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Pennsylvania Democrats for McCain!

Posted April 23, 2008 | 12:41 AM (EST)

Read More: Clinton McCain, Exit Polls, General Election, Huffpollstrology, McCain Democrats, Obama McCain, Pennsylvania, Breaking Politics News

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Hillary Clinton won Pennsylvania, but many Democratic primary voters say they'll vote for McCain in November.

So get ready for lots of chatter about this PA exit polling from Tuesday:

In a Clinton-McCain race, 11 percent of primary voters say they'd back McCain.

In an Obama-McCain race, 15 percent of primary voters say they'd back McCain.

The Times trumpets these McCain voters in today's article about the "bruising" of the Democratic Party -- though only in reference to Obama:

About 15 percent of Democratic voters said they would vote for Mr. McCain over Mr. Obama in a general election.

Curiously, the article does not provide the same comparison for Clinton. If it did, the data would sound something like:

About 11 percent of Democratic voters said they would vote for Mr. McCain over Ms. Clinton in a general election.
2008-04-23-Picture3.png But even if you equal out the coverage, these numbers are probably overblown, anyway. As you can see below, this hypothetical "support" for McCain is mostly comprised of voters unhappy with a question about their candidate losing. For example, in the Clinton match-up, two out of every three McCain voters are current Obama supporters. It would be highly unusual for so many Democratic primary voters to actually back the GOP candidate. (How many Obama supporters do you know who would pull the lever for McCain?) Maybe emotions just run high when you waltz out of the voting booth and find a pollster. Voters are obviously divided in this campaign, but exit polling is no guarantee for what the electorate will do after months of an actual race against McCain.

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Photo Credit: Trebonius

From The Nation.

Read more reactions from Huffington Post bloggers to the Pennsylvania Primary


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collapse skibum49 See Profile I'm a Fan of skibum49

Personally I'm so sick of the party of Bush that I would vote for a potted plant in this election if it had a (D) behind its name!
But please don't be taken in by the idea that ANY of the people currently running for President are actually telling you the truth about the problems we face in America or what we realistically need to do to begin to solve those problems. Obama came dangerously close the other night in the ABC debate while answering a question from Gibson about increasing the Social Security (payroll tax) witholding cutoff for people making more that $100K. He actually started to make the comment that "you don't get something for nothing" but fortunately Gibson interrupted him before he could finish the thought. I fear that most of us are unwilling or unable to make the sacrifices that will be needed no matter who the winner is in November. We have met the enemy and it is us.

The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter. ...
Winston Churchill

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:08 AM on 04/24/2008
collapse frustratedinohio See Profile I'm a Fan of frustratedinohio

It's a shame we don't have a leader who can bring us all together. Oh wait . . . . . Isn't that what Obama's supposed to be able to do? How ironic. He's torn us apart.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:21 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse Citizenofreality See Profile I'm a Fan of Citizenofreality

Think again frustratedinohio, Senator Clinton has been at the nexus of the ripping apart of the Democratic party. She began it and she should be very pleased with the end result, because we all know, if she can't have it no one will. Not the behavior of a world leader if you ask me, more like the behavior of a five year old in kindergarten who has just been told no.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:30 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse Biracial1 See Profile I'm a Fan of Biracial1

You are delusional. Just cross your fingers that Rev Wright will remain a man of conscious and not reveal his relationship with the Clintons. Bill didn't just pull his name out a hat and invite him to the White House.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:11 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse UnbiasView See Profile I'm a Fan of UnbiasView

Anyone that goes to a church that teaches BLACK LIBERATION THEOLOGY is not going to bring people together.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:47 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse PioneerKing See Profile I'm a Fan of PioneerKing

Interesting that the polls fail to realize that many of the young voters and black voters who are supporting Obama will stay home, or write in Obama or even vote for Ralph Nader rather than vote for Clinton. It seems like the pollsters are taking a lot of liberty to assure the Clintons that they will be able to get these folks out to vote in November.
If Hillary wins Obama should only give her as much support as the Clintons gave to Kerry and Gore.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:11 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse trubski See Profile I'm a Fan of trubski

If Nominee=Hillary then Write-In=Obama. I will not vote for her. If the U.S. needs another 4 years of Republican government to learn things must change, then so be it and let's get it over with. But I won't vote for one, not McCain and not Clinton either.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:52 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse factanonverba See Profile I'm a Fan of factanonverba

Your data is wrong because the networks had much different numbers.

