Pompeo Lost 90 Pounds... But Is Still Dead Last In GOP Primary Polling. Will Treason Help?

Mike Pompeo may be beloved by the Kochs-- he was a family retainer-- but no one else likes him much. He comes in at the bottom or near the bottom of every single GOP poll. The new one from YouGov that tested the popularity of 286 top American politicians, didn't even include him at all. Asked last fall to pick between 16 eager presidential aspirants in a poll for Politico, 803 likely Republican primary voters put Pompeo dead last, below even party apostates Liz Cheney and Larry Hogan! (The mainstream media continues to treat him as a serious contender for some reason that is beyond me.)

• Señor Trumpanzee- 381 (47%)

• Ron Desantis- 97 (12%)

• Mike Pence- 96 (12%)

• Trumpanzee Jr- 47 (6%)

• Ted Cruz- 25 (3%)

• Marco Rubio- 24 (3%)

• Nikki Haley- 22 (3%)

• Mitt Romney- 21 (3%)

• Liz Cheney- 14 (2%)

• Kristi Noem- 8 (1%)

• Tim Scott- 7 (1%)

• Rick Scott- 6 (1%)

• Tom Cotton- 4 (1%)

• Josh Hawley- 4 (1%)

• Larry Hogan- 3 (0%)

• Mike Pompeo- 2 (0%)

So Pompeo went whining to the RNC asking them what they could do to help him get his numbers up. They suggested a diet-- to bring down the number of chins-- and a speaking coach. I wonder if anyone there also recommended treason to please the Tucker Carlson fans, and Fox News viewers in general. Because that's the direction he's been moving in.

This morning, reporting for the Kansas City Star, Michael Wilner wrote that "Of all the former secretaries of state under Democratic and Republican presidents, only one is taking to cable news and social media during a moment of peril in Europe to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin and chastise the Biden administration. Mike Pompeo has lauded the Russian strongman over the past month as a 'talented,' 'savvy,' 'capable statesman,' offering his praise during a slew of interviews after his political action committee spent $30,000 on improving his performance in media appearances. 'He is a very talented statesman. He has lots of gifts,' Pompeo told Fox News in January. 'He was a KGB agent, for goodness sakes. He knows how to use power. We should respect that.'"

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers have traveled to Ukraine in recent weeks to express a unified American voice of support, and are working on legislation that would provide President Joe Biden with new sanctions tools to punish Russia if it further invades the country. Few other former secretaries of state have weighed in on the crisis, and those that have avoided politics. Condoleeza Rice, former secretary of state under President George W. Bush, called Putin “megalomaniacal” in a CNN interview over the weekend. There have been eight U.S. secretaries of state since Putin took power in 1999, including four under Republican presidents-- Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Rex Tillerson and Pompeo-- and four under Democratic presidents-- Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and the current secretary, Antony Blinken. To the contrary, Pompeo has targeted Biden as exemplifying “enormous weakness,” leading “an America on its back, an America that apologizes.” He asserts that Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and response to a ransomware hack of the Colonial pipeline last year contributed to Putin’s confidence. Putin is “very shrewd. Very capable,” Pompeo said in another recent interview with the Center for the National Interest. “I have enormous respect for him-- I’ve been criticized for saying that.”

In the past, former President Donald Trump’s secretary of state has privately dismissed Ukraine as insignificant in U.S. domestic politics. After an interview with an NPR reporter in 2020, Pompeo, then still secretary, pulled the reporter aside to curse at her for her questions, and demanded she identify Ukraine on an unmarked map. “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” he asked her. Pompeo has been visiting key primary states ahead of a potential run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. He has worked to increase his media profile since leaving office, losing 90 pounds in six months, joining Fox News as a contributor and staying active on the speakers circuit. His praise of Putin comes amid a debate within the Republican Party over whether Russia is a friend or foe. Major figures in the GOP, including Trump and Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have for years defended Putin and criticized Ukrainian leadership.

The newest Economist poll by YouGov, which was in the field before Russia invaded Ukraine, asked respondents how serious the threat to the U.S. is from various countries. Among registered voters 75% think the threat from Russia is immediate and serious (43%) or Somewhat serious (34%). 17% say is is minor (11%) or non-existent (6%). The only other country which over 70% of Americans find a serious threat is China.

A majority of Americans don't care about what's going on in other counties, or just care a little. Among registered voters this list represents people who don't give a crap about what is happening in each of these countries:

• UK- 65% (so why does MSNBC keep talking about their queen having COVID. Do people care?)

• Israel- 61%

• Russia- 57%

• Ukraine- 60%

• Iraq- 77%

• Syria- 77%

• Afghanistan- 74%

• China- 57%

• Taiwan- 68%

• North Korea- 66%