Obama strong in new poll, IL Sen. would beat McCain and Gooliani

[Eurobabe]

Two weeks after speaking to a sell-out Manchester crowd of more than 1,600, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is reaping the benefits of his visit. If the Democratic primary were held today, Obama would be in a statistical dead heat with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, according to a new Monitor poll. Last month, a Monitor poll showed Clinton trouncing her opponents, with Obama lagging 23 points behind.

"I'm not surprised, because Barack Obama got five days of constant media attention in New Hampshire," said Jim Demers, a lobbyist and former Democratic lawmaker who accompanied Obama throughout the senator's New Hampshire visit. "Obama has demonstrated to the people of New Hampshire that he's a top-tier candidate."

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061224&Category=REPOSITORY&ArtNo=612240366&SectionCat=&Template=printart

[StClone]

1. McCain also struggles

Down in the article:

In addition to the challenge from Giuliani, McCain also struggles with his stance on the war. While most prominent lawmakers are focused on withdrawing from Iraq, McCain has called for an increase of troops to quash the insurgency.

Giuliani's appeal is a mile wide and an inch deep. The further we get from 9/11 the less this one-trick pony has. He'll split the Republicans Conservative vs. with his stances and the Rs are in a lose/lose situation with either these dogs.

About January '08 Obama will be the media punching bag.

[Parisle]

2. Oh yeah? How?

----Obama is not "yet" presidential material,... Why wouldn't you prefer someone with experience and demonstrated ability,.... instead of charisma?

[Eurobabe]

3. Who says I prefer him, I just posted an article

I don't know who I PREFER right now.

[Hippo_Tron]

17. Experience and demonstrated ability are two entirely different things

Obama has very little experience in major office. But there are other ways to demonstrate ability than being in the United States Senate for 10 years. We'll see if Obama demonstrates ability on the national stage.

Frankly I think that people should be able to have a serious chance running for President without having held prior elected office, but since they can't (unless they are a General) I have no problem with someone who uses the US Senate as a stepping stone to the office that he really wants. If Illinois voters have a problem with it, then they can vote him out in the next election should he not win, but I doubt that they would considering his 70% approval rating.

[caledesi]

22. Read his books. He has experience on the ground, in the city

working with "real" people.

[snowbear]

24. Parisle....

So does that mean you think RACIST old-as-dirt McCain "IS" worthy of being the president???

[MethuenProgressive]

4. He's a media darling - that real people like. That's good!

What he is right now is a fine example of what the Republican Party is *not*.

[Kahuna]

6. And I would rather Obama the media darling than McCain...

All the Obama haters should consider this.

[Clark2008]

9. I'll tell you something - I'm a real person, but if the media keeps

foisting this man in my face, it's going to turn me off of him completely.

I used to work in the media for 12 years and have sat on both sides of the media fence. I've come, six years after leaving the profession, to the point where I honestly believe that if the media says I should like someone, I turn 180 degrees and end up disliking them. Afterall, in my estimation, if the corporately-controlled media likes someone, that must mean, by process of elimination, that they probably aren't the very best choice for the working stiff.

Make sense?

[fujiyama]

16. You sound EXTREMELY bitter

over everyone that isn't Clark in this election cycle.

It may be a good idea to realize that your candidate very possibly won't be the nominee. And I know you've claimed you won't vote for Edwards...but frankly if that's your position, that's really whiny. I'm pretty sure Clark will do his best to get a Dem elected president next time as well.

Frankly, I agree with the other poster that it's good news a democrat for once is receiving very positive coverage and it's also great to see McCain losing steam in the polls.

Sure they may not mean a whole lot this far ahead, but if so why don't you just ignore it then?

And your paranoia that "because the media supports him, he's bad" has no basis in truth. The media at this point is simply pushing a young, attractive, and very charismatic candidate, who has a possible chance at making history. Does this mean the good coverage will last long? Likely not. The media will ultimately go back to kissing McCain's ass in time.

[Clark2008]

19. And you sound EXTREMELY judgmental.

Actually, I like Gore. I like Feingold. I like Kucinich.

I don't like Edwards. Big deal. One guy. It's not whiny not to like ONE GUY because you think he's incompetent. Geesch.

I'm not paranoid, btw. I happen to KNOW the media - or did you not read that part?

