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Rasmussen: Santorum leads, but Romney trails Obama in four core states
Hotair ^ | 03/18/2012 | Tine Korbe

Posted on 03/18/2012 1:14:12 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Conventional wisdom --- particularly as articulated by Karl Rove and Ann Coulter --- still says Mitt Romney is the most "electable" GOP presidential candidate. The MSM repeats that notion ad nauseum, too. After Rick Santorum won Mississippi and Alabama, for example, MSNBC.com ran an article with the headline, "Romney's electability doesn't help him break through." The Washington Post's Dan Balz wrote a piece headlined, "Rick Santorum hoping ideology will trump electability" as though Rick Santorum lacks electability. Two examples among many.

But a Friday poll from Rasmussen Reports suggests Romney might be less electable and Santorum more so than Rove, Coulter and the MSM would have voters believe.

President Obama now trails former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum by four points in a hypothetical 2012 matchup in combined polling of key swing states Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. The president continues to hold a modest lead in those states.

Santorum leads the president 48% to 44% in the so-called Core Four states. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate in this matchup, and two percent (2%) are undecided. This marks a shift from last week, when the president was slightly ahead of Santorum. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Obama remains ahead of Romney 46% to 42%, showing no change from last week. Six percent (6%) prefer some other candidate in this matchup, and six percent (6%) are undecided.

Forbes’ Scott Harrington distills the argument against Romney’s electability and for Santorum’s competitive edge in a few brief bullet points:

Harrington also notes that Romney still suffers from a robotic presentation of himself, while Santorum — with his passionate, un-tele-prompted speeches — has connected with voters on a gut level.

The Buckley Rule makes sense if you’re Nate Silver and an expert on electability. For the rest of us, it might make sense to just vote for the guy we’d really like to be president.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: kenyanbornmuzzie; mittromney; newtgingrich; obama; ricksantorum; romney; santorum
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To: frogjerk

They said the same things about Reagan that they’re saying about Santorum. The one thing that Reagan lacked that Santorum could gain is a strong running mate. (cough newt cough)


21 posted on 03/18/2012 1:48:43 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: Christie at the beach
The liberals are voting for him.

That is a canard that was fabricated by the Romney people. It is a lie like everything that comes out of Milts mouth.

22 posted on 03/18/2012 1:50:48 PM PDT by Lazlo in PA (Now living in a newly minted Red State.)
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To: SeekAndFind
The establishment GOP might win the fight but they will lose the war. By winning the fight, they will have alienated well over 1/2 their party and permanently divided it. By losing the war they will have destroyed the nation.

What a bunch of idiots.

23 posted on 03/18/2012 1:53:22 PM PDT by Proud2BeRight
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To: ElkGroveDan

LOL. The all-important moderates are falling all over themselves to vote for free contraception since the dims trotted Pelosi and Fluke out on stage.


24 posted on 03/18/2012 1:54:33 PM PDT by MulberryDraw (I'm stocking up on toilet paper. It will hold its value better than the dollar.)
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To: rightwingcrazy

The four state poll was a single Rasmussen poll conducted with all four states combined at one point in time. If the states are polled individually, obama still has a bit of a lead. Seems like an odd poll. I guess Rasmussen wanted to get a snapshot of four key states comparing how Santorum and Romney stacked up against obama in the general.


25 posted on 03/18/2012 1:54:33 PM PDT by Girlene
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To: SeekAndFind

Rove and coulter are “conventional wisdom”? Hee hee hee hee! With wisdom like that, who needs dummies?


26 posted on 03/18/2012 1:58:34 PM PDT by Yaelle (Santorum 2012)
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To: Lazlo in PA

Glad to know the things I saw and read about in Michigan, the campaigns being organized on sites like Daily Kos, and the smiles on Democrat strategist’s and MSM “analysts’s” faces whenever Rick wins a primary or caucus are just canards.


27 posted on 03/18/2012 1:59:39 PM PDT by trappedincanuckistan (livefreeordietryin)
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To: SeekAndFind

good polls, hopefully the numbers hold,...making Romney less viable in the argument for the nomination.


28 posted on 03/18/2012 2:02:08 PM PDT by Rick_Michael ( 'REAL' Conservatives who witch hunt their own, are no better than Obama.)
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To: Mountain Mary

Brit Hume ...

Why doesn’t he just don a Mittens for President tee shirt?


