July 12, 2007
Insider Poll: Mitt-Mentum
The results of the latest Insiders Poll are out and Mitt Romney has pulled into a dead heat with Rudy Giuliani as the frontrunner for the '08 GOP nod. Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to lead the Democratic field for her party’s nod.
Following Giuliani and Romney are: Fred Thompson and John McCain, with Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee tied for fifth.
In the volatile GOP contest, Romney’s steady rise in the poll is credited to his org. strength in IA and NH, fundraising, and capacity to break into his own wallet if needed. Giuliani continues to confound the skeptics, but some think his apparent strategy for sweeping up delegates in states like CA, IL, NY and NJ is a smart one. Others wonder if he can get there if he doesn’t win early in IA, NH or SC.
Many GOP Insiders think Thompson’s star power helps make him a contender, especially because conservatives have yet to coalesce behind any one GOPer. McCain -- who was ranked first in the poll as recently as 12/06, second in 3/07, and third in 4/07 -- has fallen to fourth. Amid continued fundraising woes and a staff shake-up, many GOP Insiders see his campaign in free fall, but some are not ready to count him out.
But as one GOP grimly joked: “The fat lady is about the sing, but she isn’t going to get paid either.”
The Democratic Insiders’ Top 5 for '08: Clinton, followed by Barack Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson and Al Gore, all unchanged from the survey in 4/07.
Clinton has been ranked as the top contender for the nomination in every poll since National Journal began conducting its '08 poll in 4/05. She actually picked up strength in the poll over the previous reading. Many Insiders cite her organizational advantage, consistently good debate performances and all-around toughness to gut out a victory next year. As one Dem Insider put it: “On the way to being the candidate you may or may not love, but most likely to be up to the job of running the country in perilous times.”
Obama is clearly the number two choice of Dem Insiders capturing a whopping 62 percent of all Dem Insiders’ second-place votes. While he is still ranked third in the poll, Edwards has lost strength since the last previous survey in 4/07. Many attribute this to his weak fundraising and, well, bad hair days.
Posted at 04:10 PM
Comments
All I can say is, may the best qualified and most competent candidate win! And so far, having personally studied all the candidates in either party, Romney stands above the rest! He’s the best!
dan | 07.13.07 11:23 AM
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Romney is a bum. He stands for nothing.
Tyler | 07.13.07 11:38 AM
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McCain is toast, and Mitt Romney will be in first place alone the next time that poll rolls around. Guiliani is a phony, and so is Fred,
Nathaniel | 07.13.07 12:01 PM
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The real Romney is clearly an extraordinarily ambitious man with no perceivable political principle whatsover. He is the most intellectually dishonest human being in the history of politics.
He says he changed his mind about abortion when he was..Governor….you remember…he used to be GOVERNOR….and he was debating…CLONING….and he was debating….EMBRO FARMING….which then changed his mind and he now believes Roe v Wade has gone too far…WTF?
Regarding multiple-choice Romney, I think McCain is right. It's not an evolution. Rather, it's political expediency. I'm particularly struck by the fact that his wife donated (presumably his $) to Planned Parenthood. It's one thing to personally oppose abortion but nevertheless respect the liberty or a woman's right to choose. It's quite another to give money to an abortion provider. And to go from that to heading up a right to life chapter. It just doesn't seem plausible. And then to hear him articulate his beliefs - it doesn't sound like he believes in anything at all.
Pretty boy Romney is as fake as they come.
RomneyIsFake | 07.13.07 12:30 PM
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Give it a rest. That's politics. Rudy was a liberal democrat before running for mayor. Fred lobbied for a pro-choice group. Brownback voted for the immigration bill then changed his vote 10 minutes later. McCain, well, McCain is McCain. And lest we forget, Reagen underwent an evolution too. You going to call him fake?
Al | 07.13.07 02:24 PM
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Mitt Romney is my favorite. I am glad that he has good Christian Values that he has always honored. He has been concerned to impose his beliefs on others and now he sees this but also something new-that life is not protected as much as it should be, and he has always been pro-life, but now he will protect this life even more by making laws for it. He is a good man with great ethics, and he's got what it takes to become a really good president.
Sarah | 07.13.07 03:21 PM
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The comments by "Romneyisfake" above just goes to show that some people still get their news from the MSM elites and are too lazy to engage in intellectual honesty about political candidates. I have done extensive research about Romney's so-called 'flip-flops' and it is tempting to pull out quotes and declare what a fake Romnay is. On the other hand, there is the truth. Something too elusive for the intellectually lazy to grasp.
DesertRat | 07.13.07 04:56 PM
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All of the republican candidates have steered to the right for this election, and all of the democractic candidates have steered to the left. Why is Romney singled out?
Romney is the best candidate the Republicans have in terms of leadership experience and success. He has continually out planned and out organized the other republican candidates, and I fully expect him to eat Thompson's lunch, if Thompson ever finds the intestinal fortitude to enter the race and subject himself to the same scrutiny that the other candidates have been experiencing for the last 7 months.
