NBC/WSJ 2012 Presidential Poll
REPUBLICAN NOMINATION
- Newt Gingrich 37% [40%] {13%} (8%) [5%] {8%} (6%) [11%] {13%} (10%)
- Mitt Romney 28% [23%] {28%} (23%) [23%] {30%} (30%) [21%] {21%} (19%)
- Rick Santorum 18% [3%] {2%} (1%) [3%] {3%} (4%) [3%] {2%} (3%)
- Ron Paul 12% [9%] {10%} (11%) [9%] {9%} (7%)
Now, if you were voting today in the 2012 Republican primary for president, and the candidates were Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, which one would you favor?
- Newt Gingrich 52% [59%]
- Mitt Romney 39% [36%]
I’m going to read you the names of several public figures, and I’d like you to rate your feelings toward each one as very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very negative.
Newt Gingrich
- Very positive 24% [17%] (17%)
- Somewhat positive 32% [35%] (32%)
- Neutral 18% [23%] (23%)
- Somewhat negative 15% [12%] (15%)
- Very negative 9% [9%] (8%)
Mitt Romney
- Very positive 12% [9%] {10%} (16%)
- Somewhat positive 43% [34%] {36%} (35%)
- Neutral 25% [30%] {33%} (27%)
- Somewhat negative 14% [16%] {11%} (11%)
- Very negative 6% [5%] {6%} (5%)
Rick Santorum
- Very positive 15%
- Somewhat positive 37%
- Neutral 25%
- Somewhat negative 8%
- Very negative 8%
Ron Paul
- Very positive 9% [8%] {9%}
- Somewhat positive 21% [20%] {17%}
- Neutral 30% [35%] {35%}
- Somewhat negative 21% [19%] {18%}
- Very negative 15% [8%] {11%}
If __________________ were selected as the Republican presidential nominee, would you be comfortable with that choice, or would you be uncomfortable with that choice? Would that be very comfortable/uncomfortable or somewhat comfortable/uncomfortable?
Newt Gingrich
- Very Comfortable 39%
- Somewhat Comfortable 32%
- Somewhat Uncomfortable 15%
- Very Uncomfortable 13%
Mitt Romney
- Very Comfortable 34%
- Somewhat Comfortable 41%
- Somewhat Uncomfortable 15%
- Very Uncomfortable 9%
Rick Santorum
- Very Comfortable 29%
- Somewhat Comfortable 38%
- Somewhat Uncomfortable 13%
- Very Uncomfortable 15%
Ron Paul
- Very Comfortable 15%
- Somewhat Comfortable 24%
- Somewhat Uncomfortable 25%
- Very Uncomfortable 22%
GENERAL ELECTION
Among Registered Voters
- Barack Obama 49% [47%] {49%} (46%) [46%] {48%} [49%] {49%} [47%]
- Mitt Romney 43% [45%] {43%} (44%) [45%] {41%} [43%] {40%} [40%]
- Barack Obama 53%
- Rick Santorum 38%
- Barack Obama 55% [51%] (55%)
- Newt Gingrich 37% [40%] (37%)
And, if the next election for president were held today, and Mitt Romney were the Republican candidate, Barack Obama were the Democratic candidate, and Ron Paul were the Independent candidate for whom would you vote?
- Barack Obama 45% {44%}
- Mitt Romney 32% {32%}
- Ron Paul 18% {18%}
I’m going to read you the names of several public figures, and I’d like you to rate your feelings toward each one as very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very negative.
