tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post7674112725321549091..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: FrontrunnerJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-21796162660292386352011-06-13T13:39:05.978-05:002011-06-13T13:39:05.978-05:00How does it play into Romney's standing within...How does it play into Romney's standing within the GOP that so many liberal commenters here regard him as the 'least worst' Republican candidate? (For example, in the comments on your Sunday Question for Liberals yesterday.)<br /><br />That might indicate greater ability to draw in indies, but surely it is not a positive in the eyes of 'movement conservatives.'Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-67038233788628144892011-06-13T13:25:27.718-05:002011-06-13T13:25:27.718-05:00At least in the Gallup poll, however, Romney's...At least in the Gallup poll, however, Romney's percentage has improved. And the other way in which he is polling relatively well (and I stress "relatively") is in head to head with Obama.<br /><br />Now sophisticated observers will tell you head-to-heads at this stage don't matter. But how sophisticated in that sense are Republican primary voters? In other words, the question isn't how such poll results today would correlate with an actual November 2012 election contest, but rather how they would correlate with Republican perceptions of electoral chances in the primaries.<br /><br />In that sense, if those head-to-head polls hold up long enough, I could see Republicans (reluctantly) rallying behind Romney as their best chance to actually win.BrianTHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-2407645559774162632011-06-13T13:14:50.368-05:002011-06-13T13:14:50.368-05:00^If Palin is viable, then Bachmann is viable and a...^If Palin is viable, then Bachmann is viable and a better candidate I think cause of her personal story. If Palin is not viable, then neither is Bachmann - they both have the same problem in that ideology aside, nobody serious thinks they would do competent job.<br /><br />If Romney's pole numbers are lower than previous eventual nominee front runners then I'd think that should be worrisome to him precisely because he doesn't have the elite on his side. Besides being the first front runner in memory to be publicly bashed by his party's previous VP nominee, Romney is running against the Koch-Freedom Works-Tea Party machine which seems to be the strongest force in Republican politics right now.Jasonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-53540183318352505082011-06-13T12:49:28.562-05:002011-06-13T12:49:28.562-05:00Jonathan, you have argued that the only three cand...Jonathan, you have argued that the only three candidates you can realistically see winning the GOP nomination are Romney, Pawlenty, and Perry.<br /><br />But what about Bachmann? Ezra Klein <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/michele-bachmann-is-the-candidate-sarah-palin-was-supposed-to-be/2011/05/19/AGbVlySH_blog.html?wprss=ezra-klein" rel="nofollow">argues persuasively</a> that she possesses all of Palin's electoral upside, but with a quasi-intellectual, elite-friendly veneer. Do you think she is viable? If not, why not?Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15913245096162048743noreply@blogger.com