The far left: How vital to Clinton's campaign?

Even if activists don't fully embrace Sen. Clinton, polls show her gaining among liberals and women.

By Linda Feldmann | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the June 21, 2007 edition

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Washington - Hillary Clinton got booed again.

At the annual Take Back America conference of liberal activists Wednesday, Senator Clinton did not get the rousing reception that her nearest competitors for the Democratic presidential nomination did the day before. And when she got to discussing Iraq – specifically, when she stated that "the American military has succeeded" and "it is the Iraqi government that has failed" – a handful of activists took to their feet, waved signs, and booed.

Clinton was booed at the same convention a year ago, leading to questions of whether her expected presidential run would be hindered by tepid enthusiasm among many on the Democratic left. Now, as front-runner for her party's nomination both in national polls and in some polls of early-primary states, she faces a more acute question: Can a candidate perceived as a centrist by many in the party's activist liberal wing win the nomination?

The booing "reminds that relatively strong ... portion of the Democratic primary electorate of her apostasy, so to speak, with respect to an issue that's very important to them," says Bruce Buchanan, a political scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, referring to Clinton's vote in 2002 authorizing the Iraq war. "I guess that can't be good for her. On the other hand, she's still ahead in the polls and is climbing, so it obviously is not fatal among Democrats at this point."

Not only has Clinton picked up steam in the polls of late, but she is also gaining among self-described liberals. In a Gallup poll of Democratic voters taken in early June, which showed her in a dead heat for the nomination with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, she got 25 percent of the liberal vote. By mid-June, she had regained her overall lead over Senator Obama, 33 percent to 21 percent, and was up to 30 percent among liberals.

The earlier poll showing Obama up by 1 point overall may have been an anomaly – national polls have generally shown him trailing Clinton by a figure outside the margin of error. Clinton's rise among liberals, however, could be telling. The party's hunger for a victory in 2008 only grows stronger, and the electability factor looms large. Just as maverick candidate Howard Dean flamed out in 2004 in the Iowa caucuses over concerns about electability, it may be that some liberals are concluding that Clinton's experience and organization give her the most electable package.

In an election that analysts expect will be fought in the center, unlike the last two presidential races, Clinton's centrist credentials could be a plus. And getting booed by CodePink activists can't hurt her image among centrists. But she has to get nominated first.

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