Newsweek: Obama Loses Ground, Leads By 7
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, Hillary, McCain, PollsIt’s official. Pennsylvania has put a lot of doubts in people’s minds.
Last week, Newsweek had the race at Obama/Clinton - 54/35, a 19 point spread. Now it’s 48/41.
And since we’re increasingly only interested in personal perceptions in this campaign, here are some numbers about how the candidates are perceived.
A third (31 percent) of working-class whites agreed with the statement that Obama “looks down on people like you.” The other two candidates scored no differently—33 percent felt that statement applied to Clinton, 31 percent McCain.But asked bluntly whether they felt Obama was “elitist” or “down-to-earth,” 25 percent said elitist, 53 percent went with the latter. Working class and poor whites are also less inclined to view Obama as the candidate who would “fit in well with people in your local community.” Only 45 percent agreed that this fit Obama, compared to 56 percent for McCain and 53 percent Clinton.
Still, they viewed Obama as the candidate least likely to favor the interests of the rich if elected (10 percent, compared to McCain’s 45 percent and Clinton’s 29 percent).
I know the pundits are openly questioning whether or not working class Dems will abandon Obama in the general election, but does anybody really believe that? With the economy going into the crapper, does anybody really think that a whole voting bloc is going to let race and supposed elitism override their economic interests? I’m sorry folks, but that’s not America, and although the pundits are pushing that meme, it’s just nonsense designed to make the campaign seem more interesting.
Also, I’d like to note that with all this talk about race, there’s strangely very little talk about gender and how loyal women are being to Hillary. In Pennsylvania, women made up 58% of the voting bloc, 16% more than men. And in a contest where over 2 million people voted, the 200,000 gap that Clinton won by was made up by women voters.
It’ll be interesting to see how this momentum effects Indiana and North Carolina.
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 26th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, Hillary, McCain, Polls. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 26th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
daily kos has an excellent indepth look at the working class whites that the pundits are discussing and trying to move their latest stoyline about.
What they, in their empty headed way, never bother to look at is where Obama is having trouble and why.
He has won alot of very white states with some very independent and tough people like in the west. And the midwest farmers.
But, the blog kos has a look at the appalachian belt. Democrats are older and in another era senses. They are wary of Obama because of what happened to the region going super fringe gop since. The racial thing of the 60s really hurt there and now they are afraid obama could set the democrats back in that region.
He is not having problems with old farmers in the midwest, not much in the south and seems to be very popular in red states in the west where republicans appreciate him.
It’s that belt of the mountains and the history and old racism. But, the younger generation there doesn’t know that time and sees skin color differently.
However, Clinton’s problems with african americans is nationwide.
But, the press, that use to like Obama having a brain and some cool and jazz now see it as bad. They have decided it is wrong to be smart and be cool. It is elitist and no working democrat will vote for him. Only latte elitists (though not too many of those in Iowa or the Dakotas or even in Illinois).
So 90s.
April 26th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I think in the end the working class will vote Democratic. They’d be insane to vote for the continuation of the policies that are bankrupting this country.
April 27th, 2008 at 12:50 am
It’s too bad that you don’t see what will happen. This election and the last one were handed to the Democrats, yet they always seem to find a way to screw it up. I’m sorry, but that is America. We have shown that over and over. Uneducated and voting based on perceptions and not facts. I’m looking to move overseas myself. That is how much I don’t like what has been happening, and what I am sure will happen in this election. Unless of course we get to convention with no majority, the delegates get freed to vote their conscience, and suddenly we have Edwards, if not Kucinich running. That would renew my faith at least.
Other than that, please travel around this country before supposing you know what the U.S. is about. It’s a scary, dark, superstitious land.
April 27th, 2008 at 2:25 am
True. America is a scary, dark, superstitious land. Irrational and anti-intellectual. At least, enough Americans fit that bill. Very sad. The MSM long ago lost their integrity, their noble purpose and now just spin whatever the corporate overlords dictate. Sigh. I’d move to Canada if I weren’t so poor and in debt. Basically I now live in a feudal land where I’m indebted for life to the great financial institutions. Blah blah blah. Nothing to be done. It’s all hopeless really. This November election will be just like the last four years ago. The day after the election will find a lot of really quiet Democrats and Progressives in utter disbelief that it’s happened again.
April 27th, 2008 at 9:59 am
revolutions aren’t cakewalks. this is a political revolution similar to roosevelt’s, kennedy’s, and reagan’s. if working-class democrats were as redneck as they’ve been portrayed (and as they’ve voted) then they’d be republicans. they’re democrats for a reason, (who knows what it is?) and they’ll be democrats in the fall. the real question, which party will pick up the new generation of voters? the party of grandpa mccain? the party of grandma hillary? or the party of the pied piper of cabrini green?
April 30th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Where’s all the rest of the comments????