69% of Obama supporters would vote for Clinton whereas only 53% of Clinton supporters woild vote for Obama. That is the exit data from PA . And it is consisent with other polls. In Massachusetts Obama is in a dead heat with McCain while Clinton whacks McCain. Massachusetts!

Electoral College scenarios should Clinton winning 290-330 electoral votes. Obama winning 240-260. You need 270 to win. The creative class is really kind of obtuse. You don't seem to understand working class people. You call us racists for voting for Clinton and never actually might consider that we prefer Clinton. You're arrogant just like Obama. Face it, the luster is off and the wheels are coming off which is why you are clinging to your math just like we cling to guns and religion.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:55 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse mari2JJ See Profile I'm a Fan of mari2JJ

I suppose there are SOME Democrats that will vote for McCain whatever their reasons. I belong to a huge group of a Republican voting block for the Democratic Nominee. We realize that the Bush administration has tainted the Republican brand and that we need to send a clear message to the Party to clean up its act. More overspending, more illegality, more war , more wasted war costs, more crony-ism, on and on in this horrible Republican administration. I want enough Democrats elected in all three branches so this immoral, illegal junta in power now can be marched in front of the Hague and tried as war criminals. That includes the entire bunch of criminals in this administration! Then we can see how he DOJ lawyer and his fellow criminals who approved those torture methods feel about justice.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:28 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse nippersdad See Profile I'm a Fan of nippersdad

"The creative class is really kind of obtuse. You don't seem to understand working class people. You call us racists for voting for Clinton and never actually might consider that we prefer Clinton. You are arrogant, just like Obama."

Unfortunately, we understand all too well the preferences of the group of people who gave us Bush, twice. I am not particulary wild about Obama myself, but fully realize that he is the best of a bad situation. Apparently "working class people" cannot figure out that much...again. Perhaps we need the total economic collapse that is on the horizon to get your demographic to understand that it is not all about foolhardy, anti-social toughness and who you want to have a beer with.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:36 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse factanonverba See Profile I'm a Fan of factanonverba

Not as many as Clinton supporters who will pull it for McCain. The problem with Obama supporters is you have no idea how many people Obama and his supporters have pissed off. They run in the millions.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view.bg?articleid=1088709&format=text
http://www.bythefault.com/2008/04/23/clintons-supporters-hardening/

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:47 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse Tubby See Profile I'm a Fan of Tubby

Well then, by your logic if Obama and Hillary shared the ticket 26% of Democrats would vote for McCain!

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:39 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse FrankBlackFrancis See Profile I'm a Fan of FrankBlackFrancis

How unfortunate.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:41 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse NC4Obama See Profile I'm a Fan of NC4Obama

Well she just has to do that another 5 times and she might be able to get out of the red.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:40 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse HypocrisySlayer See Profile I'm a Fan of HypocrisySlayer

Young, white male here.

Pulling lever for Clinton or McCain!

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:27 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse Biracial1 See Profile I'm a Fan of Biracial1

Go McCain! Hope he institutes the draft and draft you straight to Iraq young white man.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:13 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse SaintJimmy See Profile I'm a Fan of SaintJimmy

Or Iran, the way he's sounding.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:22 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse FrankBlackFrancis See Profile I'm a Fan of FrankBlackFrancis

Traitor.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:40 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse Canaris See Profile I'm a Fan of Canaris

Much as my father (a little to the right of Pat Buchanan) says he is going to hold his nose and vote for McCain in November, if Hillary somehow manages to get the nomination, I'll hold my nose and vote for her in November. To do anything else is absurd. Throwing your toys out of the pram and voting for McCain or staying home because "your" candidate didn't get the nomination is silly, imo, considering how close their policy positions are, and could truly be disastrous for the country if such intransigence and picque results in another four years of the same policies that have brought us to where we are today. Ask yourself this question, can America survive four more years of Bushco, neocon policies? I have serious doubts that it can. That is why I am voting Democrat in 2008, no matter which candidate is the eventual nominee.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:24 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse nippersdad See Profile I'm a Fan of nippersdad

" Throwing your toys out of the pram and voting McCain or staying home because "your" candidate didn't get the nomination is silly, imo, considering how close their policy positions are..."

