During a discussion speculating on the 2008 presidential candidates on the May 30 broadcast of 1310 KFKA's The Amy Oliver Show, guest co-host Ross Kaminsky projected that “any of the Democratic front-runners should be underdogs” to potential GOP candidate Fred Thompson. He further asserted that Republican Rudolph Giuliani would be “a clear favorite over any” of the Democratic hopefuls if he wins his party's nomination. In fact, numerous polls show that Democratic candidates -- named and unnamed -- hold an edge over Republicans. Also, co-host Christopher Sanders disparaged Democratic candidate U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY), calling her “spooky” and claiming that “if it wasn't for the mustache, she'd look like Joe Stalin.”

Later, Sanders claimed that while Democrats are “mov[ing] further and further left ... the American electorate is not that far to the left” and stated that most people “outside of places like Boulder and Berkeley” care about “the basics.” He added, “And the Democrats can stand up there and talk about it all day long, but everything they say involves taking money out of people's pockets.” But as Rasmussen Reports noted on May 24, “Democrats are currently trusted more than Republicans on all ten issues measured in Rasmussen Reports tracking surveys. Democrats even have slight advantages on National Security and Taxes, two issues 'owned' by Republicans during the generation since Ronald Reagan took office.”

Sanders, according to the September 6, 2003, edition of the Rocky Mountain News (accessed through the Nexis database), helped arrange a meeting in June 2003 between [former Republican] “Gov. Bill Owens ... Republican legislators [and] David Horowitz, a controversial and outspoken Los Angeles conservative.” Kaminsky, whose weblog Rossputin.com provides links to national and local conservative sources such as the Drudge Report and the Independence Institute, is a graduate of the free enterprise Leadership Program of the Rockies, which has identified him as “a regional coordinator for the Colorado Club for Growth" and “a Fellow (and former Director) of the Heartland Institute."

Following his disparaging comments about Clinton, Sanders later said, “I think as long as a Republican candidate doesn't have Bill Clinton-like baggage -- the Republicans aren't going to stand for it -- and he hasn't strayed too far from the party fold, and he makes sense, I think Hillary's going to beat Hillary” in the 2008 race. After Sanders repeated himself later in the broadcast, saying, “Hillary's baggage is Hillary,” Kaminsky responded, “I think any of the Democratic front-runners should be underdogs to Thompson, even -- or to Giuliani -- not saying that I know Giuliani could get through the primary. But if he did, I think he'd be a clear favorite over any of those guys -- or girls.”

However, contradicting Kaminsky's labeling of Democratic front-runners as “underdogs” is the latest CBS News/New York Times poll on the 2008 presidential election. Conducted May 18-23, the poll asked 1,001 registered voters nationwide, "[I]f the 2008 election for president were being held today, would you probably vote for the Republican candidate or would you probably vote for the Democratic candidate?" A large plurality -- 49 percent -- indicated they would vote for the “Democratic candidate,” versus 33 percent who indicated they would vote Republican.

CBS News/New York Times Poll.
May 18-23, 2007.
N=1,001 registered voters nationwide.

.

“If the 2008 election for president were being held today,
would you probably vote for the Republican candidate or
would you probably vote for the Democratic candidate?”

.

Republican
Candidate

Democratic
Candidate

Other (vol.)

Depends (vol.)

Unsure

%

%

%

%

%

5/18-23/07

33

49

1

10

7

Furthermore, other recent polls contradict Kaminsky's assertion that Giuliani would be “a clear favorite” over Democratic candidates. For example, while a May 17-20 Zogby America poll showed Giuliani leading Clinton by five percentage points in a hypothetical head-to-head contest, the same poll showed U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) leading Giuliani by 6 percentage points.

Zogby America Poll. May 17-20, 2007. N=993 likely voters nationwide. MoE ± 3.2

.

General Election Trial Heats:

.

Rudy
Giuliani (R)

Hillary
Clinton (D)

Other (vol.)

Unsure

%

%

%

%

5/17-20/07

48

43

5

4

.

Rudy
Giuliani (R)

Barack
Obama (D)

Other (vol.)

Unsure

%

%

%

%

5/17-20/07

42

48

4

6

Similarly, a Newsweek poll conducted May 2-3 found Giuliani trailing potential Democratic nominees Clinton, Obama, and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards. The Newsweek poll asked, "[H]ow ... would [you] vote if the election for president were being held today. Suppose you HAD TO CHOOSE between [see below], the Democrat, and [see below], the Republican."

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. May 2-3, 2007. N=831 registered voters nationwide. MoE ± 4.

Rudy
Giuliani (R)

Hillary
Clinton (D)

Other (vol.)/
Unsure

%

%

%

5/2-3/07

46

49

5

Rudy
Giuliani (R)

Barack
Obama (D)

Other (vol.)/
Unsure

%

%

%

5/2-3/07

43

50

7

Rudy
Giuliani (R)

John
Edwards (D)

Other (vol.)/
Unsure

%

%

%

5/2-3/07

44

50

6

Finally, contrary to Sanders' suggestion that Democrats are out of touch with the American electorate, Rasmussen found that Democrats are “trusted more than Republicans on all ten issues measured in Rasmussen Reports tracking surveys”:

Issue

Dem

GOP

Net Dem Advtg.

