Barack Obama crossing party lines
August 26, 2007 by Jeff Pritchard
Most pundits would agree that the candidate that will win the 2008 Election can’t just appeal to the base, but needs to also be a top choice for Independents. This is one of the biggest fears about the Hillary campaign. Even if she can win the Democratic Primary, will she be able to appeal to those outside of the Democratic party?
She has scored low in polls, and an ABC/Washington Post poll revealed, when asking Iowan Republicans and Independents “Which Democratic candidate would you accept? Who would you consider to vote for?’, that’ “Obama would get more than everybody else combined. Hillary [Clinton] and [John] Edwards have no crossover voters.” That same poll also revealed that when asking Iowa Republicans which candidate they supported (either Republican OR democrat) Obama came in third place, behind Mitt Romney and Guliani.
This polling data shows that if Obama does get the nomination, he is more likely to get the support of those outside of the Democratic party. Thus making Obama arguably the best chance for the Dems to win the Presidency in the general election. Obama’s current message is the reach across the party lines, and put a stop to the constant bickering in Washington that results in our country staying the same. Obama’s message, according to the polling data, is making an impression upon the voters on both sides of the party line.
Obama has constantly stated that he will not only work closely with Democrats, but also Republicans. To stay true to that statement Obama recently gave the Associated Press a few names of the Republicans he would work with if we gets elected. A few of the Republicans he would seek help from are Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, and Senator John Warner of Virginia. “On foreign policy I’ve worked very closely with Dick Lugar,” said Obama. “I consider him one of my best friends in the Senate. He’s someone I would actively seek counsel and advice from when it came to foreign policy.”
Obama’s recent statement and the polling data shows that Obama is gaining popularity among Independents and Republicans. Also, the Daily Tracking Poll from the Rasmussen Report website shows that Hillary’s lead in the Democratic Primary, which was once at 20, has now shrunk down to 11 points nationwide and is even smaller in early primary states. If the Obama campaign continues on this track then he and Hillary could be neck and neck by the time the first votes for the 2008 Democratic Primaries are cast.
Obama’s nomination would give the Democrats a significant advantage in the 2008 election, especially if the Republicans nominate Mitt Romney who has little to no support among Independents. One would hope this current electoral trend will continue and the Democrats won’t make the dire mistake of nominating Hillary Clinton in 2008.
Nicely done. You win. And so will Barack Obama.
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I like Obama. I always have. I’m literally beating myself up trying to decide whether Edwards, Obama or Kucinich should get my primary vote.
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Jeff Pritchard Reply:
August 27th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Take it easy on yourself though, any of those three would be superior to Hillary.
*Cough* Obama *cough*
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I completely reject the notion that nominating Hillary is a dire mistake. That said, you’ve probably already heard the rest of my rants, so I’ll stop there.
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Jeff Pritchard Reply:
August 27th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
But, can you at least agree Obama has a bigger appeal to the Independants/Republicans?
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Well in the first place, I’m not sure where you’re getting that Hillary’s lead is down to 11 points; today’s poll from the very same source shows a 39 point lead! You can’t trust a daily poll like that since it will swing heavily from day to day. Furthermore, you have a factual basis problem when you say that “she scores low in polls.” She doesn’t. Period. AND she wins in the polls against every Republican they put her against, and usually by more than Obama. So while Obama may appeal to Republicans, I’m not sure how much that matters since the polls of all registered voters, Democrat and Republican, indicate a clear preference for Hillary. She can and will win the General.
This comes from that same article you quoted
“A recent poll by the Washington Post and ABC News revealed a third data point in Obama’s favor: When asked in July which Democratic candidate has the best chance to defeat a Republican in a general election, Republicans and independents were more likely than Democrats to pick Obama over Clinton. In fact, among Democrats, only 22 percent said Obama was the best general election candidate, while 54 percent flagged Clinton as the best in the general election. But among Republicans, 33 percent said Obama was the best candidate, and 37 percent said Hillary.”
So while that may mean that Republicans like Obama more than Democrats, this data still says that 37 percent of Republicans think that Hillary is the best shot for the White House, 4 points more than Obama.
Please don’t misconstrue polling numbers like that or take them all from one source and run with it. Especially with Hillary, lol.
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Jeffrey Pritchard Reply:
August 27th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Yes, the poll lead is up to 19 today, but the trend was that it was going downward. And the Washington Post poll I used just for the fact they liked him more.
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Great article! Thanks all of you progressive youths for all you are doing for this country. Your involvement is so important to our future. I truly believe that Barack is the only candidate that can unite us for change. We need a healer and a uniter, one who is real and is not afraid to talk the truth. Thanks again for all you are doing.
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