Harper Polling (R): Rubio far ahead right now

[Tender Branson]

The results:

Marco Rubio                    34%
Chris Christie                   18%
Condi Rice                       14%
Rand Paul                         8%
Allen West                        5%
Scott Brown                      3%
Undecided                        18%

National Poll of Primary-Voting Republicans (Dec. 19, 2012)
Sample Size:                 2,746
Margin of Error:             +/-1.87%

http://www.harperpolling.com/polls/national-poll-of-republicans---december-19-2012

...

"Harper Polling" has just been recently launed by a former NRCC employee and he considers it the "new GOP alternative to PPP":

http://www.harperpolling.com/who

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[Holmes]

Well, more polling is good I guess? On second thought, scratch that. It'll be a while until we can see how accurate they are, though.

[Tender Branson]

Well, more polling is good I guess? On second thought, scratch that. It'll be a while until we can see how accurate they are, though.

I'm sure they will do some VA and NJ polls next year.

But will they release as many polls as PPP as well in 2014 ?

PPP has a very wealthy founder and they also have a lot of clients, so money is not their problem.

Where is Harper Polling getting the money from ?

[Maxwell]

I'm shocked Allen West is as high as 5%, I guess theres always that slot for the crazies now.

[tmthforu94]

Condi at 14%? Very good. Now we just need to introduce the world to Susana.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Harper? Maybe we'll have to see how they do in 2016.

[pbrower2a]

They can't be as bad as Susquehanna Polling. Remember them -- just like the river, full of rocks.

[justfollowingtheelections]

What's the appeal of Rubio?  If I had to describe him with one word, the word would be lightweight.  He really doesn't seem to stand for anything.

Is it just because he's the latino guy?  He is after all a white latino guy from the South with a blonde wife, so I guess the WASP don't mind him as much as they would mind some short brown guy like Castro.

Is it because he's the kind of guy most Republicans wouldn't mind sharing a beer with?  He's apparently into sports, he listens to the same music many people his age listen to, what's not to like?

If someone could explain what is so appealing about this guy I would appreciate it.

[Mr. Morden]

Weird choice of candidates to include.  You're going to poll Condi Rice and Scott Brown, but none of Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush, Bobby Jindal, Bob McDonnell, or Rick Santorum?

[Reaganfan]

What's the appeal of Rubio?  If I had to describe him with one word, the word would be lightweight.  He really doesn't seem to stand for anything.

Is it just because he's the latino guy?  He is after all a white latino guy from the South with a blonde wife, so I guess the WASP don't mind him as much as they would mind some short brown guy like Castro.

Is it because he's the kind of guy most Republicans wouldn't mind sharing a beer with?  He's apparently into sports, he listens to the same music many people his age listen to, what's not to like?

If someone could explain what is so appealing about this guy I would appreciate it.

This sounds like a GOP critique of Obama in 2006.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

What's the appeal of Rubio?  If I had to describe him with one word, the word would be lightweight.  He really doesn't seem to stand for anything.

Is it just because he's the latino guy?  He is after all a white latino guy from the South with a blonde wife, so I guess the WASP don't mind him as much as they would mind some short brown guy like Castro.

Is it because he's the kind of guy most Republicans wouldn't mind sharing a beer with?  He's apparently into sports, he listens to the same music many people his age listen to, what's not to like?

If someone could explain what is so appealing about this guy I would appreciate it.

This sounds like a GOP critique of Obama in 2006.

Not necessarily.
Obama was the anti-Iraq guy and his oratory skills were what got people interested in him. He was an African-American Senator from Chicago, Illinois with a stunning personal story that personified the American Dream. Barack Obama was charismatic, handsome, young, compelling, and a powerhouse fundraiser/campaigner/orator. That's what his appeal was. Rubio's background isn't as interesting as Obama's considering he lied about it. He's not as handsome either (he has a combover and is balding). And his oratory skills arent really to die for wither. He's a token white Latino with a white wife.

[Mr. Morden]

And his oratory skills arent really to die for wither.

I'd say his oratorical skills are better than those of any of the other likely 2016ers.  Or at least, his oratorical skills are the most "Obama-like" of the 2016ers.  He does well at the sort of soaring rhetoric, viewing the world from 30,000 feet style that Obama does well at.  That's his strength.  Christie's strength, OTOH, is speaking in the more "guy you'd want to have a beer with" style.

Here is (Obama supporter) linguist John McWhorter on Rubio, talking about Rubio's victory speech from 2010:

http://www.tnr.com/blog/john-mcwhorter/78894/tea-partiers-terrible-speeches-paul-paladino#

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[Reaganfan]

What's the appeal of Rubio?  If I had to describe him with one word, the word would be lightweight.  He really doesn't seem to stand for anything.

Is it just because he's the latino guy?  He is after all a white latino guy from the South with a blonde wife, so I guess the WASP don't mind him as much as they would mind some short brown guy like Castro.

Is it because he's the kind of guy most Republicans wouldn't mind sharing a beer with?  He's apparently into sports, he listens to the same music many people his age listen to, what's not to like?

If someone could explain what is so appealing about this guy I would appreciate it.

This sounds like a GOP critique of Obama in 2006.

Not necessarily.
Obama was the anti-Iraq guy and his oratory skills were what got people interested in him. He was an African-American Senator from Chicago, Illinois with a stunning personal story that personified the American Dream.

Funny enough I was having this conversation with someone the other day. I mentioned how I think the claim of Obama not being American is utter garbage and rightfully so, but that of any President that I can think of, he isn't very American.

He clearly holds views that would likely find fewer opponents in European countries and markets, and his out-of-wedlock birth in Hawaii and living in Indonesia and Kenya at times in his life, hardly fit with a "Clinton from Hope, Arkansas" or "Reagan the lifeguard in Dixon, Illinois" type of red, white and blue American heartland story.

In other words, Obama is American but he isn't "American-like".

[patrick1]

^You have this conversation down at the ol' fishin hole?  

- Sorry, Reaganfan but your view of America is dated- Out of the Andy Griffith days. I think most Americans can identify or accept a diverse background.

[Reaganfan]

^You have this conversation down at the ol' fishin hole?  

- Sorry, Reaganfan but your view of America is dated- Out of the Andy Griffith days. I think most Americans can identify or accept a diverse background.

Then how come every Obama voter I talk to loves the President but then says something racist or tells me they don't like gay marriage and complains that "nobody speaks English anymore"?

I mean, it's almost as if they want Obama but don't want the coalition that elected him.

[patrick1]

^You have this conversation down at the ol' fishin hole?  

- Sorry, Reaganfan but your view of America is dated- Out of the Andy Griffith days. I think most Americans can identify or accept a diverse background.

Then how come every Obama voter I talk to loves the President but then says something racist or tells me they don't like gay marriage and complains that "nobody speaks English anymore"?

I mean, it's almost as if they want Obama but don't want the coalition that elected him.

Probably because you talk to a lot of parochial bigots for starters.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

For the last time, PPP had a pro-Republican bias.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Then how come every Obama voter I talk to loves the President but then says something racist or tells me they don't like gay marriage and complains that "nobody speaks English anymore"?

I mean, it's almost as if they want Obama but don't want the coalition that elected him.

"I only know one person who voted for Nixon. Where they are I don't know. They're outside my ken."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Kael