and an equal number say Hillary Clinton should drop out, according to the latest Rasmussen poll of Democrats. But the same poll says a
solid majority of Democrats, 62%, aren’t ready for either candidate to leave the race.
Why is this worth noting? Because in the world of DKos, dissenting views--mainly those expressing support for Sen Clinton--are often met with derision by all-knowing Kossacks citing the "will of the people." In the larger world, and probably among superdelegates, it doesn't seem that the "will of the people" is so easily discerned. Sen Clinton is more popular than the 11% polling support she typically gets on DKos might lead one to believe.
Just to be clear, I will happily vote for either Democratic candidate in November because their policy differences are not that great. I believe sniping between Clinton and Obama is not going to tear the Democratic party apart, but progressive activists (such as certain well-known bloggers and their constituents) battling old-school Democrats (such as those who rose to power with the Clintons and their supporters) for identity of the party just might. Both groups have heavily invested resources and reputations in the candidates, and for both it seems like a zero-sum game.
This was supposed to be the year the GOP imploded, with religious zealots sitting out because they think they have a heretic RINO representing their party.
While Obama's most vociferous supporters are calling Clinton a liar and saying she's no different than McCain, Judicial Watch and their allies have already begun the Clintonization of Barrack Obama:
"The more we learn about the Illinois Senator, the more obvious it becomes that he is anything but the ethically upright outsider he purports to be," said Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch.
They have also begun the Hillarization of Michelle Obama (offensive material I will not link to).
I hoped the title of this diary would bring some of the most vociferous Obama supporters, seeking to troll rate me. That is my target audience, and I hope we can find a way to target the most vociferous Clinton supporters for the same message.
I leave you with one last disturbing trend from Gallup
Gallup surveyed "6,657 national Democratic voters, aged 18 and older," from March 7-22. Of that group:
• 28% of those who support Sen. Clinton said they would vote for Republican Sen. McCain in the general election if Sen. Obama ends up being the Democratic presidential nominee.
• 19% of those who support Obama said they would vote for McCain in the general election if Clinton ends up being the Democratic nominee.
Gallup says the results each have a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.
There's no excuse for that, in my opinion. Although in this silly season, there are progressives who will fall back to that tried and true chestnut that Republicans got so much mileage out of: "It's Clinton's fault!"