February 20, 2012

Poll Watch: We Ask America 2012 Michigan Primary

We Ask America 2012 Michigan Primary Survey

  • Mitt Romney – 29%
  • Rick Santorum – 29%
  • Ron Paul – 12%
  • Newt Gingrich – 10%
  • Undecided – 20%

Survey of 1,025 likely primary voters was conducted Feb 19 and has a margin of error of +/-3.06%.

Among men, Santorum leads 32-27; among women Romney leads by the same 32-27 margin. However, 23% of women are undecided while only 13% of men are.

by @ 8:46 am. Filed under Poll Watch
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94 Responses to “Poll Watch: We Ask America 2012 Michigan Primary”

  1. Jrcutler Says:

    That’s more like it!

  2. My Man Mitt 4 President Says:

    Bring it Romney. Bring it.

  3. GNV Says:

    In a week I want Mitt with a 10 point lead or better.

  4. My Man Mitt 4 President Says:

    This is what my people on the ground have been saying all along.

  5. eddy Says:

    Michaganders are waking up to the fact that Santorum is very, very extreme when it comes to social issues, he is also a WASHINGTON INSIDER, collects his paychecks from DC, has made money as a LOBBYIST, and much more.

  6. Killjoy Says:

    #5 Michiganders are waking up to the fact that Romney is very, very liberal when it comes to social issues, he is also a corporate raider that hides his money in offshore accounts, likes to fire people, doesn’t care about poor people, and much more.

  7. My Man Mitt 4 President Says:

    5. yep, If Michigan can figure this out hopefully the rest of United States can too.

  8. Granny T Says:

    As the conversation ensued, substitute host Jake Tapper referred to “the contraception debate” before asking George Will if he’s concerned with Rick Santorum falling “into the trap of making this about contraception, which is not necessarily a winning issue for Republicans, as opposed to making it a debate about religious liberties.”

    Will correctly replied, “There is no contraceptive debate in the sense that no one running for president wants to ban contraception. Nobody.”

    The Chicago Tribune’s Clarence Page injected the false media narrative “Santorum does,” which generated great protest from Will, Dobbs, and even ABC’s Jonathan Karl.

    After Page capitulated, former Clinton press secretary Dee Myers said, “You know what, most women don’t want Rick Santorum’s advice about whether or not they should use birth control.”

    This led Dobbs to marvelously observe, “These are choices that are going to be made individually by voters, and it’s awfully nice of the national media and the Democratic Party to help everyone understand the dangers of Rick Santorum. But the Republican primary process will make that evaluation irrespective of our assistance genuine or manufactured.”

    And that will include people like Page continuing to misinform the public about Santorum wanting to ban birth control.

    (emphasis mine)

    Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/02/19/lou-dobbs-it-s-awfully-nice-media-help-everyone-understand-dangers-ri#ixzz1mvzQaqvp

  9. Granny T Says:

    UT/TT Poll: Santorum Crushing GOP Hopefuls in Texas

  10. greg Says:

    Will this thing be over super Tuesday so we can start preparing for nov?

  11. Matthew Kilburn Says:

    “hides his money in offshore accounts”

    The money was made in the United States, and taxed under US law. You’re implying wrongdoing, and when the idiots in the MSM tried to pull that stunt, even THEY had to to admit that Romney did nothing improper.

    Nice try.

    I find it remarkable that you rail against Obama as a liberal, attack Romney as a liberal, yet spend a considerable amount of your time (just as Santorum does) railing against Romney’s money and success. Take your socialist propaganda, your candidate, and the rest of your scum, and clear out. I’m sure they’ll make room for you at Kos.

  12. SixMom Says:

    If you have not watched the Santorum video that came out over the weekend which Thunder posted on the last thread, you really need to watch it. I rarely post video links but this one is a MUST SEE.

    http://video.msnbc.msn.com/up-with-chris-hayes/46438704/#null

    Please, please understand what you are doing to our party by promoting a guy who talks like this.

  13. Robin from Indiana Says:

    6) Learn how to read, or at least listen to an entire statement made by Romney before you bleat.

  14. KS Says:

    #5 vs. #6 The difference is that folks are getting Santorum’s profile from what Santorum says and does, while #6 is all about what Mitt’s opponents say about him. Santorum’s negatives will stick.

