WHERE DEMOCRATS STAND

THE WASHINGTON POST/ ABC NEW POLL

According to the Washington Post/ABC News poll, Hillary Clinton leads the pack of Democratic candidates. She is the choice of 45 percent of Democrats. Barack Obama has only 30 percent, while John Edwards is favored by 12 percent. Clinton leads Obama 2 to 1 among Democrats with a high school diploma or less, but the two are even among Democratic college grads. Where does this demographic leave Dr. Carl Perrin? We’re hoping that he will at least win the votes of other Ph.D.s. Even though Ph.D.s are a minority among the electorate, their votes give a certain distinction to the candidate for whom they vote.

One of Hillary’s drawbacks is that a lot of people don’t like her. Some pundits wonder if a lot of people won’t come out to vote for “anyone but Hillary.” But 54 percent of the Democrats in the survey thought she would have the best chance of winning the general election. Only 22 percent thought that Obama had the best chance. Just 37 percent of Republicans thought that Clinton had the best chance of beating the Republican candidate in the general election. Thirty-three percent thought it was Obama who had the best shot.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson got 3 percent of the national poll. Senator Joseph Biden got 2 percent. Senator Christopher Dodd and Representative Dennis Kucinich each got 1 percent. None of the Democrats chose former senator Mike Gravel.

None went for Democratic candidate Dr. Carl Perrin either, but that could change as word gets out. If Hillary Clinton is elected, she would be the first woman president. Barack Obama would be the first African-American. John Edwards appeals to lawyers and hair-cutting people, but Perrin has a unique constituency. He would be the oldest president, and senior citizens vote. He would be the first Ph. D. to be elected president. That would appeal to smart people. He would appeal to environmentalists because of efforts of his supporters in Maine to collect returnable bottle to help finance his campaign. And he would appeal to beer drinkers, especially those who drink cheap beer. Perrin may not register in the polls now, but before election time, that will change.