Democrats in the West Fear Impact of Hillary at the top of the Ticket

[illinoisprogressive]

Election day was still more than a year off when Sen. Max Baucus recently stopped by the new Boys & Girls Club along a creek outside this fast-growing city in the shadow of southwestern Montana's jagged Bridger Mountains.

But the silver-haired Democrat looked every bit a candidate in a nail-biter as he finger-painted with children at the log-cabin clubhouse and then raced 100 miles down the Missouri River to the state capital to talk up what he was doing for the state in Washington.

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Baucus is the longest-serving senator in Montana history. As chairman of the finance committee, he writes the nation's tax laws. He is one of the most popular politicians in the state. And his party, which controls the governor's office, the Legislature and the state's two Senate seats, is on a roll.

Yet, as he prepares to run for a fifth term next year, Baucus is entering treacherous territory. Despite recent gains by Democrats in the Rocky Mountain West, party officials across the region are increasingly anxious that their congressional candidates may get dragged under by Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign.

The New York senator and Democratic front-runner was by a wide margin the most unpopular of 13 potential presidential candidates in Montana, according to a June survey by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research for the Billings Gazette; 61% said they would not consider voting for her, compared with 49% who would not vote for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and 45% who would not vote for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. The most unpopular Republican candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, was rejected by 51%.

Recent polls in Colorado, Nevada and Arizona have found similar distaste for Clinton.

"She's carrying huge negatives out here," said Floyd Ciruli, an independent Colorado pollster who said Democratic congressional candidates would have to highlight their differences with the national party to be successful next year. "It's that liberal East Coast image that is so hard to sell in the West."

One key advisor to a prominent Democratic congressional candidate, who asked not be to identified discussing tensions within the party, went even further. "It's a disaster for Western Democrats," he said. "It keeps me up at night."
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-montana30sep30,1,2696349.story?coll=la-politics-campaign&ctrack=2&cset=true

[zulchzulu]

1. K&R This is not a joke.

It's not just in the West either.

Why get on a sinking ship with targets painted on the side?

:shrug:

[Ken Burch]

2. Waiting for the HRC groupies to tell us why this DOESN'T matter.

Combined with the fact that they STILL can't explain why she's not EXPLICITLY antiwar and still not for single-payer, this should make an interesting logical progression.

[Vincardog]

3. But BUt BUT the Corporate Controlled Media says she is electable. I am waiting

for one Hillary supporter to tell me WHY I should support her. What is she going to do to promote real change?
Will she get behind and demand Universal Health Care? No
Will she demand transparent auditable elections? No
Will she task the DOJ with bring the * cabal to justice?
She will probably pardon them and claim it is time to heal.
I she going to do anything about the amoral idiotic trade position this country is in?
Why do we pay companies to ship jobs overseas?
Because of the Flat earth free traders like Hilary are serving their corporate masters.

Why should I support Hillary?

[sandnsea]

4. Tester is more liberal than Hillary

This is just lack of a party strategy to tell the truth about the values of the entire party, that's all. These local Democrats are the problem. They've been out their fueling all the wedge issue fires instead of figuring out how to put them out. Obama has a pro gun control policy too. What's the Montana Dems done to deal with that. Nothing I'd bet. That's the problem, not any east coast liberal boogeyman.

[mike_c]

5. "...liberal east coast image...."

:rofl:

Oh god, yer killin' me!

[Forkboy]

6. Actually, I've seen that attitude in that far western state of Ohio.

I was their stereotypical "city boy" (even though I'm not from the city).It was very prevalent, so I don't think this is a far fetched thing at all.

Great avatar, by the way.Mitch was awesome.

[mike_c]

9. oh I don't think it's far-fetched at all....

I was just commenting on the perception of Senator Clinton as a "liberal."

Actually, it's The Dude.

[Forkboy]

10. Ahhhhhh.

I get it now. :freak:

I thought it was Mitch Hedburg.I guess like Donny I'm outta my fucking element! :)

[silverojo]

7. That's her image

But inside, she's pure DLC. If the Dems are really stupid enough to nominate her as our Presidential candidate, we are truly and fully screwed. She has so many negatives against her, and I doubt it's just people here in the west who feel that way. The Plains states are, I'm sure, just as likely to support anyone (or even any farm animal) that runs against HRC. Irrational, I know, but something that must be considered when voting in the primaries. :(

[gateley]

8. OT -- I think this is the coolest pic of Obama. nt

[dugggy]

11. Only thing you have to fear is fear itself

In the words of a very famous democrat, FDR!
Hillary will be the next POTUS. Do not fear!!

[Forkboy]

12. And this.....

:)

[illinoisprogressive]

13. Actually the negatives with clinton are everywhere. And not just because of her perceived liberal

for many democrats and republicans and indies it is simply a matter of the candidate herself. And the corruption and sense of something 'sleazy' with the Clintons. They just have a bad reputation that has nothing to do with politics.

[Ken Burch]

14. This is one of the most crazymaking things about HRC

She ISN'T a progressive, she treats us actual progressives with contempt and acts as if we have no right to have a real say in our own party, then the RW media machine blames US for HER!

Why the hell should we have to put up with this kind of mind games from our OWN candidates?

[pnwmom]

15. Montana is a red state. So what else is new?

None of those states went for Kerry, and they're not critical now. If our candidate wins the same states as Kerry, plus either Florida or Ohio, then s/he wins.

I would expect that Clinton could do well in some of the midwestern states that Kerry didn't fare so well in.

The much more important issue that will affect any of our candidates is election fraud. Without a fair vote, it won't matter how popular our candidate is.

[fightindonkey]

16. illinoisprogressive , Three Hillary Bashing Threads In One Day!

Come on, post a fourth. Obama loses.

[sampsonblk]

17. If Hillary wins, we are on target for a landslide

Mark my words: she is running a very professional, well-planned campaign. Once she officially wins the nomination, she is going to be in great position to crush whichever weak candidate the GOP puts forth. There is no one in the GOP field who can gain enough national support to beat Hillary Clinton's clockwork organization.

That rising tide will lift all boats.

Rather than the gloom and doom, we ought to concentrate on what we can gain. Right now, the GOP is in terrible, terrible shape. They have no party. Even Bush thinks Clinton is going to win. And if she does, that could crush the GOP, politically and psychologically, for years to come.

Get on board!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. Without Making An Endorsement

A person has to be a complete dolt to "misunderestimate" the Clintons...

[Froward69]

19. Here in Colorado

only Disenfranchised Women support HRC. the road to the WH goes through the west. we "out here" reject just about anything "eastern" and Hillary refuses to address that. nor why we should support her. "Band wagons" are for the lazy who cannot or refuse to stand up on their own. "out west" here standing on your own is the way of life. somehow easterners cannot grasp the concept. And NO we aren't riding horses nor chasing Indians any more.

[Blue_In_AK]

20. Hillary Clinton could not take Alaska

in a million years. Someone like Richardson could, I believe.