Ronaldo expresses joy celebrating Saudi Founding Day with Crown Prince at Saudi Cup 2025    Volvo returns to Saudi Arabia with Electromin — a bold step toward a sustainable future    Saudi Arabia implements new personal status regulations    Riyadh begins installing nameplates honoring Saudi imams and kings in 15 major squares    Israel delays Palestinian prisoner release as military escalates West Bank operations    Zelenskyy aims for 'just peace' with Russia by 2025, says Ukraine's foreign minister    Germany votes in landmark election as conservatives lead in polls    Trump defends foreign aid freeze, calls USAID a 'left-wing scam'    Bergwijn, Benzema lead Al-Ittihad to dominant 4-1 Clasico win over Al-Hilal    Saudi U-20 team secures spot in 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup with last-minute winner over China    PIF seeks to expand US investments despite restrictions, says governor Al-Rumayyan Saudi sovereign fund launched 103 companies across 13 sectors, aims to attract more foreign talent to Saudi Arabia    Saudi minister holds high-level talks at FII Miami to boost AI, tech, and space partnerships    Saudi Media Forum concludes with key industry partnerships and award recognitions    Al-Ettifaq stuns Al-Nassr with late winner as Ronaldo protests refereeing decisions    Imam Mohammed bin Saud: The founder of the First Saudi State and architect of stability    'Neighbors' canceled again, two years after revival    Proper diet and healthy eating key to enjoying Ramadan fast    Saudi Media Forum panel highlights Kingdom's vision beyond 2034 World Cup    AlUla Arts Festival 2025 wraps up with a vibrant closing weekend    'Real life Squid Game': Kim Sae-ron's death exposes Korea's celebrity culture    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Independents key to 2012 US polls
PATRICIA ZENGERLE
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 22 - 06 - 2011

WHILE it is still very early, indications are that the most likely match up in the 2012 presidential election will be between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who leads polls among Republicans.
Romney, the only holdover from the 2008 Republican presidential field who has reached double-digits in recent opinion polls, performed well in a debate last week and has shown he can mount a multimillion-dollar fundraising push.
“Romney is the best opportunity for the Republicans to have a well-funded campaign,” said Jonathan Collegio, communications director at the conservative group American Crossroads. “He's basically been running for six years and he has a network of local leaders and fundraisers across the country.” The winner of the Republican nomination will not be known for many months and Romney would first need to defeat rivals like Michele Bachmann, who is shaping up as the conservative Republican champion, before he can take on Obama.
There also is the chance a relative unknown could enter the race and overtake Romney, whose campaigning style is seen as awkward. Some conservatives also view Romney with suspicion because he was a moderate governor and some evangelical Christians are uncomfortable with his Mormon religion.
But if Romney does come out on top in the primaries, the battle lines in a fight between him and the Democratic president are clear.
With the election 17 months away, most polls show Obama with a lead of 6 percent to 7 percent over Romney and a Reuters poll this month had Obama leading Romney by 13 percent.
The key to the general election for both men will be to win over independent voters not strongly allied with either party.
Romney is one of the most moderate Republican candidates and could appeal to independents, although he has moved away from more centrist policies like the healthcare overhaul he put into place in Massachusetts and which conservatives find too similar to Obama's healthcare plan.
“The other Romney, the old Romney, would make a really interesting campaign against Obama,” said Clyde Wilcox, a government professor at Georgetown University in Washington, citing Romney's record on healthcare, cleaning up the Olympics when he organized the Winter Games in Salt Lake City in 2002 and working with a Democratic legislature while governor.
“The problem is, to get the Republican nomination he's running away from that,” Wilcox said.
An Obama versus Romney contest would hinge as well on the economy and the contrast between the two men's personalities.
Barring an unexpectedly quick recovery, Romney will hammer Obama on his failure to create enough jobs and tout his own real-world experience as a multimillionaire businessman.
“Obama's prospects are largely tied up with economic conditions. Economic growth and disposable income — those are the key factors,” said Richard Eichenberg, a political science professor at Tufts University, outside Boston.
“If they don't turn around and start to look up, then Romney's prospects look better.”
The Obama team, in turn, will try to poke holes in Romney's business record, charge him with “flip-flopping on issues and contrast his somewhat stilted style with Obama's more natural talent for connecting with voters.


Clic here to read the story from its source.