Gallup shows Trump tied with Huckabee among GOP primary voters (Romney Close Behind)

Hotair ^ | 04/22/2011 | Ed Morrissey

[SeekAndFind]

Keep one thing in mind when looking at the data from Gallup’s latest poll of the Republican field. Their sample includes “Republican-leaning independents” as well as registered Republicans. That’s important, because it helps explain Donald Trump’s sudden resonance in the field:

Donald Trump debuts in a first-place tie in Gallup’s latest update of Republicans’ preferences for the party’s 2012 presidential nomination among potential contenders. Trump ties Mike Huckabee at 16%, with Mitt Romney close behind at 13%. Sarah Palin is the only other potential Republican candidate to earn double-digit support.

The April 15-20 Gallup poll finds Trump leading the field among moderate and liberal Republicans, with 21% supporting him. Huckabee is the leader among conservative Republicans. Huckabee’s support and Trump’s support differ between ideological groups, while Romney and Palin get similar support from both ideological wings of the party.

Among the lower-ranked candidates, Newt Gingrich’s support and Michele Bachmann’s support tilt decidedly conservative. Trump is the only potential candidate who shows notably stronger appeal to liberals and moderates than to conservatives within the GOP.

Let’s point out, though, that even where differences exist, they’re rather small — the consequence of a large field with no one frontrunner at this stage. Huckabee’s support split is 13/18 in moderate-to-liberal/conservative voters; Trump’s is 21/13, Romney 14/13. Between the three of them, that accounts for 48% of the moderate-liberal voters and 44% of the conservatives, leaving plenty of room for another candidate to grab the brass ring when the race gets serious. Interestingly, Palin in fourth place splits almost evenly between the two, 11/10.

The Boss Emeritus did some digging on Trump and comes up with what should be a kayo on Kelo:

Too many mega-developers like Trump have achieved success by using and abusing the government’s ability to commandeer private property for purported “public use.” Invoking the Fifth Amendment takings clause, real estate moguls, parking garage builders, mall developers and sports palace architects have colluded with elected officials to pull off legalized theft in the name of reducing “blight.” Under eminent domain, the definition of “public purpose” has been stretched like Silly Putty to cover everything from roads and bridges to high-end retail stores, baseball stadiums and casinos.

While casting himself as America’s new constitutional savior, Trump has shown reckless disregard for fundamental private property rights. In the 1990s, he waged a notorious war on elderly homeowner Vera Coking, who owned a little home in Atlantic City that stood in the way of Trump’s manifest land development. The real estate mogul was determined to expand his Trump Plaza and build a limo parking lot — Coking’s private property be damned. The nonprofit Institute for Justice, which successfully saved Coking’s home, explained the confiscatory scheme …

Trump has attempted to use the same tactics in Connecticut and has championed the reviled Kelo vs. City of New London Supreme Court ruling upholding expansive use of eminent domain. He told Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto that he agreed with the ruling “100 percent” and defended the chilling power of government to kick people out of their homes and businesses based on arbitrary determinations:

“The fact is, if you have a person living in an area that’s not even necessarily a good area, and government, whether it’s local or whatever, government wants to build a tremendous economic development, where a lot of people are going to be put to work and make (an) area that’s not good into a good area, and move the person that’s living there into a better place — now, I know it might not be their choice — but move the person to a better place and yet create thousands upon thousands of jobs and beautification and lots of other things, I think it happens to be good.”

Silly conservatives still believe that the person who owns the property should decide what kind of private-sector use should be made of it, not the government, and not wealthy developers who play footsie with politicians to take what doesn’t belong to them. Property rights are the core of freedom; in fact, they are the first rights mentioned in the Constitution for that reason. Long before one gets to the First Amendment, Article I Section 8 grants the responsibility to Congress to “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries[.]“ And in the Fifth Amendment, we find that the Constitution mandates “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

Here’s my question regarding the Trump boomlet. If Republicans want to rally behind a pro-choice (before campaigning), pro-single-payer health care (before campaigning), pro-Kelo mercantilist, what exactly is wrong with Rudy Giuliani? His positions were far to the right of Trump’s on these issues before Trump decided to show up at CPAC, plus Giuliani has had a track record of success in executive office that didn’t involve strongarming people out of their property. Or for that matter, what exactly is wrong with Huckabee, Romney, Pawlenty, or the rest of the candidates whose conservative credentials activists question, in light of Trump’s sudden Republican advent?

Update: CNN demonstrates that Trump will be a pretty easy target if he wins the nomination:

I’d guess that Eliot Spitzer might have some personal animus he’s working out here, but that’s the point, isn’t it? Why offer the easy target?

CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO

[LottieDah]

Even if Trump, Huckabee and Romeny were nominated they will not win anyway. The “One” will get a second term and whoever follows him will continue to blame the demise of America on Bush. The voting demographic is getting younger. Many younger people, unfortuantely, are not going to vote for a conservative or anyone they preceive to be conservative.

