Right Wing News 2012 Political Poll Results And Analysis

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Right Wing News 2012 Political Poll Results And Analysis

Written By : John Hawkins

Yesterday, I polled RWN’s readers on the following question:

If the 2012 Republican primary were today, which of these candidates would you vote for?

The results were a surprise, not because of who came in first, but because of the huge margin and how weak the rest of the field turned out to be in comparison to the front runner:

1) Sarah Palin: 46% (284 votes)
2) Dick Cheney: 8% (52 votes)
3) Bobby Jindal: 8% (51 votes)
4) Mitt Romney: 7% (45 votes)
5) Rick Santorum: 4% (25 votes)
6) Ron Paul: 3% (24 votes)
7) Tim Pawlenty: 3% (24 votes)
8) Newt Gingrich: 3% (23 votes)
9) Haley Barbour: 2% (17 votes)
10) Mike Pence: 2% (14 votes)
11) Rudy Guiliani: 2% (14 votes)
12) Mike Huckabee: 2% (13 votes)
13) Jeb Bush: 1% (12 votes)
14) John Thune: 1% (8 votes)
15) Lou Dobbs: 0% (0 votes)

Quick thoughts:

* Sarah Palin is the biggest political rock star in the Republican Party. She fires up the base and her book tour and Facebook assault on Barack Obama have been a huge success. She certainly has more work to do on her image, but were she to run, she would be a force to be reckoned with.

* Bobby Jindal’s stock seems to have really plunged after one weak TV performance. This time last year, he would have probably pulled three times as many votes.

* Going into 2012, Mitt Romney is probably going to be the choice of the establishment. His weakness isn’t a total shocker, since he is not a man who fires up conservatives, but it is a bit of a surprise to see that he didn’t even get into double digits.

* Rick Santorum? I like him, but an incumbent who lost by 17 points to a charisma-free empty suit like Bob Casey, Jr. doesn’t have the chops to be a presidential nominee.

* Dick Cheney will be 71 in 2012 and has heart problems. Ron Paul? He’ll be 77 in 2012. Ehr…no.

* Pawlenty, Thune, and Barbour’s poor showings may have more to do with weak name recognition than their actual quality as candidates. If they choose to run, they’ll have plenty of time to introduce themselves to the base.

* Newt’s in 8th place? That Dede Scozzafava endorsement turned out to be one hell of a mistake.

* People do know a little bit more about Pence. The fact that he’s drawing 2% on a conservative blog despite his fiscal conservative credentials is a strong signal that he simply may not have the charisma to run for the top slot — and perhaps also an indication that people haven’t forgotten his backdoor amnesty plan.

* Rudy and Huckabee ran in 2008 and many conservatives branded both men as RINOs. Huckabee has been more politically active than Rudy since then, but he seems to have done little to turn around his image with the base.

* Jeb Bush’s name certainly does get mentioned surprisingly often when 2012 candidates come up. I say surprisingly, because even I might vote for a third party if another member of the Bush clan were to run as the GOP’s presidential candidate — so, I’m glad to see that there is so little enthusiasm for him as a 2012 nominee.

* Lou Dobbs. 0. Wow. Seldom in politics do you see someone get exactly the amount of support that he deserves; so this is a rare event.

gfchicago

I keep seeing Lou Dobbs listed as a Republican. Funny thing is that he doesn’t strike me as having any Republican/Conservative leanings except for the immigration reform stuff which I agree with him on.
Bill_Dalasio

I considered Jindal, but went with Palin. Honestly, I like and respect him. From what I’ve seen, he’d make a fine president. But, you can guarantee both the left and the press (but I repeat myself) would trot out his having attended an exorcism to make him look like a complete whackjob. And let’s face it, as smart, talented, and accomplished as he might be, he doesn’t have a lot of stage presence. Palin both has the stage presence and has built the bypass around the media gatekeepers to give her a fighting chance to give her side of the story.
bob_the_great

Dick Cheney may be 71 with heart conditions, but according to Frank J, he only needs about 10 minutes & he’ll have everything straightened out. Then we can have someone sit there for the rest of the four years and maintain the status quo.
http://www.getclassichardwood.com charliehall3

It’s still way too early to be thinking about this… This far out from the last election, very few people had even heard of Barak Obama…
TheBaud

Sarah Palin is the biggest political rock star in the Republican Party.

Continuing to call Sarah Palin a ‘rock-star’ only feeds into the Liberals mindless chants of ‘messiah worship’. Sarah Palin has energized the Conservative movement with her principles and her intelligence, unlike the shallowness and pettiness of a ‘rockstar’.

Please respect her for the political force that she is and stop handing ammunition to the Liberals.
http://guardian.blogdrive.com/ CavalierX

“Bobby Jindal’s stock seems to have really plunged after one weak TV performance.”

