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CNN Poll: Trump Replaces Palin As The Obama Team's Dream Opponent

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Other Politics
Posted on Thu May 05, 2011 at 12:32:36 PM EST
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According to this CNN Poll, Donald Trump has replaced Sarah Palin as the Republican they most want to run against:

According to the poll, taken before the announcement of Osama bin Laden's death, President Barack Obama has an edge over all the top GOP candidates in hypothetical match-ups.

Who does best against Obama? [Ron] Paul. The congressman from Texas [. . .] trails the president by only seven points (52 to 45 percent) in a hypothetical general election showdown. Huckabee trails by eight points, with Romney down 11 points to Obama. The poll indicates the president leading Gingrich by 17 points, Palin by 19, and Trump by 22 points.

The Obama Team is definitely in "Run Donald Run!" mode.

Speaking for me only

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    CNN Poll: Trump Replaces Palin As The Obama Team's Dream Opponent | 60 comments (60 topical)

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    16 days of kickingThe Donald (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Thu May 05, 2011 at 12:47:33 PM EST
    left.

    Yep cause he ain't runnin' (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by Buckeye on Thu May 05, 2011 at 01:33:12 PM EST


    Parent
    Pardon my ignorance (none / 0) (#3)
    by shoephone on Thu May 05, 2011 at 02:01:02 PM EST
    but what happens in 16 days? A filing deadline?

    Parent
    my guess is the final episode of CA n/t (none / 0) (#5)
    by nycstray on Thu May 05, 2011 at 02:16:37 PM EST
     

    Parent
    The (none / 0) (#23)
    by Warren Terrer on Thu May 05, 2011 at 08:37:09 PM EST
    rapture.

    Parent
    Neither will. (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Buckeye on Thu May 05, 2011 at 02:38:00 PM EST
    Trump is looking for some very cheap publicity and Palin quit her job as Governor to cash in a winning lottery ticket.  The minute her stock starts to drop (which I believe is now), she will slowly start retreating from center stage and move back to Alaska after getting very very very rich selling books and speeches.

    I agree neither is running (none / 0) (#25)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu May 05, 2011 at 09:48:59 PM EST
    but I do think you vastly underestimate Palin's determination to be a playah in national politics and the depth of her resentment towards all things with a "D" anywhere near their name.  She's not going to run for president in any serious way, but now that she's seen Paree, no way she's retiring quietly to Alaska.

    Trump, otoh, is just a joke.

    Parent

    There once was an ego named Trump... (5.00 / 0) (#7)
    by Dadler on Thu May 05, 2011 at 02:38:58 PM EST
    Whose head was as large as his rump
    With Lee Press-On Hair
    And ugly to spare
    His joint like a mouse with a pump.

    Can't run a casin-o.... (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by kdog on Thu May 05, 2011 at 03:11:37 PM EST
    without going bust-o,
    not to mention the Taj is a dump.


    Parent
    Bette Davis (5.00 / 0) (#13)
    by KeysDan on Thu May 05, 2011 at 03:42:16 PM EST
    will save us,
    for she said it best,
    and just too good to give it a rest:
    that House of Trump,
    What a Dump.

    Parent
    Well, it is quite a (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by KeysDan on Thu May 05, 2011 at 03:24:50 PM EST
    group that is emerging from that little Republican clown car. When the  so-called sanest of the lot wears magic unders and straps his dog to the roof of his car, you know you have not much to look for in the remaining contenders. Just what is a Republican voter to do?  Will they go for the zest of Pawlenty, the scholarliness of Palin, the electability of Gingrich, the holiness of Santorum, the spellbinding  Daniels, the stability of Paul, or the sophistication of Huckabee?  Maybe Fred Thompson will save them.  However, as a Democratic voter, I recommend to them the humble leader, Trump.

    Lets hope they ain't... (none / 0) (#10)
    by kdog on Thu May 05, 2011 at 03:31:17 PM EST
    smart enough to nominate Paul...that guy could draw some disgusted lefties to pull a Brand R lever.

    Sh*t, if the also-rans left too much to be desired I'd vote for him...Paul has a better chance of bringing troops home than Obama, and maybe even calling off the war on drugs.  I'll buy some o' that action.

    Parent

    Well, Ron Paul (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by KeysDan on Thu May 05, 2011 at 03:51:54 PM EST
    needs to reconcile his position to keep government out of our affairs with his keep government in our affairs as it pertains to women's health and gay rights (in Iowa he did say that the Iowa Supreme Court had a right to decide for same sex marriage, only to be quickly corrected by his staff--it was a gaffe).

