Democrats are doomed

Michael Goodwin:

When they face off Wednesday night in their Pennsylvania debate, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be fighting each other for the Keystone State's 158 delegates. But they'll also be fighting a common foe: A growing belief that neither can win the general election in November.

It's a problem Clinton has had all along, and Obama, despite being the front-runner, is now proving he belongs in the same soup.

Clinton started with half of America's voters saying they would never support her for President, and the number hasn't budged. Against Republican John McCain, she would have to win virtually every voter who hasn't already decided against her.

Obama is closing in on her dubious distinction. His slam against small-town Americans, saying they "cling to guns and religion" out of bitterness over the economy, is certain to cost him in Pennsylvania among the white working-class voters he had trouble attracting in other states.

Already facing a racial barrier made worse by the incendiary comments of his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the notion that Obama is also a liberal elitist could prove fatal in swing states. Clinton was quick to make that point in blasting his "cling to guns and religion" remarks.

"We had two very good men, and men of faith, run for President in 2000 and 2004," she said, referring to Al Gore and John Kerry. "But large segments of the electorate concluded that they did not really understand or relate to, or frankly respect, their ways of life."

Clinton knows she's right because she has similar problems. She and hubby raked in $110 million in the last seven years, a staggering amount of dough that a photo-op with a shot and a beer can't erase. She is far more liberal than these Reagan Democrats and, we shouldn't forget, she is a she.

The odd part is that the Democratic demolition derby leaves McCain as the one candidate widely considered electable. In a year where Dems supposedly were unstoppable, they could lose a sure thing.

The latest Rasmussen Reports daily tracking survey shows McCain narrowly beating both Obama and Clinton. More important, it finds that 53% voters view McCain favorably, while 45% view him unfavorably. Obama's ratings are 49% favorable and 49% unfavorable, while Clinton's are 43% favorable and 54% unfavorable.

A comforting notion for Dems, that the winner of the nomination will unite the party, might also be an illusion. One in four Clinton voters would go for McCain if Obama wins the nomination, while about one in five Obama voters would back McCain if she wins the nomination, according to one survey.

Even worse for Obama, if his small-town slam and his ties to Rev. Wright hurt him in the upcoming primaries of Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia, it could mean he's doomed in the Electoral College.

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Rev. Wright sounds too much like the Muslim preachers of hate who want to see this country destroyed. He is also mired in ancient grievances that have little to do with today's world. Obama's inability to disown him will mean that many voters will disown Obama. As for small town voters, he should do well with black Democrats in those towns, but he is definitely not a uniter.

I do see a problems with those polls that show 20 to 25 percent of the voters going with McCain if their guy loses. If those voters are calculated in McCain's total that shows him with a slim lead over either Democrat then he still has some major work to do. With that kind of defection he should be polling in the 60s. That he is not is a warning sign.