Perry’s Electablity: GOP Establishment Unsure

19 August 2011 |permalink | email article

The New York Times’ Nate Silver, who writes the paper’s Political Calculus column, has been pondering the electability of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, but it’s far too early to tell. Part of Silver’s analysis is that only two firms have polled so far on his favorability rating, and both found Americans holding a slightly more negative view of Perry than a positive one.

In an average of eight national polls conducted since July 1, Perry trails President Obama by an average of 11 percentage points. Name recognition numbers for Perry are not great since Obama gets at least 50 percent of the vote in several recent polls against him, which means that even if most of the undecideds are really latent votes for Perry, he would still lose. In a partisan breakdown in the polls, Obama leads Perry by an average 10 percent among independent voters, while trailing by seven points against Mitt Romney. This suggests to me why the president’s team is so anxious to diminish the former governor who won just one election in a very blue state. 

NFL Stadium

Anschutz Entertainment Group, revealing some concerns, wants a requirement that any legal challenges to its proposed downtown L.A. football stadium be heard before an arbitrator. AEG President Tim Leiweke, who appears to have Mayor Villaraigosa, the City Council, and The Times wrapped up, told the Daily News, that it might even be better to have a panel, rather than a single judge, hear the arbitration case. Leiweke added he was “talking” to all (his) friends in Sacramento.  Hmmm!

What They Said

Ron Paul, who finished a very strong second to Michele Bachmann in the Ames Straw Poll, suggested that Sunday morning media coverage was” less than perfect for us,” adding that Jon Stewart came to his defense. “Then there’s this guy on Comedy Central or something. I think I’ve been on his program once or twice, and I think he’s thinking about getting me on again.”

Pathetic Rush Limbaugh gets it off in referring to Kraft’s new Triple Double Ore as a “bi-racial cookie and an “Or-Ba-Meo.” Emerging from a political sewer he suggests “it isn’t gonna be long till it’s called the Or-Ba-Meo or something like that.” Is there an opening for Rush Bo as the Pillsbury Dough Boy?

A camera captured Fox News correspondent Steve Brown telling a Bachmann bodyguard in Iowa, “Do not put your hands on me. Don’t ever do it again.” Her campaign staff has been involved in at least five unusually hostile encounters with the threat of violence to a reporter. Is Shawn Hannity embarrassed?

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