Democrats and Dog Food

The blue side of the new ’08 polling shows little change: Hillary Clinton leads Barack Obama by 35 to 22 percent, a shade closer than last month, with undeclared Al Gore at 17.

As expected, John Edwards gets a “sympathy bounce” of five points to 14 percent, only slightly higher than his January and February levels. When asked if he would eventually withdraw because of his wife’s illness, 38 percent of those who responded thought he would.

Hillary Clinton’s problem, and Obama’s opportunity, are reflected in the fact that by far the most common reason for backing him is distaste for her.

Senator Clinton does not seem to be making much headway in her attempt to reintroduce herself to voters as “the most famous person you don’t really know.”

All this recalls the story of the re-marketing of a dog food--improved nutritional formula, better packaging, more effective ads--but no spike in sales. Asked to explain, the brand manager shrugs: “The damn dogs just won’t swallow it.”