Nat'l Security

46%

43%

+3

Taxes

47%

42%

+5

Abortion

45%

38%

+7

Economy

48%

4

+8

Ethics & Corruption

43%

32%

+11

War in Iraq

49%

37%

+12

Immigration

47%

33%

+14

Education

50%

35%

+15

Soc. Security

50%

34%

+16

Healthcare

57%

30%

+27

From the May 30 broadcast of 1310 KFKA's The Amy Oliver Show, with guest hosts Ross Kaminsky and Christopher Sanders:

KAMINSKY: Yeah, I think that Rudy would have a much harder time in a primary than in the general election. On the other hand, if Republican voters say, “OK, he'll be going up -- whoever wins will be going up against Hillary; we need to pick someone who has the best chance of beating her, or any of the other Democrats,” that's --

SANDERS: Fred Thompson.

KAMINSKY: -- that's -- yeah, Fred Thompson. But of the, of the, of the three big ones who have announced, Rudy might be the most likely to be able to beat Hillary.

SANDERS: He should have beat Hillary in the Senate race. He should have run for the Senate, but he had his marital problems and his prostate problems and whatever other problems he was having. But that's when he should have beat Hillary, was, was running for Senate, 'cause he was hugely popular in Manhattan at the time and as a Republican, he could have done well in upstate New York. But he didn't, and now we're stuck with Hillary in the Senate. And, ladies and gentleman, let's leave her there. There's a hundred senators; she's just -- there's 99 people to counteract her, so perhaps she can do a minimal amount of damage. And the woman, the woman's spooky. I've, I've actually had the opportunity to meet her, and she's quite charming and gracious in person. But she stands up there and, you know, if it wasn't for the mustache, she'd look like Joe Stalin.

KAMINSKY: Whose mustache?

SANDERS: Yeah, yeah. It's -- she, she sits there and talks about income redistribution. She talks about taking people's money. She talks about massive regulation of society. I think Hillary beats Hillary. I think as long as a Republican candidate doesn't have Bill Clinton-like baggage -- the Republicans aren't going to stand for it -- and he hasn't strayed too far from the party fold, and he makes sense, I think Hillary's going to beat Hillary. Everything she talks about involves increasing taxes. You don't win a presidential race increasing taxes. You know, Walter Mondale -- Mr. Personality -- stood up there in 1984 and he flat-out said he was going to raise taxes. You know? His other mistake was making an issue of Reagan's age. And it -- Reagan had to point out his youth and inexperience. But you don't win by raising taxes, and Hillary -- everything she's saying now is on the path to raise taxes. So when she's running in August of '08, she's giving people all kinds of television commercials about Hillary stealing your money; Hillary taking your money; Hillary raising taxes. She's showing her true colors. Hillary beats Hillary.

[...]

KAMINSKY: You know, I do believe that this country is prepared to have a woman president, just not --

SANDERS: Yeah, Margaret Thatcher.

KAMINSKY: Yeah, Margaret -- right; not this woman. But I wonder, in specific, just -- well, not even specific -- generally about women, do you think a woman is less likely to be able to win a presidential election during a time of war?

SANDERS: I think they're less likely to win, and I think Hillary is less likely to win. Condoleezza Rice is stuck with a lot of Bush's baggage, but there was a time there where a lot of people would have stood up and voted for Condi Rice. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if, if she was a vice presidential candidate, people would line up behind her. You know, the difference being somebody who's calm, sure of themselves, and, you know, has a high IQ. Hillary, according to Bill, was the smartest person in the world. Well, obviously not -- she didn't figure the Monica thing out until it was in the media. You know, I don't think Hillary's it; I think Hillary's, Hillary's baggage is Hillary.

KAMINSKY: I think, I think any of the Democratic front-runners should be underdogs to Thompson, even -- or to Giuliani -- not saying that I know Giuliani could get through the primary. But if he did, I think he'd be a clear favorite over any of those guys -- or girls.

SANDERS: Yesterday the Democrats announced that in a, in a, in their polling, John Edwards beats every Republican out there. But, you know, that's --

KAMINSKY: Was that nationally or was that one particular -- was that Iowa or something like that?

SANDERS: That, that, that was supposedly some internal poll that they had, so, you know, whatever. It's suspect -- and it probably was in Iowa -- 'cause most of the country just does not care yet. We're tired of it. Go home, come back in, in eight, 10 months, and then bother us. But, you know, you've got the Democrats are having to fight to move further and further left. And the, the bottom line is the American electorate is not that far to the left. You, you get -- outside of places like Boulder and Berkeley, you know, most people care about the money in their pocket, the food on their table, the shoes on their children's feet -- you know, the basics. And the Democrats can stand up there and talk about it all day long, but everything they say involves taking money out of people's pockets.