[johnlohanmclee]

Washington Monthly: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/pol..._did030517.php

A fascinating poll out of Florida was released a couple of days ago. It didn’t just show Gov. Rick Scott (R) as unpopular — a detail we already knew — it also showed that Floridians hate the right-wing chief executive so much, it might influence their 2012 decision.

Specifically, Public Policy Polling found that 40% of Florida voters said Scott’s failures have made them less likely to support a Republican in the presidential election. What’s more, nearly one in five of voters who disapprove of President Obama’s job performance are part of this group — they’re unsatisfied with the president thus far, but Scott has soured them on the GOP.

The next question, then, is considering just how widespread this is.

Third Way, a centrist Democratic group, this week published an interesting chart, showing the declining popularity of Republican governors in key 2012 battleground states. Some of these governors are very unpopular, with approval ratings in the low-to-mid 30s.

See the chart here: http://www.thirdway.org/publications/409

So, after the 2010 wave that swept a massive number of Republicans into office, has the American mainstream suddenly been reminded of what it was they didn’t like about the GOP in the first place? Will the buyers’ remorse affecting the electorate still resonate a year from now?

[Michael-jeckson2]

Further on in this article, another pundit states that the "unpopular governor effect" would have little sway in a presidential election. He writes, "Polling from 2007 indicated that about a third of the population couldn’t even name their governor..."

This isn't 2007, and what Gov. Scott has been doing in Florida isn't an isolated incident. Believe me, the citizens here know Rick Scott's name. They also know Gov. Walker and Gov. Kasich and Gov. Daniels. So does Jon Huntsman, by the way. He's set up shop in Florida.

The legislation Gov Scott has pushed through the Florida legislature is the same legislation we've seen pushed through in Wisconsin and Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. We also realize these governors are aligned with the Tea Party and their agenda. Read the message boards of the states' newspapers and you see life-long Republicans repeating the same thing, "This is not my Republican Party. This is not what I signed up for."

As the GOP gets dragged further to the right by Tea Party favorites such as Michele Bachmann (a Tea Party caucus member), and as other presidential candidates fall in line with those agendas -- agendas that have rewarded the wealthy and corporate America at the expense of low- and middle class Americans, Floridians and citizens of other states are taking notice. They will not put a president in office who will dismantle our country as these governors are dismantling our states.

[Hpdovoxm]

Or, to paraphrase the patron saint of, well, whatever Republicans consider him saint of, "I didn't leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left me."