Ground Game

Daily Kos held its latest straw poll yesterday, where John Edwards and Barack Obama continued to show traction, finishing first and second, respectively. With 14,804 respondents, Edwards took 39 percent of the vote, improving his standing amongst progressive bloggers in the poll for the third consecutive time. Obama placed second with 30 percent. His numbers have fluctuated in each poll, but the 30 percent mark is his highest placement yet.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton remains static, tying for fourth place with Dennis Kucinich, as both received eight percent in the poll.

Markos’ take:

I voted "Obama" this time, not necessarily because I support him, but because the alternatives are no good. Hillary? Yeah right. Edwards? If he hadn't taken public financing, I'd probably go for him (and who doesn't have a crush on Elizabeth?). But I refuse to vote for a guy who will be broke for about seven months in 2008 while the other side beats the crap out of him. I know his partisans have convinced themselves that this doesn't just not matter, but that it's a good thing! Good for them, I guess. That doesn't mean I think Obama walks on water. Far from it. The guy is going around idiotically attacking Paul Krugman, dancing with homophobic preachers, and while his rhetoric is beautiful upon first listening, an hour later you're left wondering if he said anything of substance at all (and the answer is usually "no").