Green Room

Mitt Romney is tied with Obama in all-important area of likeability

posted at 2:23 pm on October 15, 2012 by

“I know it’s early days and all that, but this ABC News/Washington Post poll tells you all you need to know about Mitt Romney’s November problem: nobody likes him much.” So blogged Kevin Drum at Mother Jones this past March.

Continuing in the same triumphal vein, Drum added:

I figure he’ll make up his relatively poor showing among Republicans once the primaries are over and it’s time to sing Kumbaya, but independents and moderates just don’t want anything to do with the guy. Obama scores decently with both groups, but Romney is completely in the tank. I suppose he’ll make up some of this deficit once the general election campaign starts and he does his Etch A Sketch restart, but he’s got an awfully big hole to climb out of.

Climb we much, to paraphrase a television personality who shared Drum’s optimism back in those halcyon days. And climb Mitt Romney has, not only in terms of the popular or electoral vote tally, but in likeability. Politico reports:

Obama’s enduring personal popularity has been a key reason for his political resiliency. But Obama and Romney are now essentially tied on likability [according to a POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll of likely voters]: 53 percent of those surveyed have a positive impression of Obama personally, and 45 percent do not. The same percentage view both Romney and Obama strongly favorably as view them strongly unfavorably.

Fifty-one percent now view Romney favorably in his own light, while 44% views him unfavorably. Those numbers represent a reversal of Romney’s favorability ratings in mid-September.

The article quotes Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who helped conduct the poll, as saying:

The biggest concern among Democrats ought to be the increase in Romney’s favorability among independents and women. Independent and women voters didn’t know him very well, and he came across as a very personable alternative.

That being said, Obama still holds a commanding, 11-point lead over Romney when it comes to women. By the same token, has squandered a 13-point advantage over Romney on the subject of national security, with the president ahead of the GOP challenger 4 percentage points.

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Wait, Romney’s as likeable as the inimitably unlikeable Obamuh? That ain’t sayin’ much for Romney.

stukinIL4now on October 15, 2012 at 3:37 PM

I can not for the life of me understand what there is about bho that is likeable? The man is a lying slug that has almost cratered our nation, but he does give them his ‘stash’ of ‘free’ stuff! Guess those who like are the same?
L

letget on October 15, 2012 at 3:54 PM

But-but Seamus the Dog – and Ann Romney has a horse!

TarheelBen on October 15, 2012 at 5:16 PM

Mitt Romney was never unlikeable it was the media spin to say that, just like it was the media spin to describe Romney as having a campaign that had withered on the vine, was failing, was misguided, was forlorn, Beleaguered, fading,an assortment of adjectives and mataphors to depress conservatives all hinted at by an un named member of his entourage. Mayor Menino would call it Rumor and Insinuendo.

“A dark mood descends on the Romney campaign as it lurches from problem to problem…”

“Mitt Romney’s string of bad luck has given his campaign an air of anxiety …”

“Wealthy donors are now LEAVING the Romney campaign to focus on…”

“GOP lawmakers are grumbling about the direction of Mitt Romney’s campaign and say he needs to change course….”

It was all CRAP just like I have been saying all along. Boston Globe media tin type.

Mitt Romney, traditional American, right of center, a turnaround artist and a gentleman.

Fleuries on October 16, 2012 at 11:10 AM