New poll finds Obama tied with Anybody in 2012 vote

Here's a closeup photo above of the Republican candidate for president who's currently tied with President Obama for the 2012 White House race.

No one.

Or anyone.

A new CNN / Opinion Research Poll out this afternoon of 953 registered voters nationally finds Obama tied at 47% with any Republican candidate. Gee, if only Wendell Willkie was still around.

The same poll also finds a clear majority of Americans now believe that Obama is a one-term president.

Other than that things are looking great for the 14-month-old Democrat administration, which is still celebrating Sunday's passage of a massive healtcare bill that most Americans don't seem to like.

And confronts crucial midterm elections come November when the White House party historically loses an average of 16 House seats.

Today, at another healthcare campaign town hall meeting in Iowa two days after he already signed the bill into law, Obama threw down the gauntlet to the GOP to run a campaign based on repealing the new law.

"Go for it!" he said.

And Republicans appear to be positioning to do just that.

Now, even though it doesn't seem to matter right now, which Republican should be the 2012 candidate? 

Well, the same early poll shows Republicans and GOP-leaning independents returning to the party's tendency to prefer state chief executives when selecting candidates for the nation's chief executive.

The top three are all former governors: Mitt Romney (22%), Sarah Palin (18%) and close behind her Mike Huckabee (17%).

The next closest are Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and "Someone Else," all at 8%.

Nevermind the Democrat's opponent, do you think if Obama runs, he wins? 44% Yes. 54% Nope.

As a sign of how effective Obama has been in reducing the harsh political tone of the nation's capitol, only 2% have no opinion on that question.

Among Obama's base of traditional Democrats, surprisingly one-in-five now thinks a different candidate might be a good idea in 2012. A large majority still want him renominated (76%). And, again, only 4% have no opinion. Watch that 20% number; also how long Hillary Clinton stays over at the State Department.

Obviously, though, the current White House doesn't watch political polls. Otherwise, they'd be focusing on jobs and the economy instead of healthcare.

And Obama aide Valerie Jarrett scoffingly assured Fox News' Major Garrett last month that her Democratic teammates hadn't even begun to think of, let alone plan for, the next election.

These very early poll numbers indicate that might actually be a pretty good Obama plan.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Comments

[spinnikerca]

Ron Paul way back with Gingrich?

Pity, because the rest of the poll seems credible.

[Choey]

I have no doubt that whoever the Republican candidate is, he will be running against Hillary, not Obama

[Matt]

OMG I LOVE Hillary!!!

This would be my DREAM if she ran! She is so much more capable than Obama!

[Bill]

"...Americans now believe that Obama is a one-term president." Yep. President-for-Life Obama.

[higgins1990]

Who really thinks that Obama is going to allow an election in 2012? He'll find some way to circumvent it and establish himself as president-for-life. And the MSM will continue to applaud him.

[qr4j]

Obama is trashing this country so badly. So many folks are out of work. And the "stimulus" has stimulated nothing but Chris Matthews' loins and union coffers. Then this piece of filth president rams through a health care bill that most Americans don't want. And virtually no Americans know fully what is in the bill--not even those who voted on it. Next up? Amnesty for illegals. And global warming.

Tax and spend. Tax and spend. And tax. And spend. And tax.

Obama is trash. Complete and utter trash. It is time to take out the trash in 2010 and 2012!

[DB]

I don't think I would put too much stock in a poll 31 months before an election that doesn't even name the other candidate.

Knock yourself out, though.

(AM responds: Absolutely. Which is why the words early and very early appear so much. But did you notice the part about one-in-five Democrats already looking for someone else to head their ticket in 2012?)

[JB]

He's the OneTermer we've been waiting for.

[AM]

Amen! This is music to my ears. How absolutely poetically beautiful that the man with the "legacy" won't even be nominated by his party. I will throw the biggest party to celebrate the end of his presidency. A one-term disaster.

[patrickt]

Enjoy the next 2 and half years and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[Hart Williams]

Two years out?

I guess you missed the 1990 "After this Gulf War, NOBODY could beat George HW Bush!" chorus.

(AM responds: Hay, Hart. Good to see you again. No, we didn't miss the GHWB polls. Nor the Clinton, Gore, or Kerry ones. Did you miss the CNN part about one in five Democrats already seeking another candidate atop the 2012 ticket? Now, THAT's interesting this far out, don't you think. Thanks again for stopping by. Tell your friends. We're always here.)

[comrade citizen]

I agree Hillary would be a much better president than o-face, she has way more balls, o-face is the most effeminate president the US has ever had, even more so than carter.

[hmrhonda]

It is truly a shame that the first "historic" president is of such quality that he in fact, does not deserve a second term. Why couldn't it have been someone with more leadership skills, one more centrist, one who cared more about freedom, cared more about America instead of "changing" America. Instead, a snake oil salesman was elected. Too bad Thomas Sowell nor Condi Rice did not consider running. There are many other better choices, as well.
Truly sad.
Gone are the days of quiet leadership, instead we get daily (in your face) photo ops and campaign style dribble. Wonder when he has time to be briefed or study, or get any work done. Or is the work all for his underlings that he has exempted from his laws on your medical care??

