GOP frontrunner still can’t consolidate support

[ProSense]

GOP frontrunner still can’t consolidate support

By Steve Benen

The new national Gallup poll shows where the race for the Republican presidential nomination currently stands.

1. Mitt Romney: 21% (up one point from October)
1. Herman Cain: 21% (up three points)
3. Newt Gingrich: 12% (up five points)
4. Rick Perry: 11% (down four points)
5. Ron Paul: 8% (no change)
6. Michele Bachmann: 3% (down two points)
7. Rick Santorum: 2% (down one point)
8. Jon Huntsman: 1% (down one point)

<...>

But what I still find remarkable is Romney’s inability to put some distance between himself and the rest of the Republican field. The Iowa caucuses are, after all, eight weeks from tomorrow, and the presumptive nominee, the man Democrats simply assume will get the GOP nod, finds himself tied with a strange, inexperienced man, who doesn’t understand government or current events, and who’s facing credible allegations of sexual harassment.

Remember, in nearly every instance since 1959, by this point in the race, the Republican frontrunner enjoyed support of at least 41% before going on to win the party’s nomination. Romney hasn’t even been able to reach 30% in any Gallup poll this year — and his support is actually lower now than it was over summer.

He’s running against misfits, clowns, and con men, and Romney’s still stuck at 21%.

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Perry is sinking.

[TheWraith]

1. On the contrary, they are consolidating. They're just doing it slow.

Notice: Bachmann, Perry, Santorum, and Huntsman are all dropping. The losers are being abandoned in favor of others. Romney has a ceiling in the 21-23% range, so it comes to Cain and Gingrich.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

2. Yeah, I don't think Bachman, Perry, Santorum, Paul, Cain or Gingrich

supporters would rally to Mitt, if one or more of those guys should drop out. Only Huntsman supporters might move over to Romney.

[TheWraith]

4. "Huntsman supporters might move over to Romney." All fifteen of them. :) nt

[ProSense]

3. We'll see

"On the contrary, they are consolidating. They're just doing it slow."

The RW lunatics like Cain and have real issues with Romney. Still, they do eventually have to pick a candidate.

[TheWraith]

6. Romney's only real path to the nomination, I think, was having everyone divided.

It's like the recent graph showed. There's the Romney vote, around 22%, and then there's "anybody else" at 68. If that 68% is split up between Cain, Perry, Gingrich, Bachmann, Paul, and company, then Romney could squeak through. Without being divided though, too much of the right-wing base hates Romney.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. Yes. I'm convinced that when all's said and done, their hatred of Obama will allow them to

forget about why they dislike Romney. They will rally around him.

And when they do, we need to rally behind Obama like never before!!!!