Rasmussen: Obama's negatives rising, particularly among Democrats...

[SaveElmer]

All Voters

Hillary Fav 49 Unfav 48
Obama Fav 48 Unfav 45

Among Dems

Hillary Fav 82 Unfav 16
Obama Fav 66 Unfav 30

Clinton is now viewed favorably by 82% of Democrats, Obama by 66%. Those figures include 43% with a Very Favorable opinion of Clinton. Thirty-three percent (33%) have such a positive view of Obama. Just 16% of Democrats have an unfavorable view of Clinton while 30% hold such a view of Obama.

Among all voters, Clinton is viewed favorably by 49% and unfavorably by 48%. Those figures are in the middle of the range she’s occupied all year. Obama is viewed favorably by 48% of all voters, unfavorably by 45%. Those are the weakest ratings for Obama in 2007. In mid-July, he was viewed favorably by 54% of all voters.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/presidential_tracking_poll

The usual caveats apply about this being one poll with its own methodology etc...other polls sho wmuch different results so these must all be taken together to get a more acurate snapshot...

[WI_DEM]

1. Oh my, Obama is now almost as unpopular (overall) as Hillary.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

21. So I guess BO fans will no longer claim HRC is unelectable?

;)

[Nedsdag]

2. Hooray!

"Obama's just as bad as Hillary!"

"It's party time!"

:party: :toast: :applause:

:sarcasm:

[jackbourassa]

3. This is good news...

This means that Obama's numbers among independents and Republicans are better than Clintons.

The Dems will come around and rally behind him.

But it goes to show how hypocritical Clinton supporters are as well. I'm guessing the 30% of Dems who disapprove of him are supporters of her royal highness, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Everytime any Democrat even hints that they would not support Hillary in the general they are immediately lined up and shot (okay not really). But they are attacked. Hillary's pretty much maxed out her Democratic support, which is consistent with other polls as well. Which means, few Obama supporters are so spiteful to withhold their support from her because they are running against each other.

What strange power this woman holds over you people.

[karynnj]

4. Good point

I'm surprised Hillary has just 16% unfavorable among Democrats - I know we are atypical, but she is more controversial than that.

[jackbourassa]

10. It's called the "Hillary Dilemma" or the "Clinton Conundrum"

She is very popular with Democrats and not popular at all with independents and Republicans. Among the latter two groups, I believe she is the most unpopular candidate (Democrat or Republican) running for President.

I think she feels that once she wins the nomination, she will become the "master triangulator" and also go very negative against the eventual Republican candidate, and this will be enough to win her the election. But i'm not so sure.

I think if she triangulates, she will become loathed by some Democrats. And the independents and Republicans who already express hostility towards her may be put off by a very negative campaign by a woman candidate.

We have to accept the reality that we may lose the 2008 election. If she wins the nomination, the campaign will be about her and not George W. Bush and the Republican Party. Bush isn't running again. Cheney isn't running to replace him. The leading candidates for the Republican nomination are all from "outside" Washington. The Congress is Democratic, so that may not help much either. They are also pretty unpopular. We must accept that we may lose the Congress as well and come January 20, 2009, we will have a Republican President and a Republican Congress and a liberal Supreme Court Justice (John Paul Stevens) who will be 89 years old. Let's cross our fingers that he lives to be 93.

So the Republicans will pick an outsider and once again we'll pick the most "inside the beltway" candidate we can find. Who is despised by half the country. Who is a woman (never having nominated a woman before, much less elect one).

Good grief.

[rinsd]

29. So the country won't elect a woman

That's what your down to?

Pathetic.

[PurityOfEssence]

34. THAT'S what you got out of that post?

Sheesh.

The poster made point after point, and only as an aside at the end mentions gender. For this you summarize this as the true meaning of the post?

[sampsonblk]

39. The GOP share has shrunk incredibly

The GOP base has shrunk considerably. A lot of stupid Bush supporters have jumped ship.

So if our turnout pct is just as high as theirs, we are going to win. They are in deep shit no matter who they nominate, and they know it. Chances are, fundies will stay home.

[jobycom]

11. Self-fulfilling analysis

Most of the Dems with a negative image of Obama would become Clinton supporters, since she's the most popular alternative. I'm sure the rest are Edwards supporters, since he's got most of the rest of the non-Obama votes.

What I'd like to know is if those with a negative opinion of Obama think he is a bad person, or too conservative, or just too inexperienced for the job, meaning they like Obama but not as a candidate. The article isn't clear, and the poll may not have been, either.

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dsa]

5. This is surprising how?

Obama was an unknown so people could imagine him however they wanted. Now that he's getting more attention, people know more about what he does and doesn't stand for. Popularity ratings always go down when that happens.

[incapsulated]

8. Yup

He was a blank slate, it was never going to last.

