Good news and bad news for Dems in new WP/ABC poll

[DeepModem Mom]

WP, pg1: Poll Finds Americans Pessimistic, Want Change
War, Economy, Politics Sour Views of Nation's Direction
By Dan Balz and Jon Cohen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, November 4, 2007; A01

....At this point, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), the Democratic front-runner, holds the edge in hypothetical match-ups with four of the top contenders for the Republican nomination. But against the two best-known GOP candidates, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), her margins are far from comfortable. Not one of the leading candidates in either party has a favorable rating above 51 percent in the new poll.

And while Clinton finds herself atop all candidates in terms of strong favorability -- in the poll, 28 percent said they feel strongly favorable toward her -- she also outpaces any other candidate on strong unfavorables. More than a third, 35 percent, have strongly negative views of her, more than 10 points higher than any other contender.

Overall, the public's sour mood is evident not only in the desire for a change in direction but also in assessments of those who control the reins of power in Washington. For the fourth consecutive month, Bush's approval rating remains at a career low. Thirty-three percent said they approve of the job he is doing, and 64 percent disapprove. Majorities have disapproved of Bush's job performance for more than 2 1/2 years....

Democrats can take little comfort in Bush's numbers, however. A year after voters turned Republicans out of power in the House and the Senate, approval of the Democratic-controlled Congress's performance is lower than the president's rating, registering just 28 percent....Whatever their dissatisfaction with the Democrats, however, a majority of Americans, 54 percent, said they want the party to emerge from the 2008 election in control of Congress; 40 percent would prefer the GOP to retake power....

Thirty-nine percent of Americans said they now have a favorable impression of the Republican Party, lower than at any point since December 1998, when Republicans were in the midst of impeachment proceedings against then-President Bill Clinton....The Democratic Party holds double-digit leads over the GOP as the party most trusted to handle the three most frequently cited issues for 2008: Iraq, health care and the economy. The Democratic advantages on immigration and taxes are narrower, and the parties are at rough parity on terrorism, once a major Republican strong point....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/03/AR2007110301306_pf.html

[antiimperialist]

1. So it's bad news because Hil is not leading Rudy by a zillion points?

Talk about setting a high bar for Hillary.

She leads Rudy by 4%. That's a lot of votes.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. The Ghoul's Numbers Can Only Go Down

The Hill has been pilloried in the press and by her opponents on the left and on the right for fifteen years... The Ghoul is treated like a latter day Winston Churchill because he arrived at a disater scene...

He has turned 9-11 into a punch line...

[Bitwit1234]

3. She's a woman ,she as in any business or anything she is involved

she has to blow the completion out of the water. You ought to know that. The press holds a woman to a higher standard than a man. Because she has some nerve, you know, running for president.

[itsrobert]

4. Baloney

Still playing the Gender card I see.