CNN reports:
"According to the exit polls, half of Clinton's supporters in Indiana would not vote for Obama in a general election match up with John McCain. A third of Clinton voters said they would pick McCain over Obama, while 17 percent said they would not vote at all. Just 48 percent of Clinton supporters said they would back Obama in November.
Obama gets even less support from Clinton backers in North Carolina. There, only 45 percent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for Obama over McCain. Thirty-eight percent said they would vote for McCain while 12 percent said they would not vote.
Obama voters appear to be more willing to support Clinton in November. In Indiana, 59 percent of Obama backers said they'd vote for Clinton, and 70 percent of Obama backers in North Carolina said they'd support the New York Democrat."
* * * * *
All week I kept hearing talk about the high percentages of white males who support Clinton. So, after reading this article from CNN, I am starting to wonder if these are the folks who would not support Obama as the Dem Nominee. And is it because they are racist? Let's face it, there is little difference in the Clinton/Obama views on the issues, so why would they turn to McCain? I can't help but think it has something to do with race, and I think that would be a very sad scenerio, if the party gave us another four years of the same old Bush antics just because they don't want to see a black man in the Oval Office.
Then there is all this talk about Clinton conceding the race. Personally, I don't support Clinton because I don't care for the nasty negative antics of the Clintons, who would do anything to win, but I don't think she should drop out just yet. Like Huckabee, she should stay in until the votes are counted in the other states, and we have a clear nominee. Maybe the numbers are against her. So what? There are still states whose votes haven't been counted and mine is one of them, though I already voted early.
I heard an analyst, last night, say Clinton should bow out gracefully, but she can't because there is nothing graceful about her. She's a fighter, and fighters aren't graceful. They just don't throw in the towel, so why not let her stick around in the ring until she gets KOed? There are only a few more rounds to go, so let's finish them. Then if she starts getting really ugly about it, it will only make her look bad, and ruin her chances for going any further in her career. I hope she won't go there, and I don't think she will because she really does want the Dems to takes the White House. That's the one thing I am sure of. I think her supporters should remain loyal to her, even when she gets behind Obama in the General, and especially if they think she knows what's best for country. If they don't support Obama, and she does, what would that say about how much they believe in her?
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Comments: 45
I agree with you Phyllis.
I look at these data. You can read them in many ways. I see a gender divide. I see a generational divide more than anything. African American voting for Obama is understandable. The Irish did for Kennedy in similar fashion.
Juan, I agree with you, you can turn the question around too but I would not formulate is as "anti white"
Bottom line, these are the media's stupid issues. I think those white rural ethnic voters are voting Clinton because they know her, her husband fought for them (fought for AA too, let's not forget that). These people are cautious, they don't jump on band wagons quickly. Are there racists among them? You bet.
Let's get to the issues.
Jared, while I agree this should be about the issues, and I agree they vote for her because they know her, that still doesn't account for why they would turn to McCain, who is on the opposite end of the spectrum. And why wouldn't they trust Clinton when she says she will get behind Obama if he is the nominee?
If there is a shred of a whisper of a chance, why shoud she drop out? I think she's a much stronger and more qualified candidate. But truthfully, I wouldn't vote for her or Obama. I'm relieved to see her (apparently) getting left behind.
I am feeling for the lady. I can be brutal to her, but the media? These guys call themselves journalists?
Let it be official first. It's not yet. Patience!
As much as we'd like to get to the meat of the election, I still say let the other states vote, and allow Hillary her final moments. It won't hurt us unless she goes totally off in some rampant rage, which I doubt she will do. Hopefully she can use this time to convince her constituents that they should join her in backing Obama.
Jim, sir > I'll say it is. I had to confront my own demons at every twist and turn of this historic election cycle.
In the end, I confess that it was much easier to reconcile the racial undertones. This nation is in a real jam and I'm confident that I know where the blame originates. Although I discovered that I am prepared to accept (and vote for) a vaginal-American as prospective messiah I am not inclined to do so with this particular harridan. Hillary is too self-possessed and lacking in veracity.
But we should give her props and a reasonable amount of time to fold the tent. She has earned that dignity. After all, her rabid self and pack are needed for the big dog fight in November.
It's Barack to the Future and out with the Bushbonic Plague.
I don't think this should come as any suprise, either
And yet, Obama is leading in states, delegates, popular vote, and soon, superdelegates. This suggests that we are able to learn, to become familiar, to take chances on the unknown in order to seek the change we talk about but so often won't allow ourselves to vote for.
This is a very good thing. We may, in fact, be quite adaptable when we give ourselves a chance. And I think we will do just that.
Of all the gains in 2006, all were moderates in swing States. Lieberman is just a good example of swing State politics today.
In other words, it's not about race, it's about just what is a Democratic party politician.
This will seem all very obvious, in about 20 years, like quite alot of things.
Maybe they went to barackobama.com and found out that Obama is a Socialist. That definitely turned me against him.
Tim, not all moderates subscribe to the Lieberman thought processes. That said, I think the Dem party is a little better defined than the Republican party is, and some of them aren't real excited about McCain either.
Delores poor poor I like Hillary like bill too but their baggage is too heavy for the general election, in my opion it has very little to do with her gender.
