More Voters Oppose Obama than Support Republican Candidates
More Voters Oppose Obama than Support Republican Candidates
Written by Vox Populi Tuesday, 16 August 2011 00:44
Polling taken over the past several months shows an interesting trend. More voters overall are willing to vote for “Generic Republican” than for specific GOP candidates.
From July to August 2011 if the general election were held today and President Obama was running against an imaginary republican candidate, then he might lose. The average of major polls show that “Generic Republican” has a 0.2 percent advantage.
While that’s not much, and while it’s in the margin of error, it is something for Obama democrats to worry about. As a general rule, when survey respondents are voting for a generic candidate, it’s not so much an endorsement for a specific party, but an opposition to the current office holder. Voters are saying that they don’t really like Barack Obama.
Things are not so bad for the White House
While Obama’s job approval is falling fast, his likability is still high, and most voters would rather have him than any other candidate.
The candidate polling closed to Obama is Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who himself failed to secure the 2008 GOP nomination and the right to run against then Senator Obama. He’s currently trailing Obama by 3.1 percent.
POLL: Are Republican Voters More Eager to Vote for their Candidate or Against Obama? (Click to Vote)
Others in the pack aren’t doing so great either. The second closet contender is newcomer Rick Perry, whose average is 10.8 points behind Obama. Michele Bachmann, widely considered to be a “top tier” candidate, is 11.2 percent behind.
President Obama still has several months to get into campaign mode, something most observers widely believe he hasn’t done yet, and make his case to directly to the American people, which may help turn opinion in his favor.
Faced with the choice of Obama or the eventual Republican nominee, apathetic liberals are likely to come out for the man who they helped put in office in 2008.
It’s not all that bad for the GOP either…
Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who is not well known to voters due to poor media coverage, but is surging in the polls, falls 10.7 percent behind Obama. And the liberal in the field, who could have considerable appeal to independents and democrats, former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, isn’t even on the map.
If the GOP can unite behind someone like Paul or Huntsman and sell their narrative to their own party and to the rest of America, then they’ll have the best chance of seizing the White House in 2012. Otherwise, it seems like most of America isn’t willing to buy what Romney, Bachmann, and Perry are selling, even in this buyers’ market. Obama can win by being barely opposed.