SHOCK POLL: Herman Cain Leads GOP Nationally! (PPP Poll has Romney trailing by 8 points)

Business Insider ^ | 10/12/2011 | Zeke Miller

[SeekAndFind]

Businessman Herman Cain has risen to the top of a national poll of Republican primary voters, upending the GOP field yet again this cycle.

Cain has the support of 30 percent of Republicans in the Public Policy Polling survey, trailed by Mitt Romney at 22 percent, Newt Gingrich at 15 percent, and Rick Perry at 14 percent. Cain is also the second choice of 24 percent of those polled — the highest of any candidate.

In a two-person race, Romney would lead Perry 48-38, Cain would lead Romney 48-36, and Cain would destroy Perry 55-27.

The poll was conducted before last night's Washington Post-Bloomberg debate, in which Cain alienated some members of the tea party (his largest constituency) by saying he admired Alan Greenspan's leadership of the Federal Reserve.

PPP has a checkered history with polling — and this poll has a VERY large 4.5 percent margin of error — so don't read too much into this just yet.

[pwatson]

I guess your one of the people sold on Ron Paul.
For those of us in the realistic world. Cain was not on the Federal Reserve board he was on a local Federal Reserve bank board. That's a big difference. And not all things Federal Reserve are bad. But back to politics, we in Texas always new Perry was not good at speaking and fast logic and he blew his chances. Ron blew his chances with his foreign affairs let the Iranians have nukes, we Texans love him he is our crazy uncle that can say things others know not to say in the same way. Newt is old and tried and not new and improved. The others have not caught on. So its really currently down to Rommy and Cain as the most political support, despite others wishes, this after all a election process.

[jackv]

Agreed!!

[Go Gordon]

As predicted by many here, Newt is bubbling into the top tier.

Do you think Newt would accept the VP spot if asked by Cain? He would provide the institutional knowledge that Cain doesn't necessarily have. (Plus I would love to see Newt debate Joe Biden)

[MayflowerMadam]

“As predicted by many here, Newt is bubbling into the top tier.”

And that’s too bad ‘cause the MSM will crucify him if he’s our candidate. His history is just too smarmy and they’ll bring out everything that’s true, besides making up some stuff. It’s doubtful that Cain has conducted himself so poorly over the years, and it would be good to have a campaign where the facts are being discussed instead of personal ethics and issues.

[Gaffer]

I wouldn’t mind that. What I want is someone who I believe isn’t flawed as proved by their performance - like Newt. He has enough baggage to clutter up the Poop Deck on the Titanic if you ask me.

I like Cain, I like Bachmann......Romney is out for me for sure. Rick P. is down for the count too because I believe he is an illegal alien sympathizer who will push amnesty - I want these invaders OUT of my country.

So, it looks like Cain for me now. Hope he picks somebody like Bachmann for Veep instead of Newt. I certainly hope he gets the nod. It will be fun to watch the Democrats try to cut him down for not ‘bein down with the Civil Rights struggle’ while simulaneously trying to convince that a ‘Halfrican’ Muslim borne of two asocial ideologues contributed anything more to said movement.

[politicalmerc]

Claiming to be smarter than Democrats is not much of a claim. Have you seen the OWS protesters. They aren’t that bright. Calling Herman Cain a motivational speaker is like calling Newt a mere professor or Palin a plain housewife. Herman Cain has a strong impressive resume and you know it.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

What is wrong with these stupid Republicans? Don’t they know our candidate when they see him?”

L.O.L.! The establishment Repubics are sweating as much as the Lameocrats!

[monkeyshine]

Both Bachman and Romney criticized him for being "too simplistic" but it is clear that the simplicity resonates with the people.

