Penn desperately tries to spin Hillary's poor Iowa poll results

[jefferson_dem]

What a joke. Does this dude know how pathetic he sounds?

From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
In post-Iowa poll spin, the Clinton campaign rolled out Chief Strategist Mark Penn. He dismissed the latest Washington Post/ABC poll showing Obama ahead, saying there’s been “a lot of over-reporting” on it.

“Iowa’s always been a competitive race,” Penn told MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski this morning. He finds it “very funny” hearing “we slipped” because “our vote is staying exactly the same. He’s moving within the margin of error.”

He implicitly questioned the poll’s accuracy, citing that the last one in July also showed Obama ahead. “It’s the only poll to do so,” Penn said.

Obama was ahead of Clinton and Edwards in that poll 27%-26%-26%. Obama was also leading in a late September Newsweek poll 28%-24%-22%.

Penn also dismissed questions of Clinton’s honesty. This poll showed her lagging in that area as did our NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll as we noted in a post on her new ad yesterday.

“A lot of the other polls show honesty is about a wash or equal,” Penn said. He then played up where Clinton scores better: experience. He called health care, experience the “kinds of things they’re looking for from the next nominee….”

He then took a swipe at Obama’s qualifications to take on the economy. “Voters are sure done with Bush,” Penn began, reacting to Hillary Clinton saying that “It takes a Clinton to clean up after a Bush.”

“Democrats think Bill Clinton did a great job and think she’s ready to be president and ready to manage a tough economy,” Penn said. “Three years ago, Senator Obama was State Senator Obama. There’s a huge gap between these candidates, in a time of war” and in a struggling economy.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/20/474800.aspx

[Perry Logan]

1. And very well-spun, too.

[jefferson_dem]

6. A recent image of Penn and the rest of Hillary's silly spin-meisters...

[Imagevision]

2. “It takes a Clinton to clean up after a Bush.” and better yet is a Barack Obama...

[Texas_Kat]

3. Hanging your hopes on a single poll

Will disappoint you in the end.

[damntexdem]

21. This is all meaningless.

The real poll will occur, and then those Iowa results will have their ususal disproportional effects.

But I certainly hope that Obama wins in Iowa.

[BootinUp]

4. Both sides are probably guilty

Its silly to put too much weight into one poll result and the Obama camp knows this. On the other hand it isn't bad news for them of course.

[BenDavid]

5. Oh, I can understand folks on the Obama band wagon

happy about this one poll saying Obama is leading by 4 points I believe, but if you take a look see at all the other polling done during this same time frame then HRC is ahead in all of them. For the msm to make a big story out of one poll showing Obama ahead does a dis-service to their own polling.For example all other msm like nbc and cbs has HRC ahead. CNN and FX have HRC ahead. I can appreciate the msm making a big story from this, but when ABC does their next poll and show HRC back ahead in their poll, I would appreciate the same hysterical reporting...

Ben David

[Capn Sunshine]

10. Those are national polls you cite

mostly produced by Penn affiliated authorship. They are meaningless except for conversation.

I would be worried, and conversely, WE are feeling celebratory, because THIS IS THE STAGE OF THE ELECTION IN IOWA WHERE POLLS MATTER! It reflects the cumulation of the work being done.

[Armstead]

7. He called health care, experience the “kinds of things they’re looking for from the next nominee….”

Experience of failure is the wrong kind of experience.

If that's the criteria, then GW Bush is the most qualified person to continue leading the WOT and our foreign policy.

[Cameron27]

8. It's an incredibly tight race,

but I think he's right about her numbers remaining the same.

[Texas_Kat]

9. Dead heat in Iowa

Where will Biden, Dodd and Richardson's voters go during the caucus vote? Kucinich's are also 'up in the air'. He doesn't seem to favor JRE anymore.

[jefferson_dem]

11. Major point here - - And the news in this poll is not good for Hillary...

"According to Dem Party rules, a candidate must draw at least 15 percent at each caucus site ..... Combining the second-choice picks of candidates outside the top three, 34 percent would select Obama, 28 percent Edwards and only 15 percent Clinton. "

[Cameron27]

12. Or what will result?

Could you explain that a little more.

[jefferson_dem]

18. They join up with another of the "viable" candidates, padding the numbers.

In 2004, Kucinich and Edwards struck a deal, and DK's people were encouraged to go to JE. Not sure that will happen this time, however.

[Texas_Kat]

13. I saw that .... but they didn't break up the numbers for candidates ...

Candidates unlikely to gather at least 15% --

Clinton, Obama and Edwards will likely all remain viable. So 'second choices' for voters supporting those candidates are much less important.

My question remains -- where will Biden, Dodd, RIchardson and Kucinich voters go? They'll be the edge in the race.

Edited to add link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_111907.html

[jefferson_dem]

16. Thanks.

The original WaPo version of the story said these were the second-choice numbers from all candidates other than Edwards, Hillary, and Obama. Now it looks like they are the numbers including the top three.

So, you're right... what's important is where Richardson, Biden, Dodd, and Kucinich supporters end up. Richardson might garner the most support by any candidate failing to achieve the 15% mark. Hmmm... Hillary might be the next most logical place for them but who knows.

[Texas_Kat]

17. At this point, it's very hard to tell

Polls are just something the MSM uses to write their story lines.

[CTLawGuy]

14. Wait, is Bill Clinton running again?

"“Democrats think Bill Clinton did a great job and think she’s ready to be president and ready to manage a tough economy,” Penn said. “Three years ago, Senator Obama was State Senator Obama.""

So Hillary is ready to lead because Bill did a good job? So the only thing Penn can point to that is positive about Hillary is Bill. I'm starting to think this campaign is Bill's attempt to circumvent the 22nd amendment.

[Cameron27]

15. Well, you have to expect that they share

similar philosphies about the economy and how to achieve certain results.

/mistyped.

[CTLawGuy]

20. well,

this also sounds like they are trying to merge Bill's experience with Hillary's, which isn't fair.

[SaveElmer]

19. Exactly what in Penn's analysis was not factual?...nt