Flickr/<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeisaprayer/2815879337/">geerlingguy</a>
At the Netroots Nation conference in Las Vegas last week, the liberals and Democrats gathered for this annual tech-centric event were polled on a range of issues, including which GOP candidate they want to take on Obama in the 2012 presidential election. Their answer? “Mama grizzly” Sarah Palin, by a landslide.
Talking Points Memo, which snagged an early version of the Netroots straw poll results, reports that 48 percent of those polled want the ex-Alaska governor and former vice presidential nominee to win the Republican nomination in 2012. Libertarian figurehead Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) came in a distant second, with 11 percent. Filling out the rest of the pack were former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (11 percent), 2008 GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney (9 percent), Newt Gingrich (8 percent), and Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty (7 percent).
The takeaway here is obvious: Liberals want wacky, fringe candidates—or in Santorum’s case, candidates with horrendous image problems—so as to clear the way for four more years of Obama.
More from TPM on the straw poll:
A fascinating result within the poll is what the frustrated netroots want Obama to focus on next. They overwhelmingly (74 percent) answered “improve jobs situation” when asked what should be the “highest priority” for Obama and Congress. Far runners up were “finish Afghanistan” with 8 percent, immigration reform with 7 percent, repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell with 6 percent, drawing down troops from Iraq with 3 percent and reduce deficit with 3 percent. (See Obama’s surprise message to the convention here.)
The group also—by 69 percent—said health care reform was Obama’s “top accomplishment.” That was followed by his economic recovery plan with 13 percent, improving the U.S. image abroad with 7 percent, extending unemployment benefits with 5 percent, Wall Street reform with 3 percent, moving toward the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell with 2 percent and a new Afghanistan strategy with 1 percent.
The majority of respondents think Obama is handling his job as commander-in-chief well, with 32 percent saying they “strongly approve” and 51 percent saying they “somewhat approve.” On the disapproval side, 13 percent disapprove somewhat, and 4 percent strongly disapprove.
