Why the huge crowds and $40 million a month and Obama is still not way ahead....

[KansasVoter]

How can Obama draw 35,000 people, more than Hillary ever does, and raise twice the money as her but she is still close in the polls?

It just seems weird to me that the over all feeling is that Obama is much more popular but Hillary is still polling close to him.

I guess his supporters are just more excited about supporting him? And willing to donate more money?

Weird election. I will be glad when Obama finally is the nominee.

[Johnny__Motown]

Large states have well established political machines, Clinton is the establishment candidate

[kwenu]

13. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!!!!!!

:applause:

[Johnny__Motown]

20. Thanks... LOL......

[Cosmocat]

36. C L I N T O N ... Question SHOULD be ...

Hillary has the last name, and is the wife of a popular and successful two term president ... She also has been basically running for this job for a decade and a half ... Meanwhile, Obama is as new a new comer as you can get for a presidential level campaign ...

Fact is, from the start of this presidential election, a year and a half go up until three months ago, Hillary was the unquestioned and presumptive democratic nominee by a WIDE margin, while Obama was an appealing insurgent candidate ...

Question SHOULD Be ... Why hasn't SHE long ago wrapped this up ???

[barb162]

51. Nobody has to punch a chad they don't want once they're in the voting booth.

I think with the backing Obama has, he's the establishment candidate. Kennedy, Kerry, Reid, Dean, Pelosi....

[saltpoint]

1. A year from now you can engage us all in a discussion of President

Obama's legislative agenda in the first 100 days of his administration, and I'll be there to help you celebrate.

Your points are right -- HClinton retains considerable support.

But it is not enough now to persuasively argue for the nomination and she cannot win it outright.

Her handlers know this.

She knows this.

You and I know this, too.

[kwenu]

11. Deleted.

[Kittycat]

2. Which polls? The tailor made state, like PA that she was supposed to win by 20pts

Or the other 24 or so states that he's beat her by huge margins?

[Lisa0825]

3. It takes a lot to overcome one massive lead after another in so many states.

You're sounding like you're buying into their spin.

[KansasVoter]

18. No I am not......

I was asking a serious question. I feel like 70% of the people are Obama fans and the press is Obama fans and she is still hanging in there. Just weird to me.

[AlinPA]

23. It's not wierd, she is a strong candidate. She has been around a long time. Simple.

[tabasco]

55. You saw Rev. Wright non-stop for three weeks but the press is Obama's friend?

I question your intelligence and reasoning skills after that statement.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

26. right. and he's doing it with a tremendous amount of energy ! They

were saying last night that giving the same speech, over and over, place
after place, for so long (15 mos) that it starts to wear on you and
you go crazy.

[Aloha Spirit]

4. It's tricky. Check out this video... it explains it pretty well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C2b8XWJnfE

[Yurovsky]

5. Hillary getting a lot of Rush Limbaugh support ...

I had my mailman (a big crazy redneck neocon) tell me about how Rush was bragging about it today. I always like to stop and chat with the guy when he comes by, just to see what folks in that universe are thinking. It's bizarro world, for damn sure.

[thereismore]

6. The "rural white" voters won't budge. Campaigning won't change Obama's skin color. nt

[SoonerPride]

7. Because he is your local burger stand going up against McDonalds

She's got the name recognition and party history to have a built-in base of support.

That he has done so well is a true testament to his organization.

All the other candidates that tried the "anyone but Hillary" meme got their clock cleaned early on.

But Obama wasn't just anti-Clinton, but PRO-CHANGE.

This is a change election. People want something different. BADLY.

Clinton, while a historic first being female, is still seen as more of the same. Her experience is as much a detriment as it is a positive, oddly enough.

McCain IS more of the same. He's a hundred years old and wants to be Bushie #3.

Then Obama. How many hurdles does this guy have to overcome? Muslim-sounding name? African-American? Outsider?

Check check check.

That he is going to win the party nomination is a true testemant to his skill, his message and his team.

[Cha]

32. Good Burger analogy,

Sooner!

[SoonerPride]

71. I was hungry!

:)

[mucifer]

8. Bill Clinton is well connected and very popular in the state.

[johnnydrama]

9. check out the 2 month out polling

Look at the 2 month out polling for CA, MA, TX, OH, PA and he cut 20+ pt margins to very respectable margins.

Also, in all the states he won, he went from medium sized margins, to huge blowouts. In places like MD, WI, VA.

[TheWraith]

10. He's fighting an uphill battle against entrenched opinions and name recognition.

99% of America knows who Hillary Clinton is, and virtually every Democrat has positive recollections of the Clinton years, particularly as opposed to the current POTUS. That means a lot of loyalists who are hard to sway.

[AZ Criminal JD]

62. What a joke . Do you think anyone doesn't know who Obama is at this point?

[TheWraith]

72. Evidently there is, since there are still Clinton voters around.

In all seriousness, knowing somebody's name doesn't equate to being familiar with them, which many people still aren't. And you can't rebut the rest of my points, so you try to pretend they don't matter.

[stahbrett]

12. Why, with her 100% name recognition and inevitableness...

...is Hillary losing to a less-than-one-term Senator, who's a black guy named Barack Hussein Obama?

