Poll

The Safe and Electable Mitt Romney is No Longer Safe or Electable

Remember when Mitt Romney was the more "safe" and "electable" candidate and all the others were just a sideshow?

According to a new ABC/Washington Post poll, Mitt Romney's favorability rating has dropped 23 percent in two weeks.

According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll President Obama has gained a net 11 points in favorability over the past month while Gingrich and Romney have lost 9 and 23 points respectively. [...]

While Obama is benefiting from an improved economy and a focus on the middle class and jobs, the favorability of his top two Republican challengers is in free fall. The already nationally unpopular Newt Gingrich’s favorable rating has fallen to 29%. More than half of the country (51%) now holds an unfavorable view of Gingrich.

Newt Gingrich’s lack of appeal to anyone, but the Republican base is not surprising. The real shock is that Mitt Romney has become almost as unelectable as Gingrich. In two weeks, Mitt Romney has gone from a net five point positive approval rating (39%-34%) to a net eighteen point negative approval rating (31%-49%). Romney has lost the approval of Independents (23%-51% favorable/unfavorable) and moderates (27%-52% favorable/unfavorable). Mitt Romney’s unfavorable rating with Republicans has nearly doubled from 18% to 32%.

Romney has lost a net thirty five points of favorability with Independents since January 8, which points to the possibility that there is more to his troubles than tax returns. My guess is that the portrait of Romney as a disconnected wealthy corporate raider which has been painted by both the Gingrich and Obama campaigns, along with some help from the candidate himself, is starting to stick.

Read that again. Mitt Romney has dropped 35 percent among Independents in three weeks. He's now almost as unelectable as Newt fucking Gingrich.

If President Obama had seen this kind of collapse it would be the front-page story of every publication in the nation, however it is not the preferred story right now nor is President Obama's own soaring poll numbers.

I agree with the assessment that there is more at play here other than Mitt Romney's taxes. His appearance as a middle-aged Ken doll born into privilege and wealth isn't doing him any favors, and the more he attempts to relate to the common man the more unbelievable he becomes.

Whatever the outcome of the Florida primary, it's good news for Democrats.