“Every time you think, ‘Ok, when has she hit bottom?’ it feels like there’s a new bottom.” — Chuck Todd

David Freddoso – It’s panic time, and a great number of articles and television segments reflecting this were published even after this newsletter was being prepared at the end of last week.

For months, the Democratic Party’s rank and file has stood by Hillary Clinton. Her email scandal created enormous and noticeable public doubt about her honesty, and her poll numbers sagged in critical states for both the primary and the general election. But her supporters remained steadfast.

She was going to be the nominee, and there was little point in saying or speculating otherwise. In fact, any suggestion to the contrary was just plain counterproductive.

This attitude finally seems to be changing as it becomes clear that Clinton is in big trouble. We may be reaching the tipping point at which Democratic voters decide she is not just a scoundrel, but something far less tolerable — a loser.

Take, for example, a few of the most recent polls:

• The latest Washington Post poll has her at only 46 percent and leading Donald Trump by only three points nationwide.
• Clinton ties Trump, trails Ben Carson by five points, and trails Jeb Bush by two points nationwide in the latest CNN poll.
• She trails Trump by five points nationwide in a recent Survey USA poll.
• She trails Trump by five points and Jeb by 11 points in Iowa in the latest Marist poll.
• She trails Bush by five and Trump by one in New Hampshire, according to Marist.

These numbers are ominous for Clinton, especially when we add the customary disclaimer about her universal name recognition. As a candidate whom all the voters know already, she has little room to grow. Any result that puts her too far below 50 percent is quite bad, even if she happens to have a small lead. And there is no poll that shows her with a large general election lead. Continue reading →