Mark | 07.14.07 01:20 AM
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Exactly what part about cheapening the value of human life to the point that we are harvesting unborn children doesn't speak to a change towards a Pro-Life position? I'll note that Romney vetoed every single piece of pro-abort legislation sent down the pipes by the Mass legislature. I fail to see how that realization would seem implausible. It's a very 1984-esque situation.
I do think Romney is our man and should be the nominee. He's by far the best speaker on his feet, and that includes Fred Thompson, who does well with a script but far less so in an interview.
He also has the most ideas about how to address problems, from tort reform to North Korea to Iran. See his website.
And finally, Romney has been a Midas as an executive: everything he touches turns to gold. Be it a failing Olympic games, over 150 failing corporations, or a failing state. He has an amazing talent to reorganize people and set them on a mission. There's not a candidate who even comes close to his background of success. To me, it's a no-brainer. Romney just is that much better than anyone else.
CheyP | 07.15.07 12:17 AM
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mitt seems to have what it takes to cross line first for the presidency. he is silently winning over the american people with his confident debating and good looks. there is no vacillation in his words or body language. also he has the right name to win. president romney works. clinton will be no easy win though. look for a dogfight to the last electoral vote.
joe markovich | 07.16.07 09:11 AM
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There is no doubt in my mind that Mitt Romney is the best candidate in either party to lead our country. We Americans face many serious problems, both within the country and on the international scene. His superior intellect will couple with his experience in business, education, and the olympics, and will best enable him to confront and hopefully solve the multi-facited complex world-wide problems such as terrorism and world wide business competition. Even though some polls indicate that Hillary could beat Mitt, that is very temporary, because still a full 40% of the people do not know much about him. Once he is the candidate they will know him, trust him, and maybe even love him. As far as the Mormon issue, it will not hurt him. No one is electing a Theologian in chief, but rather a Commander-in-Chief. Guiliani is essentially a Democrat running on a Republican ticket. Other than his stance against the world-wide terror threat, he may actually be the best Democratic candidate wearing a Republican label, more or less a wolf in sheeps clothing. He can't even be faithful to his own church's position on social issues, and certainly not to his marriage vowels. His public flaunting of publicly dating other women while married says a lot about this man's character, and we should realize he has neither the values, nor the experience to lead our country well. As far as Fred Thompson goes, I just can't wait for Mitt to have a crack at him in a debate (with fewer candidates of course). Without his hollywood script, Fred sometimes tends to be almost incoherent, except when able to use practiced talking points. And he couldn't seem to keep his marriage vowels either. It's so ironic that the Mormon is the only one who has only had one wife among the Republican field. I just hope that the country will thoroughly study the candidates, and vote for the man or woman most qualified, and I firmly believe that will be Mitt Romney for our next beloved President of the United States.
Bob Thomas | 07.16.07 04:16 PM
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It shouldn't come as a surprise that Romney is gaining strength with true conservatives. He is seemingly the only candidate that truly follows his faith.
Michael | 07.17.07 01:29 PM
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I never thought I'd say it but I really REALLY like Mitt. He is very pointed. He asks questions that are relevant. He has a lot of cadence and speaks with the kind of candor that connects. His religion is irrelevant. Hands down, I'm excited to see what he could change on Capitol Hill.
Ken | 07.22.07 01:37 AM
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IF YOU WANT SOMEONE WHO HAS ETHICS,BRAINS,AND A POLITICAL PLAN THAT WILL BRING POSITIVE CHANGE THEN ROMNEY IS THE MAN! THE ONLY NEG THING THAT PEOPLE CAN SAY ABOUT HIM IS "FLIP FLOPPER." I FOR ONE FIND THAT A POSITIVE THING. I ADMIRE HE IS A MAN WHO CAN LISTEN TO DEBATE AND DO RESEARCH THEN MAKE AN INFORMED STANCE TO EITHER CHANGE HIS OPINION OR STAND BY PREVIOUS THOUGHTS. EVERYONE OF US HAS THOUGHT WE WERE SURE OF SOMETHING THEN COME ACROSS CONTRADICTING EVIDENCE TO PROVE OUR PREVIOUS SURE'S WRONG. THE KEY IS BEING MAN ENOUGH TO STAND UP AND SAY "I WAS WRONG. HERE IS HOW I SEE IT NOW." THIS IS HOW WE GROW AS HUMANS!
ashley | 07.23.07 07:33 PM
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hi i would like for Obama or Hillary to win. i think we deserve more flavor to switch it up a bit. obama, because he's black. and hillary, because shes a woman.
michelle wade | 01.03.08 10:04 AM
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hi everyone
tyrona | 04.17.08 04:53 PM
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hi everyone
tyrona | 04.17.08 04:53 PM
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hi everyone
tyrona | 04.17.08 04:53 PM
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hi everyone
tyrona | 04.17.08 04:53 PM
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hi everyone
tyrona | 04.17.08 04:53 PM
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hi everyone
tyrona | 04.17.08 04:54 PM
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