[Window]

14. She started out with more money, name recognition, inevitability, etc.

He had been playing catch-up until he surpassed her and defense since she applied her kitchen sink strategy. Not to mention, he's Black and a lot of people are just not ready for that...though they may call it something else, i.e., an empty suit, inexperience, etc.

[WillyT]

15. Too Many Crackers...

:evilgrin:

[rox63]

74. Bwa-ha-ha!

:rofl:

[cottonseed]

16. Ask again when he wins by 20% in NC and beats her in IN.

That should be the end of it right there.

[4themind]

17. It's all about numbers and excitement in my view

(good question btw). In other words, you could have a person that's willing to wait for 3 hours for a rally, and is willing to vote, but if you compare this to another person who is NOT willing to wait 3 hours for a rally, but is ALSO willing to vote, in the end it's still one vote vs. one vote. Case in point, she has a demographic edge in senior citizens. Now I don't want to sterotype , but I think relative to a young college student, many of them may be less willing to wait for a rally, but STILL willing to vote (and their rates of voting seem to be higher than the youngsters traditionally, but I don't have a source for you as of right now)

[ericgtr]

19. The answer is simple: How long have you known of Clinton?

and until 6 months ago how much of the country had ever even heard of Obama?

Name recognition is a freebie for her.

[rocktivity]

21. Hillary WAS way ahead. Shouldn't you be asking why she ISN'T?

:shrug:
rocknation

[Laura PourMeADrink]

28. I don't understand why no one in the media says that - tonight

Pat Buchanan said it over and over - why can't O close the deal.

I say why can't H close the deal and why has she lost leads of
20 pts.

It pisses me off since Buchanan, at the onset, was praising O
left and right - loved his speeches. Now, he's out to put
him down and out.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

22. Yes, I agree. It was the same way in NH - I would have bet some

money that he would win.

Guess there are people out there that just hate when they see other people
having fun and getting excited.

I really think all the demographic groups they claim are one way or the
other is the wrong way to look at it. I think, no matter what your
demographic is - you are an eternal dreamer optimist - a bleeding heart
liberal --OR-- no matter what - your being just doesn't go to where
Obama is. I know plenty of people like the latter. They just don't
open themselves up to dream and hope. Not bad people - just not
the type to buy his message.

They say his crowds could be made up of many curiosity seekers?

[TheDoorbellRang]

34. Well, if that's the case, no one is too curious about Hillary

And even less curious about McCain.

[TheDonkey]

24. Obama has a more excited base. Hillary is clinging to the remains of her once large lead

Obama started the primary season at 0% support, Hillary at about 60%.

[SoCalDem]

37. She's got the 4PM dinner at Coco's with a coupon crowd

6:30 news with ABC
7:00 Jeopardy
8:00 Rerun of Murder She Wrote
9:00 beddy-bye

[ecstatic]

25. It is weird. I think it also has something to do with the timing of the primaries nt

[Secret_Society]

27. The nature of supporters...

for the two candidates is very different. As a general rule, the younger and more liberal supporters are more likely to attend large rallies. Also, with major support in populated urban areas it is easier to draw a humongous crowd. Large crowds doesn't always translate to victory at the polls.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

29. interesting observation eom

[Firespirit]

30. It's very simple: MEDIA.

Clinton has stayed in the race, but the media have never given her the Huckabee treatment. They have kept this alive despite the probabilities, convincing voters that it's an ordinary competitive primary. We are seeing -- YET AGAIN -- the orchestrated destruction of our candidate by the media, with parts of the party aiding it.

[Andy823]

31. The questions should be

Why Hillary, and ex-presidents wife, with all the money she has made since the race started, with all the "big" backers, and connections has not ended this race with an unknown first term Senator, months ago! Can you answer me that one?

[whatchamacallit]

33. That's because there's still a lot of really stupid people supporting the other candidate

}(

[SoCalDem]

35. Old people with landlines, being polled daily

and scared poor people who think the Clintons love them, and would love to have Bill back.. they "know" that He will be the one calling the shots.. She's a proxy..

[Rene]

38. it's the text messaging crowds hanging out at the obama events..she shallow American Idol voting

types..... It's REAL working, thinking Americans who'll vote for Hillary, our next President.
Hillary is tested and strong.
Obama has proven to me to be nasty, whiney and very negative.....and very preacherish.

I want Hillary to appoint our next Supreme Court justices....our Cabinet leaders....our Federal Agency leaders -- to rebuild all that bush as laid waste.

[DesEtoiles]

50. welcome...to my ignore list! and buh BYE!

[AllentownJake]

68. Drinking the Comet Floor Cleaner are we

You say we drink kool-aid I think you guys drink household cleaning liquids.

[TLM]

39. MOst of the polls numbers have closed to a tie or have hillary by a few points...

Those polls don't count young voters who use cell phones or new voters who just registered.


I think Hillary will win the state, but it will be close.

[stray cat]

40. He didn't start out as the presumptive nominee - just a new kid on the block

[pettypace]

41. well in Pennsylvania....

the governor of the state said this on Feb 13:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20080213_Rendell__Some_whites_not_ready_for_Obama.html

Gov. Rendell, one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's most visible supporters, said some white Pennsylvanians are likely to vote against her rival Barack Obama because he is black.

