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Pew Research: 53% of Americans don’t know GOP candidates.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  April 21st, 2011 at 09:30 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

This is, of course, highly unsurprising: it is April of 2011.  While the true start of election cycles have been notoriously creeping further and further back for some time now, the major reason why anybody’s talking seriously about the 2012 election at this point is because President Obama rather desperately announced exceptionally early so that he could officially fund-raise*.  This means that those parts of the media that are actually covering the election are more or less stuck pretending that it’s September of 2011 (which is still a little early, but such is the custom of the country); after all, the President thinks that it’s election time, so shouldn’t everybody else?

…Apparently not.  Pew reports that currently 20% of the population is following the GOP Presidential nomination process closely, and that 4% consider it to be the top story.  For comparison: both numbers are ranked sixth; the top stories continue to be the Japan earthquake (38% following closely, 26% consider top story) and oil/gas prices (53%/22%).  Combine that with the surprising detail that the media isn’t actually covering the election that much (2% of the media coverage focuses on the GOP primaries; the top media coverage is easily the deficit/national debt at 31%), and you end up with what is a spectacularly… no, not “uninformed.”  What we have is a spectacularly uninterested electorate when it comes to the 2012 elections.

Which means?  First, it means that people should not be surprised when various polling reveals that the Republican front-runners are all folks that voters have already heard of. Second, it means that anybody who wants to tell you that the current state of the race is an indicator of anything, including the current state of the race, is almost certainly operating with an agenda.  Which certainly includes me; only my agenda is to get people to stop talking about the GOP nomination (which is what the Democrats want us to be focusing on) and get back to talking about jobs, the deficit, and the economy (which is what the Democrats don’t want us to focus on)…

Moe Lane (crosspost)

(Via Drudge)

*Which is, by the way, what he’s doing today instead of visiting areas of the country that are: devastated by tornadoes; and increasingly unlikely to vote for him in 2012.

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  • Ausonius

    As a 57-year old member of the Boomer generation, he represents the best demographic right now. It is unclear to me that certain possible candidates in their late 30′s or 40′s (e.g. Jindal) have the “gravitas” for the candidacy.

    As always, I am willing to be convinced otherwise.

    Petraeus/Ryan 2012? Anyone? Anyone?

    See this from about a month ago:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7482356/General-David-Petraeus-tipped-as-Republican-2012-presidential-candidate.html

    An excerpt:

    “In a recent appearance at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia Gen Petraeus turned a question about whether or not he planned to write a book upon retiring into an opportunity to deny he had political ambitions. On other occasions he has laughed off the notion of a White House bid in a slightly disingenuous manner.

    Colleagues have begun to semi-seriously joke about the issue. At the annual Washington Alfalfa black tie dinner in late January Robert Gates, the Defence Secretary, was heard to remark that Gen Petraeus couldn’t make it because “he had an engagement in Iowa”, where the first caucuses are held.

    Everybody who knows him or spends time with him has always thought he would have a chance, and he does nothing much to dissuade them,” said Steve Clemons, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and publisher of the Washington Note blog.

    “His closest advisers don’t deny the logic or the suggestion,” added Mr Clemons, who recently attended a diplomatic Washington dinner party where Gen Petraeus wore business attire rather than uniform. “

  • johnt

    As for GOP candidates, the mass, indiscriminate tarring of all of them will start quite soon. In the face of the problems that O has caused it will take Olympian lies this time around to make him look even normal. Perhaps therefore some Republican stumble bum will stagger in spite of himself to victory, assuming we do have an election in 2012.

  • msctex

    . . .not just suspected, but knew, that the moment you announced as a viable Conservative candidate there would be a coordinated smear campaign openly conducted between your opposition and the majority of the mainstream media which controls Perception in this country, one that would without an ounce of shame involve your family, friends and every aspect of your life. . .

    Need I go on? I’ve no idea who our candidate will eventually end up to be, but it is only common sense that that individual keep his or her cards as close to the vest as possible, and for as long as possible. And if you think it keeps us on pins and needles, it will soon begin to absolutely eat at the Democrats, as all their guns will be loaded but with nowhere to aim. Hell, the worst case scenario for them might well be that our choice be made at the Convention.

  • Spartan4Life

    Not sure if I believe this or am just hoping it is true.

    There is not anyone currently being discussed that I think truly inspires, which is what is needed.

    This election could be a landslide in either direction, all depending on who runs against Obama. We better not screw this up because America can’t withstand four more years of O blah, blah, blah ma.

  • Darin_H

    Is that it give the media machine something to chew on. A big personality to fill the void at least until the adult candidates start talking.

  • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

    You forgot his hair.

  • harlan

    Hmmmm….

    There’s something vaguely familiar about that figure.

    Oh, yeah. It’s the same clueless dems, marxists, fellow travelers, useful idiots and lazy-ass americans who voted for hopey-changey.

    Hell, I’d support a coup right about now. At least the military is on our side.

  • blaze422

    “Possible Republican presidential candidate you have heard most about ?”
    MSM are spinning this poll to imply that over 50% of Americans can’t even name a candidate is laughable. 4% named Palin, 2% the Huckster etc
    http://people-press.org/2011/04/20/trump-most-visible-among-possible-gop-contenders/

  • BigRedConservative

    then all our worries would be over. We would have the best man in the country for defence as our Commander-in-Chief, and the best man in the country for economics (possibly) as our VP.

    But it’s not gonna happen, is it?

    Sad, sad world.

  • Ausonius

    I can see all kinds of scenarios, where the balkanized Republican war for the nomination is resolved in favor of Petraeus announcing his intention after e.g. a series of inconclusive primaries.

    But the Good General needs to want the office first.

    Who are the Republican leaders, who would approach him about accepting the nomination?

    Is nomination by acclamation at the convention possible these days?

  • TxCon

    To get to know candidates like Herman Cain or just nominate the same old “familiar” name?