I have to believe that Republican operators these days are pulling their hair out and howling at the moon.
A year ago, the GOP thought President Obama was highly vulnerable in the 2012 election campaign. To some degree, he still is. But this is fascinating – the Republicans have failed to field a candidate who is remotely capable of beating the president in his bid for re-election.
A new Gallup poll conducted for USA Today contains some devastating news for GOP loyalists eager to make Obama a one-term president.
First, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump represent potential candidates that an astounding two-thirds of America would never consider voting for. While GOP strategists flirt with the idea of a Trump nomination, 50 percent of Americans believe Trump would be a “poor” or “terrible” president and nearly one-third of Republicans agree.
Among the party poopers: Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has pulled out of the race. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee seems reluctant to throw his hat into the ring.
That leaves Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty and Mitch Daniels.
Second, Obama, according to the Gallup poll, has 31 percent of Americans that will definitely vote for him, 23 percent who might pull the lever, and a whopping 46 percent who say they would never vote for him again.
But you have to compare that to how the Republicans play among the electorate.
Only 6 to 8 percent said they will definitely vote for Romney, Huckabee, Trump or Palin.
It’s interesting that USA Today did not bother to report the numbers for former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty or Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Those two may very well be the GOP’s best chance in 2012 but they are so far down in the pop culture that they are overshadowed, at this point, by Palin and Trump.
Bottom line: the next several months in the political world should be fascinating.
