Studying the Polls

Perry is standing tall among Republicans, with a double-digit lead over Romney and a lead in Iowa. Romney’s position is even weaker than it first appears. The Bachmann and Palin supporters, after all, aren’t going to swing over to Mitt. It’s Rick’s race to lose. Meanwhile, the president’s numbers are now officially terrible. He loses easily to any generic Republican, although it’s still the case he’s competitive with any particular Republican. If you go to REAL CLEAR POLITICS, you read that Perry is too conservative and too Texan to win, but you also read that he’s a big hit in New Hampshire (not a nest of Lone-Star lovers). Studies also show that, despite his unpopularity with Republicans, Romney would be a slightly stronger candidate in November. Only slightly stronger, it’s true . . . But conceivably the difference between winning and losing.

Yuval Levin, as linked by Pete above, tells Republicans to stop whining: They get to choose between two successful governors of big-time states. It is still possible to wish there were more governors to choose from. Of the two possibilities from the midwest, one tanked and the other teased. And then there’s New Jersey . . . I might add that Rubio would add more as the VP candidate.