The VERY Wide Open 2012 GOP Presidential Race

Poll Watch: PPP (D) Wisconsin 2012 Democratic Presidential Survey
PPP (D) Wisconsin 2012 Democratic Presidential Survey Who would you like to see the Republicans nominate for President in 2012: Mitch Daniels, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney or John Thune? Sarah Palin 21% Mike Huckabee 15% Mitt Romney 9% Ron Paul 9% Newt Gingrich 5% Mitch Daniels 2% Tim Pawlenty 2% John Thune 1% Someone else/Undecided 36% In 2012 would you most like the Democratic Presidential nominee to be Barack Obama, someone more liberal t...

Poll Watch: PPP (D) Ohio 2012 Democratic Presidential Survey
PPP (D) Ohio 2012 Democratic Presidential Survey Who would you like to see the Republicans nominate for President in 2012: Mitch Daniels, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney or John Thune? Sarah Palin 22% Mike Huckabee 16% Mitt Romney 8% Ron Paul 8% Newt Gingrich 7% Mitch Daniels 4% Tim Pawlenty 2% John Thune 0% Someone else/Undecided 33% In 2012 would you most like the Democratic Presidential nominee to be Barack Obama, someone more liberal than B...

Poll Watch: PPP (D) 2012 Wisconsin GOP Primary
PPP (D) 2012 Wisconsin GOP Primary Sarah Palin 21% (18%) Mike Huckabee 18% (15%) Mitt Romney 17% (12%) Newt Gingrich 13% (14%) Tim Pawlenty 10% (8%) Ron Paul 4% John Thune 3% (1%) Mitch Daniels 2% (2%) Someone else/Undecided 12% (28%) Among Conservatives Sarah Palin 23% (20%) Mike Huckabee 18% (14%) Mitt Romney 16% (12%) Newt Gingrich 14% (16%) Tim Pawlenty 9% (8%) Ron Paul 4% John Thune 3% (1%) Mitch Daniels 2% (2%) Someone else/Undecided 11% (26%) Among Moderates Mike Huckabee 20% (

Poll Watch: PPP (D) 2012 Ohio GOP Primary
PPP (D) 2012 Ohio GOP Primary Sarah Palin 21% (20%) Mike Huckabee 19% (17%) Newt Gingrich 18% (19%) Mitt Romney 15% (14%) Ron Paul 6% Mitch Daniels 5% (3%) Tim Pawlenty 3% (6%) John Thune 2% (0%) Someone else/Undecided 11% (18%) Among Conservatives Sarah Palin 24% ( 21% ) Newt Gingrich 21% ( 21% ) Mike Huckabee 18% (19%) Mitt Romney 14% (13%) Mitch Daniels 4% (2%) Ron Paul 4% Tim Pawlenty 4% (6%)  John Thune 2% (0%) Someone else/Undecided 10% (15%) Among Moderates Mike Huckabee 23

GOP Pulse: Slow Walking to 2012
Thune dips his feet in New Hampshire: The Rapid City Journal notes that Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is giving a Radio Interview with New Hampshire Radio Station WKXL. "While Iowa is nearby South Dakota and shares many of the same issues, New Hampshire is another ballgame entirely, and it's hard to see why else Thune would be doing in an interview with a New Hampshire Radio Station other than to get himself in front of an important primary state." Gingrich talks up Haley before visit: In an interview...

GOP 2012: Populists vs. Managers
As the 2012 Republican pre sidential race begins to coalesce, the field is dividing between Populists and managers. The most prominent Populists are former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The leading manager is Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts, although he could face competition from such current governors as Indiana’s Mitch Daniels, Mississippi’s Haley Barbour, and, conceivably, New Jersey’s Chris Christie. Onetime House Speaker...

Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels Put Off Presidential Announcement Until Spring
ABC News’ Michael Falcone reports: Here are two more clues that the 2012 Presidential Campaign is going to get off to a late start: two potential GOP Candidates acknowledged this week that if they decide to run, they won’t jump in until the spring. “I think the decision has to come at the end of this General Assembly session, if not before. No later than that,” Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels told WANE-TV in Ft. Wayne on Wednesday. (The state’s General Assembly sessio

Who will get away with the Omnibus snow job?
Times are most interesting in DC, while the North of the country is cold but dry, while DC is covered in snow. The snow is in the buildings of the legislative branch as much as it outside. You see we have the unbridled farce of Republicans who eagerly put Earmarks into the Omnibus bill to be voted on, saying they will vote against it. Or at least some of them are doing so. Others seem tone deaf and carrying on as if Nov. 2010 was just like any other election. There is a subtle sorting process go...

A Palin Presidency? Early Polls Show Possible Candidacy Tanking
Sarah Palin may have her own TV show, a gig on Fox News, and two books to her name, but there's one thing she is unlikely to add to her resume, according to a number of recent polls: the presidency. Of course, it's still very, very early. And with nearly two years until Election Day 2012, anything could happen. But in hypothetical matchups with President Obama, Palin consistently polls very poorly. In the last week or so, three national polls found Obama leading her by double digits, including...

Poll Watch: NBC News/Wall Street Journal 2012 Presidential Survey
NBC News/Wall Street Journal 2012 Presidential Survey Barack Obama 47% Mitt Romney 40% Barack Obama 47% John Thune 27% Barack Obama 55% Sarah Palin 33% Now I’m going to read you the names of several public figures, and I’d like you to rate your feelings toward each one as very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very negative. If you don’t know the name, please just say so. Barack Obama Very positive 25% Somewhat positive 23% Neutral 14% Somewh...

An Iowan on Santorum: 'Very Presidential in Stature'
The closing item in the Morning Jolt mentioned Rick Santorum’s event on a cold night in Davenport, Iowa. A Campaign Spot reader, Meredith, was at last night’s meeting. Her take: LOVE love love The Morning Jolt. It’s the first thing I look for in the a.m. I was there in Davenport last night. I’m looking for a Candidate. I don’t think the “reruns” can beat Obama; they weren’t that popular the first time (i.e. Huckabee and Romney). I am not an offic...

Tea Party and CNN to Host 2011 Republican Presidential Debate in Florida
CNN Political Director Sam Feist called the "Tea Party movement a fascinating, diverse, Grassroots force that already has drastically changed the country's political landscape." The movement's impact on the political balance is indisputable. Tea party-backed Candidates, assailing President Obama's policies and calling for smaller government and less spending, had considerable success in the Nov. 2 election. The tea party and allies like Sarah Palin can rightly claim credit for playing a signific...

Poll: Obama Handily Leads Palin, Romney, Thune
President Obama easily leads three Republican challengers in hypothetical 2012 matchups presented in a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. However, Obama's victory against a generic GOP Candidate falls within the poll's Margin of Error. Only former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney polled reasonably close to Obama in the head-to-head contests. Forty percent of respondents said they would vote for Romney if he were the Republican nominee, versus 47% who said they would vote for Obama. Against Sen. ...

Cornyn: 'Karl, This Is Not Just About Earmarks!'
Heated exchange! ABC News' Jonathan Karl Probes Senators about Earmarks. President Obama urges the Senate to pass the Tax Cut deal. Thune vs. Romney: Tax Deal or 2012 Battle? Sen. John Thune R-SD., says "it's easy to stand on the sidelines and criticize." ...

Insider: Tea Party Cant Win GOP Civil War
The 2010 United States Senate race in my state featured a divisive primary between an “insurgent” Tea Party challenger and an “establishment” Candidate.  The Tea Party challenger, with the help of a reckless and irresponsible intervention in the race by Sarah Palin and various national conservative entertainment figures, won the primary but went on to lose the General Election. The path to eventual defeat for the Tea Party candidate was marked by bizarre statements and feuds w

As Palin Tanks in Polls, Are Presidential Hopes Over? (The Atlantic Wire)
WASHINGTON, DC – Two new polls out this week paint a discouraging picture for anyone holding out hope for a Sarah Palin presidency in 2012. A Washington Post-ABC poll reports that 59 percent of Americans would not even consider voting for Palin for president, 8 percent say they would "definitely" vote for Palin, and 31 percent would consider it. Meanwhile, a Wall Street Journal-NBC poll finds that Palin would lose a hypothetical Presidential Election against Obama by 33 to 55 percent. Ev...

