Two reports out today offer hope to those for whom the notion of a Hillary Clinton presidency is unbearable.
First, a new Zogby poll shows Clinton losing in a general election matchup against the top five Republican contenders — and her chief rivals, Barack Obama and John Edwards, winning those races.
Second, Mike Allen and Carrie Budoff Brown are getting traction with a piece, strangely lacking in facts, arguing that Clinton and Obama have switched roles in Iowa, with the former displaying “a front-runner’s swagger” while the latter “scrambles like an underdog.”
Meanwhile, virtually every other poll shows Clinton winning every primary and caucus state handily and with a lead over every potential Republican challenger. Indeed, with the exception of Iowa, where her average lead is a mere 2.3 points, she’s blowing out her challengers in all states by margins reminiscent of the New England Patriots.
It’s true that an Obama upset in Iowa could shatter the sense of inevitability that surrounds Clinton and blow the race wide open. Still, that seems incredibly unlikely. She’s not Howard Dean, after all. She’s been in the national spotlight for sixteen years and has the support of the Democratic Establishment. Nor is she prone to unscripted public screams.
On the other hand, her incredibly high negatives — and the fact that something like 40 percent of the electorate will vote for the Republican nominee regardless — put the general election up for grabs. It’s quite conceivable that, even with the wild unpopularity of President Bush, the Iraq War, and the Republican Congress, the GOP nominee could pull out a victory. It’ll be an uphill fight, though.
Photo credit: Politico