Barack Obama
- Very positive 28% [22%] {26%} (23%) [24%] [27%] [28%] {28%} (29%) [25%]
- Somewhat positive 22% [23%] {19%} (23%) [20%] [22%] [22%] {21%} (23%) [23%]
- Neutral 10% [13%] {15%} (14%) [12%] [14%] [14%] {15%} (15%) [14%]
- Somewhat negative 14% [15%] {13%} (12%) [14%] [13%] [13%] {15%} (14%) [14%]
- Very negative 25% [27%] {27%} (28%) [30%] [24%] [23%] {20%} (18%) [24%]
Rick Santorum
- Very positive 8%
- Somewhat positive 18%
- Neutral 25%
- Somewhat negative 12%
- Very negative 15%
Mitt Romney
- Very positive 6% [4%] {5%} (6%) [5%] [7%] {6%} [10%]
- Somewhat positive 25% [20%] {21%} (21%) [19%] [20%] {19%} [18%]
- Neutral 26% [30%] {32%} (30%) [32%] [30%] {30%} [30%]
- Somewhat negative 21% [21%] {17%} (17%) [18%] [16%] {13%} [10%]
- Very negative 15% [11%] {13%} (12%) [11%] [10%] {12%} [10%]
Ron Paul
- Very positive 8% [5%] {5%} (5%)
- Somewhat positive 18% [14%] {14%} (13%)
- Neutral 28% [32%] {31%} (29%)
- Somewhat negative 19% [14%] {16%} (16%)
- Very negative 13% [10%] {12%} (13%)
Newt Gingrich
- Very positive 9% [6%] [3%] [6%] {9%}
- Somewhat positive 17% [18%] [13%] [18%] {15%}
- Neutral 19% [23%] [23%] [24%] {27%}
- Somewhat negative 18% [17%] [21%] [15%] {16%}
- Very negative 30% [23%] [27%] [22%] {19%}
Survey of 1,000 adults, including subsamples of 820 registered voters, and 441 registered Republican primary voters, was conducted January 22-24, 2012. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points among adults; +/- 4.67 percentage points among registered GOP primary voters. Results from the poll conducted December 7-11, 2011 are in square brackets. Results from the poll conducted November 2-5, 2011are in curly brackets. Results from the poll conducted October 6-10, 2011 are in parentheses. Results from the poll conducted August 27-31, 2011 are in square brackets. Results from the poll conducted July 14-17, 2011 are in curly brackets. Results from the poll conducted June 9-13, 2011 are in square brackets. Results from the poll conducted March 31 – April 4, 2011 are in square brackets. Results from the poll conducted February 24-28, 2011 are in curly brackets. Results from the poll conducted January 13-17, 2011 are in parentheses. Results from the poll conducted December 9-13, 2010 are in square brackets. Results from the poll conducted September, 2010 are in curly brackets.
–Data compilation and analysis courtesy of The Argo Journal
January 27th, 2012 at 3:02 am
We all know that all national polls taken before the Florida vote won’t mean much, but this one is already capturing the change in fortunes for Mitt (up) and Newt (down)…
January 27th, 2012 at 3:03 am
Besides, maybe Mitt’s alphamale stomping of Newt will increase his support among men
January 27th, 2012 at 3:14 am
1:
Not really. The previous was from December, around the time Newt collapsed the first time.
January 27th, 2012 at 3:23 am
NBC is the Obama network, and this poll looks highly skewed.
January 27th, 2012 at 3:39 am
OH my heck! They are having the caucus at Newt Gingrich’s donor’s house!
That is so unethical!
Wow, the audasity of that campaign with it’s blatant lies!
Something should be done to stop this.
http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2012/01/27/ron-paul-campaign-slams-decision-to-accommodate-newts-billionaire-buddy-casino-magnate-at-special-caucus/
The timing part is fine with me… but you cannot hold it in the house of the guy who gave $10 million dollars to one candidate.
January 27th, 2012 at 3:41 am
YOu know… MItt’s should make an ad about abuse of campaign laws… this is very unethical and I would think it would not sit well with voters.
January 27th, 2012 at 3:50 am
Poll taken between 17-24 Jan. This will change after last night.
January 27th, 2012 at 4:59 am
This poll was taken fresh off Newt’s SC win, when the media was all Newt all the time. Things took a dramatic turn in Mitt’s favor on Jan. 24th, the last day of their polling.
Things are moving so fast, I think any poll taken before Tuesday is old.
January 27th, 2012 at 6:07 am
So this poll was taken Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
Tuesday was the only day of the sample that was favorable to Mitt, since it was after Monday’s good debate.
January 27th, 2012 at 6:41 am
Romney has so many fooled. He has supported taxpayer-funded abortion, Gun Control, lead the way on ObamaCare before there was ObamaCare and is a disaster on social issues if you take a look at mass resistance dot org slash romney, or even take a look at the 200 page opposition research compiled by the McCain campaign.
He is no Conservative.
He is, most emphatically, a RINO.
Conservatives, beware. Don’t be fooled.
