NYTimes: Poll Shows Obama Is Seen as More Likely to Beat McCain

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"In the past two months, Senator Barack Obama has built a commanding coalition among Democratic voters, with especially strong support among men, and is now viewed by most Democrats as the candidate best able to defeat Senator John McCain, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

After 40 Democratic primaries and caucuses, capped by a winning streak in 11 contests over the last two weeks, Mr. Obama has made substantial gains across most major demographic groups in the Democratic Party, including men and women, liberals and moderates, higher- and lower-income voters, and those with and without college degrees.

But there are signs of vulnerability for Mr. Obama in this national poll: While he has a strong lead among Democratic voters on his ability to unite and inspire the country, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is still viewed by more Democrats as better prepared for the job of president. And while he has made progress among women, he still faces a striking gender gap: Mr. Obama is backed by two-thirds of the Democratic men and 45 percent of the women. White women remain a Clinton stronghold.

When all voters are asked to look ahead to the general election, Mr. McCain, the likely Republican nominee, is seen as better prepared for the presidency, better able to handle an international crisis and more equipped to serve as commander in chief than either of the Democratic candidates. The poll provides a snapshot of Mr. Obama’s strength after this first, frenzied round of primaries and caucuses, which knocked seven of the nine Democratic candidates out of the race. For the first time in a New York Times/CBS News Poll, he moved ahead of Mrs. Clinton nationally, with 54 percent of Democratic primary voters saying they wanted to see him nominated, while 38 percent preferred Mrs. Clinton. A new USA Today/Gallup Poll released Monday showed a similar result, 51 percent for Mr. Obama to 39 percent for Mrs. Clinton."

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[ericgtr]

1. Everyone already knows this but nobody seems to care.

[GarbagemanLB]

3. Hillary's older woman core will follow her to the ends of the earth if need be. It is sad how they

ignore reality.

[OHdem10]

2. So did Dukakis and McGovern Polls run high against GOP

[Alexander]

4. Wrong. McGovern was always polling behind Nixon.

Dukakis blew his convention lead by being a terrible campaigner.

[LadyVT]

5. BO is now VIEWED as the candidate most likely to beat McCain...

BIG difference.

And we still have EIGHT months to go, and a documentary to come out about Obama this summer (funded by the Right).

[Blue-Jay]

6. as opposed to SMELLED?

[milkyway]

7. Unfuckingbelievable. The NY Clinton Times waits til the 4th graph to mention Obama is up 16 points!

This is the first time he has even been leading in their poll, and they even acknowledge that the recent USA TOday/Gallup shows similar results, yet they don't think it's worth mentioning until the fourth paragraph? They even precede it with an entire paragraph saying "But there are signs of vulnerability for Mr. Obama."

The lead talks about Obama being viewed as more likely to defeat McCain--it talks about this vague perception rather than about the fact that Obama is now the overwhelming choice of Dem primary voters. "Please ignore the elephant in the room."

And the Clinton campaign still whines about the media? Since Iowa they've been trying to hide the fact that Hillary has been trailing and it's not even close anymore. MSNBC's biased coverage does not come close to negating the Times and CNN's efforts on Clinton's behalf.