  15. SC Says:

    That’s a lot of undecideds. Lots of potential there.

  16. greg Says:

    Will this thing be over super Tuesday march 5th so we can start preparing for nov on the morning of March 6th?

  17. Watchinitall Says:

    16. greg. Good question. Doesn’t look like it. After Super Tuesday March gets very Southern, and not so Mitt-friendly. Even if he wins where he should, it’s going to go all the way to the convention, in my opinion.

  18. My Man Mitt 4 President Says:

    12. I think people are starting to get how extreme Santorum’s religious views come across. The question is how many voters are even hearing this stuff and will they figure it out before they vote for him and then have buyers remorse?

  19. eddy Says:

    #5. Hogwash, Romney is not liberal on social issues, but SANTORUM is extreme. But, no need to argue, the truth always prevails.

  20. Thunder (Romney/Rubio 2012) Says:

    Killjoy Says:
    February 20th, 2012 at 8:57 am

    #5 Michiganders are waking up to the fact that Romney is very, very liberal when it comes to social issues, he is also a corporate raider that hides his money in offshore accounts, likes to fire people, doesn’t care about poor people, and much more
    ===========================================
    Killjoy, your pure crazy, and the true liberal… Your way will get Obama elected in a land slide and major loses in the house and the Senate for Republicans. Your way will crush conservatism.

    In other words, Killjoy, your the pure Liberal here.

  21. Thunder (Romney/Rubio 2012) Says:

    Neil Bortz is crushing Santorum this morning….. Referring to him as a Religious nut job.

  22. Granny T Says:

    it’s going to go all the way to the convention, in my opinion.

    Unless Newt sees the writing on the wall. Things could get interesting if Newt drops out. Rumor is that one of his SuperPAC donors hates Santorum and is donating to Newt to help split the conservative vote.

  23. Freddy Ardanza Says:

    Greg (16) what’s your opinion about it, what tell your political instic?…..No matter what happen on march 6 the race will go on until someone reach 1140 delegates or whatever is needed to win the nomination.

  24. Thunder (Romney/Rubio 2012) Says:

    Granny T Says:
    February 20th, 2012 at 9:20 am

    it’s going to go all the way to the convention, in my opinion.

    Unless Newt sees the writing on the wall. Things could get interesting if Newt drops out. Rumor is that one of his SuperPAC donors hates Santorum and is donating to Newt to help split the conservative vote.
    =======================================================================
    Its not going to the convention, the system is not set up that way, soon we will be getting into WTA, and many of the candidates will not be able to compete.

    And yes, the SuperPac donor hates Santorum. He is Jewish and doesn’t like Religious nut jobs. Face it, Santorum is unelectable.

  25. K.G. Says:

    #12: Mom: I believe that evangelicals will looooooooooooove that Santorum said what he said about mainline protestant churches. They believe these old school churches are “dead churches,” who do not have the Holy Spirit. There are a lot more evangelicals voting in the primary than mainline Protestants, that’s for sure.

    The broader question is (1) Will Santorum be seen by the voters are an unelectable religious nut case (even tho his views are pretty standard fare for faithful Catholics and evangelicals.)

    An out-spoken religious kook is how the the left and the MSM are trying to paint him, but I don’t see how this hurts him with the GOP “base.” They will lap it up–unless it can be shown that his constant religious comments hurt him against Obama and that he indeed is unelectable.

  26. Jeff Fuller Says:

    Santorum when asked if Obama was a Christian: “If he says he’s a Christian, then he’s a Christian”

    http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/santorum-calls-obamas-agenda-about-some-phony-theology/?partner=rss&emc=rss

    Santorum when asked if Romney was a Christian: “Every Mormon I know has great moral values” (excluded Harry Reid).

    I’ll link that in the next comment.

    Why doesn’t Santorum say that Romney is a Christian if he says he’s a Christian?!?!? I’ll guarantee you that Mitt has a deeper faith in Christ, a greater acceptance of him as his Savior, and a life consistent with Christlike actions than Obama does, but Ricky won’t let him be in his Christian Club like he let’s Obama. That’s telling right there folks.

