POLL: GOP Still Lacking Leadership
In light of another recent poll showing the GOP's lack of clear leadership, Media Matters Action Network took a look at who was perceived to be leading the Democrats when they were last in the minority. The results are telling.
A new Newsmax-Zogby poll finds that the GOP's search for leadership is still far from over. According to the poll, 47 percent of voters believe "There is no clear GOP leader." For those who said the party does have a leader, the most popular choices were: Rush Limbaugh (13.2%), Michael Steele (9.4%) and Newt Gingrich (8.8%).
Among only Republicans, the results were slightly different but no more decisive. Steele (15.8%) leads the pack, followed by Gingrich (14.1%) and Sarah Palin (6.9%). Meanwhile, only 3.2% identified Mitt Romney as the party's leader, though 15.2 percent said they want him to be.
But more telling than the lack of clarity is the quality of the choices:
- Steele has never held public office higher than Lt. Governor of Maryland. His strategy during his failed Senate bid included pretending to be a Democrat and busing in homeless minorities from out-of-state to hand out fliers on his behalf. He has repeatedly embarrassed himself since being elected chairman of the RNC.
- Gingrich's tenure as Speaker of the House was marred by ethics violations. He hasn't served in Congress in 10 years. His recent actions include the Limbaugh-esque declaration that soon-to-be Justice Sonia Sotomayor is a racist.
- Palin resigned after less than one full term as Alaska's governor and a disastrous showing as a candidate for Vice President.
There's a reasonable argument that the leadership vacuum is simply a fact of life in the minority -- that it's not unique to today's GOP. However, those who believe Republicans are on the verge of a comeback should look back to the last time Democrats were the opposition party.
In February 2006, Democrats said that Hillary Clinton (28%), Bill Clinton (17%), and John Kerry (16%) were the party's leaders. Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Al Gore (4%) were tied for next on the list. So, before retaking Congress, Democrats were led by two prominent senators, both of whom remain party leaders, and a popular former president.
On the other hand, Republicans have rejected their most recent president and presidential candidate, and are now relying on four unelected and unimpressive "leaders" to bring them back into the majority. Until better options emerge, the GOP will likely remain lost.
