Breaking Poll News: Dems OK with candidates; GOP, uh, no

Yeh, yeh, so the new Times poll out this minute shows Hillary Clinton surging ahead nationally and John McCain creeping into a Republican lead.

But inside those numbers, how do members of the two parties really feel about their candidate choices as Super Tuesday (Feb. 5) rapidly approaches?

The numbers from the new poll, conducted Friday through Tuesday among 1,312 registered voters, show the Democrats are pretty darned happy with their narrowing field of candidates, which includes John Edwards, but is mainly Clinton and Barack Obama.

Fully 76% of Democratic voters were satisfied with their....

candidates -- 44% very satisfied and 31% somewhat satisfied. And only 11% were dissatisfied -- 4% very dissatisfied and 7% somewhat.

On the other hand, among Republicans, who still have more candidates to choose from, only 53% are satisfied with their field of choices -- 21% very satisfied and 32% somewhat.

On the other hand of the Republicans' other hand, 11% are very dissatisfied with their candidates and 13% are somewhat dissatisfied.

This party disparity has also been reflected in some turnout figures so far this primary season with twice the number of Democratic caucus-goers showing up in Iowa and Nevada as Republicans, figures indicating political enthusiasm this year that one former aide to President Bush calls "ugly."

--Andrew Malcolm 

Comments

[Karl in Burbank]

It amazes me that with tens of millions of Republicans out there, the GOP can't come up with a Conservative to run for President.

[Edgar]

I am happy with Barack (and I could live with Edwards).

Despite having volunteered for Bill in 1992 and 1996, and being to this point a Yellow Dog Democrat, I will not be voting for Hillary (if she is, in fact, the Democratic nominee in November).

What the Clintons are doing is reprehensible. I will not be a party to it.

So, I am not perfectly happy with the field of Democrats.

[janet]

The Dems are pretty close to each other in their views, and to the general Dem voter. The Republicans are more varied, on everything from how tough to get on illegal immigration (McCain the least tough, Romney the most), social issues (Rudy and McCain more liberal than Huck and Romney), Iraq (McCain among the toughest). They're more all over the place, and no one person embodies the toughest stance across the board. As an indiependent, I too wish I could pick and choose among the Dems on some social issues, and they scare the pants off me when it comes to their grandiose social plans, domestic and international, that would further bankrupt up; they trip over each other pandering to illegals, vying for the Hispanic vote; their single payer healthcare plans ruinous, as in every other developed country it's been implemented in -- except a few of the most homogenous, wealthy, high tax countries; and their emphasis on economic stimulus is to give money to the poorest in the form of more welfare, food stamps -- including to illegals, while Bush at least is refunding money to all taxpayers. Too bad the Republicans are anti-abortion wingnuts or I might have vote for one of them. McCain maybe -- if he stops threatening to waste billions more on Iraq instead of domestic needs.

[john from ojai]

You did it again. You failed to mention that Dennis Kucinich is a candidate. The media is afraid to allow his ideas to be heard. That is why he isn't allowed in debates and news articles. He tells the truth that most people don't know. Like the major media conglomerates include military and nuclear energy companies in their ownership mix. That there is a serious conflict of interest when a media company shapes the news so their bottom line in military/nuclear is enhanced. That there are only 6 major groups controlling what every American hears/believes. That Kucinich won the 2nd debate based on viewers polls and the info was removed so citizens wouldn't see it. He was also cropped out of an ABC published group photo of candidates. The fact that he's won every major internet poll is something you won't see in the corporate media.This corporate controlled democracy is not what the founders envisioned.

[CONVERSE]

TOTT: "the new Times poll out this minute shows Hillary Clinton surging ahead nationally "

LAT: "Clinton was preferred by 42% of the likely Democratic voters polled, Obama by 33% -- a significant increase for him since a similar poll in early December, when he was the choice of 21%. Clinton's support remained virtually unchanged over that period."

HUNH???