Posted on 04/06/2012 2:06:49 PM PDT by upchuck
As Mitt Romney assumes the role of presumptive Republican nominee, polls suggest a competitive general election matchup between the former Massachusetts governor and President Obama. Typically, both candidates poll in the mid-40s, while 10 to 12 percent remain uncommitted to either side.
Among these uncommitted voters, Rasmussen Reports polling shows that just 22 percent approve of the way the president is handling his job. Seventy-two percent (72 percent) disapprove. As for intensity, just 2 percent strongly approve, and 40 percent strongly disapprove.
At first glance, this seems like good news for Romney. These uncommitted voters will be difficult for the president to win over. But it raises another question: If these uncommitted voters are so unhappy with the president, why aren't they already Romney supporters?
The data suggest that voters are less than thrilled with the choices they'll have in November. The lack of enthusiasm for Romney among GOP voters has been well documented. Among Democrats, enthusiasm for their candidate is noticeably down, as well. Among young voters, for example, just 20 percent strongly approve of the job the president is doing.
Most young voters, of course, will still end up voting for the president just as most disgruntled Republicans will end up voting for Romney. But neither candidate connects well with white working-class voters. Romney has struggled to win over these voters in his primary contests, and Obama lost them to Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries. For many, Election 2012 is shaping up to be another choice between the lesser of two evils.
One reason can be found in the issue that stirred more political passion than any other over the past four years. The bailouts remain the most hated pieces of legislation in recent American history. They spurred both the tea party and the Occupy movements and convinced millions that a corrupt relationship exists between big government and big business. But both Romney and Obama are supporters of the bailouts. Given the public mood, it is almost beyond comprehension that neither party could come up with a presidential candidate opposed to the bailouts.
Looking ahead, most voters hear a lot of rhetoric about deficit reduction but don't believe either party has proposed a serious plan to stop ever-increasing government spending. Most don't even believe that the budget cuts agreed to during the debt ceiling debacle will ever be implemented. Politicians have spent years trying to blame voters for this problem, but my book "The People's Money" shows that voters are far more willing than their politicians to make the hard choices.
The disconnect can be found on other major issues, as well. On national security matters, GOP Congressman Paul Ryan's budget calls for cutting everything but defense spending, a position shared by just a third of voters. The president wants to trim the military budget but expand U.S. intervention into a growing list of countries. But 75 percent reject that approach and believe U.S. troops should be deployed abroad only when vital national security interests are at stake. Half of the nation's voters are even ready to follow President Eisenhower's advice and bring home U.S. troops from Western Europe and Japan.
There are certainly differences between Obama and Romney. People will find plenty of valid reasons to select one over the other. But if the winner of Election 2012 governs as he campaigns, the disconnect will continue, and voters will grow even angrier.
Ya just knew the Republicans would eventually support another liberal.
The leftist throw gasoline on American freedom and way of life. Republicans just throw in hot coals.
The brutal hard reality is, they’re all riding in the same government limo and do what their told by the super wealthy/powerful new order, globalist.
Better plan on a lot of conservatives fleeing the plantation and “voting for Obama” then, because Mitt is gonna get beat like an unfaithful muslim wife.
Its a simple fact.
George Soros has said that there is no difference between BHO2 and Romney.
So your going to vote for Obama?.
It also illustrates something about the media IMHO. Why during the early part of the campaign when we had 6 candidates and whoever rose to the top was knocked down, did the media hold back this story? I heard about it on the Internet and that was it, but nothing from the MSM. My theory is that the media had something on each candidate or most of them, sort of a kryptonite story that would destroy them. Once they rose to the top of the heap, either the candidate implodes as Perry did , or if not the media releases their stink bomb. Cain got big, and for a time looked like he would go all the way. I still say he would have neutralized Husein's most potent weapon, the race card (which he's playing in the Martin case) , and focused the election where it belongs, the economy. Notice how the initial accusations were "anonymous sources", no verification needed, and they knocked Cain out.
This is where the speculation comes in. In the event Paul rose in the polls, with his "audit the fed" and "fiscal austerity" , the MSM would release this little stink bomb in October and Hussein would walk into a second term. Since Paul went nowhere there's no need to play up this story. Might as well save it in case it's ever needed.
If I'm right it would mean they have an October surprise waiting for Mittens. I'm no Romney fan but he's light years above B.H.0. so I'll take him. </tinfoil hat>
Writing in Palin. Mittens can KMA.
I live in the State of Washington, and the Democrats in charge eliminated the Republican primary. Instead, we had to caucus, which of course was manipulated in favor of Romney by the State Republican Party apparatchiks.
There really isn't much difference between a communist and a fascist. Just watch how Romney operates among Republicans, how he treats them with disdain, and you'll see what I mean.
Why is it that the pubs couldn’t field a conservative candidate? I keep forgetting...
Say what you want but Mittens won a majority of Tea Party voters in Wisconsin. Just saying.
No it doesn’t, the conservatives are like black democrats, always used and abused by their political masters and in the end they still vote for them.
Go sell that slop to someone who will buy it.
Do not stay home. All of us must vote. We need to take back the Senate just to prevent more expensive, intrusive laws and restrictions. It is critical that we take the Senate and strengthen the House. We need to get the deficit under control and cut expenditures. We can’t do that if people like you stay home. Vote for Mickey Mouse for POTUS if you must, but help take back the Senate.
Because the media selects the Republican candidates.
I’m not voting for them either.
Spit.
As corrupt and incompetent as the GOP-e, D.C., the media and damn near every politician has become, I don’t think any of this matters much anymore.
We conservatives are a proud and hard lot and we are right to be so, but we are about as fragmented as the rest of the country.
Ronald Reagan warned us that we could lose our freedom very quickly:
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
Are you ready to look into your children’s and grandchildren’s eyes and tell them how it once was........ and how it could have been”. If only....
Before the 08 campaign, during the primary, I went to a romney rally.
He was shaking hands. And DID NOT look me in the eyes for a milli-second when shaking my hand.
I’m 6’6” so it’s hard to miss me. I have no respect for someone who shakes your hand and doesn’t even look you in the eye.
Sort of like that King of the Hill episode.
Obama and Romney-—nobody wants them.
OK,so the media selects the Republican candidates but you want us to vote for the nominee? Really?
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