Republican Candidates Power Rankings 8/07/11...

August will be a very interesting month for the GOP field...

My rankings as of today...
                                   

1) Mitt Romney- Still atop the Reasonable Conversation Power Rankings, we should see a slightly more engaged Mitt Romney. While he's skipping the Ames Straw Poll next Saturday, he will participate in the Fox News debate on Thursday evening. Fundraising is in terrific shape. I fully expect Tim Pawlenty to fire at least one solid shot across Romney's bow during the debate...I also fully expect Romney to deftly swat it aside. (Last ranking: #1)

2) Michelle Bachmann-Slides into the number two slot as much on the slips and trips by Herman Cain. Bachmann's got a lot invested in the Straw Poll and the debate this week. Pesky issues such as her husband's clinic and her own unforced public comment errors have taken a little of the glean off of Bachmann. Her campaign has to be dreading an entry by Texas Governor Rick Perry into the race, as he covers most of the bases Bachmann does, with a different yet similar kind of following. (Last ranking: #2)

 3) Rick Perry-Not declared as a formal candidate yet, but all signs point toward a likely entry into the fray. His "The Response Rally" yesterday went off well, although only one of 40 Governor's invited (Kansas' Sam Brownback) showed up. His entry would effect the Pawlenty, Bachmann and Santorum campaigns more than the others. Perry's college transcripts surfaced on the internet over the last week and let's just say they weren't too impressive. How relevant they are is highly questionable.  (Last ranking: #5)

 4) Ron Paul-Paul continues to do his thing leading up to the debate and straw poll. One pundit called him the "Babe Ruth of straw polls." I'm not sure that it really matters as he's not in the same limelight as Bachmann is for example. No matter what happens this week, Paul will be just about where he stands right now a week from now. If he could find a way to be taken more seriously by the bulk of the electorate, he could be a force. Perhaps finding a way to destroy Romney in one of these debates might do the trick. (Last ranking: #8)

5) Sarah Palin-What's the hurry to announce that she's not running? I think Palin is more concerned with her celebrity than much of anything else. No serious policy work, no serious campaign staff being assembled, etc. Palin will do what Mike Hackabee refused to do. Continue to be a distraction. We should know one way or the other within a few weeks. She has a great future at Fox News and possibly GBTV (Glen Beck Television). I rank her this highly because if she would decide to run, her name recognition alone would elevate her into the top tier of candidates immediately. (Last ranking: #4)

6) Tim Pawlenty-Much is on the line for Pawlenty this week. First up is a long awaited chance at redemption for not going after rival Mitt Romney when he had the chance at the last debate. I will be shocked if Pawlenty doesn't attack Romney at least once in Thursday night's debate on Fox. Then comes the Ames Straw Poll, where he hopes to do reasonably well. If...IF...Pawlenty has a poor showing on Thursday evening in the debate and on Saturday in the Straw Poll, his weak fundraising may slow to a trickle. Don't be shocked if TPaw pulls out of the race by Halloween... (Last ranking: #6)

7) Herman Cain-Cain seems to be coming off a bit of a rough stretch with a dust-up over his comments towards Muslim Americans. He said he meant his comments towards creepin sharia and jihadists, but after a meeting at the Islamic ADAMS Center in Virginia, he offered an apology to any Muslim Americans. Smart not to let this fester, Cain, a true underdog candidate, is holding steady and looking for a solid performance in Iowa this week. (Last ranking: #3)

8) Rick Santorum-Perhaps realizing that his chances are somewhere between slim and none, Santorum has begun to find fault with fellow candidates Michelle Bachmann and Ron Paul, two figures expected to do well in the upcoming Ames Straw Poll next weekend. Santorum felt that both Bachmann and Paul should've taken on more of a leadership role in the debt crisis debate. “I didn’t see their input at all in this whole process,” Santorum said during an interview with Radio Iowa. “So how can you say you want to be the leaders of the country if you can’t even lead the congress?” Santorum said he would've voted against that deal that was recently passed into law. (Last ranking: #7)

9) Newt Gingrich-Eeeh Gods, man...end this, will you? The campaign most plagued by controversy now saw accusations of fake Twitter followers signed up by a third party firm. Regardless of how many were actually living breathing humans, it just looks stupid. This is a campaign that has bewildered many political pundits. We all felt we'd see a campaign or two crash and burn in the first few months of the 2012 GOP campaigning season. We just didn't think it would be Gingrich's. (Last ranking: #10)

10) John Huntsman- Campaign staff resignations, poor fundraising, low name recognition scores all add up to 10th place finish. Not sure how this plays out. Perhaps he's attempting to hang on until some bigger names (Pawlenty, Palin, Gingrich) wash out and then he can fill some of their void. This is a bright man with moderate Conservative ideas, which may not resonate with the Conservative voter this go-round. He may play better with Independents, actually. (Last ranking: #9)

Overall Rankings: (The lower the score, the better...)

(After 4 rankings...)

 

1. Romney - 4
2. Bachmann - 8
3. Cain - 17
4. Perry -19

5. Palin - 20
6. Pawlenty -20
7. Santorum - 30 

8. Paul - 31

9. Huntsman - 34

10. Gingrich - 37










(NOTE: Rankings are compiled by simply adding the rankings each week to a running total of same...)