Say what!
As you might be able to see, the top people in terms of favorable stories are in order, Perry, Palin, Bachmann, Cain, Romney, Santorum, Paul, Hunstman, Gingrich, Pawlenty and, wait for it... Obama.
Gingrich actual has a higher percentage of negative stories than Obama (35% to 34%) but then again, he's Newt Gingrich. And his favorable stories are at 15% compared to 9% for Obama. Pawlenty is also at 30% negative, but as you may remember, he dropped out of the race because he's a terrible, terrible candidate.
Interestingly, Huntsman and Paul clock in with identical 21% positive/17% negative/62% who the hell are you again? This is interesting because the media can't understand why Huntsman isn't catching on just like the 25 year old libertarians who live in their parents basement can't understand why Paul isn't catching on.
Palin's 31/22 +/- spread is just inexplicable. While I believe that McCain's slim chances at becoming president were ended by his inexplicable choice of Caribou Barbie as his running mate, and I will never forgive him for foisting this no-talent grifter on to the American body politic (which she has humped like it was Glenn Rice after a few bottles of Bartles and Jaymes), but the media has kept her around when she should be expunged from the national discourse like a nasty dose of the clap.
Perry's 32/20 split is likely part of the earlier hagiography that goes into new candidates. I would guess those numbers have cratered along with his campaign.
Romney runs slightly negative at 26/27, presumably because he's the frontrunner who isn't actually leading. Plus, his Mitt Romney, Cyborg.
But the real numbers here are Obama's 9/34. Now, I am willing to cede that a lot of this comes from the fact that Obama has to govern - and has to govern over divided government at a time of unprecedented obstruction from the minority party. The whole debt ceiling thing reflected well on no one. But this survey also includes when we shot bin Laden in the face.
Typical of this is the recent stories about fundraising. Obama has raised more money than the rest of the GOP field combined. He has done so without relying on potentially toxic contributions from Wall Street (the way Romney has). Most of these donations have been small donations.
Yet, when you read about Obama, you read about a candidate who has real "problems with the base" and an "enthusiasm gap". How do they explain the fundraising numbers? They don't.
Sun Tzu said that it is best to be underestimated by your enemies. Maybe this will rebound to Obama's advantage. OWS is changing the political debate in this country is a good way. They are creating space to the Left in a discourse that has largely been captured by the Right. And as we can see from the Pew study, a lot of those criticisms about Obama from the Right (and the Left) have been internalized by the press.
Obama is still in trouble, but I also think it's still his race to lose.
And the media will be very surprised when he wins.
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