You have to love it. Obama first in Politico.com poll. Hillary finished third

Wow! I just found Ben Smith’s report on the Drudge Report which states that “Obama finished first in the Politico.com straw poll conducted at the Take Back America Conference in Washington. Hillary finished third behind John Edwards. Partial text.

“Obama received 29% of the 720 votes cast in the straw poll, narrowly beating out former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, and decisively knocking official front-runner Hillary Clinton into third place. Edwards took 26% of the vote and Clinton 17%.

The poll establishes Obama and Edwards as a two-man top tier among the liberal segment of the Democratic base, said pollster Stan Greenberg, because they were also the most popular second choices for the nomination.

“If you look at this, you see Obama’s [supporters’] second choice and Edwards [supporters’] second choice are each other — in this group, the two of them form the top tier.”
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Clinton’s speech, a litany of disputes with the Bush Administration and policy aims, drew a friendly reception, though perhaps not as rapturous as the reaction to her leading rivals. She was interrupted by loud boos when she blamed the Iraqi government for Iraq’s current woes.

The survey also asked attendees their second choices for president, which mirrored the first-choice findings: Obama led, followed by Edwards, and then Clinton.

The conference, and the straw poll, also demonstrated the activists’ hunger for a victory next November.

The two candidates farthest to the left, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, were warmly received, but received few votes in the straw poll — just 5% and 1%, respectively.

And when Ralph Nader, the giant of the 1970s left who may have cost the Democrats the White House in 2000, rose to introduce Gravel, he was met with boos.

Those results may indicate that a majority of the activists surveyed are looking for a choice other than Clinton.

One responder comment reads:
Obama was electrifying; Hillary was a big dud. No surprise there.

To read the entire article simply go to www.politico.com

About Larry Gilbert