Comments on: Is Obama The Strongest Democrat (as Silver Suggests)?

By: Johnny Welch

Johnny Welch — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:07:40 +0000

I can’t see how Obama stepping down has anything to do with Hillary’s chances (or how Truman and LBJ screwed it up for Stevenson and Humphrey, respectively—completely different situations). Besides, even if Hillary does not have a magic wand for the economy (though her husband might be the next best thing), it strikes me that the quality most disappointing about Obama is the very quality that Hillary possess in spades: a readiness to fight for what she believes. That said, if Obama does not step down (which is extremely unlikely—unless this gets even worse), the old narrative of her being an ambitious opportunist could reemerge as a fatal weakness.

By: kicksotic

kicksotic — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:02:27 +0000

I remember a 2008 Salon article where Traister made a very brief mention of supporting Hillary — really more like half a sentence or something, I think — and then spent the rest of the piece chastising those still reluctant to Obama to “get over it” and support him.

Her recent NY Times piece was, in my view, more of the same, all of which raises questions — questions now answered after learning about her initial Edwards support — about the depth of her support for Hillary.

Interesting, nonetheless.

And, yes, that this topic of conversation still has legs three weeks after your Run, Hillary, Run post is indicative of — and these are my words, obviously — a growing, unapologetic dissatisfaction with Obama with some Democrats and a sincere willingness to consider viable alternatives.

Who said August was a slow news month?

By: Matthew Dickinson

Matthew Dickinson — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:46:07 +0000

Interesting. That, perhaps, puts her NYT story in a slightly different light.

By: Matthew Dickinson

Matthew Dickinson — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:44:17 +0000

Kicks – I think the fact that opinion columnists and the Silvers of the media are still responding to my initial post from August 4 indicates that the story has legs. Why it remains newsworthy, almost three weeks after the initial post, is an interesting question. I think it is a function of the growing signs that Obama is in for a tough reelection fight, which leads inevitably to the question of whether anyone could do better which leads to Clinton. In that sense, it is a legitimate and increasingly relevant story. To what degree the media is also hearing this from other sources I can’t say.

If this site is different, I hope it is in part because we have a robust, informed clash of often competing ideas and opinions. But I also want readers who don’t feel they know as much about presidential politics to feel comfortable coming here to get questions answered. So far (knock on wood) we’ve managed to retain some civility even as the readership continues to grow.

By: Matthew Dickinson

Matthew Dickinson — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:36:13 +0000

Matt,

If you mean the favorability ratings, yes, those surveys are conducted while Clinton is Secretary of State. The approval ratings, on the other hand, go back to 2007. As for head-to-head matchups, in my initial “Run, Hillary, Run” post on August 4 that started all this, I included a survey of Democratic voters (including leaners) from September 2010 that showed they preferred Obama over Clinton by 52-37, with 10% undecided. If those numbers are the same today, it indicates Clinton will have an uphill battle in the primaries. But, of course, that was almost a year ago. My argument, of course, is predicated on the idea that she will do better in the general election. I have not seen any head-to-head matchups between Clinton and any Republicans. I’ll see if I can dig some up.