gallup poll reveals statistical tie for palin, romney, huckabee
Today’s Gallup poll for likely 2012 GOP presidential candidates reveals a close race between Governors Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and Sarah Palin. The poll was conducted with Republicans and “Republican-leaning” Independent voters and asked which candidate the voter would be “most likely” to support.
It’s interesting to note the shift that has occurred in recent months, as indicated in the chart below:
You will see that Huckabee’s numbers have increased 4% since the fall of 2010, perhaps due to his recently released book, Simple Government: Twelve Things We Really Need From Washington; while Mitt Romney’s numbers have decreased by a similar amount, 3%, in that same time period. By contrast, Governor Palin’s numbers have maintained a steady trend since last September - a remarkable feat considering the constant barrage of negative press directed her way. The latest, of course, being the leaked manuscript by a former aide (blogger Stacy Drake has a straight-forward post on this matter at Big Government).
Though daily and weekly polls are nothing to hang one’s proverbial hat on, reviewing the trends revealed in these statistics can be useful for understanding the mood of the average voter. Poll numbers can certainly be illustrative in pointing out preferred candidates and those with the highest name-recognition. However, these numbers are also instructive in revealing falsehoods (or wishful thinking) that are simply not the reality of the situation.
In the case of Governor Sarah Palin, the prevailing meme in mainstream press is that she is polarizing, disliked, and disrespected. This week’s Gallup poll, however, shows a different trend. Despite the efforts of those who would banish her from the political scene, Governor Palin remains a strong, steady presence - she manages to persevere in the face of extraordinary odds.
Regardless of who enters the race to become the GOP presidential candidate in 2012, the numbers released by Gallup today should be a reminder that this election will not be a foregone conclusion - in the primary or the general election.
Voters’ opinions are fickle and the majority of Americans don’t pay much attention to politics outside of a few weeks before a major election. The most important thing for conservatives to do between now and November 2012 is to remain strong and steady, continuing to persevere through the blitz that is sure to come from the other side.
- tdc
*UPDATED: The O’Donnell campaign recently posted to Twitter that the above ad will indeed air three times tonight - at 6pm, 8:30pm, and 9pm Eastern. The station has made amends for their error. Kudos to them!
Christine O’Donnell’s first 30-Minute Ad “We the People of the First State”
If you follow Twitter, you may know that this ad was supposed to air twice today and once tomorrow - Election Day. Though the O’Donnell campaign paid for ad time, the station asserts they “forgot” to air the ads.
It’s hard to imagine that this is true, but, regardless…
This type of “mishap” one day before the election is unacceptable! Whether you agree with her views or not, Ms. O’Donnell has every right to have her voice heard.
Post and share this ad wherever you can!
- tdc
governor palin: drop and give me 20! and don’t go crying to obamacare…
Governor Palin has been busy!
This afternoon, she launched - yes, launched - her latest rhetorical dissection of all that is wrong with Obamacare and the “yay-hoos” who foisted it on us. The entire post is worthy of lamination, but below is a choice section tdc found particularly spectacular.
In her discussion of the multi-trillion dollar costs of Obamacare, Governor Sarah Palin writes:
This is probably what President Obama was referring to when he admitted recently that he had known all along that “at the margins” his proposals were going to drive up costs. Give us a break! Only in this administration would they refer to a $3 trillion spending increase as “marginal.” Next time he comes to us with another one of his harebrained proposals for a budget-busting federal power grab, let’s make sure we remember the president’s admission that he was lying all along when he told us his health care plan was going to cut costs. He is increasing costs. He admits it now. Period.
Higher costs and worse care – is it any wonder why people are overwhelmingly in favor of repealing and replacing Obamacare? Politicians who have vacillated on this issue need to be fired. Candidates who don’t support “repeal and replace” don’t deserve your support. No amount of money spent on Washington’s “government-wide apolitical public information campaign” (otherwise known as “propaganda”) will convince Americans that this awful legislation is anything other than a debt-driven big government train wreck. We need to repeal and replace it, and that can only happen if we elect a new Congress that will make scrapping Obamacare one of its top priorities. We can replace it with pro-private sector, patient-oriented reform that the GOP has proposed.
Once again, Governor Palin lays out a concise, informative, hard-hitting argument for fighting back against unfunded government mandates and arrogant politicians.
In March of this year, Governor Palin set her sights on gaining twenty key seats in congress. Now, a few short weeks before the election, she and her team have taken their effort to the next step with a new website, Take Back the 20.
From a design perspective (of course, we have to go there…) the site is nicely done. One page, clearly-organized, informative, and makes an immediate call to action - the Palin team has done their due diligence. Now, though, it’s time for us to do our due diligence.
Visit Take Back the 20. See which candidates you can help - with time or resources - then step up and do so. The race for 2012 starts now. Whether the GOP nominee is Sarah Palin or someone else, November 2010 will decide the extent of the mess he or she has to clean up.
To carry the metaphor a bit too far: grab your broom and help sweep some tired ol’ legislators out of office and into the dustbin of politics-as-usual.
- tdc
The stakes in this fall’s elections go far beyond the fate of either the Republican party or the Democratic party. The fate of America is on the line. The Republicans need to understand that - and to understand that they are not simply “due” because of polls.
Thomas Sowell, Are Republicans Due? - (via Townhall.com on January 18, 2010)
In anticipation of tomorrow’s special senatorial election in Massachusetts, I thought Mr. Sowell’s words to be an appropriate reminder of what is at stake - today and always. In the end, polls and parties matter little. It’s about preserving the tenets of our nation.
- tdc
As I watched the minute-by-minute updates of last night’s elections stream across Twitter, I could not help but smile at the passion of my fellow citizens. For people of all political stripes, there is a renewed sense of engagement that has motivated millions of us to become involved in politics as we never have before.
If the events of the last 24 hours have any sustained resonance, it is that they affirm the power of our collective voice to influence the governance of our communities; and highlight our responsibility to do so according to our personal values and beliefs - even when it means going against a seemingly stronger, more established adversary.
No matter the outcome of any one electoral contest, our republic continues on, as it was founded in the Constitution. We may sway from Left, to Right, and back again, but, thankfully, we always have a center to which we can return.
As my final commentary on last night’s election, I share this ‘remix’ of one of Ronald Reagan’s speeches, once again extolling the virtue and promise of our great country.
Indeed, the cause always goes on…
- tdc
Engagement welcome here also - comments?
This nonsensical opposition to American domestic energy development continues to this day. Apparently the Obama-Biden administration only approves of offshore drilling in Brazil, where it will provide security and jobs for Brazilians. This election is about American security and American jobs.
There’s one way to tell Vice President Biden that we’re tired of folks in Washington distorting our message and hampering our nation’s progress: Hoffman, Baby, Hoffman!
Governor Sarah Palin responds to VP Joe Biden regarding her position on energy policy
*When will they…? Oh, nevermind…they won’t learn…
