Romney in 2012?
Will the Republican Party survive?
In the aftermath of a crushing defeat last November, today the GOP looks like a ship that has lost its rudder. As it flounders against the tides and the wake of a popular president , many have moved in to profit from an obvious leadership void.
A few weeks back, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, cleverly labeled Rush Limbaugh the “voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party”.
Preposterous? Perhaps not.
Today fanning paranoia and fear about our new president is a very lucrative occupation. The money being made by talk show hosts like Limbaugh, Beck, Ingraham, Hannity, et al, is enormous. When the speaking honorariums and book profits are added in, Obama-bashing becomes not only a sport, but a very profitable opportunity to speak and write. Just ask Anne Coulter.
Then, there is the well-intentioned Sarah Palin.
While serious conservative Republicans are shaking their heads in disbelief, according to a recent Gallup poll, 72% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have a favorable opinion of the former governor of Alaska. This is an astounding figure and gives further testimony to the leadership crises within the GOP.
Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope. Gallup also found that one in four Republicans say Mitt Romney is their top choice for the 2012 presidential nomination.
Of those polled, 26 percent favored Romney, 21 percent preferred Palin, 19 percent favored former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and 14 percent chose former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The poll — conducted July 10-12, 2009, surveyed 455 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.
That is a small lead, but an important one at this early phase.
Barely a substantial glow, but a glimmer – yes. This may eventually pose a problem for talk show ratings.
