Hillary down, Obama Up In Iowa

Latest Washington Post-ABC poll in Iowa showing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) in second place for the Democratic presidential nomination. Her rival, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) led in the poll with 30 percent, Hillary trailed at 26 percent and former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) was in third at 22 percent. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, auditioning for vice president, was fourth at 11 percent. This is the first primary or caucus poll nationwide or in any state in the nation this entire year that shows Hillary in second place! Here’s the really bad news for Hillary:• Obama is running even with Hillary among Iowa women. With Oprah in Iowa, expect Obama’s numbers amoung women to increase.• 55 percent of Iowa Democrats want change , and Obama leads with 43 percent to Edwards’s 25 and Hillary’s 17 percent.  I expect that between now and the caucus, this percentage will reach 65% with Obama taking half.• Half of Hillary’s voters have not attended a previous caucus, versus 43 percent of Obama’s and 24 percent of Edwards’s.  The fewer first time caucus goers show up, because of weather, driving distance, schedule conflicts, the better for Obama. Obama’s numbers in Iowa are heading up, and Hillary’s numbers are heading down.  Enough to put her in third place?  Its possible.  Watch closely, if Hillary begins to taper off on her time in Iowa, or personal appearances, and begins to focus on New Hampshire, it’s a sure sign she has written Iowa off.

Hillary & Obama – Party of the Rich

Democrats like to define themselves as the party of poor and middle-income Americans, but a new study says they now represent the majority of the nation’s wealthiest congressional districts.

In a state-by-state, district-by-district comparison of wealth concentrations based on Internal Revenue Service income data, Michael Franc, vice president of government relations at the Heritage Foundation, found that the majority of the nation’s wealthiest congressional jurisdictions were represented by Democrats.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071123/NATION/111230087/1002

Hillary Accused Of Double-Talk

Hillary criticized for press strategyBy Christina Bellantoni
November 23, 2007 When Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton wants to get a message out, her presidential campaign handpicks news outlets. Or, in some cases, bypasses the media entirely. The New York Democrat’s third-quarter fundraising blowout was leaked to the Drudge Report. She made sure an Iowa newspaper printed her comments that she found Sen. Barack Obama’s answer to a foreign-policy question “irresponsible” and “naive.” She also uses her “Hillary Hub” campaign creation to break news. The strategy allows Mrs. Clinton — who rarely holds press availabilities — to avoid taking questions from reporters who cover her campaign and who might have detailed follow-up queries to her carefully planned policy announcements. Mrs. Clinton’s rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination have been painting her as someone who dodges tough questions or parses answers to difficult issues. Her opponents stepped up the pressure after it was revealed her campaign staff planted two questions with supporters at a campaign event. 

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina regularly accuses Mrs. Clinton of “double-talk,” and his campaign created a “Plants for Hillary” spoof Web site to highlight the issue.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071123/NATION/111230084/1001