Sarah Palin left behind - Michele Bachmann in 2nd place

The New York Times has an interesting article about the "conservative" candidates for the Republican nomination:

... Just weeks ago, Ms. Bachmann was dismissed by many political analysts in both parties as a shrill conservative outlier with telegenic looks but goofy right-wing politics. She was caricatured on cable news talk shows as a warmed-over version of Sarah Palin. Now Ms. Bachmann ranks second (19 percent) to the front-runner, Mitt Romney (33 percent), in a post-debate [New Hampshire] Rasmussen national poll. And as the only woman in the race, she draws ardent support from many in the female-laden ranks of the Tea Party. ...

... But the woman from Minnesota faces overwhelming obstacles. Certainly, a Rick Perry candidacy would have the potential to overshadow her. Mr. Perry, a 10-year governor of Texas with a strong economic record, shares her outsider status, and like her, speaks Tea Party lingo and appeals to fiscal and social conservatives.

She will also have an uphill battle to attract independents, moderate Republicans and the party leadership, who are all much more likely to favor a richly funded establishment candidate like Mr. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, or Mr. Perry, who has won three terms as governor of America’s second largest state. One indication of her problems within her party came earlier this year when she tried to get a House leadership position but failed to gain enough support. ...

Luisita Lopez Torregrosa, the writer of "Bachmann Will Have a Fight to Stay at the Top Tier," tells of an expected "catfight" between Palin and Bachmann, but it looks as though Palin has been left behind, given Bachmann's second-place showing in a national poll. The article also describes the difficulties that Bachmann, like Palin, would have in expanding her support beyond the same Christian fundamentalist base that was attracted to Palin.

Would Perry run better against President Obama than either Palin or Bachmann? The attractive thing about either Palin or Bachmann is that their views offer Obama an opportunity to draw sharp contrasts with his views, which offers the opportunity of a landslide rather than a close election.