How Clinton has built her lead

[Herman Munster]

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-dems8oct08,1,2519484.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage

WASHINGTON -- Carol Levesque, a retired New Hampshire social worker, used to think Hillary Rodham Clinton was not cut out for the White House. Levesque looked askance at Clinton's decision to run for the U.S. Senate. She was lukewarm about how Clinton conducted herself as first lady to an unfaithful husband.

Now, Levesque is an avid fan. After seeing Clinton three times, she was wowed by the New York Democrat's apparent brainpower. She was, to use her word, "underwhelmed" by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) when he made a presidential campaign stop in Peterborough, N.H., recently. And as the granddaughter of a pioneering supporter of women's suffrage, Levesque, 65, is thrilled with the prospect of electing a woman president.

Levesque's conversion offers a window into how Clinton has emerged as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination: One of the most demonized politicians in America has begun to win a second look from skeptics. And among women and seniors, such as Levesque, she has built big leads over her rivals.

That underscores one of Clinton's most important assets in the turbulent few months ahead of the balloting set for early January. She has built a political base -- reflected in polls -- of voters who dominate the Democratic nominating process: seniors, women and blue-collar voters.

That's a troublesome trend for Obama, who has drawn his support mainly from the young and the affluent. He had been considered the candidate most likely to slow the Clinton juggernaut. But her lead in national polls has widened. Nationally, Clinton leads Obama 38% to 22%, according to the latest Pollster.com aggregation of surveys. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is under 14%. The latest campaign reports showed that in the last three months, Clinton for the first time raised more money than Obama.

[Klaxon]

1. Both Clinton and Obama

Fill me with the URGE TO DEFACATE!

[MannyGoldstein]

2. This Has Already Been Posted

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3588908&mesg_id=3588919

Can you Hillarites coordinate?

[sniffa]

9. ...

:rofl:

[jaysunb]

3. Here's a little reality check for you AND the L.A.Times

e-mail from a fellow DFA'er yesterday.

If it were up to the folks who attended the Pasadena Farmers' Market yesterday John Edwards would be shoo in -- for the nomination and for the general election. Asa Hopkins and I tabled from 8:30 AM until noon . Lots of people approached us with good wishes for the candidate; many purchased buttons and bumper stickers. There were no Edwards critics, though a couple of individuals indicated they were torn between Edwards and Hillary. Interestingly, when asked what it was about Mrs. Clinton they liked, it was deer in the headlights time. They left stating we made them think and they intended to do a bit more research.

Quite a few people expressed distrust of polls showing Hillary pulling away from the field, citing corporate skullduggery. A CBS employee claimed to know that local polls taken by the media consist of no more than asking 20 residents of Santa Monica whom they would vote for if the election were held now. No one claimed to have friends backing Hillary, in fact, quite the opposite.

I am aware that our experience does not begin to approach scientific statistical validity, but, then, it certainly isn't bad news for Edwards.

for the record..I'm waiting for Gore

GORE/OBAMA 08

[aquart]

6. "Waiting for Gore." Shows REAL commitment to Edwards.

Gore/Obama. So you posted this Edwards thing just to show he's your seat filler? What? You clearly don't want him.

[jaysunb]

10. I never said or implied I was for Edwards

my colleagues are, as stated in the email. My post was to highlight the fact that Hillary is being shoved down our throats, just like Bush was ! OK ?

[Capn Sunshine]

4. I thought this was fairly obvious-

[onehandle]

8. I could never vote for anyone who shares the same plain of existence with Rupert Murdoch.

Can you believe this guy shook Bush's hand and looked happy to do so?



Nope. Can't vote for him either.

[itsrobert]

5. Does it include "back" and "stabbing"?

Magic 8 ball says "YES".

[aquart]

7. Links? Facts? Evidence? A little bird told you?

Anyone can slander. Proving it is something else. Proof, please?

[ElizabethDC]

11. I think it was just has Magic 8 ball. n/t