The number two is not one we aspire to unless we're playing soccer, ice hockey or a low scoring baseball game. But as a measure of political prowess, particularly in poll results, two is just one digit away from zero.
I wouldn't want to try and make a living as a politician polling at two percent whether I was a democrat in a five-way presidential primary race or a republican trying to break through in a crowd.
Two is just not a good number and that's where we find Jim Webb, the latest addition to the democratic field. Obviously he can't stay there.
We're all pretty much agreed that a two percent polling number is not where former Virginia senator needs to be in this stage of his quest for the democratic nomination.
We could speculate that it is early, too early to be concerned, but with better numbers comes more money and without it there is not much of a path to the nomination.
I created a semi-firestorm on the Daily Kos the other day when I suggested I would probably vote for Bernie Sanders although I wasn't confident he could win.
My vote in the primary would likely go to Sanders because his issues are my issues. Getting big money out of politics and putting a dent in income inequality are worthy goals and they, in my opinion, are the reasons Bernie is polling around 15 percent.
The reason Sanders is not polling higher is because most potential voters don't believe those goals can be attained.
It would take a constitutional amendment (or a new Supreme Court judge) to rid the nation of Citizens United and the last time we got one took almost 203 years. I can't imagine there are many CEOs out there in corporate land who would be willing to take a pay cut in order for their workers to have a better future. It just doesn't work that way.
A new democratic president might lead congress to an increase in the minimum wage but in the entire scope of income inequality that's chump change. The last numbers I saw had CEO's making 275 times their workers. It will take a hell of a minimum wage increase to make a significant difference although we would gladly support anything we can get.
I'm looking for a reason cast a vote for Webb in the primary and I could use the same reasoning I use for Sanders, i.e. I share his issues. But I have more confidence with Sanders polling 15 percent that my vote with count than I do with Webb polling at two percent.
So how does Webb get off two percent and onto something we can vote for?
He could say something stupid like he supports a 50 percent increase in social security checks and a porterhouse steak on every grill.
Now that would get the shuffleboard crowd jitterbugging and answering their phones when a polling organization calls. But it wouldn't give me that warm and fuzzy feeling because, just like you, I know it's not going to happen.
But what could make a dramatic difference is for Webb to campaign on what he really, really knows. That would be the U.S. military, foreign policy and the terrorist threat at home.
I could rattle off all of Webb's military accomplishments and tell you that he championed veteran priorities when he was in the senate, but you already know all about it. Of all the candidates who have announced, will announce, may announce and are thinking about announcing nobody knows what war is like Jim Webb does.
Although the democrats don't seem as interested as the republicans on these important policy matters, we get real interested when there is talk of sending 10,000 troops to Iraq when we know that's only the beginning.
Webb says 'we need a clearly articulated doctrine for the Mideast'.
Well, give us one Jim and see if we like it.
Then watch those poll numbers move up.