A taint that cannot be ignored?

Not exactly. I for one don't believe there are 20% of republicans are prepared to vote for Obama. What I do believe is that there are 20% or more of republicans who will refuse to vote for Romney. So, if by default, those votes are considered votes for Obama, then that is the only way that it can be construed.

Either way, if the public thinks that the media has tainted the GOP candidates to this point? Wait until they see what happens to the GOP nominee. That will be a true public scourging. Mean while, these so called independents will vote for Bart Simpson if someone spends enough money to market him.

They shouldn't even be entitled to the title of independent. They ought to be known as the perpetually fickle and leave it at that.

20% of Republicans leaning to Obama!

For critics of Barack Obama, 2012 has been portrayed as a do-or-die year for the country – an election that will determine whether America stays on the road to European-style socialism or veers right to reclaim its positions as the most vibrant economy in the world and the home of individual liberty.

But the 2012 election is looking more like a replay of 2008 than a do-over.
The latest WND/Wenzel Poll shows none of the current crop of Republican presidential candidates has solidified the base of the party, with one in five GOP voters leaning toward support of Obama in November.
The results are from the public-opinion research and media consulting company Wenzel Strategies. The poll was conducted Feb. 1-3, 2012, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.44 percentage points.
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“The improvement in Obama’s prospects compared to the four remaining Republican challengers stems largely from two factors,” suggests pollster Fritz Wenzel. “First, Obama has largely avoided the political limelight while the GOP candidates savage each other with increasing intensity. Second, a smattering of evidence indicates that the economy is getting a little better, which helps the White House in the eyes of the voters. Secondly, the bloody fight for the Republican presidential nomination – by most estimations the nastiest GOP fight in memory – has really hurt the images of the challengers in the eyes of both Republicans and, especially, independent voters. For Republicans, each candidate carries with them now some taint that cannot be ignored.”