Democrat and Republican voters prefer populist candidates

And it's no surprise, either, especially after 27 years of leadership that gave us an inflated national debt, high gas prices, increased health care costs, NAFTA, and increased military involvement in the Middle East.  It's time for a change, and voters on both sides recognize that the blame rests on the Washington establishment:

The race for president on the Democratic and Republican sides hasmade a dramatic turn in Iowa with longtime frontrunners Hillary Clintonand Mitt Romney being outflanked by Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee, anew poll showed Saturday.

The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll,one of the most respected measures of the nation's first caucus state,showed Obama, the Illinois Democrat, with the backing of 28 percent oflikely Democratic caucusgoers, compared to 25 percent for Clinton, 23percent for John Edwards and 9 percent for Bill Richardson.

On the Republican side, Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, hadsupport from 29 percent of likely GOP caucusgoers to 24 percent forMitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who has poured millionsof dollars into the Iowa campaign. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giulianiwas third with 13 percent while former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson wasfourth with 9 percent, the survey showed.

The poll, which has an error margin of 4.4 percentage points, wasconducted Nov. 25-28. It showed a significant shift during the last twomonths among those who say they plan to attend the nation's leadoffpresidential deliberations on Jan. 3.

The tide is turning.  Change is in the air.  The next president of the United States will be a populist.

Comments

[George]

On MTP today, after Jim Webb did his usual ass kicking, they showed a poll that Obama has pulled even with Clinton in South Carolina now. With 50% undecided.

Do you agree that undecideds are very bad for Clinton? If you really wanted Clinton to win, why would you still be undecided?

[Shaun]

Couple things, Todd. First, there's no such thing as a 'Democrat' voter. There are Democratic voters, and voters who are Democrats. No 'Democrat' voters, though. It's not an adjective.

And I infer that you consider Obama a populist alternative. An alternative, certainly, a worthy one in many respects, but Obama's no populist. Doesn't even claim to be, AFAIK.

[Chief Editor: Todd]

In the sense that Obama is indebted to small donors and not lobbyists, yes he certainly is a populist.