January 27th, 2012 at 7:01 am
10
He may not be the most conservative ex Gov in the world but he’s WAY ETHICAL and WAY COMPETENT, and there’s a deep void of ethics and competence in DC. We’re just going to fix that!
January 27th, 2012 at 7:13 am
10:
http://whyromney.com/
Here is some corrections to many of those falsehoods.
January 27th, 2012 at 7:28 am
Romney took massive damage from Santorum at the debate regarding Heathcare, and he “it’s nothing to get mad about” line will be used endlessly against him
January 27th, 2012 at 7:33 am
CM. ” Massive damage ” from a candidate who left Florida today for Pennsylvania ??
January 27th, 2012 at 7:38 am
13
The healthcare debate in the GE will be a very different argument. Romney knows many independents and moderates, the folks he’ll need to win, actually think there is a roll for government to play in healthcare. Romney’s been running a general election campaign ths whole time. He deviates from his pursuit of independents only occasionally when he has to.
34% of the voters in the country are now registered independents. Why the far right doesn’t understand this is beyond reason. They suggest that winning indies via McCain was a failure. John McCain was the failure, not the strategy. Romney is far brighter, far more organized, far more Presidential in behavior and demeanor than Sen. McCain, and he was a governor to boot. McCain, a sitting senator, lacked the executive experience that oozes from Romney’s oily hair!
January 27th, 2012 at 7:42 am
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-and-centers/polling-institute/florida/release-detail?ReleaseID=1696
Romney up 39-28…..
January 27th, 2012 at 7:44 am
Poll Date Sample MoE Romney Gingrich Santorum Paul Spread
RCP Average 1/22 – 1/26 — – 38.7 31.5 11.0 9.7 Romney +7.2
Sunshine State News/VSS 1/24 – 1/26 865 LV 3.3 40 31 12 9 Romney +9
Quinnipiac 1/24 – 1/26 580 LV 4.1 38 29 12 14 Romney +9
January 27th, 2012 at 8:11 am
Even a candidate that is leaving the race can still inflict damage on the way out. The fact that Santorum is going to be leaving the race soon doesn’t negate the fact that he really hurt Romney badly on Healthcare last night, and though it’s too late to help him it will certainly help Newt.
January 27th, 2012 at 8:17 am
Mitt OWNED Newt last night. Can we finally put to rest “Newt is the greatest debater”? Mitt has now beat up on Newt in two straight debates and last night was a lambasting! I’m pretty confident that Mitt wrapped up FL last night.
January 27th, 2012 at 8:18 am
“and though it’s too late to help him it will certainly help Newt.”
No it won’t.
Newt got crushed last night. He got driven over by Romney, mocked by Paul, and scolded by Santorum. Whether Santorum managed to truly ding Romney or not, it will be a wash at worst – because more people will now be giving Rick a second look, which only hurts Newt further.
January 27th, 2012 at 8:22 am
I didn’t get a chance to see last nights debate, but it sounds like Mitt really stood up for himself and had a very strong performance. That is my impression reading through the debate thread although I know that may not be the place to get a totally unbiased opinion.
Still, if that is true I am glad to see the improvement. Would that have happened if he had wrapped up this contest in the first two states? Maybe it was a good thing that Newt was able to give him a good challenge. As Governor Palin said, steel sharpens steel.
I understand he had a new debate coach. Maybe they will be able to mold him into a decent candidate yet.
I certainly hope they can because Obama has had an awesome week and we are going to have our hands full.
January 27th, 2012 at 8:27 am
I agree…….Newt is not a GREAT debator. He is great at trying to manipulate. With Mitt’s new debate coach AND the realization he IS going to have to go after another of the GOP candidates….he has shown the “light” on Newt and his character and facade.
Newt’s lies in past few months alone ought to alarm any rational person!! Then throw in ALL of his “I was wrong” comments on his actions/words in the past year or so.
I’m really to feel sorry for Newt. I’m thinking he must have some kind of mental disorder.
January 27th, 2012 at 8:31 am
#20…………..thanks, Teledude!! I do think it’s been good for Mitt to step it up. I am pretty sure he didn’t want to “attack’ another of the GOP candidates, but needed to do so in SC. He did make great improvement since SC debates!
As I’ve read other comments, Mitt didn’t do all that he has done in his personal life by being milque toast……….I really think he didn’t want to harm/attack the others. Newt’s rise and win in SC required it, tho!
