Republican Polls Summary: It’s Gettin’ Ugly
- Gingrich leads—toping one third of likely “R” voters in several states.
- Tea-partiers break for Gingrich, despite all they’ve advocated up to now.
- Religious intolerance is alive and well.
- More than half of Iowa caucus goers might change their mind.
- The Republican gasbag is deflating.
New polling by the Washington Post and others reveals that some of America’s most conservative voters are still conflicted about choosing a Republican nominee. Surveying probable Iowa Caucus goers, the Post confirmed other recent polls that show Newt Gingrich opening a commanding (if minority) lead in that state. Polls reveal Iowa voters see him as the “experienced” candidate, a quality they found disqualifying in the last election.
Gingrich’s trending support is because he’s willing to make outrageous and outrageously derogatory claims about the president. Republican primary voters want a candidate that effectively expresses their outrage, even if it is largely based on made up things.
It is also likely that they don’t yet know about Gingrich’s long history of con-artistry, lobbying and professional misconduct. One wonders if the typical Iowa caucus goer knows that Gingrich was run out of Congress by his own party. I’d also wonder if they know that the Obama team is trying to steer them towards Newt.
Looking inside polls from several states reveals interesting details about the current state of the Republican race. It isn’t pretty. First, Gingrich owns tea party voters. In both South Carolina and Florida, self-identified tea-party voters (or “America’s only remaining patriots” as they prefer to be called) give Gingrich 40 percent margins. In Iowa and New Hampshire, tea-partiers are breaking for Gingrich in smaller but still significant numbers. When it comes to the tea party ideology, of course, Newt is the least conforming candidate of the bunch. For this voter, anger seems to trump any belief that they may have owned in the past.
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