Gallup: Santorum Surges Into National Lead Over Romney, 35 Percent to 29 Percent

The assertion that Rick Santorum is the most unelectable of the GOP candidates is quite false. To the contrary, a recent Democratic pollster, which is considered to be the most accurate of all polling agencies, has released the results that many may find quite shocking. They found that of the Republican candidates, Rick Santorum performs best against President Obama and has, by far, the best approval rating.

Favorable/Unfavorable opinion:

-38% | Newt Gingrich
-28% | Mitt Romney
-24% | Ron Paul
-7% | Rick Santorum

Republican candidate/Barack Obama vote:

-12% | Newt Gingrich
-8% | Ron Paul
-7% | Mitt Romney
-5% | Rick Santorum

Public Policy Polling

reply to post by xuenchen

I have no idea actually !!

It must be perception at play.

People must think he can beat Obama, or they wouldn't be supporting him I guess.

I think it is the exact opposite.

I think most people were supporting Romney because they thought he could beat Obama...holding their nose and voting for him.

But he hasn't exactly displayed that he could do that...he has done so so in debates...just enough to where people claim he "did enough to keep them from bringing him down"...that wouldn't be enough to beat Obama. And in polls against Obama...he is still losing. Also the economy is recovering...and that was Romney's big thing...he can save this economy...but it is already being saved so that falls flat now.

So I think conservatives are saying to themselves...why vote for the candidate that we don't like but "can beat Obama" if it doesn't really look like he can beat Obama.

So they are falling back on their social issues...gay marriage, abortion, religion, and their new one...contraception.


It's fine with me...because they will lose if they are going to run on their social issues.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


I think it may go beyond that -- that Republicans are trying to redefine themselves, and the struggle between Tea Party style conservatism and the middle of the road stance. Right now, the strategy seems to be "I'm the most nobly conservative" with a result that they're starting to espouse values that are more 1880's (which were not very good for individual liberties unless you were White *AND* wealthy.)

They have a romatic view of life back then and aren't aware of pollution and social problems (loads of dung on the sidewalks that were six feet high, no garbage collection, no safety for beaten and abused women or children or people of different skin colors.)

If they go back to that, they will lose the groups they gain -- and ironically, at one time the Republicans WERE in favor of voting rights for women and other liberal/progressive policies.

The "more conservative than thou" strategy's a losing one. They haven't awakened to that yet.

If Mitt Romney loses his home state of Michigan, and it looks like that might be a possibility, he will be crushed in a general election.

Romney is fighting tooth and nail for his HOME STATE!

Santorum? He will lose even bigger in a general election. He is good for nothing but circle jerking the far right base.

If Romney loses Michigan...the word on the street is that the GOP establishment will call for a new candidate.

Who?.......Bring in the JEB...no I am not kidding.

From the Daily Beast

Allen summarized a chat between an unnamed Republican senator and ABC’s Jonathan Karl this way:

“The senator believes Romney will ultimately win in Michigan but says he will publicly call for the party to find a new candidate if he does not. ‘We’d get killed,’ the senator said if Romney manages to win the nomination after he failed to win the state in which he grew up. ‘He’d be too damaged’
… Santorum? ‘He’d lose 35 states,’ the senator said, predicting the same fate for Newt Gingrich.

It would have to be somebody else, the senator said. Who? ‘Jeb Bush.’”

www.thedailybeast.com...

Well at least it would be honest. After a few years of the GOP establishment pretending they didn't support Pres. GWB, they would come full circle and toss the 3rd Bush into the ring to represent them.

Don't know if they'd push Jeb Bush in there yet...maybe 2016....GWB is still too fresh in people's minds. Jeb is an attractive candidate for them because he would most likely win Florida (an important swing state) in a general election...he's popular down there.

Who knows....the GOP is looking really bad right now...especially with Santorum leading polls.

Originally posted by Indellkoffer


The "more conservative than thou" strategy's a losing one. They haven't awakened to that yet.

Agreed...from the same article I quoted above. I have been saying it for months. The GOP based moved to the far right and it is holding the GOP Nominees underwater. The pandering they need to do to get the slightest bit of approval from the base is the same pandering that is ensuring they lose a gneral election.

So there is no savior. And let us please be clear on why there is no savior.

Because there is no one who can satisfy the base of the GOP—a cohort so drunk on ideology and resentment that they cheer electrocutions and boo a soldier—and be elected president of the United States. Period. The standard journalistic trope the past few months has been to say that the Republican establishment would step in at some point and not let things get too out of hand. But that’s mostly nonsense. This GOP establishment is barely less loopy than the base.

If the base is driving the party into a ditch, the establishment is riding shotgun holding a shovel.

www.thedailybeast.com...