"You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African American candidate," Rendell told the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in remarks that appeared in yesterday's paper.

[marlakay]

42. let me see, she is well known wife

of pres, she has the old people who don't go to rallies and are too cheap to even give $25 a month like the rest of us for obama.

[Honeycombe8]

43. He IS way ahead. He has about 150 more pledged delegates, 700,000 more votes....

That is unbelievable for someone who was basically UNKNOWN, running against the most well known woman in the world.

He has plenty of money left, and more rolling in. She, OTOH, is in debt.

See how it is? She has dragged the party thru the mud for her own selfish reasons. I hope the remainder of the Dem. voters can see through the mudslinging and not vote for her, so she gets out sooner rather than later. McCain is the winner here.

[barack the house]

44. Exactly her voters don't put their money where their smear is which means they don't really like her

Which makes the whole excercise even moremorbid. We are ultimately runnig a race for someone they don't even ike how lovely. Like in real life if here is soemone you like you give them gifts treats everything. If Hillary is broke it is a sign. The pope said at teh weekend open our heats to hope and most people are.

[Liquorice]

48. That hasn't been my experience. The Hillary supporters I know all love her. nt

[ORDem]

45. Errr, non-establishment candidate with way less name recognition, etc.

Concern noted, however. :eyes:

[quantass]

46. 1) Old people dont go to rallies ... 2) Campaigning in an OLD-state is never good... and 3)...

wait till North Carolina and you will see the 35,000+ and the blowout polls better in synch.

[WA98070]

47. Bill

[DesEtoiles]

49. Even the Democratic party has bigots, plus Rush encouraged GOP votes for HRC

[JoFerret]

75. And they come in all colors

and flavors.

[barb162]

52. Simple: Voters realize Hillary is the better candidate.

:)

And they're not falling for all the millions of bucks in Obama's propaganda. There's no other explanation. He's not as good a candidate as some suggest. If he were and with the huge spending he's doing, he would have won it a long time ago.

[Two Americas]

53. it is strange

The campaign is deep, but not broad. That is to say, there is a relatively small segment of the population that is ga ga over him, which enables him to generate these big crowds, but that is not translating into support from the general Democratic party voting public the way you would expect. That does not bode well for the general election.

[datopbanana]

54. he is way ahead. thats why its almost impossible for clinton to catch him in elected delegates.

[earth mom]

56. Obviously Obama is trying to BUY the presidency & that pisses the bitter working class off.

What a waste of money.

Just think what good could have been done with all that money instead of Obama spewing bullshit & lies for all these months! :puke:

[cottonseed]

58. I saw a Repub operative use the "buying the election" line today.

Never thought I'd see it on DU, a progressive democratic blog.

[earth mom]

60. Well, only the elite rich can run for president these days now can't they?

And as for your bullshit innuendo-stick it where the sun don't shine.

[TLM]

57. He is way ahead....

He's gotten 68 SDs since super Tuesday... Hillary's gotten 2.

He has more states, more pledged delegates, and more votes... and he continues to gain in super delegates.

By every measure he is beating Hillary senseless.


She's out of money, out of time, and out of dirty tricks.

She's like the black knight in montey python... limbless and spewing blood... yet still insisting she's in it to win it.

[cottonseed]

59. What's weird about Hillary's Super Delegate play

is that it seems she hasn't really asked the Super Delegates where they're leaning. It's obvious they won't go her way. Whether it's Wednesday morning or the morning after the NC and IN primaries, they're going to all back Obama in unison.

[2rth2pwr]

61. All the people that go out to the rally's don't make it to the voting booth.

Some go for the action.

[Political Heretic]

63. He closed a 20 point gap in an state where clinton was well established.

That's why.

[goletian]

64. obama isnt in his 60s with decades of exposure and a

ex president as his spouse. thats all there is to it. its a miracle hes even ahead right now given those circumstances.

[sandnsea]

65. WOMEN

and racists.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

66. This is why:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5614594&mesg_id=5614594

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5603125&mesg_id=5603125

[AllentownJake]

67. PA is a tough state i.e. Hillary country

If SC and Mississippi was perfect for Obama. PA demographically is perfect for Hillary. If he can prevent a blow-out he wins.

[workinclasszero]

69. Rush Limbaugh

and his braindead zombies have been voting for Hillary all along. The reich wing wants her to win so they can destroy her in the GE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf1ugL4TDa8

Shouldn't be too hard seeing as how 60 percent or so of americans think Hillary is a liar.:shrug:

[Vinca]

70. Maybe he needs to go duck hunting - LOL.

:rofl: Nothing like dead birds to make you want to vote for a candidate.

[wowimthere]

73. This PA machine state is rigged! You can't ever trust the polls because I...

believe that they are all over the map on purpose. Notice how many polls there are out there? That's not by accident. That's by design.

[knixphan]

76. LOL - 16 YEARS of name-recognition.

How do you fight that?

With youth and $$$, that's how.

Keep spendin' Barack.