January 27th, 2012 at 8:31 am
Teledude, take the time and watch it, It’s the strongest I’ve seen Mitt and I’ve seen him in attack mode before, nothing like last night. The first hour of the debate was a beat down by Mitt on Newt, it was a great night for Mitt and a bad one for Newt. After you view it, tell me that Mitt can’t take it to Obama. Anyway, it’s worth viewing. Not sure where you can view the whole debate but you can probably pick up snipets on Youtube
January 27th, 2012 at 8:34 am
Jan 24-26 Quinnipiac FL poll:
Romney – 38%
Gingrich – 29%
Paul – 14%
Santorum – 12%
Also, Romney gained 3 among men and Gingrich lost 3 among men since their last poll.
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-and-centers/polling-institute/florida/release-detail?ReleaseID=1696
January 27th, 2012 at 8:36 am
While Santorum certainly had some good lines in the debate and I love his passion for what he believes in, Santorum alway manages to turn me off. He doesn’t know when to quit and goes on and on and on making whatever points he makes boring. His ending statement in the debate should have been all about him and his accomplishments, attacking his opponents does not promote Santorum and left me saying oh why did you have to do that…..
January 27th, 2012 at 8:39 am
Jan 24-26 Sunshine State News FL poll:
Romney – 40%
Gingrich – 31%
Santorum – 12%
Paul – 9%
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/mitt-romney-rolls-florida-despite-newt-gingrich-debate-mastery
January 27th, 2012 at 8:39 am
>>I certainly hope they can because Obama has had an awesome week and we are going to have our hands full.
Obama has not had a great week. His SOTU speech got a very lukewarm reception as it was largely a warmed over version of last years speech. He had a very testy and very un-Presidential confrontation with Jan Brewer in AZ that once again showed off his petulant and thin skinned nature and today’s release of 4th qtr GDP of 2.8% dropped 2011 GDP to 1.7%.
The only prayer Obama has of re-election is if the economy starts coming back and unemployment drops below 8%. Neither of those look likely at the moment.
And I know you may think Romney isn’t a good candidate but the fact of the matter is he is kicking the crap out of Newt and Santorum is not a factor. The other pretenders have fallen by the wayside already. If Romney wins next Tuesday which is more and more likely then the race is effectively over.
Not bad for a poor candidate.
January 27th, 2012 at 8:46 am
Looks like we’ll have a 3rd straight race called when the polls close.
January 27th, 2012 at 8:47 am
I agree – Mitt was in true form last night – usually his stuttering enters in, but last night he had laser sharp focus and when he really zinged Newt, NO STUTTERING which made his “owning” of Newt, that much more palpable.
January 27th, 2012 at 8:48 am
14. I thought I heard last night that Santorum was staying in FL. But here is the latest: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/exhausted-and-heading-toward-florida-failure-santorum-heads-home/2012/01/27/gIQATNxpUQ_story.html
He’s going home to work on taxes tomorrow. Then he’ll return to FL through Tuesday.
Nostromo: Welcome to race42012, as those topics have been covered, debated, and resolved – you can find the resolutions at various places. Please see comment 12.
January 27th, 2012 at 8:48 am
Also, I notice on intrade, once again, since Romney has gone WAY back up to win the nom and FL, Obamas chance in reelection has sunken for the first time in 2 weeks (over the duration of Newt’s rise)
January 27th, 2012 at 8:51 am
23. http://www.rightspeak.net usually has live streaming info and debate replays linked on its blog.
January 27th, 2012 at 8:58 am
Poll taken between Jan 22-24…..w/ Newt fresh off his SC win. Mitt’s mittens hadn’t yet come off and he hadn’t yet donned his brass knuckles.
January 27th, 2012 at 9:08 am
#32 Machtyn
Thanks!
January 27th, 2012 at 9:12 am
They said on CNN last night that the new debate coach was famous for “bringing out the best in the candidate and helping them be themselves, which is a difficult thing for most people in front of the camera.”
People have long said Mitt is great in person; not his best in front of the camera. Mitt’s not a natural politician or an actor, but he sure looked good last night.
