NO NAME BEATS FAMOUS NAME – AT 8:41 A.M. ET:  In the latest poll to test his popularity, President Obama still trails the now-renowened and deeply experienced anonymous Republican.  From the Daily Caller:

A generic Republican presidential candidate would beat Barack Obama by a five-point margin if the election were held today, according to a poll released Tuesday by Rasmussen.

The as-yet-unnamed Republican candidate leads Obama 47 percent to 42 percent. This is the fourth consecutive week that Rasmussen’s polling has found a generic Republican candidate with a lead.

And...

A Gallup poll of registered voters released on July 14 found a generic Republican candidate was leading Obama, 47 percent to 39 percent. Gallup noted that this was the first time the Republican candidate had held a “statistically significant lead.”

No specific candidate has yet been able to live up to the potential of the generic Republican. Though several state polls and one national poll have found specific candidates (usually Romney) leading Obama, no one has yet achieved the same six- to eight-point lead.

Maybe the Republians can just put "No name" on the ballot, and not even run a campaign.  Given the lack of artistry of recent GOP campaigns, that might be a good idea.  The campaign slogan can be, "Anonymous – better than the guy you know."  The public might buy it.  They bought Obama.

But there's also some light for an actual name:

A Quinnipiac poll of Pennsylvania voters released Tuesday found Mitt Romney edging Obama 44 percent to 42 percent, a lead that is within the margin of error.

Margin of error or not, at least that's encouraging.  Pennsylvania is a key Dem state.  If Pennsylvania goes, it's hard to see how Obama can win the 2012 election.  But remember, the election is still a year and three months off.  That's about 20 lifetimes in politics.  The Republicans can falter, and Obama, still a great campaigner, can rally.  Or maybe we'll have an economic miracle, a kind of national Apple Computer.  Don't put this one in the bank yet. 

August 3, 2011