CNN and the Tea Party Express: The Greatest Romance of Our Time
If you're surprised that CNN will co-sponsor a Republican presidential primary debate with the Tea Party Express, you're not paying attention. CNN played an early and vital role in legitimizing the Tea Party Express when it was seen by Tea Party Patriots and some other groups as a partisan effort to capitalize on the Grassroots movement. Amy Kremer, president of the TPE, used to be a Board Member of TPP, but was dismissed from that group over her increasing role in Express events. But in March a...

2012: Palin goes 'lamestream,' Mitt's mandate problem
BARBOUR : “At age 63, Gov. Haley Barbour said deciding to run for president means resolving to ‘spend the rest of your productive life doing this.’ The decision won't come for months or without long talks with wife Marsha, the Governor said” in an interview with the Jackson Clarion Ledger. GINGRICH : Newt Gingrich told South Carolinians how important they are ahead of his Speech there tonight before the Spartanburg County Republican Party’s annual Bronze Elephant b...

Barbour, Daniels wait for spring
The timeline is getting a bit clearer, Alex Burns notices: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, two of the biggest question marks of the 2012 cycle, said yesterday that they’ll make up their minds about the Presidential Campaign by sometime this spring. And Daniels gave a newly specific, end-of-April deadline for making his decision, telling WANE-TV that it &ld...;

Daniels will decide on presidential bid before May
Washington (CNN) - Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is setting a deadline for when he must decide whether to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Daniels, a favorite among Republican insiders who respect his fiscally conservative record, said Wednesday that he must figure out his plans by the end of April, when Indiana's legislative session is slated to wrap up. "I think the decision has to come at the end of this General Assembly session, if not before. No later than that," Daniels to...

Ranking the 2012 Contenders: Communications Skills
Are Marco Rubio, Haley Barbour, and Mike Huckabee the favorites to win the White House?...

The Great Communicators of 2012
Brad Philips ranks 18 possible 2012 Republican presidential contenders -- and President Obama -- on their communications skills. Notes Phillips: "Most pundits analyze a General Election by looking at the same old measurements, such as Unemployment data, Consumer Confidence, and early polling. But they always miss a reliable predictor: the more gifted media spokesperson has won every Presidential Election since the beginning of the 24/7 media age in 1980." The leaders: Marco Rubio, Haley Barbour...

Poll: Obama Tops Leading GOP Challengers, Loses to Generic Opponent
President Obama trounces the frontrunners for the Republican presidential nomination in hypothetical 2012 matchups polled by Penn Schoen Berland -- but against an unnamed generic Republican Candidate, he comes up short. In the survey, Obama beat out several prominent Republicans by at least six points, and by as much as 21. Mike Huckabee came closest, losing to Obama 40%-34%. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was next closest, losing to Obama by seven points, 40%-33%. Sarah Palin, who has ...

Poll: Obama Would Easily Defeat Palin In 2012
In the preparations for the 1964 election, President Kennedy instructed his staff to promote the campaign of Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. The "Conscience Of A Conservative" was then seen as too extreme for mainstream American politics, and thus easier to beat.  Sarah Palin may play Goldwater to Obama's Kennedy. Like Kennedy, Obama is a charismatic young president with a flair for rhetorical talent, but with few legislative accomplishments. And the White House would prefer to run reelect...

Poll: Obama handily beats Palin
Published: Dec. 17, 2010 at 9:46 AM If President Obama were to face former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the 2012 Presidential Election, Obama would be re-elected by a landslide, a poll says. UPI/Jim Ruymen NEW YORK, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- If President Obama were to face former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the 2012 Presidential Election, Obama would be re-elected by a landslide, a poll says. A Wall Street Journal-NBC poll conducted Dec. 9-13 indicates Obama leads the 2008 Republican vice presidential candi...