Why doesn’t the whole fox team wear one that says “we don’t have core values or personalities and we dont want them in our president”?


29 posted on 03/18/2012 2:03:07 PM PDT by Yaelle (Santorum 2012)
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To: rightwingcrazy

Lol, I must have read that same thing 4 times. Leading from behind is obama’s specialty.


30 posted on 03/18/2012 2:07:22 PM PDT by Yaelle (Santorum 2012)
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To: Linda Frances

Fox News is like a George w “compassionate” conservative. In other words, they think conservatives are racist bigot a-holes, and they want to show that they are NOT conservatives but want to get conservative money and votes. “We are the cool conservatives, the ones with no values”. “We push Romney as the only choice; you decide.”


31 posted on 03/18/2012 2:14:11 PM PDT by Yaelle (Santorum 2012)
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To: SeekAndFind; onyx; Lakeshark; Sarabaracuda; sarah fan UK; Friendofgeorge; CAluvdubya; MeekOneGOP; ..

Not only will they run against Milt’s Mormonism or Newt/Rick’s Catholicism, but against Gov. Sarah Palin:

Imagine a world with McCain and Palin in charge

Both Sen. John McCain and ex-Gov. Sarah Palin continue to criticize President Barack Obama’s foreign policies.

Had they been elected, it is apparent that we would now be at war with Iran and Syria, and the dysfunctional war with Afghanistan would have no end in sight. General Motors, Ford and Chrysler would be defunct. Our unemployment rate would be over 10 percent. Home-grown terrorism would be rampant as both are rabidly pro-Israel, which denotes their contempt for Muslims, even those living lawfully and peacefully within our borders.

The hubris, bellicosity and intolerance these two expound are exactly what the U.S. and the world need to vigorously avoid.

Imagine our world today with these two in charge. Think about that when you vote in November.

Jeff Bigler

Wailuku

http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/559254/Imagine-a-world-with-McCain-and-Palin-in-charge.html?nav=18


32 posted on 03/18/2012 2:17:11 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (Ich habe keinen Konig aber Gott)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Imagine a world with McCain and Palin in charge . . ."

Only in a fantasy world would a McCain administration be so inept.

33 posted on 03/18/2012 2:24:32 PM PDT by jonrick46 (Countdown to 11-06-2012)
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To: SeekAndFind

Newt, Santorum, Mitt, Paul.....regardless of who gets the nomination, you betcha I am ABO.


34 posted on 03/18/2012 2:24:54 PM PDT by entropy12 (Republicans do not hate, that is a monopoly of democrats.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Last week, the establishment tried to make Santorum out to be a hyper-prude for saying he'd enforce existing law, and a bigot for saying that if Puerto Rico were to become a state English better be its language.

With enemies like them, Santo doesn't need friends LOL.

35 posted on 03/18/2012 2:29:27 PM PDT by Tribune7 (GAS WAS $1.85 per gallon on the day Obama was Inaugurated! - - freeper Gaffer)
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To: Proud2BeRight

Establishment GOP does not have the votes or the money in primaries. People do. I do not understand why we allow open primaries. Only registered republicans should select our nominee.


36 posted on 03/18/2012 2:31:05 PM PDT by entropy12 (Republicans do not hate, that is a monopoly of democrats.)
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To: Christie at the beach
It's a little hard to believe Liberals are voting for Santorum instead of Romney since Romney is clearing the more liberal of the two. Liberals typically don't like extremely Conservative candidates period.
37 posted on 03/18/2012 2:45:56 PM PDT by Idaho_Cowboy
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To: Christie at the beach

I agree with post 14, get your willard on.online


38 posted on 03/18/2012 2:45:59 PM PDT by org.whodat
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To: Girlene

If my memory serves me correctly, I recall Santorum received 5% of votes in Michigan from registered democrats. So it is all a mixed bag, full of mischief. GOP must kepp all primaries closed to all who are not registered republicans.


39 posted on 03/18/2012 2:54:24 PM PDT by entropy12 (Republicans do not hate, that is a monopoly of democrats.)
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To: entropy12
Newt, Santorum, Mitt, Paul.....regardless of who gets the nomination, you betcha I am ABO.

Ditto, ABO. My preference out of those four would have been Newt, none are my ideal candidate, but any of them would be a huge improvement from the radical POTUS in there now.
40 posted on 03/18/2012 2:56:15 PM PDT by TimPatriot
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