Cain could do a little better IMHO. As the front runner, he does not need to attack Romney or anyone else like he did in this last debate with his question. He could have gotten his point across much better by asking Romney why he would prefer to defend and tinker with a tax code that is used to foster class warfare, and has a narrow base and allows 50% of the people and hundreds of the most profitable corporations to avoid it, that enable millions of visitors, tourists and even residents paying income tax in foreign countries to avoid paying taxes as opposed to a plan that everyone can understand, unites everyone instead of divides the people, enables visitors and tourists to contribute to the system, lowers the cost of production and enables employers to kick up at least 9% more to their employees (money they currently pay in payroll tax and other withholdings) but most importantly is a plan that if Congress tinkers with it, everyone will know it, it will effect everyone, and everyone will object to it.

My point being that he need not attack the person. As the front runner he has to be the idea man and challenge opponents to defend their ideas or expose their lack of ideas, just as they have challenged him to defend his ideas -- and they have done so in even more petty and childish ways I admit. His approach is working I just can't tell whether it is because of his style or because people are doing their own research to understand the details (or lack thereof) of his plan. I like Cain and I like his idea but I did my work to understand it. Just by listening to debates he is not getting it all across.

Finally, Cain has almost completely failed to explain that 9-9-9 is a bridge to the Fair Tax some time in the future. I fear he doesn't know yet how to build that bridge. He will also have some challenge not just about the 15% rate vs 9% income and 9% again on consumption, but he also will be challenged by the 50% of the people who pay 0 tax now as well as people on SS who already paid income tax and will resent another tax on their limited income. The Fair Tax does have solutions to those 2 issues but Cain does not yet address them. Perhaps after he wins the nomination he will have more time and money to explain a solution but I think getting these issues out of the way now will put him 15 points ahead of Romney.

[tnlibertarian]

That graph is racist!! Look how it takes the one black guy and puts him all over by himself on the right side (which just happens to be the high side) and groups all the white people over on the left side with each other.

[justsaynomore]

Perry Plummets, Cain Surges in Positive Intensity
http://www.gallup.com/poll/149924/Perry-Plummets-Cain-Surges-Positive-Intensity.aspx

CBS poll - Romney and Cain tied at 17%, Perry 12%
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/TheRepublicanRace.pdf

Quinnipiac University - Romney gets 22%, Cain 17% and Perry 14%
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1655

ABC poll - Romney 25%, Cain and Perry tied for 16%
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/rick-perry-slips-herman-cain-rises-in-bid-for-gop-nomination-poll-finds/2011/10/03/gIQASiJiJL_story.html

National Federation of Republican Women
Herman Cain – 48.9%, Rick Perry – 14.1% Mitt Romney – 13.3%
http://www.nfrw.org/news/20111002.htm

TeaCon straw poll - Cain 77%
http://www.wbez.org/story/herman-cain-wins-tea-party-straw-poll-illinois-92729

PPP
North Carolina: Cain 27, Romney/Gingrich 17
Nebraska: Cain 30, Gingrich 16, Romney 13
West Virginia: Cain 24, Gingrich 18, Romney 16
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2011/10/cainmentum.html

Tea Party Nation poll
Herman Cain 44%, Gingrich 22%, Sarah Palin 9%
http://barrington-il.patch.com/blog_posts/herman-cain-wins-another-straw-poll

Herman Cain’s New Hampshire surge found in second poll
WMUR/UNH poll - Romney at 37%, Cain at 12% and Paul at 9%.
Mitt Romney 38%, Cain 20%, Ron Paul 13%
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65543.html

Midwestern Leadership Conference
Cain 52.6%, Bachmann 12.2%, Romney 11.1%
http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/09/cain-dominates-midwestern-leadership-conference-straw-poll/

Gallup
Romney 20%, Cain 18%, Perry 15%
http://www.gallup.com/poll/149990/Cain-Surges-Nearly-Ties-Romney-Lead-GOP-Preferences.aspx

Washington Post-ABC News Poll
Among GOP leaning adults - 22%, 20%, 12%
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postabcpoll_100211.html

The poll found Cain topping Obama by a narrow 43%-41%, Cain gets 24% of the African-American respondents.
http://pollposition.com/2011/10/10/cain-edging-obama/

Cain Leads South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary
Cain 26%, Romney 25%, Perry 15%
http://americanresearchgroup.com/

Cain leads Iowa caucus
Cain has 30% to Mitt Romney’s 22%, Ron Paul’s 10%
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/iowa/

Cain leads National Poll
Cain 30%, Romney 22%, Gingrich 15%
www.businessinsider.com/shock-poll-herman-cain-leads-gop-nationally-2011-10

[Personal Responsibility]

Of course he backtracked but google it. It’s all over the internet where he is saying the Fed does not need to be audited.

