Veteran GOP pollster at Regent event picks Romney

VIRGINIA BEACH

Veteran Republican pollster Frank Luntz thinks GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain is the most affable, engaging candidate for president in 2012.

Luntz found it "amazing" that Cain came out on top Friday when his Regent University luncheon audience of more than 400 signaled with their applause whom they most wanted to be president.

Then Luntz lowered the boom.

Cain, an Atlanta-based business executive who recently joined Mitt Romney at the top of GOP presidential polls, won't be the party's nominee, Luntz declared.

"I think the electoral system is set up against him. He doesn't have the money that the other candidates have. He doesn't have the infrastructure because he's not a professional politician."

"I'm a Cain fan. I spent a fair amount of time with him," said Luntz, a GOP consultant, book author and frequent television commentator.

Cain is going to have to provide very specific details on foreign policy - a topic that, so far, he hasn't handled well, Luntz said.

By contrast, he said, Romney is an "absolutely professional" campaigner.

"He's been running since he was 12," he quipped. "But Cain's got the one advantage, which is that everybody likes him."

In the end, Luntz said, "my guess is, at this point, it's probably Romney. But I've been so surprised by what's happened." He noted the once popular, now lagging campaigns of Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota congresswoman Michelle Bachmann.

"That's what a debate does," he said.

GOP candidates are also hurting themselves, he said.

Luntz said his research shows that Romney is losing support among independent voters because of negative ads aimed at him by other presidential candidates.

"I don't understand why candidates think they can get elected president by attacking other Republicans. The enemy isn't other Republicans - the opponent is the person in the White House."

Luntz said President Barack Obama's chances of winning a second term are 50-50.

"This class warfare stuff is working," he said. "It is frightening to me that people are now resentful of those who have done well, believing that they did well on the backs of other people."

Luntz said he doesn't see much compromise between the conservative and liberal or progressive camps in the upcoming federal elections.

"They are not reconcilable," he said. "The world view on the right prioritizes freedom, and the world view on the left prioritizes equality."

Wearing a dark sports coat, white shirt and tie but also sporting bright green running shoes, Luntz acted more like a talk show host than a lecturer during his 40-minute address, roaming the large ballroom with a wireless microphone.

Mixed in with his serious political comments were humorous jabs at Democrats and Republicans.

Mentioning New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's recent dabbling in presidential politics, Luntz opined that the most dangerous place in the Garden State was anywhere between the portly governor and a buffet.

"Did you hear about the new McDonald's Obama happy meal?" he asked the crowd. "Order anything you want, and the guy behind has to pay for it."

Even his host, religious broadcaster and Regent founder Pat Robertson, who was sitting at a front table, didn't escape his barbs.

"Every time I look at him, all I can see is Al Franken in 'Saturday Night Live' playing him in 1988," Luntz said.

Bill Bartel, (757) 446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com