You sound like you need to go out and campaign for the person of your choice rather than rag on me because I happen not to like the media choosing my candidates for me.

P.S. I'm not alone, by any means, in feeling put-upon by the media. Many people are tired of the media's drivel in deciding our elections.

[JDPriestly]

5. Obama misses the mark on world trade.

Globalization is not someone's political agenda. It is a technological revolution that is fundamentally changing the world's economy, producing winners and losers along the way. The question is not whether we can stop it, but how we respond to it. It's not whether we should protect our workers from competition, but what we can do to fully enable them to compete against workers all over the world.

So far, America has not effectively answered these questions and American workers are suffering as a result. I meet these workers all across Illinois, workers whose jobs moved to Mexico or China and are now competing with their own children for jobs that pay 7 bucks an hour. In town meetings and union halls, I've tried to tell these workers the truth--that these jobs aren't coming back, that globalization is here to stay and that they will have to train more and learn more to get the new jobs of tomorrow.

. . .
If we are to promote free and fair trade--and we should--then we must make a national commitment to prepare every child in America with the education they need to compete in the new economy; to provide retraining and wage insurance so even if you lose your job you can train for another; to make sure worker retraining helps people without getting them caught in bureaucracy; that it helps service workers as well as manufacturing workers and encourages people to re-enter the workforce as soon as possible.

We also need to figure out a way to tell workers that no matter where you work or how many times you switch jobs, you can take your health care and pension with you always, so you have the flexibility to move to a better job or start a new business.

http://obama.senate.gov/news/050630-why_i_oppose_cafta/index.html

As if more education is going to make millions of Americans competitive with the millions in India with great math and computer skills who can live on $8.00 per hour and don't have to pay off huge student loans for the privilege of becoming "competitive." Obama, like other "centrists" who pride themselves on being realistic on trade issues, is unwilling to face the bleak economic reality that Americans will experience as our nation becomes less and less self-reliant, our currency less and less in demand and therefore less and less valuable and the stuff we import that seems so cheap now becomes more and more expensive. If I had small children, I would teach them to make and do things like gardening and cooking without a lot of technology along with all the computer stuff. The old liberal values of self-reliance and creativity in a community in which people work together as individuals for the common good in addition to the new values of technology are what will equip our children and grandchildren to survive.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Globalization is a capitalist sham to oppress the workers of the world

and to steal their natural resources. The people in Latin America in particular have voted out political candidates that advocated American "freedom and democracy," aka the freedom of capital to move across national borders unencumbered, and the political power of the holders of capital.

[Hippo_Tron]

18. "Free Trade" is a sham, but global trade in itself is not

It benefits everyone if done properly. The fact that we aren't attaching conditions to our trade agreements that force the third world to enforce living wage laws, workplace safety laws, child labor laws, etc. and allow unions is what the real problem is.

Then again, we've been working to dismantle all of that in our own country for the past 26 years.

[Clarkie1]

8. Good. More evidence Hillary WILL be defeated, one way or another.

It is critical to the future of the Democratic Party that she not receive the nomination.

[Ninja Jordan]

11. You're right.

Hillary will be smoked in a natl election and get the GOP elecgted back in Congress.

[KingFlorez]

12. That's not even remotely true

That's what Republicans think would happen, but it won't. Against McCain or Guiliani, she would steam roll them easily, because the Republican base wouldn't turn out for them.

[Ninja Jordan]

13. It isn't? The last time Hillary was front and center on policy (1994), GOP was elected en masse.

[KingFlorez]

14. It wasn't about her

Congress had low approval, which set in motion an anti-incumbent move. Hillary didn't cause that.

[Ninja Jordan]

15. I disagree.

Hillary's assinine role re: universal healthcare was used as a campaigning tool for the right-wing in 1994. The general public, for whatever debateable reason, cannot seem to digest her.

[caledesi]

23. In your dreams. The people spoke in the last election and they

will speak louder in the next. Take it to the bank.

[Ninja Jordan]

10. ~A Vote for John McCain is a Vote for Stay the Course~

America thursts for a new direction. John McCain is boring, old news.

[sarcasmo]

20. Kick, for my vote in 08.

[SaveElmer]

21. This is a New Hampshire only poll...

Not nationwide