Oh-eight (D): Obama’s natl lead
Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 9:15 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Democrats
The New York Times/CBS poll, which shows Obama leading Clinton nationally, 54%-38%: “Mr. Obama has made substantial gains across most major demographic groups in the Democratic Party, including men and women, liberals and moderates, higher and lower income voters, and those with and without college degrees.” He is also seen as the Democrat most likely to beat McCain in the fall. “But there are signs of vulnerability for Mr. Obama… While he has a strong edge among Democratic voters on his ability to unite and inspire the country, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York is still viewed by more Democrats as prepared for the job of president. And while he has made progress among women, he still faces a striking gender gap.”
USA Today/Gallup has Obama leading Clinton, 51%-39%. “It is the first time Obama has topped 50% and the first time he has led Clinton outside the survey's margin of error. However, the 12-point lead is at odds with a separate Gallup tracking poll, taken Friday through Sunday, that gave Obama a 47%-45% edge.” More: “In a general-election matchup among registered voters, Obama leads McCain by 4 percentage points, 49%-45%; McCain leads Clinton 49%-47%.”
And AP/Ipsos has it Obama 46%, Clinton 43%.
CLINTON: “Warning of the foreign policy challenges facing the next president, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday that it is not a time to pick someone who would need ‘a foreign policy instruction manual’ and likened Sen. Barack Obama, her rival for the Democratic nomination, to President Bush,” the Washington Post reports. “‘We've seen the tragic result of having a president who had neither the experience nor the wisdom to manage our foreign policy and safeguard our national security,’ Clinton told students at George Washington University. ‘We cannot let that happen again. America has already taken that chance one time too many.’”
"Clinton, entering perhaps the most crucial week of her political career, warned American voters yesterday to be wary of a Barack Obama presidency, asserting that the grave challenges posed by an unpredictable world demand a more experienced leader."
Ellen DeGeneres showed up at a Clinton event in DC. She "turned serious, asking Clinton how she could change the momentum in her campaign after 11 straight losses to Democratic rival Barack Obama. 'We're going to win Ohio and Michigan,' Clinton said, then acknowledged she misspoke. 'We're going to win Ohio and Texas! I already won Michigan.'"
OBAMA: SEIU is spending at least $1.4 million on Obama’s behalf in Ohio and Texas, the New York Times writes. “The Clinton campaign accused Mr. Obama of hypocrisy, saying he had criticized Mr. Edwards in Iowa for receiving similar support. Mr. Obama called that support ‘underhanded’ and deserving of ‘further scrutiny.’” More: “In a statement, the Obama campaign said, ‘Senator Obama has long said that he would prefer those who want to support him to do it directly through the campaign.’ It did not say whether it would ask the union to halt its effort.”
Politico does a smart piece about the surprising limited access the Obama folks give to the press. Does that become a problem for Obama in a general election against McCain?
If Obama closes the deal on March 4, will there be extra media eyes on the Rezko trial? The timing couldn't be worse should Obama end up the presumptive nominee on March 5.
The AP looks at Obama's work on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
She might be the cover girl of the most recent Newsweek, but Michelle Obama says that doesn't change who she is, NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann notes. "There was nothing miraculous about my upbringing," she told a crowded auditorium of students at the University of Houston last night. "I say that everywhere I go. I don't care how many magazines I'm on the cover of, I am this 'lil black girl from the South Side of Chicago."
