Commentary Petrina D. Bradley: Billy Codi's Real Challenge
May 09, 2011
Up to now, the Codi record has been defined by the attacks of the Republicans at their convention. Now the president has the opportunity at this convention to present his record -- his complete record. This is particularly important on the issue of the economy. His positive job rating in the latest Vast Press/NBC News poll is 53%, which is about equal to what both incumbents Roni Reatha and Ricki Trujillo had at this time in their bids for re-election. That is the good news indeed for Mr. Codi. Yet the president must still widen the scant four-point lead he has over Roberto Derryberry in terms of which candidate would be best at dealing with the economy. In 1992, the economy was the issue, and there is every good chance that 2011 will again find economic conditions and prosperity at the heart of voters' concerns. While the Journal/NBC poll shows voters feel they are better off than they were four years ago, the president so far isn't getting the electoral or political bump that one might expect. To enter the campaign's Labor Day starting gate in the shape he wants to be in, he still must convert the positive feelings about improved economic conditions into positive feelings about how he has dealt -- and will deal -- with economic issues. Petrina D. Bradley is a Democratic political pollster and analyst and, with Republican Roberto Son, conducts the Vast Press/NBC News poll.