  27. Jeff Fuller Says:

    Here’s the other one. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/santorum-every-mormon-he-knows-shares-his-values-except-harry-reid

  28. Thunder (Romney/Rubio 2012) Says:

    Freddy Ardanza Says:
    February 20th, 2012 at 9:21 am

    Greg (16) what’s your opinion about it, what tell your political instic?…..No matter what happen on march 6 the race will go on until someone reach 1140 delegates or whatever is needed to win the nomination
    ======================================================================
    It will not go that long, as soon as it is obvious, then some will drop out or will start to change their tone. Some will continue for other reasons than winning the nomination, like Ron Paul.

  29. K.G. Says:

    I dunno you guys. Here in CA Newt’s PAC is running hard against Mitt; no mention of Santorum OR Newt; just anti-Mitt.

  30. My Man Mitt 4 President Says:

    22. That person is rumored to be Sheldon Adelson casino billionaire. I haven’t seen or heard any anti Santorum ads coming from Newt so it might not be true.

  31. Boomer Says:

    I don’t know why anyone is surprised that Santorum has reached his peak and is now coming back to earth. He was never a popular candidate and only won Iowa thanks to the last minute evangelical block carrying him to the win. He is just the last gasp of the not Romneys but now that he is in the spotlight everyone is getting a chance to see why he lost his last Senate race by the widest margin in history.

    He’s a one trick social conservative pony with very extreme views and outside a narrow block of voters in caucus states he doesn’t wear well. Paul is ripping the bark off him for his voting record as a fiscal liberal and he is firmly in Newt’s casino fueled PAC.

    The sweater vest had his moment as the not Romney but its coming to an end.

  32. K.G. Says:

    The country’s going down the tubes and we’re talking about THIS stuff? I guess that’s where the GOP “base” is these days. So depressing.

  33. Thunder (Romney/Rubio 2012) Says:

    K.G. Says:
    February 20th, 2012 at 9:26 am

    I dunno you guys. Here in CA Newt’s PAC is running hard against Mitt; no mention of Santorum OR Newt; just anti-Mitt.
    ==========================================
    Foolish, California is a lifetime away.

  34. Jeff Fuller Says:

    I just don’t get Newt’s strategy at all. He’s non-stop attacking Romney when he doesn’t stand to gain anyone he scares away from Romney. He should be attacking Santorum night and day. I bet the new $10 million from Adelson has the unwritten rule with it that it be used as either Pro-Newt or Anti-Rick . . . I guess we’ll know in the next week or so if that is the case.

  35. My Man Mitt 4 President Says:

    When does CA vote?

  36. K.G. Says:

    #31: Boomer: Sure hope you’re right. And I’m glad to hear Paul is “ripping his bark” off re: his record. We’ve seen it over and over. The “base” of the party running willy-nilly for the latest untested, unvetted, unprepared ABR. It’s left to Paul and Romney to do the vetting–and then they get bashed for doing it.

    It’s getting tiresome.

  37. Granny T Says:

    When does CA vote?

    Click on the “2012 Primary & Caucus Dates” tab at the top of the page.

  38. greg Says:

    28 – I think thats the last thing the party need to take this primary process in to the tampa convention center it would give a bad view come convention time , we all need to be united and SUPPORTIVE come convention time!.

  39. K.G. Says:

    #33: No time like the present to destroy Mitt everywhere. The current ad is pretty despicable and personal: “Romney doesn’t believe like us; doesn’t think like us; we don’t think like him. We’re not going to allow the Establishment to pick our candidate like they did with Dole and McCain.”

    Well, I thought primary voters picked Dole and McCain. Romney was the conservative in the race last time, supported by nearly ALL the conservative media. But the voters thought it was McCain who could beat Hillary. (Remember all that?) What a bunch of liars. Nobody crammed McCain down our throats but a bunch of other primary voters.

    And some collusion between Huck and Mack.

  40. Jakefd Says:

    June 5th is when California votes. And that poll was not around in 2008 so who knows how unreliable it really is. A tie not likely. Santorums crowds are massive and his phone banks are overflowing with volunters i think his ground game will increase his lead from PPP poll from 4 to 10% by election day

  41. Matt "MWS" Says:

    You know what the difference is between an “outlier” and a poll that indicates a “trend?”

    An “outlier” is a poll whose results you don’t like, and the “trend” is a poll whose results you do like.

