by Christi Parsons and Jill Zuckman
Dueling Democratic conference calls broke out this afternoon over the question of whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama has the better chance of winning a general election as the party nominee.
The debate came fresh on the heels of a new New York Times/CBS News poll, in which 63 percent of Democratic voters polled said Clinton is most likely to win. Obama followed with 14 percent and former senator John Edwards with 10 percent.
In his press call, Obama said he isn’t buying it.
Obama argues he can draw support in the general election from people who don’t usually or always vote for the Democrat.
“In surveys, what you’ve seen is Republicans and independents are more open to my message of change than they are to any other candidate out there,” Obama said.
The message was echoed in a subsequent pro-Obama conference call lead by former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle.
But the Clinton campaign countered with four supporters touting the New York senator’s consistency on issues and ability to represent voters who don’t necessarily subscribe to liberal dogma.
They also took veiled swipes at Obama for his inexperience, changed positions and liberal philosophy, though they rarely mentioned him by name.
“I don’t understand a candidate that seems to think he can offer one position in the early stages of his career and then when he reaches a national level he can change one position to the next,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas), an African American supporter of Clinton’s.
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) said the Democratic nominee has to be able to relate to moderate and independent voters, showing both strength and toughness and a concern for the middle class.
“I think Hillary Clinton has the best chance of being electable in swing parts of the country,” said Bayh, whose home state has voted Republican in 16 out of 17 of the last presidential elections.
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“The Oval Office is not a place for on the job training,” said Bayh, echoing a common criticism of Obama without citing him by name. “Her experience, her seasoning are important for not just bringing hope, but delivering on hope.”
Asked whether Obama is qualified from day one to be commander-in-chief, three of the four Clinton supporters remained quiet. Bayh, however, said it is not a yes or no question.
“The decision is whether there is somebody else who is better able to be commander in chief from day one,” he said. “You can make that judgment without disparaging Barack Obama.”
The Edwards campaign decided not to join in the round robin of conference calls, with press secretary Eric Schultz simply dashing off a memo on the subject.
“We’ll let Democrats in red states speak for themselves,” Schultz wrote. “But we’ll
also remind you what CNN released today.”
The new CNN poll he refers to shows Edwards performing best in head-to-head match-ups with the leading Republicans.