2012 Poll Season Begins: Pew Research Center March 2011 Poll

You can download a copy of the entire poll that the above graphic was swiped from at The Pew Center for Research. It is an interesting read on what people might be thinking.

Commentary

Most interesting to me, is that it shows Mitt Romney as the favorite choice of self-identified Tea Party members as a Presidential candidate. I wouldn't have expected that. Most Tea Partiers I am familiar with seem Starstruck by Sarah Palin, Ron Paul or Michele Bachmann. Mike Huckabee's strong showing was a surprise, also.


My dictum regarding Republican Presidential Primaries is that too many conservatives are choosing to run, most of them claiming the mantle of Reagan. This has had the effect of diluting the conservative vote to allow a more moderate candidate to gain momentum and win the nomination.


The 2008 presidential primaries are a prime example of this, where several conservatives vied for a limited pool of votes. This allowed John McCain, aka King RINO, to waltz to the nomination. Even when it became clear that he was the man to beat, people like Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul stayed in the race, acting as enablers for John McCain to win the nomination.


I see the signs are pointing to a repeat of the same disaster in 2012. Here is the parade of names in consideration, in alphabetical order:  Michele Bachman, Mitch Daniels, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Jim DeMint, Mitt Romney and John Thune. Those are just the most credible of a sea of more than two dozen people under consideration as probable to run. This is far too many.


How did the Republican Party ever get in a situation where there are no hurdles for a campaign to go through in order to prove their viability to run in the presidential primary? What we have is a sea of candidates (AND supporters) who have egos so large that they cannot conceive of a Presidential Primary Season without them participating. 


I think we have people more interested in personal gain than interest in serving the nation. There is nothing wrong with making a living, but to continually leverage gullible voters into cash by writing books, appearing on television, giving speeches and establishing online cash cows, AND running laughable Presidential Campaigns is doing more harm than good to the party, and the nation. Just look what 2008 wrought: President Barack Hussein Obama II. What will 2012 bring?