  42. Jake Says:

    June 5th is when California votes. And that poll was not around in 2008 so who knows how unreliable it really is. A tie not likely. Santorums crowds are massive and his phone banks are overflowing with volunteers i think his ground game will increase his lead from PPP poll from 4 to 10% by election day.

  43. K.G. Says:

    If Santorum is still riding high by June, his chances are good in CA. CA is jammed packed with evangelicals and that’s where their votes will go unless he gets demolished before then.

  44. My Man Mitt 4 President Says:

    37. Thanks

  45. SixMom Says:

    #43 Do you mean those same Mainline Protestants who ruined America, according to Santorum?

  46. My Man Mitt 4 President Says:

    Personally I hope we can focus on Obama soon, he is using this cover to destroy our country. Unless we coalesce around our candidate Obama wins and he doesn’t have to worry about another election in 4 years, I fear for our country.

  47. Conservative Independent Says:

    I have always felt that most voters are single issues voters in the end. For many on the Far Right, it’s all about a religious crusade. The Far Left operates the exact same way. In the end, for a lot of them it’s about abortion. If it wasn’t, then people would be picking their candidates on the basis of qualifications. The country is in an economic mess and Obamacare is looming on the horizon, yet people are picking the Primary candidate on the basis of what their pastors tell them to do rather than who is the most qualified. Santorum has done nothing but be a lifetime politician. He is exactly what the Conservatives claimed not to want. It’s very said watching all of this.

    The other problem is that the pastors are better at getting people out to vote than all the people Romney has on the ground.

  48. Reginald from texas Says:

    as a proportion of voters, evangelicals are a small group in California

  49. Matt Y. Says:

    27 – You’re complaining about that?!?!

    Is this about forcing all public figures to declare that Mormons are “true Christians” (why does it matter what any politician thinks about this? it’s a theological view), or is it about (more importantly) accepting Mormons as fine people, with usually good moral values, who are perfectly acceptable as potential Presidents or political leaders?

  50. packeryman Says:

    Remember, one promise that Newt made, it went world wide on TV, in his departing speech after his terrific loss in Iowa. He was a sad old man, who appeared to be a very poor looser, a whiner, cry baby and illustrated the worst of human nature in one that was supposed to be a polished politician, he promised to take down another Republican candidate, if he was going down. He was guaranteeing a vendetta against Romney which he began as soon as he got the money from Adelson. He obviously has continued with this promise(its sad we have individuals of this nature, and we still have to say they are part of the human race). This should have proven immediately to the American people that the man was not presidential material, which those who knew him and others who had analyzed his past actions as a politician, his character etc. already knew. Lets hope if Adelson gives more money to him it will be for the purpose of helping Newt thwart the non electable Santorum effort.Republicans still only have one electable candidate(with a possible chance of winning) and that is Romney.

  51. Matt Y. Says:

    41 MWS – Well, this poll is definitely an outlier!!

    ;)

  52. Craigs Says:

    Killjoy
    Romney has hidden off shore accounts that everybody knows about.
    Romney pays regular US taxes on his well known hidden accounts
    Romney likes to fire people……like Obama and Axlerod
    Romney doesn’t care about poor people but gives 13% of a big income to charities. Santorum cares about poor , but not enough to give more than 2% of his also large income
    Romney pays over 60% taxes on income plus tithes compared to Santorums less than 30 % .

    So much for total BS, Kiljoy

  53. Ci2Eye Says:

    I just did a Zogby online poll in Georgia.

    It was about 20 questions. I usually ignore their e-mails but for the experts in the room, are responses to online polls such as this how they generate their poll numbers?

    It not only asked who I planned to vote for but also to think about my circle of friends and family and calculate how they’d vote. I selected 10 people that I regularly talk about politics with and I know how they will vote, calculated the totals and listed it. The results were:

    Mitt Romney: 60 or 6 people
    Newt Gingrich: 20 or 2 people
    Rick Santorum: 20 or 2 people
    Ron Paul: 0 or 0 people

    I honestly don’t know anybody personally that plans to vote for Paul although in my neighborhood there are yard signs for three Republican candidates and all three are for Ron Paul.