[Brenden]

Count me as a vote for Dr. Ron Paul.

[Angel]

The Republicans to be honest will be back in power in both chambers of Congress after the midterm elections and probably hold a majority of Governorships again as well setting the stage for a Republican win in 2012. The only thing is that the Republican base and supporters need to start demanding that the Republicans actually do something besides insult Obama. The Welfare State has expanded under Obama and it was also expanded under Bush. The Party that claims to be the party of fiscal responsibility needs to actullay put its words into deeds and roll back on the social programs that are burdening the state and federal governments and throwing this Country into the abyss and begin to refine them.

The Tea Party movement which is representing millions of Americans who are tired of their Payroll, Income, Property, and Sales Taxes going to convicted felons, illegal immigrants, and programs that simply do not work is going to put the Republicans back in power in November. We should only hope the Republicans actually do something constructive when they get back in.

[C]

Dear Mr. Malcolm,

Please print out a copy of this article and tape it to your refrigerator.

On November 6, 2012, when Obama winds a second term in a landslide, please then discover a different career path. This abhorrent reporting reflects poorly on the LA Times.

You would do well to recall George W Bush's approval ratings in the months leading up to the election, where some polls had him in the mid-30s, and the average was sitting in the low 40s.

Also, I particularly want to thank you for hyperlinking a poll that does not work into the article. That is truly high-caliber journalism.

If you had read the entire poll, you would have seen the data provided that showed Clinton BEHIND fully 15 percent prior to his re-election.

Furthermore, the question itself should not even be asked. Asking whether you would vote for Obama or the "Republican" is not a fair metric. Any conservative responder would assume that THEIR favorite candidate will be the nominee. One cannot take for granted that those who would vote for Romney would alternatively vote for Palin.

Do us all a favor. Either "report" or give an opinion, but stop conflating the two.

(AM responds: You're right. It WILL be very interesting this fall to see if Obama increases his party's congressional membership in his first midterm election as George W. Bush did or if he loses seats, as 40 others have. Stay tuned.)

[congressive]

How is this NOT an opinion piece? Oh, I see. It's "commentary", much like Glenn Beck is a commentarian.

[Mike]

Ron Paul beat out all other candidates at the Republican convention. This is just another corporate mainstream news article trying to push another neocon candidate on the public.

[VivaLaMigra]

This guy is toast. If the Dem's can't keep the brain-dead voters in the Bay State [MA] fooled any longer, they're looking at a cave-in for both Oh-Ten and Twenty Twelve! Earth to US citizens: Next time you decide to vote for a black guy, half-black guy, or somebody who CLAIMS he's black, please make sure that a) he's a natural-born citizen; and b) he's competent. I know Barry Hussein fails criterion [b] and I have serious doubts about [a], too!

[dharc]

obama has a pre-existing condition:>>>>>>>>> LIAR<<<<<<<<<<

[lance sjogren]

Congressive:

Of course this is commentary. You think the LA Times would present a right-wing opinion piece as a news article?

Of course, it would be different in the case of a left-wing opinion piece.

[Mindy Kacolovitch]

Only 14 months since inauguration and Obama fatigue is already greater than
Carter fatigue ever was.One in 5 dems defecting at this early stage can only spell doom
and gloom for this boyscout type admin. and dem majoritys in the congress.
May the dems rid their party of the far left nut jobs and the corrupt Chicago
mob.We do need an acceptable alternative to the republicans for the sake of
a healthy democracy.

[Holocaust Gaza]

I don't like Obama, but what I read here was done by the crook before: Bush.

[pasadena jag]

Obam-nation. That's what they should call it. America wanted a change - and they got it. A third rate political organizer. Acorn's hack. He couldn't get elected dogcatcher 2012.

[phil]

Obama should go into stand up comedy.

[Bill R]

Whereas I do not like some of the political approaches of Barak Obama, and do not like the economic team he has, and do not like at all the depth to which he has let Wall Street get away with their criminality, I think that he is stronger than this article suggests.

The fact that Huckabee and Palin are considered credible informed canditates by the Republicans shows the continued weakness of their party.

Americans are pissed because we are in the worst recession in decades and our government seems impotent to chart a coherent course of correction.

This does not mean that the Republicans have any ideas about what type of America we should build in the 21st century. They don't seem to recognize any environmental crisis, would rather pretend we don't overpay for a health system that does not cover vast stretches of our population, pretend that cutting taxes will balance the federal goverment (did not work recently under Bush the 2nd), don't make the connection between our oil dependence and conflict in the middle east, and are unwilling to regulate that biggest villian in our financial crisis... the bankers who perpetuated fraud and got bailed out.

Even on jobs they really don't have a plan for building new technologies. Where is the greatest amount of innovation happening in the world... in what industry? It is in innovation and building green technologies... technologies that use renewable energy, conserve and build efficiency. Republicans are vicerally against these technologies because they are so bought and sold by coal and oil lobbyists.

Sure, people are mad at Obama. That doesn't mean that Republicans are saying anything intelligent. All they say is "no".