    Parent
    Not without his flaws.... (none / 0) (#47)
    by kdog on Fri May 06, 2011 at 07:39:45 AM EST
    to be sure.

    Gary Johnson is the cream of that sorry crop...him I could probably vote for without even holding my nose.  Long time advocate for the liberation of my people.

    Parent

    Just going (none / 0) (#12)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu May 05, 2011 at 03:40:57 PM EST
    from what I hear around here, there's a lot of love for Huckabee though the club for growthers hate the guy. I think his "I feel your pain" kind of persona is what draws some of them to him. I actually could see him beating Obama but who knows.

    Gingrich is a toady has been. Even down here in GA he's not news. Pawlenty is dull as can be. And like Anne below said you forgot about the Queen of the Tea Party Michelle Bachmann.

    The whole GOP has gone over a cliff.

    Parent

    Thanks for the catch, (none / 0) (#15)
    by KeysDan on Thu May 05, 2011 at 04:15:57 PM EST
    don't know how I neglected to think of Bachman as a serious presidential contender.  Certainly, she is someone to watch.

    Parent
    Anybody there swooning for (none / 0) (#27)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu May 05, 2011 at 09:57:27 PM EST
    Rick Santorum?

    I tuned in to fox at the very end of the "GOP presidential debate" this evening to hear him delivering an impassioned speech about how many Democrats he'd beaten in his career-- which is a rather staggering joke given how thumpingly he got tossed out of office by Casey when he ran for reelection in Penn.

    He puzzles me because he doesn't come across as a wackjob, but how such a total loser could imagine he could be a viable presidential candidate completely escapes me.


    Parent

    I want him to run just so that (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by shoephone on Thu May 05, 2011 at 10:05:47 PM EST
    we can see him go nutso in a debate after a Move On or Code Pink audience member asks him about beastiality.

    Parent
    My husband always has the best oneliners (5.00 / 2) (#45)
    by Militarytracy on Fri May 06, 2011 at 06:37:32 AM EST
    I stole his rick oneliner the other day.  He calls him, "rick with a p".

    Parent
    Nothing (none / 0) (#43)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri May 06, 2011 at 06:16:04 AM EST
    about Santorum but think about it? Bachmann has the same stances as Santorum as probably do many others in the GOP so why even bother with Santorum?

    Parent
    Precisely because he doesn't (none / 0) (#56)
    by gyrfalcon on Fri May 06, 2011 at 11:07:32 PM EST
    come across as a whackjob, no matter how nutty his views on some things are.  Bachmann could comment that the sun rises in the east, and all sane people would still run screaming into the night to get away from her beacause of that very weird loony glint in her eye.

    Parent
    But whack (none / 0) (#59)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat May 07, 2011 at 10:04:37 AM EST
    job is a matter of perspective. To these people whack job has a completely different meaning than to you or I.

    I think Bachmann is nuts but the Tea Party people think she's great.

    Santorum is old news much like Gingrich.

    Parent

    Santorum (none / 0) (#57)
    by cal1942 on Sat May 07, 2011 at 01:34:11 AM EST
    is not a fit candidate for dog catcher.

    Parent
    Actually, the guy (none / 0) (#26)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu May 05, 2011 at 09:53:09 PM EST
    who totally wiped the field in the first GOP debate this evening on Fox was -- wait for it -- Herman Cain.  Didn't see much of the debate itself, but tuned in to see Frank Luntz's focus group, and the 20-some middle-aged white people were in a state of euphoria over the wonderfulness of Herman Cain.

    Only one of them had even heard of him before, but pretty much all of them said they'd come out of watching the debate as fervent Cain supporters.

    I'm just reporting, you can decide.  (Not the first time something like this has happened with GOP voters, either.)

    Parent

    OK, I'll bite (none / 0) (#30)
    by shoephone on Thu May 05, 2011 at 10:01:28 PM EST
    Who the heck is Herman Caine?

    Parent
    Black guy, former CEO of (none / 0) (#34)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu May 05, 2011 at 10:19:18 PM EST
    Godfather's Pizza, believe it or not.  VERY conservative.

    Parent
    Godfather's Pizza? (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by shoephone on Thu May 05, 2011 at 10:29:06 PM EST
    The 2012 Republican field is wackier than ever. It seems more like the cast for the small town musical in "Waiting for Guffman."

