CBS News Poll: Fewer than 1 in Four View Palin Favorably
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may have won the hearts of GOPers, conservative pundits and conservative bloggers, but a recent CBS News poll indicates she most assuredly isn’t the favorite of those who may not be fans of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or Glenn Beck:
She may be among the biggest names in politics at the moment, but former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is not exactly America’s sweetheart.
Just 23 percent of those surveyed in a new CBS News poll have a favorable view of the former Alaska governor. That matches her favorable rating in July, when Palin announced she was resigning from her job as governor.
Thirty-eight percent, meanwhile, have an unfavorable view of Palin — also roughly matching her July rating. Another 37 percent say they are undecided or haven’t heard enough, despite the spotlight on Palin in recent days tied to the imminent publication of her memoir, “Going Rogue.”
Unsurprisingly, Palin is far more popular with Republicans than Democrats. Fifty-two percent of Republicans have a favorable view of her, while 16 percent have an unfavorable view. By contrast, just four percent of Democrats view Palin favorably, while 57 percent say their opinion is not favorable.
And for the Republicans who are now happily noting that President Barack Obama and the Demmies are losing independent voter support, here’s a bit of news that might create unhappiness — particularly if Palin ever gets the nomination:
Among independents, Palin has a net negative rating, with 21 percent viewing her favorably and 36 percent viewing her unfavorably.
This brings into focus a more profound problem for Palin and the GOP. Palin needs to expand her constituency among her true believers and partisan fans if she wants to be more than a political celebrity. The GOP will need to ensure that a candidate Palin somehow ropes in the independent voters without losing the party’s talk show political culture base.
Palin needs to win over those who aren’t already in her choir — and this poll suggests she has a lot of work to do…
The cartoon by Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com, is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.
7 Responses to “CBS News Poll: Fewer than 1 in Four View Palin Favorably”
I feel as though sometimes this country drifts into a fog every now and then. If everything goes according to plan, things seem normal. For example, Sarah Palin announces she will run as vice president with John Mccain. Conservatives seemed to like her, the middle seemed a little indifferent and the left somewhat against her. The fact that she was almost the vice-president of The United States Of America should be much more shocking than has been recently. She is someone who thought Africa was a country. If politicians run for higher political offices we seem to think everything is going according to plan, but NO. There is no way, and i'm siding with pragmatism, that she should EVER hold office in any capacity that puts the well being of citizens on the line. I mean my god, she represents the greater symptom of American politics and cultural attitude toward our leaders. Thank god we didn't elect her as vice-president, but it shouldn't have even gone that far. Come on America, youre better than that.
Efforts to equate compromise with weakness have come to bite the Right in the back end. The base of the Republican party is effectively cut off from expanding itself beyond a core of True Believers whose ideological platform is Our Way or the Highway – times ten.
That may be fine in local races where demographics don't move around much, but on the national stage it's going to be impossible to win without a candidate who can appeal to people outside of the NO COMPROMISE! talk show brand.
It's a lesson McCain learned in 2000 and then applied in 2008… unfortunately he learned the right lesson, but obtained the wrong conclusion. No one I've seen so far is in a position to buck the trend for the GOP in 2012. Still plenty of time though.
Ethos
Palin and Huckabee's support comes from an America that was once a majority but is now a minority, rural America. Their followers may mistrust the people on the coasts but the reality is that's where most the voters are.
The 1 of 4 that like her….really really really like her.
They also put their money where their mouth is. She has no chance at the nomination, but she is a force in the Rep party.
What's more interesting is the level of hype and dislike and disease among the detractors, and why. It's they, not she, who is creating this ongoing story (less and less about her).
Ron Beasley, you're being as overly simplistic as — it's actually humorous — Superdestroyer (“Super D”).
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/20…
[California]
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/3248/statewide…
“Palin needs to expand her constituency among her true believers and partisan fans if she wants to be more than a political celebrity.”
But I don't think she DOES want more than that.
In my past life I worked on the staff of elected officials and also interacted with all kinds of other elected and appointed officials — including a female mayor and female city commissioners — and the way truly dedicated public servants behave is . . . .well, DIFFERENT than what Palin offers. They tend to have distinguished themselves academically and continue to read, read, read — absorbing a wide variety of information like sponges to stay mentally sharp and well-informed. They work hard professionally, putting in their dues in over time — working long hours and sitting through interminably long and sometimes boringly wonkish policy meetings. The really good ones develop communication skills and learn to listen with compassion and empathy. They open their minds to diverse points of view.
Indeed she has a lot of work to do, but I see no inclination on her part to undertake the kind of self-reflection and Extreme Makeover that would require.