The Florida Straw Poll Result-where Perry said he had “all his hopes on”


Herman Cain: 37.11%
Rick Perry: 15.43%
Mitt Romney: 14.00%
Rick Santorum: 10.88%
Ron Paul: 10.39%
Newt Gingrich: 8.43%
Jon Huntsman: 2.26%
Michele Bachmann: 1.51%


Cain is yet another in a growing line of Palin substitutes who flame up as she is not available to vote for, and when vetted, flame out.


Conservatives don’t want Romney. With Perry collapsing then as putative ‘electable” with “front runner” status Romney should have been the recipient of Perry’s support and have had the nomination sewn up. 


That the Florida voters have rejected him and that premise shows that even if he managed to get the nomination through Beltway support he would lose the general election. Conservatives wouldn’t even go so far as many did with McCain, and hold their nose and vote for Romney  against Obama – the stay at home  protest would be remarkable.


The non-Romney non-Paul conservative vote in this straw poll is about 65%. I would be certain that the majority of that would go for Palin if she had declared. Palin is what everyone is waiting for and Cain, for all his likeability, does not have the experience, and of course has not been subject to the blowtorch of vetting, after which it would be expected he would end up with Bachmann’s support level.


All hinges on Palin – until she declares one way or the other, everything is preamble.


ORIGINAL POST AT M JOSEPH SHEPPARD’S A POINT OF VIEW