Not only are his approval numbers good, but his 2012 match-up numbers are good too. Romney, Huckabee, Gingrich, and Palin, the only potential GOP candidates with much national name recognition, all trailed the President head-to-head. For good measure, Michele Bachmann is getting whipped too. PPP says the President leads Romney and Huckabee by 5 points, Gingrich by 12, Palin by 17, and Bachmann by 18. Basically, this changes the calculus a bit. The popular logic had been that Mitt Romney would run as the "electable" candidate. Four years ago, Mike Huckabee had to run against that mantra, being considered unelectable by most. Well, now, they are just as electable, and both will have a very difficult time (because most people who are open to voting for these two, already know them). Gingrich and Palin both have nearly unanimous name recognition, and get beaten soundly. Bachmann is just way, way behind. It's tough for any of these people to claim the "electability" argument in Iowa and New Hampshire.
So who wins this poll? Everybody else. Haley Barbour wins this poll. Time Pawlenty wins this poll. Hell, Chris Christie, Scott Brown, and Bobby Jindal win this poll. If NONE of the front-runners have a very good chance to beat the President, than why wouldn't caucus-goers in Iowa, or voters in New Hampshire and South Carolina give them a look? It's worth considering as we go further.
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