Sarah Palin: Still Not the Front-Runner (Then why are they writing about her?)

The New York Times ^ | September 22, 2010 | Ross Douthat

[2ndDivisionVet]

Here are two more data points from the weekend to back up my argument that the 2012 Republican nomination is not Sarah Palin’s to lose. First, the Values Voter Summit straw poll, a decent gauge of sentiment among the kind of activists Palin would presumably need to rally, in which the former Alaska governor racked up just 7 percent of the vote, trailing Mike Pence (who gave a barn-burner of a speech), Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Second, a new 2012 poll from Public Policy Polling, showing Romney leading with 22 percent, followed by Huckabee at 21, Gingrich at 18, and Palin at 17 percent. And note this statistic:

As is the case every month Sarah Palin is the most personally popular of the Republicans, with 66 percent viewing her favorably. She is followed by Huckabee at 60 percent and Gingrich and Romney at 57 percent.

The problem for Palin is that a smaller percentage of the people who like her personally support her for President than any of the other Republicans. 37 percent of the voters who like Romney also say he’s their choice for the 2012 nomination and the same is true for 32 percent who like Gingrich and Huckabee. But just 24 percent who see Palin positively on a personal level translate that to intent to vote for her. [emphasis mine — R.D.]

About a month ago, I wrote a column arguing that the most interesting pre-primary contest in the G.O.P. was arguably the battle to see if somebody (a Mitch Daniels? a Jon Thune? a Haley Barbour? a Tim Pawlenty?) would manage to unseat Romney from his perch as the safe, competent-seeming, establishment-y candidate...

[2ndDivisionVet]

Somehow, Ross missed these stories:

Sarah Palin wins 2012 Right Nation poll: Chicago rising http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2593517/posts

[President] Clinton Cautions Democrats On Underestimating Palin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2593507/posts

Madam President? It could happen http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2593093/posts

[JPG]

Ross still has SOB. (Sarah On the Brain)

[toddausauras]

As a Palin supporter I hope she does NOT become the hands down front runner in all the polls UNTIL the primaries actually start. Let her enemies think she is just one of the pack. Heh heh. My grammar in this post sucks but you get what I’m saying.

Palin 2012.

[Russ]

Ross Douchehat and the NYT are sure obsessing over someone who is not a front-runner. I guess when there is nothing to write about they fall back on a good anti-Palin piece.

[MNJohnnie]

Good the “front runner” never wins

[therightliveswithus]

If she’s not the frontrunner, who is?

[mmercier]

they write about her because all the boys are cowards...

my guess.

[r9etb]

Then why are they writing about her?

Because she's a good-looking celebrity, and still a novelty.

The difference between media coverage and things like polls and straw polls, tells you a lot more about the media than it does about her actual chances.

[onyx]

SARAH PALIN'S PING LIST "ping"

[Shadow44]

The way the media acts towards Palin, you would think she killed all of their families and burned their houses to the ground. No one has such an obsessive hatred for a “nobody”.

[2ndDivisionVet]

"The difference between media coverage and things like polls and straw polls, tells you a lot more about the media than it does about her actual chances."

You might want to click on the links in my post #1 then...

[matt1234]

PMS (Palin Madness Syndrome)

[max americana]

Oh we’ve known this tactic b4. get the most liberal “republican” RINO and start building him up..and later tear him down during the elections.

[nhwingut]

He also misse dthis story, which is even more damaging...

Rasmussen: 52% feel Palin reflects their values; Only 40% for Obama!

[onyx]

You forgot to link:

RASMUSSEN'S POLL: 52% of Voters Say Their Views Are More Like Palin’s Than Obama’s

Whose views are closer to your own? Palin/Obama

Overall: 52/40

Male: 55/37
Female: 48/43
White: 58/35
Black: 5/87
GOP: 84/9
DEM: 14/81
INDY: 59/27
Conservative: 80/12
Moderate: 28/61
Liberal: 14/85

[giotto]

Sarah Palin: Still Not the Front-Runner

The more the Deathbed Media obsesses about Sarah, the closer she will get to the front of the pack.

[Bigtigermike]

As Scott Rasmussen stated : The Tea Parties and my emphasis 'the grassroots as a whole' is not going anywhere and will have a part in determining who will be the nominee in 2 years When you put that in play that spells trouble for Mitt who does not connect with the average voter well, maybe Pawlenty, Newt and many others might fail to do that as well effectively Sarah is not the Tea Party leader but she "embodies" the Tea Party, both parties attack her constantly in one way or another, many people do not like that; So Sarah will have a card up on everyone and will hold the "WILD CARD" One point that is often forgotten is that Sarah has been deep within the battles of Health Care ,Cap n trade,....etc many of the contenders other than maybe Newt, Pence, Thune have either been timid or silent on the battles over the past year or so....MANY will question those contenders "where have you been when we need you?" and that's where Sarah can say that she stood with them while others, *(MITT)* are too cautious!

[Mangia E Statti Zitto]

Can someone explain something to me?

Why is Huckabee doing so well in these polls? Who is his constituency?

[upsdriver]

trailing Mike Pence (who gave a barn-burner of a speech),

That explains Pence's win. Too many conservatives react quite emotionally. Pence gives a rousing speech, Wilson calls Obama a liar, Scott Brown wins in Mass., etc and people want to anoint them president. Next week, they'll jump on someone else's bandwagon. In this case, they want Pence, who in all probability, isn't even running.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Evangelicals who don’t like Gov. Sarah Palin or don’t believe in women in positions of power, perhaps?