Can Herman Cain Beat Obama?
Rasmussen says yes, 43-41. Excerpt:
Interestingly, all of the income demos give narrow splits. Obama wins the under-$20K by only six points despite his recent class-warfare schtick, 39/45. Cain wins every other income demo by six or fewer points, including a narrow 46/44 in the $100K+ demo. Just as curiously, Obama only beats Cain among union households by a seven-point plurality (44/37), while Cain wins non-union households by an even narrower margin of 44/41. Obama beats Cain among those who reject Tea Party affiliation, but only by fifteen points, 34/49. Those who embrace the Tea Party support Cain head to head by 86/7, not surprisingly, while those who are not sure support Cain by 21 points, 48/27.
I say sounds good, just dump this 9-9-9 crap and you got my vote, Mr. Cain.
Meanwhile, is there any way I can do the opposite of donate to Rick Santorum's campaign? He is doing a disservice to conservative Catholics everywhere. .
ReplyDeletekathleen's comment is about the most interesting thing I've heard in awhile. I thought it was just me. I have a soft spot for Santorum, but he is just such a scold. He can't simply disagree without turning it into a Defining Issue (or character flaw on the part of his opponent).
ReplyDelete$20 to Herman. That's my advice.
Yeah, Rick keeps telling us what a great catholic he is, but I'm not sure the constant whining that he doesn't get enough time in debates or his subtle sneering at lesser Christians than he would fly with a smart confessor. Ego much, Rick?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, why the heck is he still up there, sucking up time? To represent me? No thanks.
ReplyDeleteI see Santorum is at it again today, with a new target.
ReplyDeleteCain's comments are here.
Appalling.
ReplyDeleteThrow me into the Santorum-not-so-much camp. I couldn't stand it when Bill Bennett let him take the mike for Morning in America. It really seemed like affirmative action. He's not Presidential material any more than he is talk-show host material.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me that if Santorum can't appeal to the three of us, he ought to wonder who he does appeal to. I guess the opinion polls give the same answer.
ReplyDeleteToo bad he lost his senate seat. That's where he belonged.
ReplyDeleteI'd vote for Santorum for Senate. And I'd vote for Bachmann and Paul for the House. Their voices and positions on the issues are valuable.
ReplyDeleteAnd both of Santorum and Bachmann are excellent when arguing against someone from the left. Their problem -- and like Newt says: the problem with these countless GOP debates -- occurs when they snipe and try to score cheap political points against someone that they agree with on 95% of the issues (excluding Romney, perhaps). If they play that game, it comes down to a purity contest, which has nothing to do with the issues faced by the Nation.
And it will ensure that Romney gets the nomination, as all the others split the majority of primary voters. Just like McCain last time.
How is writing off Romney not an example of engaging in purity contests? I fail to see a difference in the degree of unhelpfulness to our general cause.
ReplyDeleteHow is writing off Romney not an example of engaging in purity contests?
ReplyDeleteBecause unlike the others, Romney isn't really a conservative. It's one thing to get all snippy when Perry backs something like in-state tuition for illegals - something pretty much the entire legislature in the most conservative large state in the Union voted for. It's another to point out that Romney is an opportunistic used car salesman who adapts his positions based on who he's trying to sell himself to at a given moment.
Yeah, Santorum has been whiny at times and it's tuned me off. On the other hand, in the grand scheme of things it's a much lesser sin than being a RINO crapweasel like Romney or an unprepared neophyte like Cain.
Give me one of the Ricks.
And the entire state legislature in MA wanted health care. Thanks for making my point.
ReplyDeleteAnd the entire state legislature in MA wanted health care. Thanks for making my point.
ReplyDeleteHow did I make your point? Texas is a conservative state, Massachusetts is a very liberal one. If anything, it's another reason that Romney is worse than Perry. Perry went along with a conservative legislature on a minor issue while Romney sheepishly went along with a liberal on a major issue.
So unless your point was that Romney is a stuttering cluster#$% of miserable failure in the making, I don't think I made your point at all.
Disagreement with Romney is a disagreement over his stated positions on issues -- at least as stated at one point in time. There is a legitimate question regarding whether Romney is a conservative or "moderate" Republican.
ReplyDeleteThere is little or no question about whether Rick Perry and Herman Cain are conservatives. The "purity contests" I referred to are simply sniping over matters of relatively minor importance, but that in no way call into question the conservative nature (or pro-life nature) of the targets. They are simply hyperventilating to score cheap political points.
And in Perry's case about the in-state tuition at least, it is a matter that conservatives can reasonably differ over.
I referred to are simply sniping over matters of relatively minor importance, but that in no way call into question the conservative nature (or pro-life nature) of the targets.
ReplyDeleteThis. And I have to say that I have been guilty of this, particularly over Santorum's tone. I think there are substantive critiques to be made of Cain's 9-9-9 plan, as well as his tendency towards making really uninformed comments. But some of the sniping at the candidates seems to indicate a desire to bash them for the sake of bashing them.
Remember, Romney became the de facto conservative candidate in 2008, and now he's our bete noir. I think that's a pretty good indication of how much more conservative this field is compared to 2008.
Romney's not a bete noir in my book. There was another RINO named Bush who turned out to be not that bad. Does he have a retarded religion? Yes. But I'm not hiring a clergyman. Romneycare is in the past and I just want a functional conservative and an electable candidate.
