American Way: Barack Obama is no shoo-in for re-election in 2012

[Geee]

UK Telegraph:

Washington is the city of conventional wisdom. Denizens of the District of Columbia cling to a prevailing notion for dear life even when all evidence begins to point in another direction. Then, quick as a flash, the mood shifts and another idea takes hold.

So it has been with President Barack Obama and his 2012 re-election chances. Back in November, when his party was on the receiving end of the worst electoral pummelling since 1948, Obama was a dead cert one-term president, a Jimmy Carter with bells on heading for oblivion.
A compromise tax deal, the ratification of an arms treaty and the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell gay ban in the military later and Obama was once more a colossus sitting astride the American body politic mocking those idiot Republicans queuing up to lose in 2012.

Despite Obama’s halting ambivalence over what to do with Libya, the continued unpopularity of his signature healthcare reform and an ailing economy, the Washington cognoscenti remains convinced. Altogether now: Obama’s a shoo-in. You hear it again and again.

Last week, however, a Quinnipiac poll found that Obama had the worst re-election figures of his presidency with 48 percent of voters disapproving and just 42 percent approving of his performance. In an election now against a generic Republican – any opponent – he would lose.

[AceRimmer]

One thing the article nails is that right now, Pawlenty may well be the best GOP candidate in the field to beat Obambi.

[Pepper]

Palin and Pawlenty, or Pawlenty and Palin

 

Acerimmer

 

Good and Plenty

[pollyannaish]

I am very impressed with Pawlenty so far. He's not flashy, but he seems real and he seems serious. To me that is a welcome change.