That, and the fact that he pulled a Claude Raines afterwards. Where has he been hiding while Sarah Palin was tearing President Hussein a new one? I have liked Jindal for a long time, and think he’d be an excellent candidate for President, but he has to get out there.
http://guardian.blogdrive.com/ CavalierX

It’s still way too early to be thinking about this… This far out from the last election, very few people had even heard of Barak Obama…

Yeah, only the people who were planning his rise to power were working on getting him elected this early. Too bad that didn’t work out… oh, wait a second…
Markus

think he’d be an excellent candidate for President, but he has to get out there.
================

why? He’s busy trying to clean up the mess in louisiana.. they elected him as Governor Jindal, not Presidential Candidate Jindal.
http://guardian.blogdrive.com/ CavalierX

why? He’s busy trying to clean up the mess in louisiana.. they elected him as Governor Jindal, not Presidential Candidate Jindal.

If he wants to run for president, then he has to get his name, face and ideas out in front of the general public and keep them there on some level. That’s all there is to it.
http://huckupchuck.blogspot.com huckupchuck1

Pawlenty, Thune, and Barbour’s poor showings may have more to do with weak name recognition than their actual quality as candidates. If they choose to run, they’ll have plenty of time to introduce themselves to the base.

I find this statement to be a bit odd, given that the participants in the poll are readers of RWN. If this were a poll of your average citizen, then, yes, the name recognition thing would make sense. But I find it quite improbable to think that anyone so inclined to read RWN and vote in this poll would not recognize any of these three figures and would not know something substantive about them.
http://conservativebootcamp.com martinhale

I too was caught between Jindal and Palin in this straw vote. I ended up going with Jindal because I like his more laid-back style. That style appeals to me because I think the “in-your-face-all-the-time” style of politics of today is essentially bad for this country and we could use a few years of someone who isn’t entirely media/publicity-driven.

But I agree with those who’ve commented that he needs to step up his game a bit if he’s going to be seriously considered for a presidential run in the future. Wearing a self-imposed Cloak of Invisibility™ won’t garner you the public interest and party support you need to get nominated/elected.
President_Friedman

Posted by huckupchuck1
2009-12-09 11:11:12

I agree, it isn’t lasck of name recognition responsible for the nummbers these candidates pulled in this poll. I think it has more to do with the fact that Palin resigned her governorship in order to take a more prominent place on the national stage, whilst these other fellows are busy with the offices and responsibilities they hold. I like Pawlenty quite a bit, but know a lot mroe about Palin because she’s been much more visible as of late.
way2slo

As of today, I would vote for either Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney, or Newt Gingrich. Those are the names I know and would trust.

I would never vote for Ron Paul or Jeb Bush. Those are names I know and DON’T trust.

As for the rest, I’d have to research them a little.

Oh, Santorum lost to Casey largely because Casey’s name recognition. (his dad was fairly popular and I bet there were a few that voted for him because they thought he WAS his father.)
http://huckupchuck.blogspot.com huckupchuck1

I’ll tell you that, as a liberal and as a resident of Louisiana, I am much, much more worried about Jindal than I am about Palin. Jindal has all the conservative creds that appeal to the base, plus he’s got impressive experience and knowledge. He’s not as glamorous as Palin and doesn’t have the same kind of rock-star appeal; but I think he’s a person who can peel away a lot of the middle without losing much, if anything, of the base. Heck, maybe it’s because I’m from Louisiana and have watched Jindal govern, but I wouldn’t mind having Jindal as President, even though I likely wouldn’t vote for him and would often disagree with his policy positions.

Jindal is too smart to throw his hat into the ring now. He’s rightfully focusing on Louisiana, all the while he is building up his national support base quietly and behind-the-scenes. I also think he’s smart to let the Palin phenomenon play out and let the fracture within the GOP and the conservative movement heal some. I don’t think he’ll run in 2012, but I’d bet that he’ll run in 2016.
TheBaud

I also think he’s smart to let the Palin phenomenon play out…
Posted by huckupchuck1 2009-12-09 11:56:28

Wishful thinking on the part of many Liberals!
Mike_M

Introducing Jindal to the country by having him give the GOP response to an Obama joint session speech was just a bad idea. You’re not going to find the book “Great Partisan Response Speeches in History” at your local library.

The content of what he said wasn’t too bad. one of the better lines: “We appreciate his [Obama's] message of hope, but sometimes it seems we look for hope in different places. Democratic leaders in Washington — they place their hope in the federal government. We place our hope in you, the American people.” Unfortunately he was also tasked with apologizing for the GOP loss of the election and making the argument that the GOP was committed to working with Obama even though they opposed almost all of his agenda. It was really a no-win situation.

