by Mark Silva
Hillary Clinton’s landing “under sniper fire.’’
Barack Obama’s pastor.
Which resonated more widely in the contest between them for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination? Which got the attention of more people?
Obama’s Rev. Jeremiah Wright, according to the results of a Pew Research Center survey.
Not by much, though.
“Roughly four-in-ten Americans heard a lot about Clinton's claim that she came under sniper fire, placing this story near the middle of the list of campaign news events this year in terms of overall visibility,’’ Pew reports. “By comparison, in Pew's News Interest Index survey a week ago, 51 percent reported having heard ‘a lot’ about Rev. Wright's sermons.’’
In the make-sure-you-spell-my-name-right category of what matters in the end, Clinton continued to lag behind Obama in terms of “public visibility,’’ according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's Campaign Coverage Index. It found that Clinton was featured prominently in 63 percent of all campaign stories last week, while Obama was featured in 54 percent and Republican John McCain in just 24 percent of the stories.
“Yet when asked which candidate they had heard the most about last week, 53 percent said Obama, 30 percent Clinton and 4 percent McCain,’’ Pew reports.
Also , most Americans (55 percent) say their view of Clinton has not changed over the past few days. While 30 percent say they have come to feel less favorably toward her over the past few days, 13 percent say they have come to feel more favorably toward her.
And just over half (52 percent) say their view of Obama has not changed in recent days.
Among those who say their view of him has changed, somewhat more say it is for the worse (27 percent) than for the better (18 percent).
“These reactions are virtually unchanged from the previous week, when news about Rev. Wright and Obama's speech about race dominated campaign coverage,’’ Pew reports.
These findings are based on the most recent installment of the weekly News Interest Index, an ongoing project of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
The findings about news coverage were collected from March 24-30 and the findings about public interest in the top news stories of the week was collected March 28-31 from a nationally representative sample of 1,005 adults. The results carry a possible margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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Comments
Obamas fraudulent defense of his pastor was made to elicit white guillt. Hil simply fabricated a tall tale.
With Obamas thin resume and the shady deals of Rezko just to minimize his problems--the driveby media has used Hils lie to bring back the Obama myth. Believe me it won't hold till November. Obama has to be vetted like any other candidate but a Chicago machine politician and additional baggage and there is definitely a credibility problem. Read todays Charles Krauthamer column and Ann Coulter's column both nail Obama for the loony tune he is. Jerry White, Springfield, IL
Posted by: Jerry White | April 4, 2008 8:08 AM
Charles Krauthamer column and Ann Coulter's column both nail Obama for the loony tune he is. Jerry White, Springfield, IL
Posted by: Jerry White | April 4, 2008 8:08 AM
I thought the gutter rat Ann Coulter was voting for Hillary? I've often wondered why your brain was filled with mush....now I know.
Posted by: bill "Hussein" r. | April 4, 2008 8:49 AM
Ann Coulter still has a column??
Where? In Jerry's imagination??
But at least he didn't mention Dick Durbin in this rant.
Posted by: BobHusseininAtlanta | April 4, 2008 9:28 AM
Jerry: If Ann Coulter had something GOOD to say about Obama I would then start to question Obama!! Any moron that listens to Ann Coulter or James Carville should not have voting rights!
Posted by: Xcellentform | April 4, 2008 10:18 AM
JerryWhite: Krauthamer and Coulter? Don't u have better sources than those two thugs? Spare us the anti-Obama rant, its Friday, dude.
Posted by: Dale | April 4, 2008 10:24 AM
"driveby media" = Dittohead = Moron
Posted by: Bailey Hankins | April 4, 2008 10:30 AM
I listen to Obama's speeches and town hall meetings on YouTube and see a compelling combination of intelligence, intellectual honesty, inspiration and wisdom. I think he's proved that you can run a successful grassroots campaign and that change can happen from the bottom up.
I think this scares the crap out of entrenched power across the political spectrum, hence the vitriolic blog posts that you see on every Obama-related story.
It's also telling that the criticisms are generally distortions of things he's said, or in the case of Wright, guilt by association. That certainly doesn't mean he can't be beaten by smearing him, but at this point that looks like the only way to beat him.
Hopefully the US electorate will be smart enough to see through mud and elect Obama.
Posted by: Michael | April 4, 2008 10:31 AM
The Trib published more complete versions of the sermons for anyone willing to read them:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-wright-transcripts-webmar29,0,5774556.story
For those who prefer to remain outraged...well, you wouldn't be voting for Obama anyway. And don't expect anybody to take you seriously if you volutarily subject yourself to Ann Coulter.
Posted by: Tom O | April 4, 2008 2:35 PM
hillary lied - she lied purely in order to appear better able to be commander in chief than obama - in so doing she showed her ususal lack of character but more so she showed total ineptitiude about all matters military - she would not have even tried to use this lie in her campaign against obama had she known there was zero chance a military plane would land with civilian or military v.i.p.'s in an area that had not been fully secured (did hillary fail Military Operations 101 ?)- hillary would still be using that exact same lie over and over and over against obama had it not been for the video (just like billary would have told his lie over and over and over - even if monica went to jail for perjury or worse - he would have never, ever told the truth but for for the dna on the blue dress)
those lies came directly from the mouth of hillary - repeat - directly
the wright remarks did not come from obama at all - the clintons are playing guilt by association and the race card at the same time - it is disgusting - the wright matter is truly a non issue other than it underscores the lack of ethics on the part of the clintons - but that is hardly a surprise
Posted by: hillary's lie shows she failed Military 101 | April 4, 2008 2:49 PM
Hillary made a mistake, misspoke, had a memory lapse, or lied. Seems like the "lie" tag caught on. Was it the most likely or most convenient explanation? Barak supporters seem to care little about his being in a church which teaches that America is evil, that it attacked itself on 9/11, and that it victimizes blacks with disease and poverty. Barak didn't defend the remarks that made it to YouTube, but he did defend his pastor-mentor. Hillary stands by her man. Barak stands by his pastor. OK! They're both loyal to someone other than themselves. Right? Jeremiah Wright is now referred to as Barak's "former pastor." Does anyone know when he resigned his position at TUCC? Does anyone care? No. Senator Obama has a mesmerizing charm that virtually guarantees his becoming President. How can you doubt that after following the news the past two months?
Posted by: Dan | April 4, 2008 3:33 PM
Dan, there is alot to hate about America. I'm not 100% supportive of Wright, but he is closer to reality than you seem to be. If America is so good and right, why does the rest of the world, including most of Europe hate us? and Canada, etc. etc. etc.? If you do not see grains of truth in Wrights speach (althought delivered horribly), then you are not in touch with reality.
Posted by: Xcellentform | April 4, 2008 4:13 PM
The vocal and dishonourable lefties that are in power around much of the world; particularly in quisling Europe; hate 'Americans' for they represent the dreaded 'capitalism' and 'free markets' - all the rest is a diversion and pitiful excuse to do nothing about anything. It's like an inversed late 30's but it's high price they are going to pay.
Posted by: Cotton Sox | April 5, 2008 9:19 AM