Obama Up 5 On Romney Nationally ["A Colbert bid could be a blessing in disguise for the GOP"]

publicpolicypolling ^ | January 17, 2012 | PPPStaff

[fight_truth_decay]

PPP's first national poll of 2012 finds Barack Obama with his best standing against Mitt Romney since last May, right after the killing of Osama bin Laden. Obama leads Romney 49-44.

It's not as if Obama's suddenly become popular. He remains under water with 47% of voters approving of him to 50% who disapprove. Romney's even less popular, with only 35% rating him favorably while 53% have a negative opinion of him. Over the last month Romney's seen his negatives with independents rise from 46% to 54%, suggesting that the things he has to say and do to win the Republican nomination aren't necessarily helping him for the general. Obama's turned what was a 45-36 deficit with independents a month ago into a 51-41 advantage.

One thing that really stands out in this poll is the extent to which Obama has claimed the middle. He's up 68-27 on Romney with moderates. He leads by 20 points with voters under 45, a group there's been some concern about slippage with, and he has a 66-30 advantage with Hispanics.

Ron Paul matches Romney's performance against Obama, trailing by 5 points at 47-42. Beyond those two Newt Gingrich trails by 7 at 49-42, Rick Santorum has an 8 point deficit at 50-42, and Rick Perry trails by 11 points at 51-40.

Stephen Colbert wants to run for President but he's not on the ballot in South Carolina. Americans Elect is on the ballot in a lot of states but doesn't have a candidate. Could Colbert and Americans Elect's interests intersect?

We find Colbert getting 13% in a hypothetical third party run for President, compared to 41% for Obama and 38% for Romney. A Colbert bid could be a blessing in disguise for the GOP. His voters go for Obama over Romney 52-38 in

[tobyhill]

Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Iowa, Indiana.

[BenLurkin]

Does no one remember Pat Paulson.

[tobyhill]

I didn't name Romney because I think any candidate could beat Obama.

[nascarnation]

Indiana for sure.

No way is Baraq going to win Indiana in 2012.

I don’t like Romney at all, but he’ll beat Baraq in Indiana.

[TexasFreeper2009]

in their imaginations they believe Romney can win Michigan, New Hampshire and Massachuttes...

lol

[Clintonfatigued]

“No way is Baraq going to win Indiana in 2012.”

Indeed. I don’t think he’ll come close to winning here this time.

[Son House]

Did you see the Ralph Nader?
Nader: White House Pressured Democrats Not To Challenge Obama
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2830319/posts

[phillyfanatic]

PPP is another inane liberal polling group. Colbert is a joke but there are Americans , yutes, who might actually vote for him over Bama. Anything to rid this nation of the worse PreZ in our history. As to national polls, numbers now mean nada since one will wait till next Oct. to see how numbers are in the electoral battle ground states. And who knows? Perhaps Newt not Mitt will be carrying the fight. We just should stop believing in these silly polls.

[lentulusgracchus]

[Your quoted art.] Republican voters are starting to view Romney as the inevitable nominee: 72 percent said they thought he would win the nomination, while no other candidate broke double digits.

1. This is a media game that they play every four years with Republican and probable convention delegates. They don't do this to Democrats.

2. Remember that MSM people are eye-glazingly monotonously liberal 'Rat in their orientation, and their only purpose in playing this game is to screw conservatives.

3. The New York Times played this game with likely GOP convention delegates in 1963-4, booming up Nelson Rockefeller for President and then going to the delegates in the spring and asking them whom they preferred for the nomination. A large majority replied that they favored Barry Goldwater. Asked who they thought would actually get the nomination, a majority replied that they thought Rockefeller would be the nominee.

That gives you the outline of what is going on here: Conditioning respondents' expectations, in order to control the outcome.

[lentulusgracchus]

it has a 5-6% bias

Thanks for digging that out. Yes, that's important.

[SMM48]

For God sakes, Stephen Colbert should crawl back under his rock. No one watches his stupid show so this is a lame attempt to gin up the ratings.

If 13% of the population would vote for him for President, then we can be sure at least 13% of Americans are certified morons.

Colbert is a comic...in his own mind.