But as has been said, unless someone else is willing to do some of the lifting, it’s all Palin right now.
http://quantum-kitty.blogspot.com/ simulacre

Jindal’s delivery was poor too…perhaps he would get better with time and practice, but his response speech was the only one I had seen him give and was definitely not impressed.
Bill_Dalasio

Posted by huckupchuck1
2009-12-09 11:56:28

A fairly reasonable answer. Of course, as I’ve said, I think your ideological compatriots won’t hesitate to cast him as some sort of a religious kook. Not at all fair and not at all accurate, but likely. Sorry, but the treatment of Ms. Palin makes pretty clear what we can expect. Unfortunately, I don’t think Gov. Jindal has the wherewithal to counter these claims effectively.
democratsarefascists

Most of these guys are damaged goods, like Paul, Gingrich, Giuliani, Bush, Dobbs and Huckabee, too old like Cheney, have been through the mill already and wouldn’t inspire voters any more than their last few losses, like Romney. The rest are unknown to most people.

As far as being “way too early” to think about this:

The GOP FAILS and the RNC FAILS precisely because they don’t think about these things early enough.

We put this off in 2008 and what did we get?

MCCAIN.
itsrattlesnake

As a Louisiana resident I cannot understand why people are this psyched up about Bobby Jindal. He has added 1200 people to state payroll. The budget deficit is still looming with no solution sighted by his administration. We still have a ridiculous 8% income tax that they are ‘trying’ to get rid of. The schools suck. The roads are terrible. Oh, and he ENDORSED Mary Landreiu’s vote on healthcare being bought. I’m sorry, I just don’t see the appeal. Like Obama, he was elected on empty promises and lies. He maybe young and (maybe) charismatic, but that’s the only reason I see anybody liking him from the base.

Another thing I can’t understand is the hatin’ on Jeb. He was an awesome governor when I lived in Florida. I guess it can be chalked up to the fact that he has B00sh as a last name.
D-Vega

I like Bobby Jindal. He is refreshing and although he is not the most charismatic guy on a speaker’s stage, when I have seen him in more personal interviews he comes across very well.

At least he is young, new, exciting and smart. He won’t be able to fix all of LA’s problems, but I fail to see who could. At least he is putting in the effort and not giving up.

That’s of course putting his politics aside, but I would much rather see him compete than another bunch of old white guys, half of whom couldn’t even beat McCain for the nom.
D-Vega

I like Jeb Bush as well. He was a pretty good governor during tough times in Florida. But I don’t think he’s interested.
itsrattlesnake

I agree Looziana’s a tough state to reform, but I think that Jindal could be doing a bit more. Maybe he could take a break from fund raising for whatever and govern. I’m glad that somebody else appreciated Jeb’s time in Florida, Vega. He was an exceptional improvement over his predecessor (Lawton Chiles) and his successor (Charlie Crist).
Pinky

Wow, this poll is great news to liberals. That such a huge proportion of conservatives still have no one better than Palin to root for doesn’t spell much hope for conservatives in 2012. I know to you she looks like a “rock star,” but outside your little minority, she’s a laughing stock.

Yes, I know folksiness and anti-intellectualism (also sometimes called “stupidity”) are attractive values to your bizarre subculture, but to mainstream America, the disastrous legacy of the Bush Administration will be too fresh in people’s minds to give that personality type another go for at least twenty years.

The fact that you kind find anyone of intelligence who shares your belief ought to give you a clue as to the nature of those beliefs.
The_Mutant

Personally, I think the reason Jindal didn’t get more votes is precisely because the people that would support him would also support Palin.

Since Palin is more in the public eye right now, along with the challenges to the administration’s communist policies, she gets the support.

As for the thoughts about Jindal not being in the public eye – and I’m not criticizing him for it – he does have his state to worry about.

Let’s face it, did anyone even consider Palin to be the force she is today way back in 2006?

I missed the poll, and I would have voted for Palin, but I also would have considered Jindal.

I wonder how a Palin/Jindal ticket would be received…. hmmm…
itsrattlesnake

Pardon me for feeding the troll.

@Pinky: Obama is a laughing stock to we conservatives and to regimes hostile to the United States throughout the world.
http://TheNixonTape.Blogspot.Com Dick_Nixon

The fact that you kind find anyone of intelligence

Is English your second language?
Tennwriter

I’ve seen a number of posts that end with …

Palin/Jindal 2012.

Huckupchuck,
I’m impressed. Depending on the opposition (if it had been McCain then yeah), I might have voted for my Democratic governor for President. Phil Bredesen seems pretty good to my somewhat uninformed view.

Pinky,
Its not so much anti-intellectualism as anti-pretentious lazy guys with a degree from a fancy college. Bright and thoughtful people are good, see Palin, but lame idiots who think they’re smart cuz they went to Haaaarvvard not so much.

Our “intellectuals” are frequently not that bright.

Dalasio covered the phenom of the cultural insecurity provoked by Palin being based on a self-view of ‘being smart’ well already. Track it down, and read it.
http://vodtou.blogspot.com/ צפייה ישירה

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