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PRESIDENTIAL TRIAL HEATS: WHO'S WEAKEST FOR G.O.P?
Townhall ^ | 1/13/08 | Michael Medved

Posted on 01/13/2008 5:43:00 PM PST by freespirited

This weekend, CNN released results of general election trial heats, pitting each of the four leading Republican candidates for President against both of the leading Democrats.

The unmistakable message from this national exercise (surveying 840 voters on January 9 and 10th) is that Mitt Romney unequivocally qualifies as the weakest candidate the G.O.P. could field.

In the head-to-head contest with Barack Obama he is utterly wiped out, losing by a margin of 22 points (59% to 37%). Against Hillary Clinton, Romney fares little better, falling 18 percentage points behind (58% to 40%).

The results for other candidates show that this is a Romney problem, not a Republican problem.

John McCain, for instance, virtually ties both Obama and Clinton – running 48%-49% against Obama and 48%-50% against Clinton. In other words, in a trial heat against Barack Obama, Senator McCain runs a startling 21 points closer than does Governor Romney.

Even Mike Huckabee (despite remaining virtually unknown to many Americans) draws slightly stronger support than Romney – running 3 points closer to Obama and 4 points closer to Clinton.

After spending more money than his major opponents combined, Romney appears more and more clearly unelectable, and a Saturday column by Gail Collins in the New York Times gives a clear explanation why. “Unfortunately, there’s something about Romney’s perfect grooming, his malleability and his gee-whiz aura that seems to really irritate both the other candidates and the voters,” she writes. “What bothers voters about Romney, as it turns out, is not his Mormonism but his inherent Mitt-ness.”

She’s right, of course. As I’ve said repeatedly over the last several weeks, the problem for Romney isn’t his faith, it’s his phoniness. It’s even worse to see that in-authenticity combined with an all-too-visible mean and nasty streak in going after his rivals.

I know many good people and committed conservatives who say they like Romney and insist, despite his back-to-back losses against flawed candidates in Iowa and New Hampshire, that he’d still be the strongest Republican in November.

How then, do they explain his devastatingly poor performance in the latest trial heats – a performance that corresponds to his similarly feeble showing in prior polls (particularly against Obama) conducted by Rasmussen, USA Today/Gallup, and Zogby?

With key primaries coming up in Michigan and South Carolina, support for Romney would seem to indicate a powerful and problematic Republican death wish.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2008election; gopnomination; medved; romney
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To: Brilliant
I second your comment.

I think the whole Presidential field of candidates is pretty lame if not scarily bad or disastrous.

In this whole country of almost 300 million people, don’t we have more people qualified to run than this circus of so so’s?

Menance Kookyspinich? Why wasn’t he laughed out of the race a million years ago? Where did he ever get the weird that he could actually be President? Jon Carry? Al Bore?

Geeesh. Fred Thompson seems like one of the few real people running, and he ain’t gonna make it.

I’m depressed for our future and the future of Western civilization.

21 posted on 01/13/2008 6:23:14 PM PST by garyhope (It's World War IV, right here, right now, courtesy of Islam.)
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To: Brilliant
"They are all pretty weak."

Okay, what is your solution to that problem?

22 posted on 01/13/2008 6:23:23 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (Your "dirt" on Fred is about as persuasive as a Nancy Pelosi Veteran's Day Speech)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Vote for a weak candidate.


23 posted on 01/13/2008 6:24:03 PM PST by Brilliant
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To: freespirited
Some of us have been saying this for a long time. He would be our John Kerry. Too many things to nail him on in his record of flip-flops.

U.S. Army Retired


24 posted on 01/13/2008 6:27:14 PM PST by big'ol_freeper (REAGAN: "..party..must represent certain fundamental beliefs [not] compromised..[for] expediency")
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To: Brilliant

New Zealand is nice too.


25 posted on 01/13/2008 6:27:52 PM PST by johnthebaptistmoore
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To: freespirited
I would not only say 'don't believe the polls' but the sheer and utter timing of the poll matters a ton.

The whole entire primary is wide open and as you can tell by post on FR everyone has their own guy.

To say the Republican party is fractured is an understatement. Republicans are hard headed enough to doggedly promote their guy and their guy only---but once that gets weeded out people are going to have to make a choice one way or another.

