|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
The Specter of McCain Democrats
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Race
|
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Edited | RP Mar 10, 2008 11:33pm |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | Analysis |
| News Date | Tuesday, March 11, 2008 05:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | A significant slice of Hillary Clinton's supporters -- that is, moderate Democrats -- might prefer McCain over Obama, or so I speculated a few weeks back. It was a hunch based on conversations and some suggestive but hardly definitive poll numbers.
Critics of this view waved numbers showing more support for Obama than for Clinton among independents. And other polls have Obama and Clinton beating McCain in a close general election -- but Obama enjoying a slightly higher margin. What gives?
The seemingly contradictory smoke signals come from mixing up "moderate" with "independent." Moderates within the Democratic Party tend to be deficit hawks, but on social issues can range from quite progressive to somewhat conservative. They sometimes vote Republican, but when they do, it's with a heavy heart.
Independents are another matter. Both parties aggravate them. They love to send messages to various establishments and treasure candidates who say things no one else will. We all know independents who voted for both Ross Perot and Ralph Nader -- and their very different brands of politics -- because they broke the mold. |
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