As to your point: Clinton I ran as a liberal Dem and governed as a conservative Dem/liberal Republican. Clinton II stole Edwards' platform and routinely votes with the Republican caucus on the very issues that have brought us to "where we are today." What gives you the impression that her rhetoric trumps her actions? History would seem to prove otherwise. I wasn't complicit for the last eight years, I will not be complicit in the next Clinton Presidency.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:50 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse Canaris See Profile I'm a Fan of Canaris

I don't have the impression that her rhetoric will trump her actions. In fact, I strongly suspect that a Clinton presidency will mean at least four more years of special interests and lobbyists calling the shots. The difference, I don't strongly suspect that a McCain presidency will mean four more years of the same old same old, I KNOW that a McCain presidency will mean exactly that. I believe strongly that Barack Obama means what he says about trying to change the fundamental nature of the way things work in Washington, and that is one of the reasons I support his candidacy, but if the choice is between Clinton and McCain, I've got to go with the person who I'm not absolutely certain will maintain the status quo as opposed to the person who I AM absolutely certain WILL maintain it.

Simply not voting is not an option for me. It never has been.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:09 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse nippersdad See Profile I'm a Fan of nippersdad

I wish I had your faith in Obama, but I support him for the type of reasons you list above.

Simply not voting is not at issue here. There are other candidates that one can write in in protest of a Clinton nomination. The Whig Party did not die out because it was in any way out of the mainstream, it died out because it, like the DLC run Democratic Party now, became a distinction without a real difference. The status quo is bad and is sure to get far worse. I would prefer unrelieved pain with a cure in sight than the certain death by a thousand cuts that yet another Clinton Presidency would represent.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:34 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse Canaris See Profile I'm a Fan of Canaris

I have no idea whether Obama can actually bring about any significant change in the way things work in Washington, but I'm pretty sure that he at least intends to give it his best shot.

With Clinton, I know she will address at least some of the issues I care passionately about, like Iraq, education and health care, although with the caveat that I'm sure she'll do it in whatever way most benefits her. Make no mistake, Hillary looks out for Hillary first, and then everyone else, no matter what she says in her stump speech.

McCain would just be four more dismal years of the same shortsighted, greedy, authoritarian, clueless neocon nonsense that got us where we are today.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:49 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse michael098762001 See Profile I'm a Fan of michael098762001

"How could this have happened? Everyone I know voted for McGovern!" Clueless, upper class New Yorker movie critic Paulene Kael.
As a Obama supporter with Pennsylvania working class relatives who voted for Nixon in '72, the class divide in the DP is still there, lemme tell 'ya.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:08 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse harriscrl3 See Profile I'm a Fan of harriscrl3

I'm an Obama supporter if he is NOT in the general election it will be tough for me to decide who to vote for. McCain and Hilary are both Hawkish who's idea of Foreign policy is war. I"m Not Anti war I'm anti stupidity and anyone who does not see war as a means of last resort will NOT get my vote. I dont care if they are democrat or republican or democrat masquerding as republican or maverick neocon masquerading as democrat. To me there is NO difference when it comes to Foreign Policy between Hilary and Mccain. As far as ecomonic difference between the two since I dont think that Hilary will be a strong president when it comes to passing economic policy that benefits people like me again there is no difference. Sadly if I vote for HIlary the only reason would be because she is biologically a woman and we havent had a woman president.

Carol

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:39 AM on 04/23/2008
collapse dsgeorge See Profile I'm a Fan of dsgeorge

Democrats better remember- it is the US Supreme Court at stake in this election - and its not just abortion. A McCain victory and one retirement that is expected next year means a US Right Wing Nut Job Supreme Court. That alone is reason enough for me to vote Hillary if my guy gets the nomination stolen from him!

