National Polls, even state by state, are currently meaningless for BOTH candidates. Here's why:

[Political Heretic]

If McCain was beating Clinton but not Obama, it would be meaningless - I say that as an Obama supporter
If McCain was beating Obama but not Clinton, it would be meaningless
If McCain was beating both it wold be meaningless.

Until we have a nominee and stop this insane primary process you can expect these numbers to only get worse for both Obama and Clinton.

McCain right now is enjoying next to no media scrutiny, while the media is exhaustively covering every dirty, dark, nasty detail of this completely self-destructive and pointless (because Obama has already got the nomination locked up) "race" on the democratic side.

Every week it goes on, you're going to see negatives for both Clinton and Obama rise. Every week it goes on, you're going to see both Clinton and Obama drop against McCain. Sometimes one more. Sometimes the other one more. But both. Every week. Until this is over.

When this is over, the DNC and the nominee can begin to spend its money against McCain, pressure the media for attention to McCain, and start making the case effectively against McCain - and he has LOTS AND LOTS of material to draw from.

When that happens, you'll see these numbers both become more REAL and look more in our FAVOR.

EDIT - typos... I'm doing twelve things at once :(

[rocktivity]

1. Well, duh!

How can the fact that the Dems have two candidates and the Rethugs have one NOT have a self-defeating effect this particular poll question? It's unprofessional at best, and dishonest at worst.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Political Heretic]

2. Yeah, wish more people would figure that out. :(

[anamandujano]

3. The Repukes didn't have to do anything to drive Bama's negs up.

He did it to himself.

They spent a sh*tload of money driving Hillary's negs up and she has stabilized. The big news is that Bama's negs are up, due to Wright and his other foibles that are now coming to light.

[Political Heretic]

4. He didn't "do it to himself."

First of all, nothing you've said changes the correct points that I've made about polls right now. They aren't indicative of anything we can expect in the general, and they're going to get worse the longer this silly, ridiculous spat on in the democratic party continues on.

Second, that Obama's negs are up, still lower than Hillary's, is not exactly news. That's the predictable result of what happens when your opponent launches and all-out, no-shame, no-rules "kitchen sink" attack on you. Of course that's going to happen.

The issue of my OP isn't negatives, however. It's national polls comparing either democratic candidate to McCain, or state polls comparing either candidate to McCain. And I'm right about that.

[BlueIdaho]

5. True fact

the longer this insanity goes on the lower our candidates will sink.

[vita405]

6. Once we have a nominee, things might get worse. Read my explanation

Tell me if you agree with my reasoning:

Say Barack Obama clinches the nomination.
A while ago, out of 100 right-wing pundits, they split 50-50, with half these pundits bashing Clinton, and half bashing Obama.
Once Obama has secured the nomination, all 100 will come out swinging for the fences against Obama, because now they won't have to pretend to love Obama in order to knock their most hated person in the world, Hillary Clinton, out of the race.

Does it make sense?

[Oilwellian]

7. Well, you know what?

We have to come up with a nominee sometime and face them head on. Does that make sense?