Romney Has Big Problems Within The GOP

Yesterday I did a post noting that Willard Mitt Romney (aka Wall Street Willie) has a growing problem with Independents (especially women). Since the primary season started in earnest back in January, Independents have been moving away from Romney and towards the president. Because of this, the president now has a 9 point lead in the all-important swing states. Clearly, Romney needs to correct this to have any chance in November (assuming he gets the GOP nomination).

But his growing unpopularity with Independents is just one of Romney's problems. He has big problems within his own party. That's the verdict of an Economist/YouGov Poll conducted on the last day of March (less than a week ago). Here are what some of the poll found -- which should worry the hell out of the Romney campaign:

* Only about 11% of Republicans would be enthusiastic about Romney becoming the party's presidential nominee. While 49% say they would be satisfied, it's not satisfaction that gets party workers to making phone calls and knocking on doors -- it's enthusiasm.

* A full 39% of Republicans say they would be dissatisfied (or even angry) if Romney gets the nomination. The real question here is how many of these party members (about 4 out of 10) will vote for Romney on election day, and how many will vote third party or stay at home -- especially if Romney tries to move back to the center after winning the nomination.

* While the huge majority of Republicans are right-wingers (conservatives), about 60% of them do not believe Romney is a conservative. They view him as a moderate, or even a liberal. This explains why he still hasn't received even half of the Republican primary votes cast at this late date, and why the party is not enthused about his getting the nomination. Only 32% of Republicans think he is a conservative.

* A majority of Republicans, about 55%, think Romney just says what he thinks the voters want to hear -- and another 11% aren't sure he believes what he is saying. Only 34% of Republicans think Romney really believes what he is saying. In other words, about 66% of Republicans think Romney is, or may be, lying to them. That's another good reason for the lack of enthusiasm.

This puts Wall Street Willie between a rock and a hard place. His aides are saying he will move back to the middle after winning the nomination. But if he does, he will lose support from his own party, many of whom already don't trust him. And if he doesn't, he will lose the majority of Independents. Either option will cause him to lose the election. Romney should be very worried about how to solve this conundrum.