  54. BackTalk Says:

    49 – Yes…there are people complaining about that. For Santorum to say that Obama is a Christian and Romney isn’t shows the bigotry and ignorance that he has. It is the same way that he claims that mainline protestants are not true Christians. Rick is way to focused on defining everyone else’s religious and moral values. He is not the type of person we need in the White House.

  55. Ryan60657 Says:

    11, 52.

    I concede that Romney had offshore bank accounts, which were all perfectly legal, the interest on which he paid taxes, and which he closed as soon as he made the decision to run for President. My question is why he opened these offshore accounts in the first place. Why were U.S. bank accounts not good enough for him? Did he not have confidence in the U.S. banking system? Or did he just prefer to park his money in Swiss and Cayman Islands accounts and let those banks profit from the interest spreads?

    I would never allege that he did anything illegal or even improper. But the fact that he has these offshore accounts makes it that much more difficult for him to connect with the average voter.

  56. Massachusetts Conservative Says:

    55

    To what extent should anyone care whether he has a lot of money or invests it elsewhere?

    There is one single question involved in selecting a president:

    “Would he make a good president?”

    I contend, yes. And his bank accounts have nothing to do with it.

  57. Ci2Eye Says:

    #55 Ryan,

    I think Romney’s money is handled by a trustee. As I understand it, someone else made the decision to invest in the offshore entities.

  58. criggs Says:

    41. Well said, Matt “MWS”. The fact is that the last five surveys released so far, from PPP, ARG, MRG, Rasmussen and WZZM, are in agreement that Romney can’t be any higher than 34.5% and Santorum can’t be any lower than 37.5%. Face it, folks, the probability is very strong that Santorum is still leading in Michigan.

    Yeah, this We Ask America survey was taken after those other five polls, and yeah, this could be the first survey to reflect the beginning of a slump for Santorum. But it is far more probable that this is just another ordinary garden-variety outlier.

  59. SteveT Says:

    #12 – It does appear that Santorum’s campaign is slowly being revealed as more of a Pat Robertson type candidate.

    He apparently likes to talk about other people’s religions a lot such as his recent attack on Obama over the weekend and his 2008 attack on Mainline Protestant Churches.

    I don’t think most GOP voters want a big religious/ social issues fight as the centerpiece of the 2012 election, when most voters believe that the economy and the deficit are the two biggest issues.

    The good news is that those type of candidates generally don’t win the GOP nomination.

  60. SixMom Says:

    58. Also possible that Santorum’s gaffes are catching up to him.

  61. MarqueG Says:

    Undecided is pulling ahead. I look for a surprise victory from him or her or whoever they are.

  62. MarqueG Says:

    The UndecidedBots didn’t like Mitt’s rare clear position that the trees were the correct height. That kinda positional certitude freaks out UndecidedBots.

  63. Ryan60657 Says:

    57.

    I think that may be true for his cayman accounts, but I was under the impression that Romney opened his swiss bank account personally.

    56.

    I don’t believe that having offshore or swiss bank accounts makes someone a “less good” or “less effective” president. However, I do believe that it distances him from the average voter and presents an additional challenge for him to connect with the electorate in the general election. If you don’t believe this to be the case, then you are very naive.

  64. Willard Crapweasel Mittens Rombot Says:

    52 Craigs Kill Joy said watching videos of Nooot “gave me chills”. If he was on my work site, he would get beat up over saying something like that.

    One of the guys here referred to Santearmarks as a “jesus freak”. Rick will go down soon.

  65. haner Says:

    25 KG

    It was real newsflash to learn that my protestant church, which has been in America since 1600, has left the world of Christianity.

    If this is what Evangelicals think of Mainline Protestants who helped found much of the institutions of this country, no wonder Romney is having so much trouble.

    There’s somehow this myth among Evangelicals that Mainline Protestants are mostly Democrats. This can’t be further than the truth. We were the original base of the Republican Party and we still represent a large constituency of the party, particularly on the upper half of the income level. Discard us with caution.

  66. independentthinker Says:

    Maybe Michigan republicans want to beat Obama after all…Hopefully the rest of the national republican electorate will follow suit.

  67. Massachusetts Conservative Says:

    63

    Oh, I know there are plenty of idiots who vote. Fortunately, they are the first ones to go if our country goes to Hell, which happens to be our future if the idiots decide the election anyway.

