And name recognition. All the other names people know, they know as bland politicians. Once other guys increase their popularity and name recognition, and if he starts making gaffes, he'll drop in the polls before it starts mattering.
Right now he's a legendary neurosurgeon who's publically positioned himself against Obama, the common enemy of both the establishment and conservative voter base. Not sure why he wouldn't be high in the polls.
The 24/7 news cycle has not yet focused on his batsh**t crazy comments. Worry not, if he continues to poll well, he will be summarily destroyed by both the left and the rightwing media.
Indeed. Whoever is leading will be everyone's target, consciously and subconsciously (in that they'll naturally be talked about more, so scandals/gaffes/doubts will be higher profile), so the top few candidates will be put through the test, and like Pawlenty, Cain, Bachmann, and Perry last year, they'll either fizzle out, crash and burn, or completely implode before any real votes are cast next February.
