Here's what DEMOCRATS actually think of "Billary"

[ruggerson]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/fewer-want-bill-clinton-back-in-the-white-house/


"Democrats seem to be generally comfortable with bringing Mr. Clinton back. In October, only 10 percent disliked the idea of him back in the White House, and even after his bad week only 12 percent object now. In October 68 percent of Democrats said they actually liked the idea and that number has not changed. So he may still be an asset to his wife, at least in the upcoming Democratic primaries."

[ErnestoG]

1. News for you - Clinton cannot be president again. It's in the constitution.

[NightWatcher]

2. is that why when he speaks out, her numbers fall?

[mwb970]

3. Speaking out might be OK.

But Bill went through a stretch of speaking outrageously!

[jefferson_dem]

4. Classic cherry-picking -- The article is titled "Fewer Want Bill Clinton Back in the White House"

Fewer Want Bill Clinton Back in the White House
By Katharine Q. Seelye

The negative coverage of Bill Clinton over the past couple of weeks seems to have hurt his standing with the public. A new survey finds that fewer voters these days like the idea of the former president being back in the White House.

Forty one percent of registered voters told the latest Pew Research Center survey that they disliked the idea of Mr. Clinton back at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, which could happen if his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, is elected president. In October, 34 percent of voters disliked the idea.

The latest survey was conducted between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2, after a couple of weeks of heightened media attention to Mr. Clinton’s increasingly dominant and visible role in his wife’s campaign. Pew surveyed 1,502 adults and the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The poll found that independent voters have become more uncomfortable with the idea. In October, just 35 percent of independents disliked the idea; now, 45 percent dislike it.

...

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/fewer-want-bill-clinton-back-in-the-white-house/

[ruggerson]

6. I realize that, this stemmed from THIS OP

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4375116#4375366

It all depends on how a journalist wants to spin it, eh JD?

and btw, TPM covers the exact same poll and headlines it thusly:


Memo To Pundits: New Poll Finds That Number Of Dems Who Like Idea Of Bill Back In White House Hasn't Budged

Hmmm. It'll be interesting indeed to see if these new poll numbers get any play from all the pundits who said that Bill recent escapades have created a liability for Hillary against Obama.

A new Pew poll was relesed today, and it's the first survey I've seen that deals with these questions since the racial dust-ups prompted pundits and commentators to assert that -- finally, definitely, really this time, no really -- Bill is dragging Hillary's candidacy down.


The poll asked respondents whether they "like or dislike the idea of Bill Clinton back in the White House." Guess what percentage of Dems said they "like" this idea?

Sixty eight percent -- exactly the same percentage that answered this way back in October of 2007. The number of Dems who said they "dislike" this idea is now at 12% -- a statistically insignificant two points higher than October 2007. The poll also finds that Bill's "favorability rating also has not slipped from where it stood in late December."


Even more interesting, despite the roar of commentary denouncing Bill for playing the race card, the poll also finds that Bill's favorability rating among blacks has remained stable at 79%.


Now, because this blog strives to be as fair-minded as possible, it also bears noting that the percentage of voters in general who dislike the idea of Bill returning -- as opposed to just Dems -- has in fact gone up by a single digit margin. More independents say they're uncomfortable with this prospect, the poll says. So one could point to these numbers and say that perhaps Bill's antics could damage Hillary in a general election. This could be problematic.


But as for whether Bill is hurting Hillary against Obama, as multiple pundits have been asserting, there's simply no evidence yet that this is happening. Is it possible that this is what's going on? Anything's possible. But Bill's numbers remain stable among Dems, which seems like a decent enough indicator, to say the least.


Sorry.

[Zueda]

10. My OP was to point out the reason why hillary supporters DON'T

like the word 'billary'. It's not good that Indies and disenchanted Republicans are nervous about bill in the White House. I do not want 4-8 years of McCain.

[ruggerson]

11. None of us want 4-8 years of McCain

using rightwing language and adopting republican arguments against one of our Democrats does not help with that goal.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. Except the same 10 or so DU obamanuts.

[ruggerson]

8. They swarm but they don't bite

I just get a kick out of unspinning them.

[scheming daemons]

7. October was before Bill Clinton morphed into Lee Atwater....

....his behavior in SC has tarnished his image forever with many Democrats.

[ruggerson]

9. um, this is a new poll which compares new numbers to october numbers

so empirically your obversation is incorrect