I think you ought to consider asking people to vote twice, 1st in the IRV poll and then in this traditional version. It might make people focus more on thier choices. It certainly did that for me.

I'd be curious to know if it had the same effect on others.

If this were serious, that would be zero.

After all, if Biden were to get the nom it would just be another round of the John Kerry Memorial Douchebag Olympics.

I was wondering if you could provide me with the name of this Clinton pal who got Clark into the race.  Is it William Safire or Dick Morris?

I actually heard from a friend of a friend who knows Howard Dean who said it was Howard Dean himself that got Clark into the race in orderto build his name ID in a secret deal to be his VP.  But when Dean began to implode Clark called off the deal.

I can write fictional explanations as well.

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http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/Polls/reagan_ratings_poll_040607.html

Reagan's Ratings
`Great Communicator's' Appeal Is Greater in Retrospect

Analysis
By Gary Langer

June 7, 2004-- Ronald Reagan is misremembered as one of the most popular presidents, an assessment based more on his skills as a communicator and effectiveness as a campaigner than on public views of his accomplishments while in office.  
His job approval ratings, in fact, were mid-tier. Across his tenure an average of 57 percent of Americans approved of Reagan's work as president, tied with Bill Clinton and within a point of Lyndon Johnson. Among postwar presidents, John F. Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush all ran better averages, and George W. Bush has averaged better to date, despite his current slump.

Reagan has done far better in retrospect, as can happen as ex-presidents recede from the fray of day-to-day politics. Asked to think back to when he served, 66 percent in an ABC News/Washington Post poll in 2001 approved of his work, as did still more, 73 percent, in a 2002 Gallup poll. (Jimmy Carter's retrospective rating did the same thing, rising 20 points in the two decades after he left office.)

Reagan's personal ratings also have improved with time. During his presidency an average of 61 percent of Americans reported an overall favorable impression of him, about the same as the career favorable rating for his successor, the first President Bush (63 percent). By 2001, though, more -- 69 percent -- viewed Reagan favorably.

Events

Reagan's ratings while in office rose and fell sharply with events. Approval peaked at 73 percent after he was wounded in a March 1981 assassination attempt, but tumbled to 42 percent in the early '80s recessions (unemployment hit a 40-year high in 1982). It recovered to 70 percent in early 1986 as the economy improved, but then dived by 26 points in nine months during the Iran-Contra scandal.

While Reagan presided over what was characterized as a go-go economy in the second half of the 1980s, consumer confidence from that period pales compared to its level in the late 1990s -- one reason he was not insulated from Iran-Contra the way Clinton was protected (in terms of public opinion) from the Lewinsky scandal. Positive ratings of the economy never exceeded 50 percent (reached once) from December 1985 until the end of Reagan's term. In contrast, 71 percent rated the economy favorably, on average, during the Lewinsky days.

Like many presidents, Reagan inspired substantial polarization. The gender gap became evident in his presidency; he did seven or eight points better among men than among women in the 1980 and 1984 elections alike. And his ratings were sharply divided along political lines: At times ABC News polls found a 50-point gap between Republicans and Democrats in their ratings of Reagan's job performance, compared with a 30- or 35-point gap for his successor.

In an example of that polarization, in a poll in the late '90s, Reagan tied for first as "the best president in your lifetime," cited by 23 percent. But he also tied for second, behind Richard Nixon, as the worst president, chosen by 17 percent.

Reagan's reputation for popularity probably rests in part on his landslide victories, boosted by the "Reagan Democrats" who rallied to his side -- in ABC News exit polls, he won a quarter of Democratic voters in 1980 and 1984 alike. In addition to his legendary campaigning skills, it helped that the two least-popular periods of his presidency -- the recession and the Iran-Contra scandal -- didn't coincide with either election. (Running during the hangover from the 1990-91 recession didn't work for the first President Bush, despite his comparatively high average approval rating.)

He also left office on a fairly high economic note, with 42 percent of Americans saying they were better off than when he began. But there were sharp differences in views of which groups benefited: Seventy-two percent said he'd made wealthy Americans better off, but just 26 percent said he'd benefited the middle class financially, and a majority of Americans said the poor had gotten worse off.

