Politics & Government

Illinois Democrats Say They're More Confident About Re-election Post-Convention

In the latest Land of Lincoln Blue survey issued by Patch, Democratic respondents said they thought President Obama did a great job, but loved President Clinton's speech more. They also said Republicans showed how "out of touch" they are.

Now that the Democratic and Republican national conventions are complete, Democrats in Illinois say they're more confident in President Obama's re-election campaign than they were last month.

That's part of the results from a recent Land of Lincoln survey issued by Patch in the Chicago area. Eighty-nine Democrats were surveyed, with 15 responding. About 87 percent of those surveyed said they're more confident now than they were before the conventions. 

But was it Barack Obama who energized them? Almost every Democrat that responded to the survey said President Bill Clinton was the highlight of the convention, even overshadowing the current president.

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Clinton showed that Democrats "stand for the working class and the seniors of this country. Medicare recipients will have a strong voice from the Democrats," one respondent said. Another called Clinton's analysis "insightful and inspiring."

Read the Republican response to the Land of Lincoln survey.

Find out what's happening in Huntleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Still, 87 percent of respondents said they either strongly agreed or agreed that Obama made a strong case for why he should be re-elected 

Citing missteps of the DNC, Democrats said the vote to re-add statements about God and Jerusalem to the platform was awkward and "looked really bad."

Others said there was a lack of specifics, both in regard to future plans and success stories of businesses "helped by the administration."

Nearly every respondent said Clint Eastwood's speech at the RNC was a misstep for Republicans, but, in focusing on policy, said there was a lack of specifics. 

"They did not say how they would improve the economy, reduce federal spending or the national debt or make government more efficient.

"I guess the fact that they didn't give any specifics was a good thing for them, because if they gave specifics on what they planned to do, no one would vote for them," one Democrat said. 

Other Democratic respondents said the GOP platform showed how "out of touch" Republicans are with the working class, seniors and women. 

Respondents did say Republicans did a good job trying to connect with a more racially diverse audience, specifically mentioning Marco Rubio and Condoleezza Rice. 

WHO PARTICIPATED

Patch editors throughout the Chicago suburbs enlisted local people involved with politics to take our Land of Lincoln surveys. Go to the links below to see a full roster of those involved. Want to take our next survey? Email associate regional editor Michael Sewall at michael.sewall@patch.com

  • Land of Lincoln Blue Roster
  • Land of Lincoln Red Roster


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