I would feel a lot better about 2012 if Romney and Perry magically changed poll positions. Romney should be in single digits. That he is anywhere near the top does not speak well of the current GOP
The 25%-ish that instantly support the most liberal GOP candidate running in each primary have no sense of party unity whatsoever.
Right now, the author of RomneyCare enjoys the support of roughly a fifth to a quarter of GOP Primary voters’ support. It is inexcusable for anyone who opposes ObamaCare to throw their vote behind Mitt Romney. I understand he would naturally garner the support of many Mormons because of prophecy, and I respect that. But the Establishment needs to find a candidate to back who is not completely anathema to an overwhelming number of grassroots GOP voters and organizers.
Hopefully, Romney continues to fall. I would feel a lot more comfortable if he did indeed fall into third place. Mitt was slick in the debates, but the few times he challenged Newt, he looked petty, outmatched and greasy. Romney would not be capable of taking out both a popular uprising figure like Cain AND simultaneously trying to match wits with someone who is clearly more intelligent than he is (and who makes it show regularly).
What makes things worse for Mitt is that Cain and Newt like each other a lot, so he can't count on them bloodying each other for his benefit. Meanwhile, he now has a mortal enemy in Perry, who trumps Mitt on nearly every issue when it comes to Gubernatorial record.
Mitt is in the lead, but his lead is as soft as any front-runner in my lifetime.