CNN national poll: Huckabee 22% Palin 21% Romney 21% Gingrich 13% J. Bush 6%

[5280]

J. Bush won't run, Bush Jr did his time and they need to take a break from politics.

Huckabee > Palin
Gingrich > Palin
Gingrich > Huckabee
Romney > Gingrich
Romney > Huckabee

You can figure out the rest!

[Mr. Morden]

Gingrich 13%

I don't get it.

The guy is great

Sure, 10 years ago!  And not THAT great.  Huckabee and Palin at the top...that makes me nauseous.  This party is in a sad, sad state if those two are our most popular figures.

I wouldn't sweat it.  I'm sure you realize how many people don't even pay attention until primary season, or don't even read the newspaper for that matter.  These polls mean nothing.  Come 2011, Thune or Ensign could get a majority of Senator endorsements; someone like Sanford could get most of the governors' endorsements; or Congress could coalesce behind one of the young guns from the House -- which could lead to a lot of press coverage ("anointed" frontrunners), then these polls will be a lot different. 

True, but it puts us reasonable Republicans in limbo while we wait for someone equally reasonable to come along and that's uncomfortable.  Oh well, I'm not going to get too worried at this point.  Polls in 2005 about 2008 were spot on as we all witnessed.  Go George Allen!

Allen never led any polls of the 2008 race, not in 2005 or ever.  Rather, he was seen by political insiders as the most likely "conservative alternative" to Giuliani and McCain throughout much of 2005/6.  But he never actually led any polls.  Giuliani and McCain led all the national polls throughout 2005 and 2006.  Well, actually Giuiliani and/or McCain led nearly every national poll all the way up through 2008.

[Rob]

I can live with this, because Palin, Romney, Gingrich and the Huckster are all potentially disastrous in their own way.

[ej2mm15]

Okay this poll just basically confirmed that Romney, palin, and Huck are fron runners until mid- 2011.

[Frodo]

The strength and diversity of this field bears a close resemblance to Democrats circa 1984 or 1972...

[MasterJedi]

Go Huckabee and Gingrich! Only two that really have any chance to win on there and aren't evil (Romney).

[Keystone Phil]

The future nominee wasn't even polled? Interesting.

[Reaganfan]

The future nominee wasn't even polled? Interesting.

Yeah I was lookin' for Mike Rounds, too.

[You kip if you want to...]

The strength and diversity of this field bears a close resemblance to Democrats circa 1984 or 1972...

Although it's very possible that neither of those 5 will be the nominee (alot can happen in 2 and a half years), I can imagine alot of moderates just looking at those above candidates and just thinking "...eugh". There's nothing endearing about those candidates, maybe Palin, but imagine her in a general. The only one of the above 5 who I could winning a general election is probably Romney, but I couldn't see him winning a Republican primary.

*This post shall be laughed at in 2012.*

[Citizen James]

Huckabee 22%: I see that
Palin 21%: WHAT THE HECK?!
Romney 21%: That's reasonable
Gingrich 13%: OK, fine
Jeb Bush 6%: I suspected that.

At this point it's name recognition.  I see Huckabee and Romney as legitimate first tier contenders, with Palin as a second tier with the potential to be a spoiler against Huckabee in competing for the religious right/authoritarian vote.   Romney remains a chameleon, but it would be a mistake to underestimate his campaign organizational skills.

Newt is a wild card, but I don't see him going anywhere beyond the second tier.  I seriously doubt Bush will run - at this point his family name is more a liability than an asset in campaigning.  He's more likely to seek power behind the scenes in the party.

There are are plenty of other potential candidates in the wings with both potential and ambition to run in the first tier (Jindal, Pawlenty, Crist, etc.)

[RIP Robert H Bork]

The best parts about this poll:

Huckabee won.
Romney lost.

[Keystone Phil]

Mitt pulling in the bronze again! Good deal.

[War on Want]

Mitt pulling in the bronze again! Good deal.

Romney>Huckabee and Palin

Sure he has his weaknesses but as a candidate(well most of the time) and as a president he beats both of them easily. I'd bet my life he would manage the economy 100 times better than either Palin or Huckabee.

[Scam of God]

Let us hope they choose Huckabee. They will then proceed to receive the same thrashing that their cretinous spiritual ancestors did in 1896.

And the streets will flow with the blood of the non-believers!

Stay politically correct, my man. Wouldn't want to offend your Party's base of socialists-of-the-spirit.