Everyone looks like shit by the end of a campaign, to be honest.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

22. Exactly--this is something BO fans ignore when they claim BO is more electable than HRC

His unfavorables were never going to stay that low and they will only continue to rise...

Edwards, btw, has run nationally and been demonized by the right-wing so his numbers will more or less stay the same.

[Yukari Yakumo]

38. The same with HRC

except perhaps more so.

[dsa]

41. Edwards negatives keep rising with me

every time he opens his mouth. I'm liking Biden more and more though, even though I don't think he has a chance.

[laugle]

42. I've predicted from the beginning, Edwards would

outrun BO. I agree his negatives will continue to rise when things really begin to heat-up!!

[wyldwolf]

6. what have you and I and a few others been saying for six months now?

the better known a candidate gets, the higher his/her disapproval numbers will go.

[SaveElmer]

12. Exactly right...

Hillary's isn't moving much, though it is drifting downward cause she is largely a known quantity, though she has alot of room with independents to improve her image as she campaigns and dispels the caricauture that the MSM has painted of her...

I am a bit surprised at the Dem numbers on Obama though...I wonder if his insulting of Hillary last week caused that number to rise...

[Skip Intro]

17. It did with me.

I hadn't really had an opinion of him before that. That changed last week.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

23. It had to, especially for a guy who was marketed as a "different kind of politician" above that nt

[earthlover]

37. his insulting of hillary? No, it was hillary who started calling Obama naive and irresponsible!

Seems as if the ARG poll in SC and NH show gains for Obama at any rate.

[robcon]

7. This is part of the reason why Obama made his invasion speech.

I think his polling suggests his "talk to thugs without preconditions" answer at the debate painted him as weak on national security to many voters.

He gave the 'invade Pakistan' speech to offset those negative polling numbers on national defense.

[jobycom]

13. Yeah, but he doesn't call it "triangulation," so he's not a triangulator.

You see?

[PurityOfEssence]

35. All things to all people is nothin' to nobody

Much of his activity these days seems to be reactive, and although it's true that if you always hit the ball back over the net you'll always win a game of tennis, it's not that great a strategy.

He spends an inordinate amount of time explaining his statements and explaining his explanations, and he then seems to go off and compensate for the fallout with further broad strokes that lead to similar dynamics.

He fought back well against Hillary's sniping about talking to hostile foreign leaders, but he didn't know when to stop and he also made it obvious in the process that his habitual lack of specificity got him into the hubbub in the first place.

More than anything else, this was the kind of thing that brought Dean down, and there are eerie parallels.

[laugle]

43. Your right on target!!! nt

[quinnox]

9. That is what happens when you call a popular Dem Bush-cheney

lite!

Keep calling Hillary names Obama, let's see how high your negatives can go!

[Nedsdag]

24. What name did he call her?

He didn't call her a "bitch" did he?

What did he call her?

[madison]

14. why the vitriol toward our own candidates?

This is supposed to be DEMOCRATIC Underground, not "Right-wing Underground."

So, why the vitriol toward our own candidates?

They are all light years better than any of the Republican candidates.

Can't we all just be FOR whomever we support, and not act like the other Democrats are the enemy?

It is the Republicans we have to fear, not one another.

Think of the U.S. Supreme Court. Can we afford to have another Republican president choosing the next Supreme Court justices?

No.

So, let's be reasonable.

Let's stop the vitriol.

[robcon]

16. I don't understand why we need to stop the vitriol

Obama said something extremely stupid, IMO, and needs to be called-out on it. The DU board is all about policy and politics, and his policy announcement was wrong, IMO.

This incident doesn't reduce the likelihood of a Democrat becoming the next president in the slightest.

[madison]

18. I wasn't talking about your post ...

I wasn't talking about your post; I was really reacting to this sort of post (and others I have seen frequently on DU):

"But it goes to show how hypocritical Clinton supporters are as well. I'm guessing the 30% of Dems who disapprove of him are supporters of her royal highness, Hillary Rodham Clinton."

Calling one of our top tier candidates "her royal highness" advances nothing.

And I do not accept that Hillary is running a "very negative campaign."

I also have to wonder about all this hostility toward "triangulating," which is just another way of describing "compromise."

Right now, Hillary's UN-favorables are going down as more and more people become acquainted with her and hear what she has to say and see that she handles herself well. They are surprised to find out she is a very hard-working person who tries, when possible, to work in a bi-partisan way with those of the other party. Like it or not, an American president will do best when he respects the right of the opposition party to hold differing views but will then try to work toward a middle ground where legislation can get enacted.

Now, I am not talking about the sort of compromise Joe Lieberman favors ( I despise the man); I am talking about the sort of compromise that has been the foundation of this nation. Our Constitution was created by compromise. Yes, there are certain fundamental issues we must never compromise on, but there are also issues that lend themselves to compromise when all parties work for the good of the country and not just for their own narrow partisan interests or personal greed.