His valedictory approval rating was a high 64 percent, a point shy of Clinton's. And 63 percent said they expected history to remember Reagan as an "above average" or "outstanding" president. But such assessments seem to have been informed more by his personal charisma rather than by specific accomplishments. While optimism rose during his presidency as the economy improved, across his two terms an average of just 44 percent of Americans described themselves as satisfied with the country's direction -- no more than the long-term average (45 percent) in Gallup polls from 1979 to present.

In a poll by The Associated Press in November 1988, majorities rated Reagan positively for handling just three of 11 issues tested -- relations with the Soviet Union, defense and other foreign affairs. There was an even split on the economy, plurality disapproval on his appointment of judges, and majority disapproval of his work on civil rights, education, ethics, housing, welfare, and the deficit (peaking at 82 percent disapproval on the latter).

More personally, in a 1987 survey half of Americans saw Reagan as "out of touch with what is going on in the government." And in the end-of-career AP poll his strongest ratings were for charisma (77 percent positive), his ability to communicate (74 percent) and leadership (60 percent). Only 45 percent rated Reagan positively for his "judgment as president."

But fundamentally, public assessments of Reagan seem to have been informed more by his personal charisma than by specific accomplishments. Optimism rose during his presidency as the economy improved. Still, across his two terms an average of 44 percent of Americans described themselves as satisfied with the country's direction -- no more than the long-term average (45 percent) in Gallup polls from 1979 to present.

In a 1987 survey, half of Americans saw Reagan as "out of touch with what is going on in the government." And in an end-of-career poll by The Associated Press, his strongest ratings were for charisma (77 percent positive), his ability to communicate (74 percent) and leadership (60 percent). Only 45 percent rated Reagan positively for his "judgment as president."

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The fact is that it is your puritan Stalin-like attitude that will prevent our party from growing as the Republican party begins to crack and Reagan Democrats (Like Clark and 25% of ALL Democrats) look for a party to belong to.

So you make the call.  Permanent minority because you can't accept Democrats that A QUARTER CENTURY AGO somebody voted Republican but for OVER TEN YEARS has voted and campaigned consistently for Democrats?

can we stop with this playground non-sense.  If you've got a dog in this fight how about trying to convince us why he or she is the better candidate vs. trotting out puritan-I-don't-EVER-want-to-be-the-majority-party-again stuff like this.

Maybe you're not better than this but our party and this community is.

You don't seem to understand what it was like in the military post-Vietnam.  I was there, so I understand.  I didn't vote for Reagan, because as a woman, I had a different perspective.  But I certainly understand.

Clark came to "see the light" with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.  He knew we needed a new vision, one the Repubs could provide.  He voted for Clinton in 1992.  And '96.  And Gore in 2000.  And worked his butt off for Congressional Dems in '02, and for Kerry in '04.

That matters to me a lot more than who he voted for over 20 years ago.

Hell, maybe the guy is legit, but if I'm a betting man, I'd say his "conversion" is at best highly politically expedient and at worst the sign post of a con artist.  

Vote Hillary.  She's smart, she's honest, she's committed.  And from a policy stand point, accepting her leftist positions on abortion, she's the future of the party.

Clark has a huge on-line community that actually visits kos and mydd often.  Its not a negative that they vote for thier guy in a poll.

Will you give this stuff up?

1. I like the guy's record as a general and since then. There are other worthy candidates. Matter of tastes and colors.
   
2. One very important mission of the next presidency is going to put the US DoD back together.

Feingold voted against the Clinton health care bill.

I wanted to stop the genocide in the balkans.  

Feingold voted against sending US troops to stop it.

I admire all the work that Russ has done but he's got those two HUGE marks against him and he's a Senator.

I'll never support a Senator for the Democratic nomination again.  Ever.

This won't translate to support in the mountain west or in places like FL, OH or PA in my opinion.

same with vilsack: BO-ring.

i say lets draft schweitzer.

If you haven't voted in the IRV, here is the link.

Considering that Clark supporters do appear (to me) to be organized and coordinated in participating on these polls, this represents quite a strong performance by Al Gore! Are you hearing and heeding, Mr. Vice President? :)

In case you haven't voted yet in the IRV, please do so here

Neo
ps: am somewhat puzzled why Gore is finishing only 6th in the straight poll here (2nd or 3rd would be more plausible).