Democrats Are Happier With Obama Than Republicans Are With Romney

It has been a long primary campaign for Willard Mitt Romney (aka Wall Street Willie). That's because a significant portion of Republicans do not trust him (considering him to be a liberal who flip-flopped just to get their votes, and who will abandon them after getting the nomination). These Republicans have searched far and wide for another candidate -- any other candidate. And even after it became obvious that Romney will be the candidate, more than 30% voted against him in the last primaries (May 8th). And it wouldn't surprise me if that happened again in the primaries to be held later this month.

A recent Gallup Poll verifies this. The survey (taken May 10th through 13th of a random sample of national adults) shows that more than a third of all Republicans and Republican-leaning independents would prefer to have someone other than Romney at the head of their ticket. This has to have the Romney campaign (and establishment Republicans) worried about the "enthusiasm" factor going into the general election. Here are the numbers:

REPUBLICANS/REPUBLICAN LEANERS
Satisfied with Romney...............59%
Would prefer another...............36%

REPUBLICANS
Satisfied with Romney...............66%
Would prefer another...............31%

REPUBLICAN LEANERS
Satisfied with Romney...............48%
Would prefer another...............45%

Now there are still several months to go until the general election, and that gives Romney time to win over that 36%. But the problem is that he cannot win them over and move toward the center to attract real Independents at the same time. That's because that 36% are mainly teabaggers and evangelicals, and they won't be won over by seeing Romney move away from their ultra-right-wing positions. This is a real dilemma for Romney, and I'm not at all sure he has a way out.

Meanwhile, Democrats are much happier with President Obama -- including progressives who seem to have been fired-up by his vocal support for same-sex marriage (and this seemed unlikely a year ago when many of them, including myself, were grumbling about his moderate views). The survey showed that a full 80% of Democrats are satisfied with Obama as their candidate, while only 19% would have preferred someone else ( and I expect most of that 19% will fall into line as they consider the prospect of a Romney presidency (and a return to the disastrous Republican "trickle-down policies).