Readers Foresee an Obama-Cain Race


If the election were held today, President Barack Obama would be re-elected and his Republican challenger would be Herman Cain, according to readers of MedPage Today.

Nearly half (49%) of the more than 5,100 voters in our weekly poll said they'd choose Obama if they had to step into the voting booth today. Cain received 15% of the votes, while Romney garnered 12%.

The only other Republican in double-digits was Ron Paul, with support from 10% of our readers.

Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, John Huntsman, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Santorum (in that order) rounded out the bottom of the list.

But as one commenter pointed out, the bright side is that at least 51% of readers recognize that Obama has to go.

The 82 comments from voters ran the gamut of political opinion.

Obama got high grades for taking out Osama bin Laden and other top Al-Qaeda leaders, but there were squabbles as to how much credit he should really be given.

He received kudos for the impending exit from Iraq, yet those returning soldiers will make an already sinking economy sink even further, one commenter stated.

Many of our readers perceive Obama as being concerned with the middle and lower classes (while many do not). Commenters noted the "grace and character" with which Obama carries himself through "unrelentless lies, ridiculous rumors, and racist assaults."

He is viewed as a person of intelligence and authenticity, but not by all.

One reader, amused at others' faith in Obama, said they would probably have "confidence in the Titanic after it hit the iceberg."

Others see his administration as corrupt and catering to corporations. They bemoaned his choices for cabinet posts and advisers, saying they revealed "no desire to get the best individuals for the job."

They don't like his "socialist" agenda, and we had better "wake up" before our children are working in China as the U.S. becomes more and more indebted to it.

Some readers gave Obama a certain amount of leeway, saying he is doing a credible job with the mess left to him from the Bush/Cheney administration. And he's doing as best he can with an obstructionist Congress.

Regarding support for Republicans, there seemed to be a sense of resignation, as readers felt that the Republicans are disorganized and have yet to put forth a qualified candidate.

"What an obscene waste of (Republican) dollars," said one commenter about campaign money. "Too bad those billions aren't going toward solving some of the economic woes of our country."

But don't talk about anyone's inexperience, such as Cain, because, as our readers pointed out, Obama was in office for a mere six months before he used the rest of his senate term to campaign for president.

Cain received several votes of confidence for being a proven businessman who can get the U.S. out of debt.

Republicans were chastised as a group for rejecting "many universally accepted scientific facts" such as climate change or evolution, and for having a "divine mandate," which pushes the U.S. further behind other countries in many areas.

Several readers said that MedPage Today should stick to covering medicine, not politics. But they were reminded by other readers that much of medicine today is politics.

A few readers were not happy with the list of candidates. They suggested one more choice be added: "None of the above."

Politics has a way of straining the conversation to a level that can exceed rational thought. And as usual, we received a few comments that strained in the direction befitting the X-Files.

Here is one example: "[Obama] is a communist dictator in training, the front man for George Soros. Read his books. He wants to destroy the U.S.'s ability to be self sufficient. Now he's giving money to Finland to build electric cars...hmmmm."

Now, onto something completely different. Check out our new survey about Steve Jobs and alternative medicine.