Politico: Obama trails generic Republican by 1; leads actual Republicans

[Bull Moose Base]

Pawlenty is 16 points wEaker than generic Republican?  I don't understand the Biden thing either.  Why is his favorability 20 points behind Hillary?

[Bull Moose Base]

I agree on Pawlenty but also Obama is still more popular than the Republican Party.  When people say generic Republican it's probably a bit Rorschach where a motley collection of voters may be envisioning someone more representative of their own ideology.  In practice, the primary is likely to be a contest to out-conservative one's rivals, yielding a candidate too conservative to compete easily.   Even if it's Pawlenty, he won't have won the nomination without defining himself with very conservative views that make him less generic. Not to mention individual vulnerabilities, like his pardon issue, that "generic Republican" has none of.