McCain has edge over Democrats

[dtotire]

WASHINGTON -- As he emerges from a sometimes- bitter primary campaign, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain poses a stiff challenge to either of his potential Democratic opponents in the general election, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

The findings underscore the difficulties ahead for Democrats as they hope to retake the White House during a time of war, with voters giving McCain far higher marks when it comes to experience, fighting terrorism and dealing with the situation in Iraq.
The findings underscore the difficulties ahead for Democrats as they hope to retake the White House during a time of war, with voters giving McCain far higher marks when it comes to experience, fighting terrorism and dealing with the situation in Iraq.
Both Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have made ending America's involvement in the war a centerpiece of their campaigns. And even though a clear majority of those polled said the war was not worth waging, about half of registered voters said McCain -- a Vietnam vet who has supported the Bush administration's military strategy -- was better able to deal with Iraq
In head-to-head contests, the poll found, McCain leads Clinton by 6 percentage points (46% to 40%) and Obama by 2 points (44% to 42%). Neither lead is commanding given that the survey, conducted Feb. 21-25, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The Arizona senator is viewed favorably by 61% of all registered voters, including a plurality of Democrats.

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-poll27feb27,0,399782.story?track=ntothtml

[Mythsaje]

1. Any Democrat who views McCain favorably is a clueless twit

who only identifies as a "Democrat" because he or she hasn't the faintest idea what it means.

[saracat]

2. But there are many more than one thinks. Dems shouldn't put their fingers in their ears and refuse

to acknowledge these facts. We are not "shoe ins" this year.

[Mythsaje]

7. After all these years of Republican rule, and the trouble it's caused,

if we CAN'T win this one, we might as well give the hell up. Or, in lieu of that, throw every Democratic strategist off the nearest pier with orders to swim to the closest point that ISN'T in the U.S.

[murielm99]

13. You are right.

I have been arguing with a few Democrats around here. I can't believe some of them want to vote for McCain.

I think we may have to win them over one at a time.

[bdamomma]

17. do they really want a radial Supreme Court

stacked with Alitos, Roberts and Scalia's that is a scary thought.

[idovoodoo]

5. Yes but the problem (and it's a huge one) is that quite a few Democrats

simply won't vote for a woman or a black man. It's not something they will admit publicly but once in the voting
booth...

Don't get mad at me, I'm just reporting what I've been told in private.

[acmavm]

8. You're absolutely correct.

[Mythsaje]

9. Those aren't Democrats.

I'm not even sure they're human.

[murielm99]

14. I'm sorry Myth.

That won't win an election.

[Virginia Dare]

24. How do you counter somebody who says..

they won't vote for a woman or a black man? How do you break through that kind of ignorance? I agree, they aren't Democrats, they're pretenders. We may as well not even worry about them.

[Bake]

31. Oh, I don't know ... we could've nominated Edwards. Or Biden.

Or Chris Dodd. For starters.

I'm tired of losing elections.

Bake

[Virginia Dare]

45. I'm not nominating a white man to please those ignorant racists..

sorry. I was for Edwards and Dodd too, but not because they were white men.

[idovoodoo]

16. Perhaps but they vote (or don't.)

I believe Edwards could have easily beaten McCain but it will be damn difficult for Obama or Clinton to do it.

[gateley]

26. Agreed, but I don't care who they are -- or aren't. Fuck 'em.

We've got to pick up the slack.

[gateley]

11. Then those of us who WILL vote for a woman or a black man had better get

our asses to the polls and do it. Every last one of us. We can't fuck around this time.

[bdamomma]

18. Right on Gateley.

we really have to tip the scales on this election, we can't let them do this to us again.

[EFerrari]

22. We haven't fucked around since 1992 except for the part

where we let them steal our election.

[gateley]

28. Too many of us stayed home, I think --

making it even EASIER for them to steal the election.

I think if MASSES turn out and vote, that's our best weapon.

[EFerrari]

30. I don't know. Masses of people turned out in Ohio and

stood in line for hours IN THE RAIN and they still stole it. The media looked the other way when they weren't calling us conspiracy theorists.

They have the tech to shift masses of votes, to purge masses of registered Democrats from the rolls.

Turnout may help. Monitoring the election is crucial, starting this summer when we all need to check and see if we're still on the rolls.

They can't win, they have to steal it.

[Virginia Dare]

25. You got that RIGHT!!!

:yourock:

[EFerrari]

21. There was no rush to the white male. Democrats sure will vote

for a woman or a black man. Obama and Clinton have demonstrated that they can muster solid support.

[idovoodoo]

34. Well, I hope to hell I'm proven wrong but I'm telling you this: There is a very real possibility

we could have a President Romney in a couple of years.
:mad:

[EFerrari]

40. It's not going to happen unless we let them steal it. n/t

[w8liftinglady]

23. unfortunately-here in Texas,that's true

"Yellow dog" Dems simply will not vote for anyone who isn't their version of a good ol boy...luckily,there are a lot of transplants and military families here...I hope it matters

[Virginia Dare]

27. I hope those ignoramuses stand ready..

to send their good old boy sons daughters and grandchildren off to slaughter in the Middle East. Sad that people still feel this way in this day and age. The ignorance keeps getting passed down generation to generation.

