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Polls Find Palin Gaining On Obama
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| Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin reacts to cheering fans as she arrives at a bookstore in The Villages, Fla., on Tuesday. (AP) |
Former Governor Continues To Unnerve Dems
By JOE MURRAY, The Bulletin
With the approval numbers for President Barack Obama continuing to drop and the numbers for former Republican Vice Presidential candidate experiencing an upward trend, both political players have shown a lot can happen in a year.
This time last year, Mrs. Palin was the scourge of the media and political establishment. Berated by the likes of Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann, mocked by Saturday Night Live and abandoned by her running mate, Mrs. Palin was left to fend for herself in a landscape that claimed the careers of many conservatives before her.
Mr. Obama, on the other hand, was the chosen one. He was sending shivers up the legs of NBC news anchors, wooing the world with his riveting rhetoric and riding the tidal wave of history. Now, it appears, the roles are reversing.
On Tuesday, Rasmussen Reports released a poll showing Mr. Obama has hit an all-time low approval rating. The news comes at time when he struggles to convince voters his left-leaning solutions regarding health care, Afghanistan, world diplomacy and global warming will benefit the nation.
“Overall, 45 percent of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. That matches the lowest level of total approval yet measured for this president,” the Rasmussen poll read.
“Eighty-one percent of Democrats approve as do 33 percent of unaffiliated voters. Eighty-three percent of Republicans disapprove. Among all voters, 54 percent now disapprove.”
Now, with the health care bill in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Obama has to rally a cantankerous group of Democrats all wanting to pull the bill in separate directions. Liberals want socialized medicine, while moderates are fleeing the public option. Republicans, however, are unified in opposition; all of which undermines the president’s campaign pledge he would create a consensus in Washington.
Mrs. Palin, on the other hand, is in the midst of a successful media blitz in which she is publicizing her new book, “Going Rogue.” She has sold an estimated 700,000 books in the first week and hoards of admirers have waited in 30 degree temperatures to get a glimpse of her.
Depending on which poll is read, Mrs. Palin has a favorable rating between 43 percent and 47 percent. Even if one relies on the lowest poll, 43 percent, it still marks an increase from when she was polling 40 percent in July and shows her numbers are comparable to Mr. Obama.
But, most importantly, she has refined her media persona and image.
Once known for botching media interviews, the former Alaskan governor is handling the media circuit with precision and skill. And while Mrs. Palin is working to get most of her poll numbers to rise, the hope is the “Going Rogue” media tour will cause at least one poll number to go down.
Even though she is liked by a growing number of American voters, many voters still question whether the former Alaskan governor is qualified to be president – a seed of doubt planted by Democrats during the 2008 election.
Fewer than three out of ten Americans thought Mrs. Palin was qualified to be president, according to a poll released by CNN/Opinion Research Corporation. And even Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, would not expressly say Mrs. Palin was qualified to be president when asked by MSNBC’s Chris Mathews.
But, other Republicans, such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, have been quick to defend Mrs. Palin’s credentials and a number of voters in key presidential primary states, i.e. Iowa, are beginning to open their mind to a President Palin.
While Mrs. Palin needs to work on her national numbers, a poll conducted by the Des Moines Register found she had a 68 percent approval rating; just two points behind Mr. Huckabee. The news could be promising for Candidate Palin.
"With those kinds of numbers, if she were to become a candidate, while it's not a sure thing, she would be starting out in a very good position," veteran Iowa GOP strategist David Roederer told the Des Moines Register. Mr. Roederer ran John McCain's 2008 Iowa campaign.
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
This time last year, Mrs. Palin was the scourge of the media and political establishment. Berated by the likes of Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann, mocked by Saturday Night Live and abandoned by her running mate, Mrs. Palin was left to fend for herself in a landscape that claimed the careers of many conservatives before her.
Mr. Obama, on the other hand, was the chosen one. He was sending shivers up the legs of NBC news anchors, wooing the world with his riveting rhetoric and riding the tidal wave of history. Now, it appears, the roles are reversing.
On Tuesday, Rasmussen Reports released a poll showing Mr. Obama has hit an all-time low approval rating. The news comes at time when he struggles to convince voters his left-leaning solutions regarding health care, Afghanistan, world diplomacy and global warming will benefit the nation.
“Overall, 45 percent of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. That matches the lowest level of total approval yet measured for this president,” the Rasmussen poll read.
“Eighty-one percent of Democrats approve as do 33 percent of unaffiliated voters. Eighty-three percent of Republicans disapprove. Among all voters, 54 percent now disapprove.”
Now, with the health care bill in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Obama has to rally a cantankerous group of Democrats all wanting to pull the bill in separate directions. Liberals want socialized medicine, while moderates are fleeing the public option. Republicans, however, are unified in opposition; all of which undermines the president’s campaign pledge he would create a consensus in Washington.
Mrs. Palin, on the other hand, is in the midst of a successful media blitz in which she is publicizing her new book, “Going Rogue.” She has sold an estimated 700,000 books in the first week and hoards of admirers have waited in 30 degree temperatures to get a glimpse of her.
Depending on which poll is read, Mrs. Palin has a favorable rating between 43 percent and 47 percent. Even if one relies on the lowest poll, 43 percent, it still marks an increase from when she was polling 40 percent in July and shows her numbers are comparable to Mr. Obama.
But, most importantly, she has refined her media persona and image.
Once known for botching media interviews, the former Alaskan governor is handling the media circuit with precision and skill. And while Mrs. Palin is working to get most of her poll numbers to rise, the hope is the “Going Rogue” media tour will cause at least one poll number to go down.
Even though she is liked by a growing number of American voters, many voters still question whether the former Alaskan governor is qualified to be president – a seed of doubt planted by Democrats during the 2008 election.
Fewer than three out of ten Americans thought Mrs. Palin was qualified to be president, according to a poll released by CNN/Opinion Research Corporation. And even Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, would not expressly say Mrs. Palin was qualified to be president when asked by MSNBC’s Chris Mathews.
But, other Republicans, such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, have been quick to defend Mrs. Palin’s credentials and a number of voters in key presidential primary states, i.e. Iowa, are beginning to open their mind to a President Palin.
While Mrs. Palin needs to work on her national numbers, a poll conducted by the Des Moines Register found she had a 68 percent approval rating; just two points behind Mr. Huckabee. The news could be promising for Candidate Palin.
"With those kinds of numbers, if she were to become a candidate, while it's not a sure thing, she would be starting out in a very good position," veteran Iowa GOP strategist David Roederer told the Des Moines Register. Mr. Roederer ran John McCain's 2008 Iowa campaign.
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
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