Race is a factor but it not at all the full story, most people know this its about issues healthcare, national debt, crime and drugs on the streets of America, homelessness, war, pollution, eldercare, the economy.
Bret to call Sen. Obama a socialist is red bating and offering fear instead of a clear point on an issues, so ask what your soicalist republican part did with the earmarks welfare for the rich and well connected.
Except the fact he has ran an exceptional campaign. Vote base on facts, not your fears, vote for a change. Juan Martinez what does anti-white mean anyway and as a hispanic do you consider yourself white or castilian.
Vote for who you please but address the issues and get over it.
Thanks Rosa for your thoughtful article.
Time to move on and work on the issues we can solve.
Whenever you see any single group voting 90+% for one candidate, always be skeptical of that single group's motivation.
Just for comparison's sake : some of the most wildly popular Presidents won with 55-60% pluralities.
When you hear of 75+% of any population going for one person, your eyes should begin to roll. Nobody is that popular.
WHAT????
Google Clinton witch.
I just checked out where they were calling her bitch.
I wonder if any candidate could withstand a Multi-Million dollar criminal investigation?
Even now you can check out the false news stories of how they vandalized the White House and looted Air Force One. Why are those fake stories still on the internet? That Lie prompted Bob Barr (R) Ga. to ask the GAO to yet again investigate the Clintons for stealing gov property. GAO report: no thefts, no vandalism, just another right wing Conspirators getting their last pot shot in.
With 15 years of Right Wingers destroying her, I am amazed she got such a huge amount of votes. I guess Limpaugh is more impotent than we thought, in more ways than one.
No. Some won't vote for Obama because of his race. Hillary has a loyal group of supporters who have stuck by her through all smears and scandals of the Clinton presidency. It would take a lot to shake them. The Clintons have been campaigning for Bubba's vote since they started out in Arkansas. They've got it down.
All I know is the good times America went through during the Clinton administration. I remember Hillary vilified for Health Care, she was Health Care when Health Care wasn't cool. Think about that for a minute!
The right has been trying to distort the Clinton Miracle. They are in denial that Bill left us such a huge surplus. I remember the right decrying a minimum wage hike would destroy our economy, Clinton got it passed and the opposite happened, PROSPERITY!! They complain about everything Bill. An idiot on another Blog even said Bill was the worst President ever.
The present situation only makes me long for another Clinton miracle. I was really blessed living through a Clinton Administration, fake scandals and all.
Don't you get it? This is the post-victory "purge" of Clinton supporters that's starting now. We have a choice of joining the Leftists in the party that hail Obama as the new Democratic messiah...................or we can choose to be victims in an upcoming political "Night of Long Knives".
And this guy claims to be a Uniter? Yeaaaaa, riiiiiiiiiiiight...............
Same question.
Just for posterity, I want to add to this post that Hillary has now said that Obama can't beat McCain because he can't carry the white working class vote. Yes, she had to say WHITE. She couldn't just say Blue Collar, she had to say WHITE.
And we say the Clinton's aren't using the race card. Huh? This is her plea to Superdelegates, who aren't Blue Collar, by the way. And yet Obama has been called the Eliteist. Huh? He's been called privledged, and yet his mother was on food stamps while raising him.
I am working class, I am white. I am not voting for Obama because he is black. I really don't care if he is green. I am voting for him because he cares about people who have had to live on food stamps at some point, or who have been disenfranchised by a system that caters to the corporate world and special interest groups. I am voting for him because he offers hope. I am so sick of rich vs poor, and White vs Black vs Hispanic vs Asian. What is wrong with this country?????? We've become so skeptical, and without hope that we will never be able to see HOPE when it knocks on our door.
This type of argument is not getting anyone anywhere. Drop it.
Can Obama win if he is nominated? Today, I think he wouldn't and Hillary would. Next week , next month it could change. John Edwards' message didn't sell three months ago. Today , it might.
What did Edwards say that you refer to?
The wonderful democratic party needs to face the fact that they are split on the vote here. He hasn't won the thing outright and not everyone is happy with the way this is going.
Doesn't matter... I know his supports think he's going to SAVE the country. And think he'll win in November.... but you are fogetting about the voters in this poll who do not think he is qualified, who think he is full of a bunch of TALK.
People have fallen in love with an idea, with an elegant speaker who is promising you SO MUCH.
I am just along for the ride now.
It's known that the Viet Cong broke MCcain mentally, and as a result, he seems suffering from serious mental deficit knowns as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
aside from PTS, one has to wonder what effect the torture had on his mind.
It's not that his temper gets the best of him, he's mentally disturbed and time after time, has made
statements that suggest he's either confused, unaware of the reality of the situation, or true lier.
If McCain's experience could not help him vote against the Iraq war, how will it help him make America safer and better by conytinuing failed Bush policy?
These are serious troubling issues for a president
No MCBush = No more War
McClueless, MCold, MC stupid, gotta love McFlipFlopper, This guy is true lier and clueless about Iraq war.
American people are not stupid, to give MCBush failed policy & US occupation of Iraq another four years to let him
figure out that Iran and Iraq did not have anything to do with 9/11, Alquida in Iraq is outcome of US occupation.
MCstupid has to listen to Irqi lawmakers that are saying US occupation is fueling insurgency and they can take care of their country.
http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSN04304912