    Parent
    Not suprised (none / 0) (#42)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri May 06, 2011 at 06:04:34 AM EST
    to hear that Cain is from GA and has ran for office down here. He is very, very good but can't get out of the GOP primary here in GA strictly due to his race. He's the only one of the Tea Partiers that took on the KKK at the Cobb Tea Party event.

    Parent
    Interesting (5.00 / 1) (#46)
    by Militarytracy on Fri May 06, 2011 at 06:39:58 AM EST
    He's smart, but was born with that Conservative brain.  Can't we sneak him some Ginkgo or something?  It's sad

    Parent
    Jon Huntsman (none / 0) (#40)
    by loveed on Fri May 06, 2011 at 01:57:50 AM EST
    The media favorites will not be the nominee. Donald Trump made it acceptable to go after obama hard.

    Parent
    Trump and Palin - and, wait - (5.00 / 0) (#11)
    by Anne on Thu May 05, 2011 at 03:33:00 PM EST
    don't forget Bachmann - she's still making noise - oh, my!

    Somewhere in there is a Three Stooges skit...Trump can the Larry who joined the Hair Club for Men - or should that be the New Club for Growth?

    Oy...

    But what about the one (none / 0) (#44)
    by Nemi on Fri May 06, 2011 at 06:37:25 AM EST
    who isn't making any noise at all, Jeb Bush? Isn't he suspiciously quiet?

    Parent
    IMO he is being saved for 2016 (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by MO Blue on Fri May 06, 2011 at 07:59:35 AM EST
    Obama is doing a really good job advancing long held conservative agenda items. No real need for a Republican in the WH in 2012 especially if they gain control of both houses of Congress. If I were a Republican, I'd let the crazies run in 2012 and prove that they can't win the big prize. Then in 2016, bring out their more moderate appearing big guns in 2016, win and finish what Obama has started on domestic and entitlement programs.  

    Parent
    Trump Palin Bachman (none / 0) (#58)
    by cal1942 on Sat May 07, 2011 at 01:39:19 AM EST
    an unacceptable insult to the Stooges.

    Parent
    This is funny. (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by Tony on Thu May 05, 2011 at 05:03:22 PM EST
    Trump has lost his position as the driver of the pace car at the Indy 500.

    Bet Letterman is happy.

    Daniels, Romney or Huckabee (none / 0) (#18)
    by Slado on Thu May 05, 2011 at 06:42:30 PM EST
    Those are the nominees the left should concentrate on

    Remember this early stage brought us Howard Dean and Hillary Clinton.

    We have no idea who the nominee will be but it won't be Palin or Trump.

    One of those three will be the nominee.

    We shall see.

    Or Huntsman (none / 0) (#19)
    by ruffian on Thu May 05, 2011 at 07:36:31 PM EST


    Parent
    I like the way (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by Harry Saxon on Thu May 05, 2011 at 07:56:15 PM EST
    Matt Tabbi characterized the field:

    Instead, the potential Republican field is made up of two distinct types of candidates: loony-*ss, polarizing insurgents drunk on Christian mysticism and/or ego sickness (Michelle Bachmann, Donald Trump, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin) and waffling, opportunistic bores destined to spend most of the primary campaign arguing that they are less terrifying to imagine holding the nuclear briefcase than anyone from the first group (Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney).

    Matt Tabbi Link

    Parent

    He left out Mitch Daniels (none / 0) (#29)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu May 05, 2011 at 10:01:26 PM EST
    who impressed the hell out of The New Yorker's very left-wing Rick Hertzberg at one o' those opinion maker "luncheons" recently.  (Josh Marshall was among the select number invited, too, so I guess he's now offically "arrived") Not that Hertzberg would ever vote for him, just that he found him sort of a throwback and much less terrifying than any of the others.

    Parent
    Mitch Daniels (none / 0) (#50)
    by Harry Saxon on Fri May 06, 2011 at 08:11:12 AM EST
    is too sane for the Republican base, you might as well dig up John Wilkes Booth and run him in the primaries, at least he'd have more name recognition.

    Parent
    Considering that GOP base is Confederate Americans (5.00 / 1) (#53)
    by beowulf on Fri May 06, 2011 at 04:10:21 PM EST
    I imagine Booth would run pretty strong in the Republican primaries.

