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We now have some early polling about how voters react to Mitt Romney choosing Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, and these initial results are not great for the Romney campaign. According to Gallup, the Ryan pick has received among the least positive responses of any VP pick in modern history. From Gallup:
There is very little positive excitement (beyond likely partisan support) about the pick and a relatively large number who think it was a poor or only fair decision.
At least part of this is probably due to the fact that Ryan is basically unknown at a national level. The poll found 25 percent have a favorable view of him and only 17 percent have a unfavorable view of him, but most importantly 58 percent say they have never heard of him. That means both sides have a big opportunity to try to define him in the coming weeks.
If the Romney campaign was hoping to get an immediate bump out of announcing Ryan, they are probably going to be disappointed. It seems unlikely that picking a relatively unknown running mate is going to do much to improve Romney’s rather poor standing in the national polls. At least, though, making this selection now got the media to stop talking about Mitt’s bad poll numbers for a few days.
16 Comments
Gallup daily poll showing Willard at 47% and Zero at 45%. What are we to make of this?
Johnny: This? Why, I can make a hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl…
Ryan is the Uniparty’s ploy to pave the way for dicking over the entitlement programs. After Obama wins he’ll start nibbling away at them, and when we complain he’ll call us f*cking retards and remind us of how much worse it would be if Romyan had won.
I think this comparison is useless, when comparing Ryan to the previous GOP pick for VP (Palin).
Palin was a good-looking airhead who could not function on the national stage (beyond being a Fox News “consultant”).
Ryan is a smart, calculating SOB who will attract more GOP voters as he gets more recognition. Thus, Palin got worse over time, but Ryan will “get better” (to those who are inclined to trust him).
Comparisons to older choices have less import, IMO. Times have changed.
If it’s a national poll, my advice is to make little of it.
Which means the dems have to begin painting him as a major dick-head (which he is) from the get go.
It’s all win-win for the corporate sponsors. Funny that.
Ryan doesn’t help the ticket at all IMO. The wingers were already going to vote for Mitt and Ryan is going to scare the heck out of indies and moderates. I don’t see any gain for Rs.
By jove! That does seem to be the sighs of it, F. Campbell.
Best Kabuki money can “produce” …
Now fear this!
Now fear this!
And … all the Very Serious People will unctuously intone, “Now, finally, there is a real and very clear choice …”
DW
Yeah. Something like “Ryan’s secret plan is to cut benefits to the elderly. He tried to do it before, and he will succeed if he becomes VP.”
Simple and scary.
DW–your judgment always seems to be clouded by moral principle. There must be some kind of cure for that.
Boy. I don’t know how it would be possible for Ryan to be basically unknown at the national level, since he’s the name on the budget plan that would gut entitlement spending. He’s been on the news and at the forefront for months, maybe even for a year or more when the budget debacle is up for discussion.
Frankly, I think the poll numbers could be low because people are on vacation and not paying attention. Let’s talk about the poll numbers after the conventions and in the final two months of the campaign.
Second that. Was my opinion when I heard the news. This does nothing for the undecideds, the independents and those that weren’t going to vote anyway (with the view that both candidates are rotten and not worth spending the time to get turned away at the polls due to voter suppression).
Not sure I agree. I don’t think the wingers were totally in Mitt’s corner. if anything, it makes the real hard core portion of their base more intent on voting. On the other hand, it may spur some of our voters where they have been a little indifferent up until now.
Further, there is a portion of the indie community that does not like the idea of borrowing to cover current expenses. The money aspects of the Ryan plans will appeal to some of them, especially the more libertarian amongst them.
Overall, it is too early to be cheering.
Interesting that John Edwards had the best numbers by far. That didn’t turn out too well.
Or maybe the American public has become all to familiar with the Zombie-Eyed Granny-Starver, thanks to the never ending fluff job by cable news talking heads.