How would Hillary make up her deficit against McPain in purple and some blue states?

[thesubstanceofdreams]

Poll after poll, across the country and from every polling outfit, show that AT THIS POINT IN TIME Obama is leading McPain in most swing states (and comfortably in blue states), while Hillary trails in almost all swing states and is even tied or slightly behind even in blue states like WA or OR.

Hillary supporters like to point out that Obama leading McPain is meaningless because the repug smear machine hasn't started its work yet. They have a point, although I believe that the big leads Obama has in most states may very well withstand repug attempts at "defining" him.

My question to Clinton supporters, however, is how is SHE going to be able to lift herself out of these deficits, and how is she going to be able to compete successfully at the national level if she has to defend Democratic strongholds like Washington State, and is trailing by big points in crucial states which Kerry won, like Wisconsin.

Do you think the repug smear machine will give Hillary a pass? Yes, she is better known so she's harder to "define" in a more negative light, but her problem is that not only she has to avoid losing ground, but she has a lot of ground to gain. McPain is as "vetted" as she is.

Hillary has not been able to sustain a lead in the much friendlier Democratic primary. In the hostile environment of the GE, if she happens to be the nominee, she's actually starting behind her competitor. She has not ever been in this situation in her political life.

So, how is Hillary planning to overcome her poor current polling numbers for the GE? There is a long way until November, so anything could happen, but with with two candidates as well-known as McPain and her, she would need something special. What is it? What is her strategy? Does she (or her campaign, or her supporters) at least acknowledge that she would start as the underdog? How will she gain the crucial independents and moderate repugs and democrats back from McPain?

[tyne]

1. The more people

know and see Hillary, the more they like her.

Oh. Nevermind.

[Quixote1818]

2. It's not worth taking the chance. nt

[MNDemNY]

3. One word...Cleavage.

[JorgeTheGood]

4. One word

women

[thesubstanceofdreams]

7. The polls which show her behind now include women

What is her plan to get a larger share of the women vote than she is getting now?

[JorgeTheGood]

13. Can't be much of a poll

if it says Hillary is behind with the women

Don't suppose you could provide a link to those polls

[thesubstanceofdreams]

16. Polls show her AHEAD with women

but trailing badly with men, so that she is trailing overall.
So she needs to either increase her lead among women or curtail her deficit among men. What is her plan to achieve either of these? Thanks in advance.

[JorgeTheGood]

20. In a nutshell ...

For me it all boils down to Califonia ... Hillary can take CA which means she at least has a chance to win.

Obama will have real difficulties winning CA which means he probably has little to no chance to win.

Presumption: a dem needs to win CA to take the white house.

[Recursion]

21. Hold on, are you honestly saying McCain would beat Obama in California?

Can I have some of whatever you're smoking?

[JorgeTheGood]

24. that's precisely what I'm saying

what is your argument that Obama can take CA?

[Recursion]

25. The fact that CA has gone blue for 20 years now and shows no revolt against our party

Do you see any particular appeal McCain would have in CA? I wasn't even aware this was considered a contested state.

[thesubstanceofdreams]

23. In a nutshell

Obama is AHEAD in all states that Kerry carried in 2004. Hillary IS NOT (tied in WA, trailing by 2 in OR, trailing by 5 in MN, trailing by 7 in Wisconsin).

[George_Bonanza]

5. She could always manipulate the EC so that states that don't matter get fewer electoral votes

[DJ13]

6. By running the dirtiest, meanest, most divisive campaign they can muster

Are we sure this is what we want in another President?

[skipos]

8. Haven't you heard? Hillary Inc only cares about the Dukakis states

I am sure that will play out really well in November.

[thesubstanceofdreams]

9. So far, not a single honest, serious reply from a Hillary supporter

I'm really curious about this. I get that many Hillary supporters believe that Obama leading McPain in the polls means nothing and he will be obliterated in the GE. But what does it then say about Hillary, who is trailing by 7-10 points in Wisconsin and Colorado, and tied or slightly behind in PA, OR, WA, OH, etc? What is her plan to defeat McPain?

[JorgeTheGood]

14. It really isn't all that difficult ...

you're reading polls of a 3-way race ...

[thesubstanceofdreams]

15. ok, so poll after poll after poll

indicate Hillary is tied or behind in ALL swing states and even some blue ones, that she has very high negatives (often higher than positives), and that she loses the independent vote to McPain by a lopsided margin, but the best Clinton supporters can do is just dismiss polls altogether.

[thesubstanceofdreams]

10. Kick. Still waiting for a honest answer. n/t

[TwilightGardener]

11. You'll be kicking for a while. I asked a similar question about how

she would attract Indies in the general election, and the only straight answer I got from a Hillary supporter was: She didn't need anyone but the base of the Dem party to win, because McCain is a weak candidate and no one will like him in November. There is a serious lack of critical thought, and a boatload of faith and denial, among Clinton supporters. They have such (unfounded) faith in Hillary as a candidate, they believe everything will go against the current troubling trends and towards her favor come the fall.

[Recursion]

12. I'm not a Clinton supporter, but the argument seems to be...

...something like one of these:

A) The polls are wrong and/or being manipulated; Republicans claim to like Obama simply because they know they can beat him and not Clinton

B) She will win all the states Kerry won, plus Arkansas (this, IMO, is their best claim, though I doubt she would do as well as Kerry did)

C) Clinton will catch fire during the national campaign, whereas Obama will implode (this one amuses me, since the only data we have, from the primary campaigns, suggest the opposite)

So, the best argument IMO is B, that Clinton is "Kerry plus Arkansas", and might have a running mate who can pick off one purple state.

[thesubstanceofdreams]

17. Thanks for a thoughtful answer

Most Clinton supporters seem to go with A) - just dismiss polls altogether. Personally I believe being blindly to reality is hugely dangerous. Note that I'm not saying that she would lose against McPain. I'm just acknowledging that RIGHT NOW she's behind, and asking what is her plan to reverse the situation.

Which leads us to B). I believe Kerry states+Arkansas is still short of the electoral votes needed to win. And I wonder how could she keep all Kerry states if she's polling behind McPain in places like Oregon (although within MoE).

[4themind]

18. How is Ohio looking relatively -nt?

[thesubstanceofdreams]

19. Rasmussen has them both trailing McPain but within MoE n/t

I personally think OH would be the state that Clinton could most easily take away from repugs. My fear is that she would lose several states that Kerry won, so that taking OH would be far from enough.

[thesubstanceofdreams]

22. Ok, I get it now: she has no plan whatsoever

Other than dismissing polls altogether, Hillary supporters have no idea how she plans to make up ground against McCain.

They're happy repeating how Obama will be destroyed by the repuglican smear machine, but have no clue of what her candidate plans to do to win, and even refuse to acknowledge that AS OF NOW she is trailing the repuglican candidate.

[thesubstanceofdreams]

26. Another kick

Still waiting for ONE serious answer from a Hillary supporter.

Since none have been forthcoming, I am led to assume that Hillary has no plan whatsoever to close the gap that currently separates her from McPain in most (all?) purple states and a couple of blue ones.

[thesubstanceofdreams]

27. Yet another kick

Still waiting for JUST ONE serious answer.
A new poll today shows Obama leading McPain in VA, where unsurprisingly Hillary is trailing him.

What is Hillary's plan to take the lead in all these crucial states where she is currently trailing McPain? PA, MN, FL, WI, NV, CO, OR, VA.

Unless she has a good plan, she could be a new McGovern. So far, not one Hillary supporter has given any hint of what that plan can be.