---

Did you actually listen to his explanation of why he thought the Fed did not need to be audited years ago, and why he agrees that it should be audited now? Or are you just going to assume you know?

[Sudetenland]

Cain is this month's Perry.

Pawlenty got in, surged and faded, Bachmann surged and faded, Perry got in, surged and faded, Once Perry's star began to fade, Cain caught everyone's attention as a plausible alternative. As his negatives surface he will fade as well.

As each candidate begins catch the non-politico public's attention, they surge. Then they get scrutinized by the press and the public and their negatives are exposed. The natural result is that the public's infatuation with the flavor of the month begins to fade.

This thing is far from over. Newt is making a steady climb. He may yet surprise everyone because of his intelligence and reasonable responses in the debates. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Santorum rise some in the polls.

I think Mitt is hoping that he will out last everyone else. He is obviously stuck at around 20% and polling in the Republican Party shows that something like 70% would like someone other than Mitt. He has to hope that the others will destroy each other and he will emerge the sole survivor.

One thing for certain, Cain's 9-9-9 plan will not survive the scrutiny. It has constitutional problems and it is an open invitation to abuse by adding a new source of revenue at the beck and call of a Congress that has never been capable of exercising restraint.

No Congress can constrain the behavior of any subsequent Congress, thus a 9% sales tax will become a 9.5% tax, then a 10% tax . . . It will always come with some plausible excuse--massive floods and emergency spending, military exigencies, Medicare shortfalls--the list is endless.

[BenKenobi]

With all due respect to Bachmann, we need good men and women in congress too. :)

I’d rather see her hammering things out from the House of Reps than as VP.

[Gaffer]

Both Bachman and Romney criticized him for being "too simplistic" but it is clear that the simplicity resonates with the people

And that is what I want. Simplicity. The simplicity of expecting Americans to earn their own keep instead of EBT'ing and EITC'ing their lives into oblivion. I want the 'simplicity' of an America with no illegal aliens residing here and bleeding us to death. I want the simplicity of America living like its real net tax-paying citizens - don't buy what you can't afford without stealing.

I want the simplicity of a President not intent on destroying this country to remake it in his own image.

[shield]

This poll was done 7-10th of October, pre-debate. Wonder if his numbers will go higher after the debate?

[Brookhaven]

It depends on where Newts residency has been recently. I was told his home is now in VA.

[Norseman]

>>But if Cain ended up being the Republican presidential nominee, then he’d need to have Newt as the VP on his ticket. That would be a sure win also.<<

I don’t disagree that Newt would help, but I’d really like to see John Bolton get some consideration for the VP slot. He would really help with Cain’s foreign policy weak spot. Plus he’s a straight shooter exactly like Cain, and he has a better grasp of what we need to do internationally than anyone I’ve heard. Thoughts anyone?

And isn’t interesting that Cain’s far enough along that we’re discussing his VP choices?

[BenKenobi]

I don’t believe Cain has lead in a national poll previously. He was second, behind only Perry back in May.

[alrea]

The powers that be continue to underestimate the Tea Party.

Cain-Bachmann ticket would rock.

[Grunthor]

“In a two-person race, Romney would lead Perry 48-38, Cain would lead Romney 48-36, and Cain would destroy Perry 55-27.”

He he he he! You can find this or that to disagree with Herman Cain on but what you cannot disagree with is the fact that people just simply like the guy.