ReplyDeleteI'm only easy to please if you don't try too hard. Does that make any sense?
I love how it's so self evident to you guys which purity tests count and which don't. The fact that MA is a blue state does nothing to persuade me that Romney is any less pure a conservative than Perry. And at least Romney doesnt have the gall to call me "heartless" for not wanting government health care. As for Cain, his abortion remarks seem not to trouble your fine tuned purity meters --which is fine, but let's be consistent, shall we?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that MA is a blue state does nothing to persuade me that Romney is any less pure a conservative than Perry
ReplyDeleteI'm from a blue state - New York - and I live in a blue state - Maryland. That, and the fact that Romney is from MA, says nothing about our respective ideologies. The fact that Romney is flip-flopping squish who changes his opinions as often as I change my underwear is, however, dispositive.
And at least Romney doesnt have the gall to call me "heartless" for not wanting government health care.
First of all, if you're going to rely on that meme, at least get the context right. It was in-state tuition breaks, not healthcare. Second, that "heartless" comment was nothing compared to Romney's demagoguery on social security. Remember Mitt running to the old folks in Florida telling them that mean old Perry was going to take their social security away? Yeah, that was a lot worse than Perry's remark.
As for Cain, his abortion remarks seem not to trouble your fine tuned purity meters -
Yeah, that rebuttal ain't gonna fly with me. In fact Cain's muddled remarks on just about everything have turned me off. Off course, how are you to know that, it's not like I called him an "unprepared neophyte" in this very thread.
Oh. Wait.
As for my being a purist, that also ain't gonna fly. I was one of the conservatives who thought Christine O'Donnell was a bridge too far, and who thought going to the mattresses on the debt ceiling wasn't worth it. I happen to think that the drive for ideological purity is what could drive the nomination to Romney as conservatives obsess over trivial slights rather than grand faults. I don't think it's being a purist to expect the GOP nominee to be an actual conservative.
I just want a functional conservative and an electable candidate.
ReplyDeleteWell, Romney's not really conservative and based on how his nomination could drive the base away, he might not be electable. I mean, he'd likely beat Obama, but then again so would the other candidates, and they would have much more energetic support.
Electability just should not be a concern in an election when the incumbent is at 40% popularity and the unemployment rate is 9+ percent.
You're from a blue state, therefore Romney is not a "real conservative"....oookay.
ReplyDelete"It was in-state tuition breaks, not healthcare." OH! I THOUGHT PERRY INSTITUTED GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE IN TEXAS! thanks for setting me straight, Paul Zummo! Whew, what would I do without incredibly well informed conservatives out there in the blogosphere?
ReplyDeleteLike I said, there is a legitimate question regarding whether Romney is a conservative or a "moderate" Republican.
ReplyDeleteI don't have that same question about Perry and Cain. I don't think they'd have the same agony as Romney over that question.
Romney is saying that not because he isn't a conservative, but because there is an upcoming referendum on SB5 and it's polling heavily in favor of the unions. Any conservative that won governorship of MA has to be calculating and I think that is what we are seeing here. I have far less of a problem with a conservative being calculating than with a "conservative" hectoring me for my heartlessness because I don't think illegals should get state school tuition breaks.
ReplyDeleteGreat swaths of this country were dumb enough to vote for Obama in the first place. They are still going to be dumb in 2012. The game must be played. Romney doesn't have the perfect record, but I'm very heartened to see he makes all the right noises. If he turns out to be a genuine conservative who can get elected even in crazy MA, well, I'm doubly impressed.
ReplyDeleteEasy, kathleen, easy . . . .
ReplyDeleteI ain't sayin' Romney is a conservative, and I ain't sayin' he isn't. All I am saying is that there is a legitimate question about that based on his record. Whether his explanations hold up is what the process is all about.
OTOH, the Santorum/Bachmann attacks on Perry & Cain, insinuating lack of conservative credentials, are not credible because Perry and Cain are both credibly conservative. The petty swipes thus do more harm than good.
But because Mitt still has some convincing to do if he is running as a conservative, questions in his direction are more relevant.
You're from a blue state, therefore Romney is not a "real conservative"....oookay.
ReplyDeleteUmm, no. That's not at all what I'm saying. I was simply pointing out how completely non-sensical your original point was.
"It was in-state tuition breaks, not healthcare." OH! I THOUGHT PERRY INSTITUTED GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE IN TEXAS! thanks for setting me straight, Paul Zummo! Whew, what would I do without incredibly well informed conservatives out there in the blogosphere?
Umm, you're the one who said that Perry called people opposed to healthcare heartless. But nice use of snark and sarcasm to cover up the fact that you're completely ignorant, and frankly incoherent.
Again, you are falling back on this pat distinction that Perry is "credibly conservative" and Romney isn't. I'm not buying it. Comparing the record of TX and MA governors to formulate this distinction is meaningless, since you couldn't find two more different states.
ReplyDeletePaul Zummo, you are right, I have no freakin idea what you are saying.
ReplyDeleteWow, I just deleted a bunch of reader comments and I'm not even breathing heavy. Must be an acquired taste, like cheap French wine or cassoulet.
ReplyDelete