Posted on 08/29/2011 10:24:14 AM PDT by AAABEST
Until a few weeks ago, the race for the Republican presidential nomination seemed wide open. There was a presumptive front-runner, Mitt Romney, but he held first place mostly because he was a familiar face; his support among Republican voters appeared broad but not deep.
Many conservatives at the party's core weren't happy with Romney, and a line of would-be champions has auditioned for their support, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann. But none of them succeeded in knocking Romney off his perch.
Until now. Only two weeks after entering the race, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has abruptly leapt to the top of nationwide polls.
First, the polls. Last week the Gallup Poll showed Perry leading the field with support from 29% of Republican voters, with Romney at 17% and Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 13%. (Other surveys came up with similar results.) Perry's 29% was a stronger showing than Romney had enjoyed in most polls all year.
Though Perry is running strongest among conservatives, who make up a big majority of the GOP electorate, he has attracted a wider range of Republicans as well: high income and low income, college educated and blue collar, Northern and Southern. Some of Perry's support came from former Bachmann voters, but much of it came from voters who once preferred Romney — an ominous finding for the former front-runner, who still has a slight edge among moderates in the party.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
As the less well funded candidates niche drop out, their support will go to Perry over Romney at a 5 to 1 margin, if not more. Romney's a known quality and he's just not selling. The people don't want what he has to offer. Perry's not a perfect candidate, but his appeal over Romney or Obama is crystal clear.
I don’t think we have enough data to know that Perry can stick above Romney in the polls.
It does seem that some people are upset that Perry looks at the moment like he could be Romney. Not because they want Romney, but because they liked the situation where none of the existing candidates could beat Romney — it helped them argue for another candidate not yet in the race.
I think a lot of the vitriol toward Perry and his supporters are driven by a belief that if Perry maintains his lead over Romney, it obviates the need for another candidate who is a perrenial also-ran.
On the other hand, most of Palin’s supporters are certain she is coming into the race no matter what, and they are certain that when she doesn, it won’t matter where Perry is in the polls. So I don’t understand why they feel it so important to tear Perry down, maybe hedging their bets.
well stated and spot on.
Perry vs. Romney
Tea Party vs. Establishment
If Perry gets the nod, the msm will be in full blown TPDS.
Apologies in advance if these are dumb questions, but would there be any advantage in a Perry/Romney ticket?
Would a “former” “front-runner” deign to be VP?
Are the candidates’ values mutually exclusive?
Do we want to prevent a hand-off to Romney in 8 years like Reagan/Bush?
Palin-haters and trolls aside, could she take Perry in a primary?
*
The thing that sticks in my mind from Romney’s run in 2008 is how much money he spent to get so few votes.
That and the fact that he said that his four non-military sons chose “another way to serve their country”.
And then, of course, there’s all the other stuff, the RomneyCare, the pro-anti-anti-pro-abortion stance. All of it.
I hate Romney. I loath Romney. I look forward to his support collapsing early in the primaries.
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I find it interesting that they keep ingnoring many polls that show Herman Cain in the top tier. What is their intention? They don’t know how to handle the support a true We The People candidate is getting, so they hide it.
Hmm, maybe their abortion values are mutually exclusive.
Reagan’s second biggest mistake (if you count O’Connor as #1) was Bush.
Bump!
Mitt is dead, over, yesterday’s news, finished and a failure.
Did I mention that he lost to McCain. If you can’t beat John Boy, you can’t beat anyone.
Put the fork in him, he is well done.
The more I read about Perry, the more I agree with you.
There are A LOT of alleged conservatives who hate, hate, HATE Palin, although few explain why.
BUT WE MUST KEEP HUSSEIN FROM A SECOND TERM.
Any one who is in this presidential election cycle better have deep pockets they can tap in...Perry does...a few others do...so yes, Romney vs Perry both have those deep pockets...
Perry is tea party?
Neither Romney or Perry would go for VP. They are both in their 60’s. The VP candidate will be someone younger, and who adds to the ticket, either geographically or demographically.
I think this is probably Romney’s last chance. He is 65. In eight years he will be too old for POTUS.
Palin could take Perry in the GOP primary. The whole thing will come down to Romney and the winner of the SC primary. From there it’s on to Super Tuesday, where we find out whether the establishment or the grass roots is the more powerful force.
Not my picks, lol.
Dude, the cards are already on the table and the candidates have already been chosen. Nothing will change, and yes we will still get amnesty and more Gov't.
From what I've been told by hardcore Sarah Palin supporters the reason for the delay in announcing is to minimize having to debate against Perry and the others in the group. The less time she's actually in the race the less chance of committing any gaffes and being pounded by the media.
I can understand this approach however it also minimizes time to improve yourself in the debates in preparation to go against Obama himself. It also denies the American people the exposure to get to test drive you before deciding to vote for you in the primary.
Not sure how this strategy will work out in the primaries but in the general election it was devastating for Al Gore who tried to minimize the number of debates with George W Bush.
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