It was hilarious listening to a taped interview between Hannity and Trump last night; it believe it was a re-run of the night before. It had Trump singing the praises of Newt’s debate skills: oh, he’s a natural; oh he’s a wonderful, blah blah debater. Poor Mitt’s great in person, but he really need to step it up in the debates to complete w/Newt and Obama. Blah, blah.
This was just dumb since Mitt actually beat Newt in the first FL debate; it sounded even dumber last night. No dumber than the O’Reilly/Bachmann interview, where O’R just cannot figure out why Republicans are turning on Newt. (I emailed Bill the Slate link). And Bachmann was trying to say: Oh, everytime someone rises in the polls, “they” knock them down.
Really, Michele? I thought you were the smart one. The only reason to listen to Fox anymore is to yell at them, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb.
January 27th, 2012 at 9:24 am
The last time this poll was conducted, Newt was at his first peak, in early/mid December. So comparing current numbers to those can be misleading.
January 27th, 2012 at 9:26 am
KG,
Is it far to say that Mitt’s favorables and “comfort” numbers here contradict other polls that show a sizable minority of Republicans being uncomforable with a Mormon President?
This shows what I was trying to explain. Taking a single issue in isolation and as an abstraction does not necessarily translate into real world application.
January 27th, 2012 at 9:34 am
None of the comments mention that this is a ‘voters’ poll which favors Democrats and sheds no light on the Primary electorate. Is it biased? It’s a ‘voters’ poll!
It’s also outdated. But it DOES show that Mitt is the only electable candidate on our team. Subtract a few points from Obama and add a few to Mitt to reflect reality, and we have a winnable race.
January 27th, 2012 at 9:35 am
Matthew Kilburn -
In the spirit of Florida early voting, can you accept an early prediction from me? I have to go out of the country tomorrow evening and I don’t know if I will be able to get to the site on Monday.
Let me know, I want to wait until the last possible moment as things are shifting pretty rapidly.
January 27th, 2012 at 9:35 am
**fair to say** not “far to say”
January 27th, 2012 at 9:37 am
#37 Good Morning, Matt. I just woke up out here and not quite with it. I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking/explaining vis a vis the above poll.
Are you saying this WSJ poll is an outlier? Or you think I think Mormonism is the ONLY reason people are not “comfortable” with Mitt?
Help me out here, please.
January 27th, 2012 at 9:40 am
Dave,
There’s nothing wrong with taking a poll of registered voters. Many (if not most) polling companies don’t screen “likely” this far out. Gallup doesn’t really try to screen for “likely” voters until much closer to the election- well after the conventions I think.
January 27th, 2012 at 9:50 am
KG,
I’m saying that whatever latent “anti-Mormonism” that shows up in polls that ask the Mormon question in isolation appears not to translate into much opposition to Mitt. According to this poll, anyway.
For instance (and I’m making the number up), say 25% of Republicans say they are “very concerned” about having a Mormon President or would be “much less likely” to vote for a candidate who is Mormon. Taken in isolation, this looks like proof that anti-Mormon sentiment will doom Romney, and is a major force working against him. But as I’ve said before, we need to be careful about tying too much significance to abstract questions in isolation. Just because a voter says he is “very concerned” when prompted to ponder a question by a pollster, doesn’t mean he will actually give it a moment’s thought in the voting booth.
In this poll, we see that Mitt has the fewest number of Republicans who would be uncomfortable with his nomination, as well as the fewest who would be very uncomfortable. We also see that Mitt has the fewest number of Republican who feel “very negative” towards him, at 6%.
Considering all the charges of flip-flopping, RomneyCare, Massachusetts Moderate, etc… etc…. I’d say those numbers are quite good. I’m left to conclude that many people who say they have a problem voting for Mormon- when asked the question as an abstraction- do not, in fact, have problem voting for a Mormon.
January 27th, 2012 at 9:52 am
KG,
Historical example……
I bet if you conducted a poll in 1964, and asked the voters of Alabama and Mississippi how they’d feel about having a Jewish President, you’d get an overwhelmingly negative response.
And yet, Barry Goldwater carried both states by a huge margin.
January 27th, 2012 at 10:14 am
KG,
So how do we reconcile the apparent contradiction?
I think it’s fair to say that a sizable number of Republicans, and especially evangelicals, have a negative view of the LDS. But this appears not to translate into much opposition to Mitt, or negative feelings towards him personally, as many have feared. It would appear that the number of “single issue” anti-Mormon voters is really quite small.