Obama's favorables are about where Hillary's are but his UN-favorables are lower because the percentage of people who respond to polls by saying they don't know enough about him to have an opinion yet is still high. Almost no one answers that he or she doesn't know enough about Hillary to have an opinion. I am sure that as the media slicing and dicing machine works to destroy Obama, his UN-favorables will rise.

Face it, the media is pretty much a wholly-owned subsidiary of the super-wealthy corporate types who tend to be Republicans -- and their minions know what the boss wants: a Republican in the White House who does NOT believe in any media regulation.

I like all of the Democratic candidates (altho, not so much Gravel). I would prefer ANY of the Democratic candidates over ANY of the Republicans.

[dsa]

48. What are "UN-favorables"?

Undecideds? United Nations? Unruly Neptune? Uninformed Neophytes?

[Nedsdag]

25. The Supreme Court meme doesn't work.

Ask Presidents Gore and Kerry who used it.

Middle class voters don't care about who sits on the Supreme Court. If they did, they would've protested in droves over Roberts and Alito.

[PurityOfEssence]

36. Welcome to primary season: it's "Itchy and Scratchy" land

Hillary's itchy: itchin' to get back at every swipe Obama takes, the ingrate.

Barak's scratchy: "scratch that, what I REALLY meant to say was..."

The primary season is where we decide on a standard-bearer. Part of this is positive, and part of this is negative. It's sort of "half-full" or "totally-fucked", depending on how you look at it.

There are plenty of threads and posts where people ardently pass on positive information about policies advocated by the various politicians. There are plenty of posts and threads excoriating the reactionaries. If the infighting troubles one, one should not dwell on those threads or posts so much.

It's human nature, and we're seeing people take things very personally in many cases. Nothing ahistorical about that: the human being is a mixed bag, and far too many people have inflamed egos who need to win and be allied with winners at all costs in a sad attempt to dispel the gnawing fear of being a loser and insignificant. People also need to feed their victim complex and get revenge for the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to: life has cheated them and they're going to get even. Some just have a snide or mean streak. Some are just flippant dissembling would-be comedians who can't be serious even at gunpoint; they're the most despicable of all, but pardon my self-disgust...

It's better to claw at each other now than to be all huggy-kissy and be surprised by the subject matter or characterizations when we've already picked a nominee and it's too late.

Personally, I prefer a MUCH longer primary season so we can see who can take it, dish it out and find the best and most resonant issues and slogans. (Although unofficial, we're in the primary season NOW, whether anyone wants to admit it or not. There's not even going to be a full month from the first vote in Iowa until it's probably decided on February 5th.)

One learns a lot about others during times like these, and much of it isn't all that heart-warming.

Still, this is what's in store and you should do whatever it takes to feed your soul and not get too beaten up by it. As for stopping the vitriol, forget it; it's not going to happen.

[IndianaJones]

15. great news for Senator Clinton....

negatives will drop even further as we move along, as preconceived media driven myths are shattered and people get to know her.

[beastieboy]

19. Absolutely agree with that.

I am impressed with her more and more each time I see her speak or debate.

[ShortnFiery]

20. You are impressed while many of us just become more disgusted with HRC.

Her negatives will expand exponentially the more we get to know HRC's true corporate agendas." :evilgrin:

[Nedsdag]

27. Understandable, ShortnFiery,

However, to the Hillarybots, she can do no wrong. She'll part the Red Sea and walk on water.

:sarcasm:

[Alamom]

31. And sadly,

all the other "whateverbots" will be following far behind and drown. :eyes:

[Nedsdag]

32. I guess that means less people will vote for your

candidate.

Ouch!

[draft_mario_cuomo]

30. So why is your candidate receiving as much, if not more, corporate money than HRC? nt

[robcon]

44. She's my Senator, and she has no "corporate agendas."

She is one of the few politicians who is admired by the vast majority of her constituents.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

26. For the record, Edwards has a 54% favorable rating and only a 39% unfavorable rating from that firm

[PurityOfEssence]

33. But he's got an explanation for it

Scratch that; he's got a couple.

[maximusveritas]

40. As you say, this is way off from every other poll

This is just like his Bush approval ratings which no one takes seriously.
While Obama's negatives have inevitably risen, they're nowhere near where Rasmussen pegs them.

[robcon]

45. Rasmussen predicts 10 out of every 5 trends.

Not reliable.

[calteacherguy]

46. With that high an approval among Dems, she has it locked up.

As long as she stays standing and in good health.

[TeamJordan23]

47. Rasmussen also had HRC losing to Guilani and Thompson this week; Obama beating them. nm