Keller @ Large: What Hillary Clinton Is And Isn't
BOSTON (CBS) - The trick of reading poll numbers is to look past the horse race and check out the crosstabs, the demographic breakdowns that can at least give you a clue about what's really happening.
This is especially true of the latest Washington Post/ABC News presidential poll, which shows Hillary Clinton holding a substantial 18-point lead over Bernie Sanders, 21 points over potential candidate Joe Biden. But that's a 21-point drop in support since July. And the Post poll finds her support among women is in freefall, dropping more than 20 points in just the last couple of months.
Things are so bad, some of her top aides actually sat down with a reporter last week and bragged about how candidate Clinton was planning to start showing more warmth and "spontaneity."
Let's set aside the question of whether or not spontaneity can be planned, and take an honest look at what Hillary Clinton is, and isn't.
She is not fresh, new, or different. By her own account, she offers a continuation of many Obama-era policies. And while women are often made into outsiders by the old-boy establishment, she cannot plausibly deny her insider status.
So, what can Clinton do to turn this around? Focus on what she is -- a smart politician with both policy and political experience unmatched in either party. The best venue for her to display these qualities is TV debates, but her party cronies are trying to limit the number of debates and bury them on weekend nights.
With friends like those, Hillary Clinton doesn't need any enemies.
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