[Tex-Con-Man]

Trump! Trump!
He's our man
He's a birther
so...YES WE CAN!!!

[KingOfVagabonds]

I’m gonna throw up.

I wouldn’t let any of these guys wash my car.

I wouldn’t even let them step on my property.

---

Yep, I agree. We need something like Coburn/West 2012.

[Retired Greyhound]

Col. West is the best possible candidate. I believe he will be POTUS some day.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Not necessarily. Huckster is polling so strong BECAUSE of the younger people. He plays exceptionally strong with that demographic.

[bkepley]

Yeah I guess if a scumbag like Trump can’t win me over means I’m not a conservative then I’m not a conservative. It’s just a friggin word anyway.

[douginthearmy]

I will vote for (almost) any republican over Obama. If Huckabee wins I will vote write-in candidate. There’s just something about him that doesn’t sit right with me.

[dennisw]

Bogus poll! Trump is way ahead of that dimbulb Huckster who Glenn Beck was ridiculing today

[LottieDah]

You could be right...but here in NYC Huckabee is considered another right wing whacko.

[Proud2BeRight]

The media are again attempting to choose the GOP candidate.

[Palladin]

My favorites:

1. Sarah Palin

2. Tim Pawlenty

3. Chris Christie

Trump should be ignored, but it’s hard to do when he has the MSM by the ba**s.

[Polybius]

trump and huck.....they’d get my vote...

It is now April of the year before the Presidential election. Bill Clinton did not announce his ultimately winning candidacy until October of the year before the Presidential election.

The winning candidate that will eventually defeat Barack Obama is probably still off the radar screen.

Until that candidate emerges, we will be flooded with weekly polls that ask, "Which TV show personality do you currently support for the Presidency of the United States of America?"

A.) The host of "The Apprentice"
B.) The host of "Sarah Palin's Alaska"
C.) The host of "Huckabee"
D.) The star of "Two and a Half Men"
E.) None of the Above

The fact that a less-than-serious candidate such as Donald Trump is doing so well in these polls means that America's answer, so far, is "None of the Above".

None Of The Above: Why Trump Polls Well In The GOP Primary

FOX NEWS Radio .... CHARLIE SHEEN OUTPOLLS SARAH PALIN FOR PRESIDENT AMONG INDEPENDENTS .... We’ve found a lot of brutal poll numbers for Sarah Palin so far in 2011: .... But this has to be the worst- Independent voters say they would support Charlie Sheen over Palin for President by a 41/36 margin. Seriously

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

How does a second Obama term sit with you?

[Palladin]

Huckabee does not sell outside the Bible Belt.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Most of Huck's strong support is in the moderate/liberal South. He also plays well in the West and Midwest.

[flaglady47]

You kmow, I’m getting real tired of seeing the fat Huckabee family picture showing up on threads. I don’t like the Huckster, and unless desperate, wouldn’t vote for him; however, it is unfair to show an old pic of he and his family in fat mode when he is no longer fat, and neither are his kids. It’s just plain unfair. It’s like when the left (especially on PMSNBC) shows pics of Rush Limbaugh, and it’s always from when he was fat. Find a more current and honest picture to show, not one that gratuitously smears the man and his family. It’s cruel.

[napscoordinator]

Trump is the only potential candidate who shows notably stronger appeal to liberals and moderates than to conservatives within the GOP.

A real winner. Gag. Unbelievable that FREEPERS really want this liberal Republican as our President. I just don’t get what has happened around here. Just because he did ONE good thing does NOT mean he should be President. He should be thanked for his assistance in the birth certificate situation and that is it. This does not equate getting the Republican nomination from any stretch of the imagination.

[LottieDah]

I did not know that. Thanks for the info.

[dennisw]

Trump is the only potential candidate who shows notably stronger appeal to liberals and moderates than to conservatives within the GOP.

This is also true outside the GOP
The Donald will have millions of Democrats and independents voting for him
But of course he has to run and win the Republican nomination first. Perhaps he won't run, then Romney, Huckster, Pawlenty (R-Sominex) will rejoice but the Obama-trons will be positively ecstatic

Trump has Obama quaking in his boots. The last thing Obama/Axelrod/Plouffe want is to run against The Donald who strikes fear in the heart of the unjust.

[Polybius]

Trump will not run. Huck and Willard are weak. And that leaves Sarah!! And once Sarah secures the GOP nomination, she will win the White House in a Landslide

*********

Glad to hear an update from your neck of the galaxy, but, back here on the Planet Earth, things are quite different from how things are on your planet:

FOX News Poll (February 7-9, 2011)

Question 3: I am going to read you a list of names. Tell me if you think that person would make a good President or not.

Sarah Palin:

.................YES.........NO.......DK.....Never heard of

ALL...........23%.......72%.........4%.......1%

Dem ...........7%........87%........5%.......1%

Rep ...........40%.......56%.......3%.......1%

Ind ...........25%........69%.......3%.......1%