January 27th, 2012 at 10:14 am
#43: Thanks. I cannot disagree w/your analysis. And I believe we both agree the Mormon factor is something of an unknown. People in the abstract might say in a poll that it’s an issue but in voting for a specific candidate, they forget all about it.
However, I believe SC showed that among certain evangelicals, voting for a Mormon is different; they have very specific reasons not to do so. They will not EVER vote for ANY Mormon. I know; I know; the old fight between Catholic and Protestant runs deep; I know some still call the Pope the Anti-Christ and the RCC the whore of the earth. However, I don’t believe this translates into “I will never ever vote for a Catholic.” They voted for Newt in droves, for heaven’s sake.
Many megachurches (and others) throughout the country (not just in the South) are overtly anti-Mormon and will “instruct” their members not to vote for a Mormon. How this effects the race, I don’t believe anyone knows. The Houston Ranch pastors endorsed Santorum and it didn’t seem to matter one whit.
But Mitt has his work cut out for him, IMO. He has to be twice as convincing to overcome some obstacles. IMO being Mormon is a biggie in some quarters, but maybe he will win people over with his skill, grit and determination.
January 27th, 2012 at 10:18 am
44- Matt
Barry Goldwater was Episcopalian, not Jewish
January 27th, 2012 at 10:21 am
Johnny,
Barry Goldwater‘s father was Jewish. By Jim Crow logic, he was a Jew, no matter where he worshiped on Sunday.
January 27th, 2012 at 10:27 am
#44: Here’s where you and I part ways on this. You compare voting for a Catholic or a Jew with voting for a Mormon. I’ve tried before to explain this; I just don’t believe you see it. It’s not the same.
Voting for Goldwater was a natural for the South considering his position on state’s rights and race. Mitt has the added disadvantage of his North East uptight social cues.
People may vote for Mitt “in spite of” if he can convince them (1) He can beat Obama and (2) Really can turn the country around. He is getting better and the ABRs are looking worse. People say they don’t want to vote for the lesser of two evils–but politics is always that.
The ABRs are still having trouble getting their brains around reality. Will they come to their senses? I dunno. Conservative talk still have their arms around not-a-Mormon Newt.
January 27th, 2012 at 10:29 am
KG,
“However, I believe SC showed that among certain evangelicals, voting for a Mormon is different; they have very specific reasons not to do so.”
If that’s the case, why aren’t these people expressing negative feeling towards Mitt? He’s the least hated Republican running.
Really. Only 9% are very uncomfortable. When you consider all the stuff that’s been thrown at him, plus those handful of respondents who are just contrary, or hyper-partisan for someone else, that’s an astonishgly small number, particularly if he’s fighting some gale force bigotry.
Yes, the LDS is very unpopular among some Christian denominations, and in large swaths of this country. That is what is showing up in the “Mormon question”, when asked. But that negativity is not in fact, showing up as (much) opposition to Romney.
So contrary to all the charges and accusations made against them, evangelicals do in fact, seem to be separating their theological beliefs from their voting decisions.
January 27th, 2012 at 10:31 am
KG,
I don’t think you fully understand the attitude of the Deep South in the 1960s regarding Jews.
“Voting for Goldwater was a natural for the South considering his position on state’s rights and race.”
Exactly. And voters in the Deep South considered those compelling reasons to overlook his Jewish heritage. That’s kind of my point.
January 27th, 2012 at 10:35 am
KG,
“People may vote for Mitt “in spite of” if he can convince them (1) He can beat Obama and (2) Really can turn the country around. He is getting better and the ABRs are looking worse. People say they don’t want to vote for the lesser of two evils–but politics is always that.”
But it’s even more benign than that.
Only 6% of Republicans have a “very negative” opinion of Mitt. You’ll find at least 2% of Republicans have a very negative view of everybody. Some people are just ornery that way.
Whatever opinion these voters have of the LDS, they aren’t taking it out on Mitt.
January 27th, 2012 at 10:35 am
#50
I truly hope you’re right.
And unlike you, I don’t see it as “charges and accusations.” Just concern about an unknown. The SC exit polls showed there was reason for “concern” even tho there were a lot of factors at play in that state, which I hope will prove to be an anomaly.