    Parent
    Daniels may be "impressive:" to some who (none / 0) (#51)
    by christinep on Fri May 06, 2011 at 03:09:07 PM EST
    like nice talk...but, then he went back to Indiana & signed a bill denying any Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. OTOH, perhaps he forgot his centrist-sounding advice nationally to the GOP to focus on the economy and not focus on social issues. That's it, he forgot.

    Parent
    Yeahhh! That's the ticket! (none / 0) (#60)
    by Harry Saxon on Sat May 07, 2011 at 11:14:26 AM EST
    (with apologizes to Tommy Flanagan)

    Parent
    Huntsman better start soon or he's (none / 0) (#28)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu May 05, 2011 at 09:59:06 PM EST
    going nowhere.  Nobody's ever heard of him, and it's getting really late for somebody nobody's ever heard of to start getting known.

    Parent
    I think lack of name recognition is (none / 0) (#33)
    by ruffian on Thu May 05, 2011 at 10:15:29 PM EST
    his strategy, as all the other names elicit various negative reactions. Neutral might be the Repubs best hope.

    Parent
    True in the general (none / 0) (#35)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu May 05, 2011 at 10:21:37 PM EST
    but not so much in the primaries.  He's already way too rational and moderate, seems to me, so he'd need lots of time to convince these people, seems to me.  It's another really puzzling candidacy, IMO.

    Parent
    Oh please (none / 0) (#62)
    by Harry Saxon on Sat May 07, 2011 at 03:13:51 PM EST
    the only way you can place Bill Clinton and Mitch Daniels in the same sentence is the answer to the question, "Can you name two random American politicians?"

    Parent
    OTOH (none / 0) (#61)
    by Zorba on Sat May 07, 2011 at 03:09:50 PM EST
    Bill Clinton was relatively unknown before the 1992 primary season.

    Parent
    I think you'd better all hope that (none / 0) (#21)
    by oldpro on Thu May 05, 2011 at 08:08:09 PM EST
    Robert Gates isn't thinking about a run for President.

    I'd have to give him serious consideration, now that I'm not a Democrat any more.

    What do you suppose his negatives are?  Aside from getting along with Hillary, I mean...

    His positives look at least as high as Obama's and he could take the South and a lot more.

    Sort of scary (none / 0) (#22)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 05, 2011 at 08:31:59 PM EST
    I had never really thought about it.  He wants us out of Afghanistan too.  It seems tonight he would have the Michael Moore vote.  Who is he really though?  He was one guy under Bush, seemed just as devoid of honest feelings as the rest of the administration.  Then under Obama he grew a soul or something and got a tear in his eye from time to time too.  I don't know.  I knew someone long ago who worked for him for a long time.  I thought she was truly a horrible shallow person :)  But she is not him and I don't know where she is now.  I don't know if she survived the growing of a soul :)  Maybe she faked it and made it through it, maybe he did too :)

    Parent
    One other thing too (none / 0) (#24)
    by Militarytracy on Thu May 05, 2011 at 08:37:49 PM EST
    She said that Gates thought he was going to be Sec of Defense for Bush right out of the gate.  The fact that Bush chose Rumsfeld left Gates and his loyal staff feeling deeply betrayed.  Gates has been close to BushCo for a very very long time, and could have just as easily been Rumsfled.  Would have handled anything any different or better if the shoe was on the other foot?  Somehow I don't think so.  He's a great politician.  He's a chameleon.

    Parent
    I find him mystifying (none / 0) (#32)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu May 05, 2011 at 10:06:04 PM EST
    He was more or less the devil incarnate way back when, but now I find myself trusting him, if not always agreeing with him.  Either I totally misjudged him back in the day, or he's evolved pretty seriously-- which does happen occasionally.

    But he's not running for anything, I don't think.  He seems totally burned out and just hanging on by his toenails this last year at least.  I think he just wants to retire and enjoy life-- which may also be part of his personal evolution of consciousness, come to think of it.

    Parent

    As long as we're guessing..... (2.00 / 0) (#37)
    by NYShooter on Thu May 05, 2011 at 11:54:48 PM EST
    The upcoming fight is nothing short of Armageddon as it applies to a decent, pluralistic, democratic future for 95% of Americans.

    The Right has managed to marshal its forces very rapidly, and have taken advantage of the general malaise, apathy, or ignorance,  if you will, of most voters and are mobilized for "the kill," as evidenced by the unanimous Republican approval of Paul Ryan's Plan.