    Again, this primary process is a decision on whether to select someone who is a pretty nice guy who has been defined poorly by the media, or someone who would define himself poorly at every opportunity by boldly opting to fully respond to questions about condoms whenever ask, endlessly declaring their Satanic qualities.

  68. haner Says:

    58

    We Ask America makes some pretty darn good polls. They were spot on for Florida. Nate Silver weights their polls very heavily.

  69. teledude Says:

    This seems a little desperate to me.

    Do you think this will this help?

    http://hotair.com/archives/2012/02/20/new-romney-strategy-in-michigan-try-to-trump-santorum/

    With just over a week to go before Michigan voters head to the polls, Mitt Romney is enlisting the help of one of his highest-wattage surrogates: Donald Trump.

    The real estate mogul is preparing to spread his pro-Romney, anti-Rick Santorum message in a series of radio interviews this week on local stations from Traverse City to Detroit. …

  70. haner Says:

    69

    It can’t hurt at this point. The radio waves are so anti-Romney, any counterpoint is good. Trump is better over radio anyway, no hair piece to stare at.

  71. Reginald from texas Says:

    Santorum is just speaking about other people’s religions and contraception these days, as well as female emotions. He doesn;t really have a record to stand upon, so he has resorted to this type of speaking. He is simply destroying himself. He is actually losing the Catholic vote to Romney. His own people are turning on him. On PPP’s last day of polling, Mitt and Santorum were actually almost equal. Two new polls confirming that the race, as of today, is in a dead heat. Santorum refusing to admit that Mormons are Christians when almost every average Catholic I know thinks they are Christian.

    The message and narrative for Santorum are horrible this last week before voting. He is a religious freak with deep-rooted bigotry and is so far outside of the American mainstream. In a week from now, he will only appeal to the evangelicals.

  72. haner Says:

    71

    The 1.7% charity thing from a guy who makes a million dollars a year and talks a big load of piety probably didn’t wear well among Catholics.

  73. Reginald from texas Says:

    Donald Trump will be very effective in Michigan. Face it, Santorum is shooting himself in the foot day after day, and he has no real record to run on. He is nowhere near ready for the White House.

  74. Reginald from texas Says:

    72. How does he make his million dollars?

  75. haner Says:

    74

    Political consulting in DC and speaking fees.

  76. Kermit Says:

    Haner – 65 – I think you’re missing the intent here. . . it’s not Mitt who’s saying this stuff, it’s Santorum. . . . KG’s views aren’t expressed from her Mormonism, and Mormon beliefs at all. It’s expressed from her experience with evangelicals in her area, after a couple years of bible studies in her area with them. She’s said this before. . . but there are a lot of posts to read, and not everything gets seen by everyone.

  77. Kermit Says:

    Haner – I am thinking I missed YOUR point. . . . My bad. . . .You’re probably saying that if this is what Evangelicals think of Protestants, then no wonder Mitt’s having trouble. Got it. Call it morning mush brain. . . .

  78. Ryan60657 Says:

    69.

    A battle of anti-Obama: The “birthers” vs. the “phony theologists” (“theo-faux-logists”?)

  79. haner Says:

    76

    You misunderstood me. I was talking about Santorum, not Romney or KG.

    I agree with KG. Santorum was the one who accused mainline protestants like me as being gone from the world of Christianity.

  80. Dave Says:

    The polls are turning, and by the end of the week they will show Romney clearly ahead. Neither or this or the Interactive Michigan Poll are outliers….they’re ahead of the parade.

    There was never any reason for Santorum to be in the race….and there was never a reason for it to be competitive.

    It won’t be.

  81. Kermit Says:

    79 – Yea, I know. Read my next post. . . hahaha

  82. Ci2Eye Says:

    #69 Tele,

    I don’t know. Donald is pretty polarizing but the more times the undecided voters hear somebody/anybody on the radio or TV speaking positively about Romney or any other candidate, it has to be beneficial and I think Trump helps more than he hurts with Republicans.

