Barack Obama’s “bitter” comment gave Hillary Clinton an opening. Butthe combination of hackneyed outrage and a fast counterpunch by Obamasuggests that the “scandal” may not last. Take Clinton down 1.8 pointsto 12.4 percent .
On Day 4 of the controversy, journalists scramble to measure how much people care. So far, signs point to not really . A new Quinnipiac poll shows Clinton’s six-point lead in Pennsylvania holding steady. The pollsummary cites “no noticeable change” in the numbers on April 12-13,when the “scandal” was entering full tilt. Then again, that was overthe weekend, when Pennsylvania voters were busy venting theirfrustrations by shooting guns and going to church. Other surveys vary :A SurveyUSA poll shows Clinton up 14 points in the state—less than her18-point lead last week. A Rasmussen poll puts her ahead by ninepoints, as opposed to five last week. An ARG poll shows Clinton jumpingfrom a tie to a 20-point lead but merits skepticism, given that it’s arobo-poll and a wild statistical outlier. Expect more thorough numberslater this week.
Meanwhile, anecdotal evidence is mounting: Clinton gets
shouted down
when she brings up Obama’s remarks at a forum; Pennsylvania booster in chief Gov. Ed Rendell
downplays
the significance of the comments, saying it won’t cost Obama more than”a couple of points at the margin” (this could be more expectationsgaming, but still); undecided superdelegates seem
largely nonplussed
. …
Read more at the
Hillary Deathwatch
.