    "Our" advantage is that their goals are transparent; our disadvantage is that Barack Obama is our President.  There may be a time in America's lifetime, past, or future, where a Barack Obama Presidency might be appropriate, but not the present.

    In the movie, The Godfather, Michael replaced Consigliere, Tom Haden, because he wasn't a "War Time" Consigliere. And Barack Obama is certainly no "War Time" Consigliere as it relates to the threat that the majority of Americans face in their economic future.

    We need a President/Vice President commensurate with the challenge we're facing.

    My choice: Hillary Clinton......Bob Gates

    As I said, it's just fantasy, she would never primary Obama, but a "draft Hillary" might work. And the addition of Gates is self-evident.

    In other words: we need a couple of heavyweights, otherwise its a fight between the cat-food commission slow death & the Ryan certain suicide.

    some choice.

    Parent

    Tempting... (none / 0) (#39)
    by oldpro on Fri May 06, 2011 at 01:26:33 AM EST
    but as you say, not gonna hoppen.  Hillary would never primary Obama.

    But Gates is a Republican, though not of the current popular wierdo rightwing stripe.  I do think he'd blow them all away in a primary and maybe in the general if he made it through.  I wonder who he'd choose as VP?

    Parent

    Fantasies should at least have an element of (none / 0) (#52)
    by christinep on Fri May 06, 2011 at 03:20:31 PM EST
    possibility. IMO, Gates is not running for anything...for a lot of reasons, not the least of which the Repubs would no longer trust him (e.g., perceived closeness to the President and--from a Repub standpoint--his direct participation in undoing DADT.) Nope...no primary for the President.  Actually, given the strange ones running on the other side (didn't I hear something about Santorum last night questioning whether married women should work as that might make them "radical feminists), fantasies about the Repub primary would be much more fun.

    See, oldpro, how much fun it would be to look now at the Repubs from a Democrat's perspective. (I know, I know...it changes fast. That is why I'm enjoying the "Repub debate, or whatever it is, now.)

    Parent

    Oh, Christine (none / 0) (#54)
    by NYShooter on Fri May 06, 2011 at 04:32:59 PM EST
    I can't believe you said that, "Fantasies should have an element of possibility."

    First of all:
    O.k. But since its my fantasy I get to decide what "element of possibility" exists, and, as long as both my "heroes" are alive, anything is "possible."

    Second: When someone starts their comments with "I know its fantasy" its really not very cool to bring in the forensics and dissect a "fantasy" with empirical evidence.

    Ah-Hem, and Thirdly: Like I said, Hillary is too loyal a Democrat to primary Obama, but, in My Fantasy, a groundswell of grass roots demand (like you see in all those "feel good" movies ("fantasies, if you will) literally picks her up and carries her to the acceptance podium where she has no choice but to accept.

    Now, STOP frowning and wrinkling your nose, its a FANTASY  dam%mit!

    Then, making "the greatest speech in the history of the world" she throws "Politics" and "Partisanship" in the garbage, reaches out and gives Bob Gates "The Greatest Hug in the history of the world."  

    The stands erupt into euphoria, Republicans and Democrats tearing off their "R's and D's" smiling and rushing towards each other, strobe lights and confetti blast into the sky, and in a scene out of "Footloose," Hillary & Bob rock the night away.
    (uh-uh, watchit; my fantasy, 'member?)

    America is saved, and as the closing credits are rolling on the screen, the video shows the CEO's of the 5 TBTF banks being perp-walked into the police station.

    So what's so hard about imagining that?

    Parent

    Your fantasy made me smile. (none / 0) (#55)
    by christinep on Fri May 06, 2011 at 06:53:01 PM EST


    Parent
    I'd like to see Ron Paul (none / 0) (#38)
    by mexboy on Fri May 06, 2011 at 12:24:19 AM EST
    get the nomination. He is the only Republican I'd consider voting for. Obama has lost me completely.

    Huntsman is very well known (none / 0) (#41)
    by loveed on Fri May 06, 2011 at 02:09:23 AM EST
    in the repub.circle. His popularity in the party is tremendous.
    The country is looking for an adult to run it.

    This is the GOP (none / 0) (#48)
    by TJBuff on Fri May 06, 2011 at 07:55:32 AM EST
    Figure out who the corporate suits like and there's your nominee.

    CNN Poll: Trump Replaces Palin As The Obama Team's Dream Opponent | 60 comments (60 topical)

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