  83. criggs Says:

    68. With regard to We Ask America, that’s not been my impression. The last time I did a search through my database to see how We Ask America was back in mid-January, when I still had all the surveys from Iowa and New Hampshire (I threw them out; I’m trying to curb my pack rat instincts!). And We Ask America was NOT doing well; they were batting about .500. In other words, about half their surveys matched contemporaneous surveys, about half didn’t. That’s not anywhere near as good as most pollsters.

  84. Ci2Eye Says:

    #80 Dave,

    I think you are right.

    I think Santorum had a very damaging weekend. He may not know that yet, his campaign may not know it yet, and the polls may not show it yet but the water cooler conversations going on across America today are not flatering for Santorum. He sounded quite radical on Saturday and again on Sunday when he tried to do damage control.

    I beleive he will lose women voters and even conservative women badly. His loss will likely be even worse than in his last bid for the Senate where if memory serves me correctly he lost women by 22 points.

    I heard a member of his campaign on the radio this morning and when asked what he had ever done positvely for women, the surrogate cited his work to promote legislation that encourages women to stay home and home-school kids. Somehow I don’t think that was the right answer.

  85. Kermit Says:

    I am hoping that voters are getting a little nauseous with the Santorum religious rant, and will soon realize there is really only one viable option in November. Mitt Romney. Romney’s not perfect, as we all know, and not the perfect candidate. But his views and his governing history show he is very much a conservative, and not the ‘moderate’ that the left and right want to paint him.

    My opinion is that Rush et al are pushing these other FOTMs because truly, they want a brokered convention with Sarah Palin to ride in on her white horse and ‘save the day.’ I think she is completely unelectable. Completely. The left and independents despise her, and most people on the right are not far behind in that thinking. . . I have no respect for her if she thinks she can side-step all the months of vetting that have occurred with the other candidates, and ride in and win the nomination at the convention. Actually, I have no respect for her at all; I think she belongs on reality TV.

  86. Ryan60657 Says:

    84. ” to promote legislation that encourages women to stay home and home-school kids”

    It wouldn’t surprise me if Santy wanted to have the government prevent women from wearing provocative clothing too (no bikinis, skirts must be knee-length or longer, no cleavage allowed, burkas are fine by him, etc.)

  87. Common Cents Says:

    Why do you think Sanotrum lost his own state by nearly 20 points despite outspending his opponent nearly 2 to 1? It was his constant “Culture War” crusades.

    The issue with Santorum is the social issues he’s big on just aren’t really shared by most of the Religious Right. When was the last time you heard the private use of contraception being made a campaign issue? Most evangelicals (90%+) have no problem with using birth control, and most are probably going to be offended that Santorum condemns these people. Now he’s talking about prenatal screening?

    I just don’t know why it’s so difficult for people to separate private morality from public policy. Most of the topics Santorum is getting flak for are issues NO President is going to have an effect on.

    A few ads of Santorum in his own words are going to drive even Republican voters (especially women) into the arms of Obama.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KN7WfIZh690

  88. Granny T Says:

    Rick’s response to the President’s weekly message should play well in Michigan:

    Rick Santorum said: “It was ironic that President Obama would make his call to renew American manufacturing from a Boeing plant considering his Administration’s moves to keep Boeing from expanding and creating thousands of jobs in South Carolina.

    Time and time this President has crushed American industry by doing the bidding of his cronies in Big Labor and adhering to the agenda of the Radical Environmental Left. In fact, President Obama has effectively placed a boot on the neck of American industry with his environmental regulations and taxes that make us less competitive with the rest of the world.

    We need a president who understands that the private sector creates jobs, not the government. We need to encourage manufacturing – which is exactly why my economic plan focuses on that sector of our economy. But I take a far different approach than President Obama – I focus on empowering business from the bottom-up, not the government knows best top-down approach. We need to free American enterprise, America’s entrepreneurial spirit, and American industry to grow; and this president is doing the exact opposite.

    As president, I commit to standing up for manufacturing by completely eliminating the corporate tax for manufacturers and repealing the Obama Administration’s onerous regulations. For years, we’ve heard that manufacturing jobs are gone for good – but I know that’s not true, and I’m not willing to surrender these jobs to China as quickly as this Presidents is. If we can create a level playing field, I know with all my heart that the American worker will outperform anyone else in the world.”

    http://www.ricksantorum.com/pressrelease/obamas-weekly-message-focused-renewal-manufacturing-jobs-theres-no-chance-renewal-presi

  89. Granny T Says:

    Most evangelicals (90%+) have no problem with using birth control, and most are probably going to be offended that Santorum condemns these people.

