Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) won a presidential straw poll on Wednesday at the Take Back America conference. The poll was sponsored by Politico.com and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner
Former Sen. John Edwards came in a close second. New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton came in third.
What the poll established is that Obama, Edwards and Clinton form a clear first tier of presidential candidates among progressives, pollster Stan Greenberg said. But unlike many national polls that show Clinton in the lead, people polled at the Take Back America conference showed a strong and interchangeable preference for Obama and Edwards.
Obama was the first choice of 29 percent of the poll participants; 26 percent chose Edwards. As a second choice, Obama won the support of 30 percent of the poll participants, and Edwards won 28 percent.
The poll is obviously good news for Obama, who appeared at Take Back America conferences for two years in a row and gave rousing, well-received speeches both times. Obama polled particularly well among young adults, 40 percent of whom made him their first choice.
It is just as obviously not so good news for Clinton, who also appeared at the conference for the second consecutive year and saw her speeches both times overshadowed by catcalls from antiwar protesters.
From the Left 
This is the type of support that translates into grassroots and netroots votes at the polls. I also think this fall, Obama needs to concentrate more effort at America’s universities. Apathy is very often high in the 18-24 year old demographic, so he challenge is to make these kids see that the next president could be forced to bring back the draft. Obama has promised that won’t happen once he’s president.
How can there be such a difference between TBA’s straw poll having Obama on top and Hillary in third place and the polling organizations like Pew and Gallup?
What gives?
Obama wins the straw poll
Hillary gets booed
The folks that attend these events like Take Back America are the activists of the Democratic party and they form the core of the party’s base.
For many of these Democrats, Hillary will always be viewed as a traitor for voting in favor of the Iraq war back in 2002 and no amount of soft-peddling by Clinton will change their view of her. She hasn’t helped herself by refusing to the engage in the symbolic mea culpa of issuing an apology for her vote as other Democrats have issued.
I’m Lovin’ It! Rock on, Barack!
If I had been there, I would have booed Hillary as well.
If Barack can hold on to the Democratic base and that means the antiwar activists, then all he has left is raise the kind of serious cash that Hillary seems to be printing in her basement. By the way, I read John Kerry (ewww) is still sitting on millions from his ’04 run against his cousin. I think it would be very generous of him to give some of it to the Obama 2008 campaign.
Obama wins the Democratic base. But according to the New York Times, Hillary is the leader of the pack?
Sounds like the establishment media has a bigger stake in Hillary winning than Barack.
Go, Obama, go!
All the way to the White House and then hire me as your communications director. I am available and I would love the opportunity to work for your administration.