GOP Power Rankings 9/25/11...

Mitt Stays #1, field falling behind...


NEXT DEBATE: Tuesday, October 11, 2011   8:00pm Bloomberg 


As we approach the end of September, we've seen three debates in the last few weeks, a surprising victory in the Florida Straw poll and a star may be flickering faster than anyone thought...

This weeks rankings:

1) Mitt Romney- Sitting second in most polls, Mr. Romney has been a picture of discipline, control and poise in the debates thus far. Governor Perry has attempted to take a few shots at him, but hasn't been able to find his target. While this race is largely perceived as a two horse race, the feeling I have is that the Romney campaign has to be delighted where things stand. Maybe Perry will find his mojo and shake things up, but so far, Mitt Romney seems to be taking all of this debate business in stride. I think the Romney campaign is built for a long run. It doesn't matter who's ahead in September '11. This may be very premature, but I have a feeling this race might already be over. (Last Ranking: #1)

2) Rick Perry- The front runner, if you believe the pollsters. Which I do not. The potential is there for Governor Perry to improve his aim when it comes to Romney, the question is will that potential be realized? Perry looked bad in the last few debates and with his stance on immigration being what it is, he can count on a lot of attention in the next few debates. His debate prep must improve, dramatically before the Bloomberg debate on the 11th. He needs a strong showing to prove his worth to investors and potential voters. (Last Ranking: #2)

3) Herman Cain-The surprise winner of the Florida straw poll elevates Mr. Cain to his highest ranking yet. While he hasn't got the attention severity of questions that Romney/Perry have, he hasn't squandered what opportunities have been had. His claim that he'd be dead under Obamacare is so fully wrong, I wonder if any of the other candidates might dare call him on it. His 9-9-9 strategy still sounds like a pizza deal than an economic plan. (Last Ranking: #6)

4) Rick Santorum-Santorum has an easy to swallow message for most Conservative voters. He's not afraid to challenge the other candidates on stage and plays to the crowd quite well. Coming in 4th in the Florida straw poll but a weak 7th in the Michigan version on Sunday, Santorum is probably satisfied where he is. Not thought to be a serious candidate, he is making himself relevant nonetheless. He has sucked up some of the momentum that Michelle Bachmann several weeks ago. But like Bachmann, Santorum may be but a memory by the time we get to the holidays. His financial reports in a few days will tell us a lot about how long he can afford to remain in the hunt. (Last Ranking: #5)

5) Ron Paul- Mr. Paul continues to stay on message. That's both a good thing and a bad thing. People have a pretty good feel for what Ron Paul is all about. As a darkhorse however, he doesn't get invited to play in the big boys sandbox often enough to make much headway in the big scheme of things. Between him and Mr. Gingrich, the elder statesmen of the GOP field seem cranky, evasive and more and more irrelevant with each debate. (Last Ranking: #8)

6) Michelle Bachmann-Suggested that citizens get to keep all of their income, and send none of it to the government. A silly answer when she had an opportunity to put her tax plan out their for all to see. After all, she is a former tax litigation attorney, so she should've had some intelligent answer ready to go. To swing and miss at a nasty curve ball is one thing. To swing and miss when its sitting on a tee is very telling. Her position on HPV vaccines is also unattractive to many indepentdent voters. Her star is fading. We knew it had to all along. Iowa seems so far away, doesn't it Mrs. Bachmann? (Last Ranking: #3)

7) Newt Gingrich- I'm running out of ideas on what to write in terms of Mr. Gingrich as a viable Presidential candidate. He's just not. Yes, he's polling slightly better than he was a month ago, but this isn't going to end well. Speaking of how this all ends for the former Speaker of the House, I think he would make a very interesting choice for the next POTUS's chief of staff. Think about it...he knows how the game is played, doesn't he? Don't rule it out...(Last Ranking: #7)

8) John Huntsman-A few weeks ago I thought Huntsman might have found a way to inject himself into the adults discussion, but I was wrong. Smart, interesting background, wealthy Huntsman is at the bottom of most of the polls and shows no sign of improving on this anytime soon. He has some interesting ideas, but zero traction. Its a toss up between him and Gingrich who bails first. (Last Ranking: #4)

Overall Rankings: (The lower the score, the better...)
(After 7 rankings...)

1. Romney - 8
2. Bachmann - 22
3. Perry - 28
4. Cain - 38

5. Santorum - 50

7. Paul - 53 

8. Huntsman - 64
9. Gingrich - 69

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