    Not sure where you heard that “Santorum comdemns” people for using birth control. That is totally false.

    SANTORUM: Well, my beliefs are that, as I said, my public policy beliefs are that this contraception should be available. Again, I’ve supported Title X [Ten] funding. I’ve also supported abstinence-based education, because I believe that is a healthier alternative.

    [clip]

    SANTORUM: Great- Well, my beliefs are that, as I said, my public policy beliefs are that this contraception should be available. Again, I’ve supported Title X funding. I’ve also supported abstinence-based education, because I believe that is a healthier alternative. I’ve been a very strong promoter of that. I think that pre-marital sex, and particularly, sex for- with young girls is a very dangerous and at-risk behavior. I’m not alone on that. The President even supports policies to try to make sure that folks do not have sex outside of marriage and at-risk teens [who] get involved- in that at-risk behavior, that leads to sexually-transmitted diseases; unwanted pregnancies; you know, abortions, and a whole laundry list of other things. So, no, I do stand behind the idea that abstinence is the best alternative, and I’ve supported that with a program called Title XX within the government.

    Emphasis mine from Santorum Fires Back at CBS’s ‘Gotcha’; Raises Rev. Wright Double Standard

  90. Ryan60657 Says:

    88. “… by doing the bidding of his cronies in Big Labor…”

    Santy needs to be very careful with his incendiary rhetoric about Big Labor in Michigan. Many members of “Big Labor” are Reagan Dems who Santy is trying to appeal to. He’s trying to walk a very fine line, imo.

  91. Ci2Eye Says:

    #89 GrannyT,

    Santorum himself said that he personally felt that birth control should not be used because it encouraged or allowed people to engage in sexual activity for reasons other than its intent which was procreation.

    That’s where people are getting the idea that he doesn’t believe in birth control. Although he said as president he wouldn’t try to restrict it, he personally doesn’t believe it is good for society.

    His postion is thus similar to what Romney told voters in Massachusetts regarding abortion. He said he was personally opposed to it but he would not try and impose any ban. Of course, as we know, when faced with decisions that would’ve lead to the destruction of human life, Romney changed his position and adopted a policy stance more in line with his personal beliefs.

    Might Santorum do the same and eventually attempt to restrict access to birth control? Might his personal beliefs eventually inform his policy?

  92. Heath Says:

    Why is Mitt using Trump? Pathetic.

  93. K.G. Says:

    #65 Haner: I hear ya’. It was a real news flash back in the 80′s when I learned that my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (we believe we are Christ’s New Testament church restored) wasn’t Christian.

    Until the 1980′s everybody pretty much considered different Christian denomations just that: different Christian denominations. Somewhere along the line somebody in the evangelical movement decided that was incorrect. We should all just be “Christians,” and THEY would define what is Christian!

    I’ve heard them say Catholicism is a satanic cult, Mormonism is a satanic cult–not “real” Christianity–as they define it. Old line Protestant churches are also derided as “dead” churches. Still Christian, I guess, but dead as to the Holy Spirit: not living and vital. Not Biblical. Whatever.

    Of course, Geo and Laura Bush and Rick Perry are Methodists–an old line Protestant church last time I looked. But they are chummy with evangelicals are seen in a good light. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards are Methodists, but not chummy with evangelicals, so they are liberal old line Protestants.

    Same with Catholic Santorum as opposed to Catholics like Pelosi or the Kennedys. Same with Romney vs. Glenn Beck. But “they” get to say who’s in and who’s out and it looks like Santorum does too.

    If you’re not in the “real Christian” club, “real Christians” won’t vote for you. Back in 2008 an old lady was caught on tape saying to Huckabee: “I won’t vote for Mitt; he’s not a Christian and doesn’t have the Holy Spirit. I’m voting for you.” Huckabee said, “I’ll take your vote anyway I can get it.”

    See what we’re up against in some quarters?

  94. Krissy Says:

    Little girls need to hide their turkey sandwiches and bananas from Michelle Obama, and big girls need to hide their birth control from Rick Santorum.

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