I believe that the fact they have done this poll dead in the middle of the primary makes it utterly useless in determining anything other than propaganda.

26 posted on 01/13/2008 6:32:03 PM PST by maui_hawaii
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To: freespirited

Hillary Clinton actually beats Barack Obama right now in the polls.

Oh wait, you say, that’s not fair, because she’s a democrat.

Yep. So McCain polls better in the general election against a left-wing opponent than a conservative does? It makes sense, he gets a lot of independents saying they will vote for him.

I’ll admit that — McCain polls very well in general election matchups. Question is, do we settle for McCain because he wins easily, or do we push a conservative and do the work to win by a percentage point.


27 posted on 01/13/2008 6:44:10 PM PST by CharlesWayneCT
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To: freespirited

Did they even include Thompson on this poll? I know the Survey USA folks have not been doing side-by-sides with Thompson for a month or two now.

I guess this makes Medved happy.


28 posted on 01/13/2008 6:48:06 PM PST by CharlesWayneCT
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To: freespirited

CNN released ......blah, blah, blah. No point in reading any further.

They could report a universally known truth and it wouldn’t matter.

They have absolutely NO credibility, none, zero, zip.

I think I’ll go watch a movie....


29 posted on 01/13/2008 7:05:15 PM PST by Gator113 (My short list..Fred, Hunter, Romney.)
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To: freespirited
On Medved’s show the other day he had Lanny Davis. Lanny said McCain would do the best against a dem. He said Rudy would do the worst. Why? Because Rudy is “mean spirited. This tells me the dems fear Rudy the worst. I personally know several moderate democrats who say they would vote for him over Hillary or Obama. I’m disappointed in Michael. Except for his giving credence to the TWA flt 800 conspiracy I’ve always respected his opinions and have admired his vast knowledge on so many subjects.
30 posted on 01/13/2008 7:05:16 PM PST by willk
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To: freespirited
The unmistakable message from this national exercise (surveying 840 voters on January 9 and 10th) is that Mitt Romney unequivocally qualifies as the weakest candidate the G.O.P. could field.

When are the Mitt Wit's going to comprehend that fact?

31 posted on 01/13/2008 7:06:14 PM PST by Ol' Sparky (Liberal Republicans are the greater of two evils)
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To: willk
Lanny Davis would want John McCain to win. Talk about somebody mean spirited, it’s McCain. Remember how he called us racist because we called and emailed Washington re illegal aliens? In one debate I saw, his nasty self came out but in the next one he seemed to have taken his meds.
32 posted on 01/13/2008 7:11:45 PM PST by apocalypto
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To: golfisnr1
CNN? Not a legitimate pollster.
You got that correct.... But Opinion Research Corporation is.
33 posted on 01/13/2008 7:12:23 PM PST by deport (6 days South Carolina -- 26 days Super Tuesday -- [ Meanwhile:-- Cue Spooky Music--])
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To: freespirited

Pure unadulterated bs!


34 posted on 01/13/2008 7:16:16 PM PST by TheLion
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Comment #35 Removed by Moderator

To: paudio

It’s pure ignorance. Mormons are the most decent, hard working, dedicated, workers and Romney will be a very very good president. As I Christian, I don’t agree with his theology but nor do I agree other Christians, so let’s leave that for the Lord to judge.


36 posted on 01/13/2008 7:45:26 PM PST by Lily4Jesus ( Jesus Saves)
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To: Lily4Jesus

So, you would be OK with a fundamentalist Muslim running for president of the US? For the most part, at least in the US, they are hard working, dedicated workers.


37 posted on 01/13/2008 8:01:45 PM PST by doc1019 (Rabbit and the Hare … Fred ‘08)
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To: willk

I have listened to Medved for several years and have been really disappointed in him of late. His mean-spiritedness toward Romney is just about more than I can take. I haven’t yet made a decision on the primary on the 5th but Medved’s snide nastiness doesn’t help me. I find Huckabee smarmy and phony but Medved seems to like him. What am I missing?


38 posted on 01/13/2008 8:03:45 PM PST by originalbuckeye
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To: freespirited

the polsters of course were homosexual nazis in favor of open borders.


39 posted on 01/13/2008 8:21:14 PM PST by ckilmer (Phi)
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Comment #40 Removed by Moderator


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