PPP: Newt 28 (+13), Cain 25 (-5), Romney 18 (-4). CNN: Romney 24 (-2), Newt 22 (+14), Cain 14 (-11)

[jefferson_dem]

Newtmentum in full effect!

Gingrich takes the lead

Newt Gingrich has taken the lead in PPP's national polling. He's at 28% to 25% for Herman Cain and 18% for Mitt Romney. The rest of the Republican field is increasingly looking like a bunch of also rans: Rick Perry is at 6%, Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul at 5%, Jon Huntsman at 3%, and Gary Johnson and Rick Santorum each at 1%.

Compared to a month ago Gingrich is up 13 points, while Cain has dropped by 5 points and Romney has gone down by 4. Although a fair amount of skepticism remains about the recent allegations against Cain there is no doubt they are taking a toll on his image- his net favorability is down 25 points over the last month from +51 (66/15) to only +26 (57/31). What is perhaps a little more surprising is that Romney's favorability is at a 6 month low in our polling too with only 48% of voters seeing him favorably to 39% with a negative opinion.

Gingrich's lead caps an amazing comeback he's made over the last 5 months. In June his favorability nationally with Republican voters plummeted all the way to 36/49. Now he's at 68/23, representing a 58 point improvement in his spread since then. As recently as August Gingrich was mired in single digits at 7%, and even in September he was at just 10%. He's climbed 18 points in less than 2 months.

There's reason to think that if Cain continues to fade, Gingrich will continue to gain. Among Cain's supporters 73% have a favorable opinion of Gingrich to only 21% with a negative one. That compares to a 33/55 spread for Romney with Cain voters and a 32/53 one for Perry. They like Gingrich a whole lot more than they do the other serious candidates in the race.

<SNIP>

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2011/11/gingrich-takes-the-lead.html

CNN Poll: Gingrich soars, Cain drops

Washington (CNN) – A new national survey of Republicans indicates that it's basically all tied up between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, with Gingrich on the rise and businessman Herman Cain falling due to the sexual harassment allegations he's been facing the past two weeks.

According to a CNN/ORC International Poll released Monday, 24% of Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP say Romney is their most likely choice for their party's presidential nominee with Gingrich at 22%. Romney's two-point advantage is well within the survey's sampling error.

While the level of support has pretty much stayed the same for Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who's making his second bid for the White House, Gingrich has seen his support jump 14 points since October.

The poll also indicates that 14 percent back Cain, down 11 points from last month. Four women have alleged that Cain sexually harassed them during the late 1990s when he headed the National Restaurant Association. Cain denies the allegations.

<SNIP>

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/14/cnn-poll-gingrich-soars-cain-drops/

[WI_DEM]

1. GOP voters just don't want Mitt Romney!! everybody has had a chance as front runner

except (as Rachel Maddow says) Rick Santorum (and of course Jon Huntsman is too sane for the GOP).

[CakeGrrl]

4. My first thought too.

I wonder if this is really all they've got or if Powell's remark about there being other candidates yet to announce has any merit?

[TheWraith]

19. Would be awfully hard for another candidate to get in at this point, but not impossible.

They've missed the filing deadlines for Florida and New Hampshire, and more are coming up fast. Plus there's the issue of money, since they wouldn't have been fundraising at all during this time.

[Chakab]

20. Pawlenty must be kicking himself

for dropping out of the race.

[Douglas Carpenter]

2. now this is the race I had actually wanted from the beginning

Okay, Bachmann or Cain are more obviously crazy and completely unelectable. But they are so loopy that it is hard to take them seriously. The general election wouldn't even be a fair fight. Gingrich on the other hand is intelligent, but a deeply indoctrinated ideologue who is as incapable of hiding the true agenda of the far right as he is incapable of experiencing empathy or remorse. Paul Ryan might even be more transparent in his agenda if he were running - but he does not radiate the personal nastiness of the Newt.
I like the contrast of an Obama - Gingrich showdown - intellectually evenly matched but in way that will be very revealing of the true agenda of today's Republican Party.

[ellisonz]

23. Intellectually evenly matched?

That's like putting Jose Canseco in a boxing ring with Manny Pacquiao:rofl:

He received a B.A. in history from Emory University in Atlanta in 1965. He received an M.A. in 1968, and then a PhD in modern European history from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1971.<10> His dissertation was entitled "Belgian Education Policy in the Congo: 1945–1960". While at Tulane, Gingrich, who at the time belonged to no religious group, began attending the St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church to pursue an interest in the effect of religion on political theory; he was soon baptized by Rev. G. Avery Lee.<11> In 1970, Gingrich was appointed an Assistant Professor in the history department at West Georgia College (now the University of West Georgia) in Carrollton. In 1974 he moved to the geography department. While at West Georgia, Gingrich was instrumental in establishing an inter-disciplinary Environmental Studies program. He left at the end of the 1977–1978 academic year. He also taught a class, Renewing American Civilization, at Kennesaw State University (then called Kennesaw State College) in 1993.<12>

vs.

5th-12th grade 1971–1979 Punahou School Honolulu, Hawaii Private High school diploma, 1979<38>

Freshman–Sophomore year 1979–1981 Occidental College Los Angeles, California Private Transferred to Columbia
Junior–Senior year 1982–1983 Columbia University New York City Private A.B., political science major with
international relations focus

1L-3L 1988–1991 Harvard Law School Cambridge, Massachusetts Private J.D., magna cum laude
President, Harvard Law Review

Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years, as a Lecturer for four years (1992–1996), and as a Senior Lecturer for eight years (1996–2004).<61> During this time he taught courses in due process and equal protection, voting rights, and racism and law. He published no legal scholarship, and turned down tenured positions, but served eight years in the Illinois Senate during his twelve years at the university.<62>

[sharp_stick]

3. It's fun to watch them flop around

The pukes have nobody to go to, they really don't have a clue which of these candidates is going to get a vote. Of that whole steaming shitpile the only ones that really concern me wrt the reelection of Barack Obama are Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman. They are IMO the only candidates in the race that stand a chance of drawing support from anyone who is not certifiably fucking insane.

