AP; Dem Leaderership worried about the Hillary effect

[Perky]

Clinton a Drag? Dems Fear Her Negatives

By RON FOURNIER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Looking past the presidential nomination fight, Democratic leaders quietly fret that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at the top of their 2008 ticket could hurt candidates at the bottom.

They say the former first lady may be too polarizing for much of the country. She could jeopardize the party's standing with independent voters and give Republicans who otherwise might stay home on Election Day a reason to vote, they worry.

In more than 40 interviews, Democratic candidates, consultants and party chairs from every region pointed to internal polls that give Clinton strikingly high unfavorable ratings in places with key congressional and state races.

"I'm not sure it would be fatal in Indiana, but she would be a drag" on many candidates, said Democratic state Rep. Dave Crooks of Washington, Ind.

Unlike Crooks, most Democratic leaders agreed to talk frankly about Clinton's political coattails only if they remained anonymous, fearing reprisals from the New York senator's campaign. They all expressed admiration for Clinton, and some said they would publicly support her fierce fight for the nomination - despite privately held fears.

The chairman of a Midwest state party called Clinton a nightmare for congressional and state legislative candidates.

A Democratic congressman from the West, locked in a close re-election fight, said Clinton is the Democratic candidate most likely to cost him his seat.

A strategist with close ties to leaders in Congress said Democratic Senate candidates in competitive races would be strongly urged to distance themselves from Clinton.

"The argument with Hillary right now in some of these red states is she's so damn unpopular," said Andy Arnold, chairman of the Greenville, S.C., Democratic Party. "I think Hillary is someone who could drive folks on the other side out to vote who otherwise wouldn't."

"Republicans are upset with their candidates," Arnold added, "but she will make up for that by essentially scaring folks to the polls."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLINTON_SCARED_DEMOCRATS?SITE=CATOR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-08-12-13-32-31

[Perry Logan]

1. These analyses seem to assume voters will utterly forget the Bush Administration.

That's just too weird.

[Perky]

3. But Bush is not running.

The fear is that the election might just as much be about Hillary as it is about the War

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. Unless Obama And Edwards Knock Her Off Her Perch She's Going To Be Our Candidate...

Yeah, I'll eat my monitor if our candidate isn't one of those three...