Hypothetical Presidential Poll: Paul (R) vs. Obama (D) - FINAL RESULTS included

Punditty Poll: If Rep. Ron Paul of Texas had won the Republican nomination, who would you vote for Nov. 4 in a contest between Paul (R) and Obama (D)?

The poll was launched Sept. 29, 2008, and closed at approximately 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 7.

RESULTS: 1,102 votes cast

Ron Paul: 79 percent (870 votes)

Barack Obama 20 percent (228 votes)

Other - 4 votes

FULL REPORT on the Poll results and what they might indicate for the Ron Paul Revolution to follow this week. Check back at:

http://tinyurl.com/4z2cjz

As with all online polls open to the general public, this poll was subject to any number of corrupting factors, such as who heard about it, who spread the word to others and who bothered to take it seriously. Punditty will take all this into account is his analysis.

SOME NOTES ON THE CONCEPT behind this poll:

One of the few major pollsters to take Ron Paul seriously in late 2007, before voters began voting in primaries and caucuses, was Scott Rasmussen of RasmussenReports.com.

In December of 2007, more than three weeks before the Iowa Caucuses, Rasmussen polled 1,200 likely voters about potential matchups between Paul and Obama (Obama won 50 to 31 percent) and Paul and Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York (Clinton won 49 to 37 percent). There may be more recent polls, but given such factors as media coverage and name recognition at the time the poll was taken, the numbers in favor of Obama and Clinton are hardly surprising.

Punditty wonders how Obama would fare against Paul in debates about the bailout – or other economic issues Republican voters were so ready to ignore during the primary season, when every GOP candidate except Paul was mouthing their own variation of “the fundamentals of the economy are strong.”

One can be fairly certain that rather than using soundbite lines about “not being elected Miss Congeniality,” a GOP-nominated Paul would have maintained a serious demeanor and talked straight with the American people. Instead of finding himself in the easier position of correcting McCain’s demonstrably inaccurate assertions, Obama would have been forced to engage in a debate with Paul on the merits of their respective approaches to rebuilding a strong economy.

At this point in the campaign – Oct. 6, 2008 – Punditty supports Obama. Barring a major shakeup in the Republican ticket or some other unforeseen development, he expects that support to continue. The column under “Submitted News Stories,” below, explains his reasoning for supporting Obama now, even though he supported Paul then.

To wit: If Republican voters would have been as interested in what was going on in the financial sector during the primary season as they are today, McCain would be on the sidelines, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would still be a virtual unknown, and for once American voters would have a real, clear and substantive choice about the big-picture direction the country should take and who should lead the way: Ron Paul or Barack Obama.

Someone like former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson would be debating Sen. Joe Biden Thursday night, and you can be sure that no one would be doubting Johnson’s qualifications to be vice-president.

Sadly, the Republican primary voters picked the wrong nominee. Instead, we’re left a choice nowhere near commensurate with the one voters deserve in a free and democratic society. Punditty closes for now by invoking the words of the late, great American writer Kurt Vonnegut: So it goes.