2012 GOP Presidential Rankings, Updated!

Boston Phoenix ^ | 2/2/11 | Dave Bernstein

[pissant]

In the new issue of the Boston Phoenix – in print tomorrow, online now – I provide my first in-print rankings of the 2012 GOP Presidential candidates’ chances. You can read that here: The GOP’s Top Dog? It’s T-Paw, Not Mitt.

But that only has room for the Top 10, and my blog readers know that I’ve been ranking the Top 25 for over two years now. So below are my full, new, updated rankings.

There’s quite a bit of shake-up, because with only a year until Iowa and New Hampshire I’m shifting my calculus a little.

Up to now, I’ve leaned considerably toward candidates who I thought had a realistic path to the nomination if they ran, over candidates more likely to run, but in my opinion more unlikely to win.

I’m now shifting the balance a bit the other way. So, you’ll see likely candidates such as Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum moving up, even though I think they are tilting at windmills, while folks like Jim DeMint and Rick Perry, who I think have the potential to win, shift downward a little until I see some sign of life, and the Pat Toomeys and Marco Rubios of the world start dropping off the board completely.

And, yes, my long-time dark horse fave Mike Pence is out, as he announced he won’t run for President.

At this point, I honestly don’t see much chance of anyone below my top five – Pawlenty, Barbour, Romney, Thune, and Perry – getting the nomination. But what do I know?

So, here are the new rankings, with last month’s rankings in parentheses.

1. Tim Pawlenty, former Governor of Minnesota. His new book positions him perfectly for the Iowa conservatives, and beyond.

[pissant]

So the lefties see Tpaw, Barbour, and Mitt as 1-2-3? They are going to be unpleasantly surprised.

[truthfreedom]

He thinks that the only people who have a chance to win are largely unknown?

How does anybody know Pawlenty, Thune, Perry? Barbour some may remember from RNC. And Romney is well known.

Palin Huckabee and Gingrich have no chance?

This guy writes for the Boston Phoenix, so, it’s unlikely he has any idea.

[Danae]

This guy is a lefty?

Yeah he is gonna be surprised.

[pissant]

Not sure. But the rag he writes for is

[CIDKauf]

McCain should have taken Pawlenty deliver Minn) instead of Sarah, but then there would be no Sarah. sigh

[firebrand]

I see a few creationists on that list. While the GOP is majority evangelical, the general population is far from it, and so it would be foolish to consider a creationist seriously. This is not a comment on the issue itself, just on the wisdom of running a creationist.

[pissant]

You mean like GWB and RWR?

[Danae]

Well, you can tell alot about a person by who they write for.

[firebrand]

I wasn’t aware of their views, but it’s more of an issue now in any case.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

He says”But what do I know”?.Not much evidently.

[Clump]

We need a president who knows he is not supreme. Secular humanism is rotting this country from the inside out.
Aside from that I don’t think it’s an election issue.

[firebrand]

Don’t make the mistake of underestimating the importance of this issue to those who think evolution is more than a theory. The liberals will hold their fire on this during the primaries and then let us have it in the face.

Also don’t make the mistake of thinking creationists and those who believe in God are two coterminus sets. They overlap. So the alternative to Huckabee, Pawlenty, Bachmann, Palin et. al is not necessarily an atheistic secular humanist.

[El Cid]

...and so it would be foolish to consider a creationist seriously...

Sure, God forbid that we should consider a candidate who fears God and believes the Bible is HIS Word...

We need leaders who rise above those rubes clinging to their Bibles and guns...Like that fellow in the White House. He's smart.

[Absolutely Nobama]

I would never, ever vote for an atheist. Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Castro...all atheists.

A belief in God means that a leader isn’t convinced of his own goodhood. That’s a good thing.

[Absolutely Nobama]

Um....92% of Americans believe in God.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/23/ST2008062300818.html

[Absolutely Nobama]

Um....92% of Americans believe in God.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/23/ST2008062300818.html

[Jet Jaguar]

1. Tim Pawlenty,

2. Haley Barbour,

3. Mitt Romney,

4. John Thune,

5. Rick Perry,

6. Jon Huntsman,

7. Mitch Daniels,

8. Jeb Bush,

9. Jim DeMint,

10. Sarah Palin¸

11. Mike Huckabee,

12. Newt Gingrich,

13. Rick Santorum,

14. Donald Trump,

15. Bob McDonnell,

16. John Cornyn,

17. Jon Kyl,

18. Paul Ryan,

19. Chris Christie,

20. Michelle Bachmann,

21. Bobby Jindal,

22. John Kasich,

23. Condoleezza Rice,

24. Herman Cain,

25. Rudy Giuliani,

Dropping off the list: Pence, Toomey, Rubio

[pissant]

Michele should be top 5 material right now.

[Persevero]

I don’t think creation/evolution is going to be an issue in the presidential race.

For the record, 61% of Americans believe the biblical creation account, according to a Washington Times poll. A variety of polls have been done in American in the recent decade and the ones I have read have the majority believing in direct creation, anywhere from 60 to up in the 80 percents. Even if you take the low, 60, you don’t really have an issue here.

[Diogenesis]

WRONG. Pawlenty is tied with AllahPUNDIT.

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