Left-leaning PPP is showing GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann ahead by a point nationally now with 21% to Romney's 20. Interestingly, undeclared Rick Perry is in third with 12%, followed by Cain with 11% with Ron Paul (9%), Newt (7%) and T-Paw (5%) rounding it out...
Funny then the timing with the big headache story, looks to me like Team Mittens might be in panic-mode... they surely see and feel the momentum going against them has grown to a swell. But while fervent Herman Cain supporter Stacy McCain thought he was witnessing a Bachmann "implosion" as the dubious migraine narrative hit the wire -and understandably found it difficult to condone Rep. Bachmann's Gestapo-like security detail- he did post an interesting bit from Bachmann's son -a medical resident at the University of Connecticut- who says the story is nonsense and she's nothing like "incapacitated" by the episodes .
My brother has migraines, and all I know is that he works right through them as a diesel technician- it's not pleasant, but he is able to function fine in a dangerous and stressful occupation... fwiw.
Then a WSJ/NBC poll released yesterday as well has Romney still up at 30%, with Bachmann setting at 16%... I haven't looked into the methodology of that one, but consider the trend: Michele Bachmann was at 3% in this same poll just a month ago.
Here Rep. Bachmann weighs-in on the Obammunist-orchestrated faux-debt crisis...
Although Bachmann’s lead is narrow and within the poll’s margin of error, the best news for Bachmann is her “favorable” number is ten points higher than Romney’s.
Interestingly, her “unfavorable” number is 14 percentage points lower than Romney’s, giving her an incredible 65-favorability margin.
She's clearly surprising a lot of people... and against the expectations of most, rising in New Hampshire now, too. The MSM has of course taken notice, and immediately commenced with appalling smear attacks, as is their custom. But even the far-left LA Times can see that Bachmann is running circles around them... and the money is pouring in.
In my opinion a strong Bachmann campaign -like we've seen thus far- keeps Sarah Palin on the sidelines, and perhaps running for the open (Kyl) AZ Senate seat from her new Scottsdale base. The Arctic Fox has even endorsed the idea of Rick Perry entering the race, making her appear uninterested in running herself from where I'm standing.
Alas, if Perry and/or Palin do enter it could all change overnight for Rep Bachmann, so she needs to continue to build maximum possible momentum leading up to those possibilities. But so far, so good for this talented, principled TEA Party firecracker.
Increasingly unlikely to pull off a victory in Iowa, Mitt Romney is also slipping as Bachmann gains in New Hampshire... where Romney is said to own a house.
I don't know how many people care about where his various pads are, but Flipper's political support is shallow... tepid... and fickle: this man will never be the Republican nominee for president, imho- just doesn't seem like the Man of the Hour, I can't see it.
And consider that if I'm wrong, and Mittens pulls it off: here comes Trump as an independent, a worst-case scenario for the GOP... but they'll have brought that on themselves by not running a conservative in a TEA Party era that demands it.
Tim Pawlenty isn't impressing anybody by turning on Bachmann early in an attempt to stunt her ascent in Iowa- this guy has the personality of a (broken) parking meter, and looked like a two-faced worm for not confronting Mittens on RomneyCare when presented a golden opportunity to do so in the first debate.
It was probably over that night for "nice guy" T-Paw- fundraising efforts have gone nowhere. His proposals are largely sound, but to me he comes across as frustrated and charmless, lacking the confidence, grace, and charisma necessary to ensure the removal of Obama from power and lead this country back to greatness.
How can you not love Herman Cain- a cool guy, a real patriot- and what a story. But his lack of campaign experience, staff turmoil, and shallow understanding of international affairs in a perilous world has this real conservative unable to gain support outside of a fervent base, and thus also unable to break into the upper tier with Bachmann and Romney.
He now sits at around 9% in Iowa, basically tied with T-Paw. But with Team Cain in disarray, he's having a tough time raising money after an initial burst online- it appears that a bit of Bachmann's rise is coming at his expense.
The others?
Well, Newt is out of money and unloved-- and Santorum, Huntsman, and Ron Paul are not -and will never be- first tier candidates for the Republic nomination... forget it.
"Usually, a figure like Romney is the big shot who arrivesin town to boost a little guy like Rubio.
This time, it's the other way round..."
With Marco Rubio pretty much running-away with it in Florida, all those with presidential ambitions on the Republican side are taking-note of the rapidly evolving political landscape in this country... and making hurried adjustments.
Two things have become apparent re. 2012: Better give us a small-government, Reaganite-conservative... the TEA Party movement will hold de facto veto power over the nomination.
And it won't necessarily be the next-guy-in-line this time, either... both these developments likely sound less than ideal to professional presidential candidate Mitt Romney- the father of RomneyCare does have some explaining to do.
Toby Harnden from The Telegraph (UK) was in Florida this weekend as Mitt was actually stumping for Marco Rubio's all-but-sealed Senate bid. But with GOP rising-star Rubio up 12 points over Orange Charlie, why was Romney even there... and who was more likely to benefit from the association?
Despite the shifting political sands of the past two years, one thing has been constant: Mitt Romney running for president.
Having spent many millions of his personal fortune being defeated in 2008, he scarcely paused for breath and just carried on with his 2012 bid. Campaigning up and down the country during the mid-terms, Romney has been endorsing candidates, holding fundraisers and building up the kind of network of goodwill that traditionally stands White House aspirants in good stead.
His message is finely honed and has resonance. Matinee Mitt will never look like that regular guy next door but he's stopped tending to his bouffant thatch, shed his tie and loosened up a little.
Talking to several hundred fired-up Republicans crammed into Benedetto's Italian restaurant in a strip mall in Land O'Lakes, Florida on Friday, Romney accused Obama of trying to smother "the very creed of America" with taxes, excessive regulation and the growth of what Margaret Thatcher called the nanny state.
But the star of the show was not Romney but Marco Rubio, who seems to be coasting to victory in the Florida Senate race...
America is now making a sharp turn to the right... and the next couple of years look to be quite different than the last:
The departure of his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has forced Obama to make changes in the White House before he planned to.
Precriminations for the expected Democratic drubbing are underway and Obama's contribution has been to berate his supporters for the "inexcusable" sin of "sitting on their hands complaining".
Usually, a figure like Romney is the big shot who arrives in town to boost a little guy like Rubio. This time, it's the other way round. Young, bursting with energy and brimful of indignation, Rubio was the main draw in Benedetto's. Romney appeared to be hoping for a bit of the Senate candidate's magic to rub off on him.
Initially written off as too Right-wing and young to win in Florida, Rubio will be one of the Republican kingmakers in 2012, which is shaping up to be an election like no other.