Of the two of the them the only one that I think stands a chance of winning the nomination is Romney because Huntsman made the career killing move of actually working with the evil Kenyan Marxist in the White House. Romney is going to have a hard time because of the herd mentality of the church goin sheep who are told every Sunday that he's some kind of anti-Christian that should have been neutered.

I know it's early and Obama is really mired because of the economy but I'm going to predict a pretty low turnout on the puke side no matter who shows up as the nominee.

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. Here's Talking Points Memo's take on all of this -

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/new-national-polls-show-newt-coming-on-strong-in-gop-race-yes-really.php?ref=fpblg_beta

I have to think we have truly entered Bizarro World with Newt the leading GOP candidate (then again, it is the same world with Cain leading..or Perry...or...)

[Marsala]

29. The strangest thing about Newt leading is that he already self-destructed right out of the gate

At least with the others, they were surging before they could destroy themselves, not after.

[toddwv]

6. So a serial sexual harasser is replaced by a serial adulterer.

Gotta love the party of "family values".

[Blasphemer]

7. NEWT? Seriously? The GOP seems determined to have their worst performance since 1964... nt

[bluestateguy]

8. He is an adulterer. He has no character. No morals.

If he can't keep his marriage vows, how can he keep his vows to America.

[subterranean]

9. Newt hasn't gotten much media scrutiny due to his low poll ratings.

Now that he's leading in the polls, he'll get more scrutiny, inevitably make some gaffes, and remind people why they didn't like him before. These new poll numbers will feed his overinflated ego, no doubt about that.

[ProSense]

10. CNN Poll Confirms Newtmentum

CNN Poll Confirms Newtmentum (TPM)

John Lithgow Performs Gingrich Press Release

:rofl:

Dear Republican Party, you suck!

[Robbins]

11. Republicans

What this says Is Republicans just don't want Romney.He gets no better than 25 Percent of Republican vote In National polls.We have a race between Cain and Gingrich
to be antiRomney.

It's easier for Obama without Romney as Nominee.Romney defently has problems In a general election but he Is only one besides Jon Huntsman who can attempt to go to
middle.

[ThoughtCriminal]

12. Republicans have no memory and are lousy at vetting

A few weeks and then they might have that "Oh yeah, forgot about that." moment.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. They Are Lost

LOL

[struggle4progress]

14. i really don't know whether to laugh or cry, as the gop thrashes wildly about seeking a candidate

[ProSense]

15. Rise of The Not Romneys...

Rise of The Not Romneys: PPP survey shows Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain leading Mitt Romney (Daily Kos)

[eShirl]

16. Bling-Rich better not run up his Tiffany's account just yet

[Avalux]

17. Newt! I LOVE this Newt joke:

Americans need an adult as president. That's why Newt is the best choice - he has the most experience with adultery.

(I know, it's in poor taste, but it is funny, and a bit truthful)

[golfguru]

27. Adultery

are blow jobs considered adultery?

[oberliner]

18. Can I just mention that I predicted this ten days ago?

I think that as more details come out, the numbers will finally catch up with the situation and Cain will fade in the polls.

I think the candidate who will rise up towards the top of the pack will be, incredibly, Newt Gingrich.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=811425&mesg_id=811425

[Dawson Leery]

21. Newtie would be an ideal opponent for Obama.

Newt is weak with little respect across the board.

[JCMach1]

22. Gingrich: You Know What a Douche He Is

Probably sounds good to Repugs right about now...

[backscatter712]

24. Now Newt's the flavor of the week...

I'm not particularly concerned - it's only a matter of time before he flames out...

[fujiyama]

25. I can't think of a more sleazy disgusting politician, well OK maybe Tom Delay...or Dick Cheney...

Either way, he fits the GOP mold perfectly. No surprise. They're completely desperate to find the anti-Romney. If Gingrich really gets it, I don't think these people are serious about this election and they would be throwing it away.

And if somehow that tub of festering dog shit becomes president, I will get the fuck out of this country ASAP. That man would make the Bush years look downright nostalgic. Really. Newt fucking Gingrich. Wow. New low.

[golfguru]

26. Debates between Newt & Obama would be doosie's

assuming Newt runs away with it. There are 24 debates in all. Newt is a master debater. From years of ramblings in the House. These 24 debates is giving him a free run without having to raise much money.

[Tx4obama]

28. And right now Obama is pretty much beating them all ...

Latest Polls
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/

[Bryan]

30. I hope very fervently that he is the nominee

I don't think he will be; Gingrich has a checkered history and a big mouth, and if he hasn't already made a killer gaffe that hasn't had light thrown on it yet, he's bound to come up with a few in the near future.

I hope I'm wrong, though. The symbolism of the matchup would be so potent: Obama versus... a fat, rich, elderly white man who's been in politics forever. He's the personification of the Republican base. Republicans have to start making serious inroads among young people, minorities, and women if they're going to survive as a national party, let alone win the White House back, and Newt is anathema to any such strategy.

Plus, he's not exactly a supernova of charm; even at his height, he was a polarizing figure, and he's such a creature of Washington I can't see how he would have any sway with apolitical indies. It's hard to find an angle by which nominating Gingrich doesn't look like a disaster.