate. He has served as the state's governor for two terms, and his move to Clinton runs contrary to recent polls showing her trailing Obama by double-digits in the state.

Clinton argument that she is the more electable candidate was bolstered by the results of the AP-Ipsos poll, showing a significant swing to the former first lady among independents, young people and seniors.

Both Democrats were roughly even with McCain in the AP-Ipsos poll about three weeks ago.

Both Obama and Clinton campaigned in North Carolina on Monday, pushing supporters to go to the polls early there. The two are competing closely in Indiana.

Easley's endorsement compounded a bad day for Obama that began with an unrepentant Rev. Jeremiah Wright — his former pastor — returning to public view, slamming U.S. foreign policy and treatment of African Americans.

Chief Obama strategist David Axelrod told NBC that Wright's recent string of public appearances were a "needless distraction."

"It's not helpful and it's not meant to be helpful," he said.

Obama said Wright does not speak for his campaign.

The Illinois senator said the voters he talks to do not ask him about Wright. "It's not what I hear. What I'm hearing is concern about gas prices, people are concerned about their jobs being shipped overseas," he said.

Obama's historic run to become America's first black president was badly stalled in Pennsylvania after last month's disclosure of Wright's controversial sermons and publicity over Obama's own remarks at a fundraising event.

Obama was caught on tape saying economically hard-hit working class Americans were bitter and clinging to their guns and religion.

Obama has denounced Wright's most controversial comments as incendiary, though he has not severed ties to the religious scholar and minister who served as his pastor for 20 years.

After a speech at the National Press Club, Wright was questioned about his past remarks that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks amounted to "America's chickens ... coming home to roost."

"You cannot do terrorism on other people and expect it never to come back on you. Those are Biblical principles, not Jeremiah Wright bombastic divisive principles," Wright said.

He also declared that the heat generated over his remarks was misdirected.

"It is an attack on the black church, not an attack on Jeremiah Wright," he said.

Obama still holds a 1,726.5-to-1,593.5 delegate lead over Clinton. He holds the overall lead despite Clinton's small advantage in superdelegates, about a third of whom remain uncommitted.

Nearly half the people in the AP-Ipsos poll said the protracted Democratic primary will hurt their party's chances in November; more Obama supporters than Clinton backers said they had that fear.

The findings from the AP-Yahoo News poll are from interviews with 863 Democrats on a panel of adults questioned in November, December, January and April. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.