[Perry Logan]

3. McCain has a dog's chance.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. I don't think this article is accurate

I've seen other polls putting either Democratic candidate ahead of McCain in various states, and I've heard from a bunch of conservatives who don't like McCain and don't plan to vote for him.

That being said, I think we can use his voting record on military/veteran's issues to show that he really doesn't support the troops. This will have a big impact on many voters.

[gateley]

10. It may have been how the questions were framed, too.

Generally, people might lean toward one of the Dems, but if asked specific questions about who they'd like to see in office in these times of growing terrorism and hatred toward America (or whatever fear card used), some people might feel more comfortable with McCain.

[gateley]

6. More reason for Obama to consider a STRONG foreign affairs expert as his

VP. Fear is a potent weapon, and we know the R's will be using it with wild abandon.

A couple of interesting threads around here the past few days discussing possibilities for VP. There are some good ones from which to choose.

[MzNov]

12. I think the headline should read "McCain Edgy over Democrats" instead

The LAT has gone down the crapper, IMHO.

[EFerrari]

19. It sure has. McCain is in a dead heat with Obama , and Hillary

is only a couple of point behind that. We don't have a candidate yet so this poll was skewed from the outset.

[stanwyck]

15. Is that you, Bill Kristol?

The man who is wrong about everything. What the pollsters don't get, and won't get until Nov. 7th, is who is going to show up to vote. Get ready. Americans who have never voted, haven't voted in years, and who have voted for the Republicans until this year, are going to storm the voting booths along with the regular suspects (us). The professionals just don't get it. But, on Nov. 8th, they will.

[kitkat65]

20. And McCain has completely backed the Bush admin's

complete incompetence in handling that war, hasn't he? So much for his experience in dealing with Iraq but nice try, LA Times.

[Preston120]

29. Pure Propaganda

The trouble is, "Mr. Clean" has an unhealthily
relationships with the "Good" folks over on K
Street.
Regardless of what this fellow says a Solid Majority of
Americans want us out of this "Unjust and Immoral
War".  The Good Folks that brought this war have lost the
moral High Ground.  They have stepped all over our
Constitution, and he is not going anywhere.

[EFerrari]

32. No, he doesn't. n/t

[Timmy5835]

33. Consider the source

The L.A. Times (Zell) and Bloomberg are 2 right wing publications. It's like the poll came from FOX News.

[malaise]

35. That's undiluted bullshit

Those polls have as much use as Cheney's dick. Rethugs will be wiped out. Ignore the corporate polls. The Democratic donkey can beat him.

add

[Eric J in MN]

36. The LA TIMES puts "McCain has edge over Democrats"...

...for a poll with Obama and McCain within the margin-of-error.

[treestar]

37. Nope, McBush has no chance, voters do not want more of the same and won't

And they don't want to continue to try to "win" in Iraq.

[dtotire]

38. If We Lose This One

We should seriously consider scrapping the entire primary system and having the nominee selected by the delegates in a convention. The average voter is easily influenced by the money-driven propaganda they see on television. The delegates would be limited to those who have held elective office and have better judgement.
This is how Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy were chosen. Even Adlai Stevenson was a good choice, but no one could have beaten Eisenhower, who was the Supreme Commander. It would be less costly. My guess that a convention would have selected Biden or Richardson or Edwards.

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. Sorry to say this, but they are setting the ground to win, by hook or crook

or any other means necessary.

They will NOT loose the WH if they can help it...

[natrat]

41. and they have so little respect for the public now, this one will be more obvious

[KharmaTrain]

42. Don't These Fools Read Their Own Polls???

Experience is the loser in this election cycle on both sides...specifically the status quo. McCain offers the GOOPers a third booosh term and that's been rejected. They've gone so far off the right wing abyss and polarized the country so badly, people want a change. And don't think people know where the venim come from.

The large numbers of voters showing up for Democratic primaries speaks volumes of what we're looking at for November...Democrats have outpolled GOOPers 2 to 1, outraised them in money (unheard of a couple years ago) and have a vibrant, dynamic race going on (despite how the corporate media tries to play it).

Few Democrats are fooled by McCain's bullshit...if they did, there'd be a lot more crossing over to vote for him...it's been the other way around this year.

Of course the corporate media will do all it can to keep McCain "competitive" since they have a lot invested in this election.

Zell's a bitter old coot who stupidly bought the Tribune company at the wrong time...thought he could canibalize it and now is stuck with a company heavy in debt and with declining revenues. May he suck on it all.

[Upfront]

43. Dream on!

You gave me a good laugh. The Democratic landslide in this one will make the Johnson vs Goldwater race look tight.

[New Earth]

44. I really do not believe this at all

not one, tiny bit. Fucking bullshit, I say.

[moondust]

46. If true

it's more evidence of just how gullible and hopeless the U.S. really is.

[JerseygirlCT]

47. 2 pts is w/in the MOE. Not a "win" by any means nt