POTUS 2008: Where "Like-ability" and "Recognition" meet

Angus-Reid ^ | 9/12/06 | Jeff Fuller

[Jeff Fuller]

I cross-posted this at Iowans for Romney

An interesting poll performed by Angus Reid recently roughly gauged the "like-ability" and "name recognition" of various prominent US politicians. I really like it when they publish the actual question(s) asked:

I’d like to get your feelings toward some of our political leaders and other people who have been in the news. I’ll read the name of a person and I’d like you to rate that person using something called the feeling thermometer. You can choose any number between 0 and 100. The higher the number, the warmer or more favourable you feel toward that person, the lower the number, the colder or less favourable. If we come to a person who you haven’t heard enough about to form an opinion, you don’t need to rate the person. Just tell me and we’ll move on to the next one.

Who are these numbers good and bad for?

Good:

Rudy Giuliani: 64.1 Likability Factor (LF) and only unknown to (UT) 12% . . . not much room to be brought down by those that just don't know him. However, most pundits still think that he would face a rough road getting the GOP nomination . . . and I'm still not convinced he's running for POTUS.

Barak Obama: High LF at 54.9 AND high UT at 54%. Plenty of room for growth there. (This guy worries me . . . though he's probably running for VP or waiting until 2012 . . . however, if I had to have a Democrat President, he'd be near the top of my list)

Mark Warner: Solid LF at 47.7 and VERY high UT at 73%. He's known mostly to Virginians (which is a mostly Red State) and politically in-tune Democrats.

Mitt Romney: Very similar numbers to Warner. Romney's LF is solid at 46.8 and he has a huge UT at 69%. However, he is best known in the ultra-liberal Mass and northeast . . . to not be disliked more is actaully a great sign for Romney. And, that over 2/3 of folks haven't even heard of him bodes well (since nearly invariably, everyone who meets him is impressed). Also, I think that any Mormon/Utah factor getting up his LF couldn't weigh too heavily since the percentage of Americans that are LDS is just under 2%.)

So-So:

John McCain: LF good at 57.5 . . . but not gonna catch Rudy with his lead and similar 15% UT. Faces similar problems as Rudy in the GOP primary getting "the base" vote.

Bill Frist: LF of 45.5 and UT of 53%. Room for growth . . . but hasn't capitalized on his large stage as Sen Majority Leader as much as a POTUS hopeful should.

Bad:

Hillary Rodham Clinton: LF pretty solid at 46.1 . . . but NO ROOM FOR GROWTH . . . she is universally known with a UT of only 1%

George Allen: LF of 44.8 isn't horrible (though it is the lowest of any Republican listed). He has a very high UT of 72%, but that doesn't bode well for him since the introduction he will get from the media is his controversial record on racism/bullying. Also, he's known mostly to his Virginian constituents (remember . . . it's mostly a Red State) and the politically in-tune Republicans. He should be having a much higher LF than 44.8.

John Kerry: Less impressive LF at 43.5 and little room for growth at 6% UT

Extra tidbits:

Congressional Democratic leadership is HUGELY unpopular/unliked (Reid and Pelosi have the LOWEST LF at 37.9 and 34.7). Actually, the entire lower end of the list is filled with Democratic Senators. Then why is it that all we hear from the media is how much everyone hates Bush? . . . hmmm . . .

Sad fact for the day . . . 2/3'rds of American's surveyed don't know who the Senate Minority Leader is? And 1% of those surveyed don't know who Bush is . . . do they live in a hole?

[Gordongekko909]

BRILLIANT!

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Interesting. Wonder if Santorum is a possibility?

[Tiger007]

It's TANCREDO time in 2008