January 27th, 2012 at 10:37 am
KG,
“Conservative talk still have their arms around not-a-Mormon Newt.”
But it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s not a Mormon.
It has more to do with the natural tendency of people who need attention to make a living to be rebels and renegades, always in opposition.
January 27th, 2012 at 10:47 am
Among women in this poll got it off msnbc first read last night in their article about the poll
Obama 69 – Newt 21
Obama 54 – Romney 38
Among independents
Obama 52 – Newt 28
Obama 44 – Romney 36
January 27th, 2012 at 10:59 am
There’s something else at play here that I haven’t heard explained so I might have trouble putting it into words. There has long been a battle in the GOP between northern “elites” and southern “conservatives.” The Southern Conservatives seems to have an inferiority complex because the Northern elites assume they are smarter and more enlightened. The Southerners are a bunch of yahoo, ignorant, bigoted hicks in the opinion of Northern intellectuals.
No doubt this regional tension goes back to the beginning of the country when the South was settled by the Scots/Irish and then exacerbated by slavery, the Civil War, So. Baptists, Jim Crow, southern poverty and poor education.
This is still playing out out before our eyes daily with Rush Limbaugh, who rants his head off against the “Establishment Elites” in favor of “True Conservatives” (primarily southern evangelicals and other evangelicals as they have spread throughout the country, who are his audience.
Along comes the Tea Party, which is essentially a anti-establishment, populist, kind of Southern thing. Now the lines are drawn. The Tea Party, heady w/success, is determined to overthrow the northern elite wing of the party and install one of their own in the White House. (Of course, they did this w/GWB, but alas he wasn’t “conservative enough” for them.
But 2012 is their BIG chance. And what happens? No TP white knight comes to their rescue. And with whom are they left? A northeastern, Harvard Law and Business summa cum laude, quasi-conservative! And a member of cult which has New Enland roots! Oh, the horror of it all.
I understand their disappointment; it’s like their side lost. Again. We all throw tantrums and then pick ourselves up and make the best of it. I actually believe their tantrum is silly–that Mitt would make a good POTUS on behalf of the people who oppose him. Maybe they will begin to think so too.
January 27th, 2012 at 11:07 am
KG,
#56 I was agreeing with you until the last two paragraphs. There is a regional tension in the party, and it does translate into votes. I don’t think religion plays much of a factor though, and judging by these numbers, there aren’t that many “throwing a tantrum.”
I think there will be many TPers, Southerners, and SoCons who will feel very luke warm and uninspired by a Romney nomination (as they were with McCain), but I don’t consider that a tantrum, and few of them actually loathe Mitt.
January 27th, 2012 at 11:13 am
Look who his on Romney’s team in Florida – Charlie Crist, who thumbed his nose at Conservatives and the Republican Party.
And then there is this…
“RINO – ROMNEY – The Least Electable
“Mitt Romney, instead of being the most electable, is firmly in the tradition of Thomas Dewey, Jerry Ford, Bob Dole, and John McCain. His timid, scared proposals do not offer the promise of booming economic growth that Reagan’s bold reforms delivered.
Moreover, his weak record on social conservative issues will only discourage voters who are inspired to participate in political action on those grounds. It’s not just his dramatic flip flops on the core pro-life issue, with clips on the Internet of him protesting that he is so definitely pro-choice on the issue. As Governor, Romney kowtowed to liberal activist court rulings on gay marriage, issuing gay marriage licenses right out of the Governor’s office, when even the liberal Massachusetts legislature was balking at making the legal changes to authorize such licenses as demanded by the court. Contrast that with the bold policies to counter liberal activist judges that have been promoted by Newt Gingrich.
On fiscal issues, Romney was not tough on spending as Governor of Massachusetts. Nor does he have a record on defense and foreign policy issues.
As the Republican candidate, he would be the least electable most of all because he would not inspire the maximum vote from grassroots conservatives, failing just where his friend John McCain did, as Bob Dole did before him.”
January 27th, 2012 at 11:40 am
#57: Glenn Beck just now horrified that the “real” TP has come out in full support of Newt: Holding a big rally with 100 TP leader endorsers on Monday.
Meanwhile back in Rush Realville, Rush is accusing the Romney camp of taking the anti-Reagan Newt speech out of context and feeding segments to Eliot Abrams.
None of this is over by a long shot.