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:18 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse elbzee See Profile I'm a Fan of elbzee

Thank you for that point george. There's a lot more at stake! Regardless of the Democratic nominee, I will vote for that nominee ( but fervently wish its Obama).

This process can often sound like an American Idol contest. We chose sides and, when our "idol" loses, we HATE the one who beat them. So, as a culture, it's time to GROW THE F*** UP!

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:47 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse nippersdad See Profile I'm a Fan of nippersdad

Chuck Schumer gave us the inestimable Roberts and Alito. How would "growing up" change that or the liklihood that Clinton would give us an equally corporatist Supreme Court nomination? I fail to see how yet more proof that the Dems are in bed with fascists improves our case for electing more of them.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:36 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse lysistrata See Profile I'm a Fan of lysistrata

The NEOCONS put pressure on Bill Clinton when he was president, yet he did not invade Iraq, he did have the Air Force fly in the no fly zones over Iraq and kept up the sanctions.
Hillary's vote would not have stopped the war Bush wanted and if Obama had been in the Senate at the time his vote would not have stopped it either. He would have considered public opinion just like Biden, Edwards, Dodd and every Senator who wanted to run for president. He was not in the Senate at the time, he was a local politician still.
There is no difference in foreign policy between the two parties, it is only the difference of stupid and smart. Morality in politics is another question.
I support Hillary but not because she is a woman. I believe she is capable and Obama will have 8years to grow some more and run again and be the first black president.
There is a big difference between McCain and Hillary, she stands for Democratic policies and he stands for nothing but tax cuts and war. Should be an easy choice, Hillary or Obama but no way McCain.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:16 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse NotFooledByDistractions See Profile I'm a Fan of NotFooledByDistractions

1) This is a fine example of McCain speaking what he believes is the truth. Yes, he is the most honest Senator we have.

Was he honest when he said the bush tax cuts offended him? Or is he honest when he said he wants to keep them in place.

Just needed to clear that up. McCain at one time may have been honest, but he's under the hood of the far right now, and that straight talk express has crashed and burned.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:35 AM on 04/23/2008
collapse NotFooledByDistractions See Profile I'm a Fan of NotFooledByDistractions

If I have to hold my nose and vote for Clinton, I'll do it. I wouldn't vote for a republican if you held a gun to my head. All those dems that say they would vote for mccain over the democratic candidate are just blustering. It's kind of like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Grow up folks, be realistic.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:32 AM on 04/23/2008
collapse NewMexicoForObama See Profile I'm a Fan of NewMexicoForObama

These mean nothing at this early stage in the game. The number swill be completely different midway through the GE election. Right now there are a lot of hurt feeling among both hillary people and barack people. Time heals all wounds.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:31 AM on 04/23/2008
collapse WillieLynch See Profile I'm a Fan of WillieLynch

I like most young people I know will stay home.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:28 AM on 04/23/2008
collapse jpopphan See Profile I'm a Fan of jpopphan

That isn't an option. That is just stupid.

I don't like Hillary - at all - but will vote for her in November should she become the nominee. Obama is not perfect, but he's really the best choice this time around. I hope that Obama secures the nomination, but I won't be a spoiled brat and stay home just because my preferred candidate didn't win the nomination.

By staying at home and not voting for the Democratic nominee, you are in fact voting FOR McCain.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:04 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse elbzee See Profile I'm a Fan of elbzee

Good luck Willie. You, as a young person, have a lot more at stake than an ol lady like me. Too bad you choose to sit it out. I recommend that you have your tongue removed to keep from bitching after your new president does something that affects you personally. You'll give away the right to speak. What a pity.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:54 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse captnEarl See Profile I'm a Fan of captnEarl

An you will get McBomb. Sometimes you just cannot get your choice! you have to chose another option and this will be the case for either the 2 Clintons or McLame Brain or Obama or McLame Brain, any democrat will be better than any republican who will follow the Bush regime. If necessary hold your nose and vote for one of the democrats! PLEASE

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:41 PM on 04/23/2008
collapse lysistrata See Profile I'm a Fan of lysistrata

Willie, as you grow older you will learn you can't always get your way. Life is a compromise. What would you gain to stay home?
Obama and Hillary stand for democratic values. Hill