So have we all seen the new Palin poll?

[Mr. Morden]

Palin's gradual downward trend in popularity:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_021010.html?sid=ST2010021100035

c. Sarah Palin

              ------- Favorable -------   ------ Unfavorable ------     No   
              NET   Strongly   Somewhat   NET   Somewhat   Strongly   opinion
2/8/10        37       18         20      55       16         38         8
11/15/09      43       20         23      52       18         34         5
7/18/09       40       20         20      53       19         34         7
10/23/08 LV   46       28         18      51       11         40         3
9/29/08  RV   51       29         23      40       11         29         9
9/22/08  RV   52       31         21      38       10         27        11
9/7/08   RV   58       35         23      28       11         17        15
9/4/08*  RV   52       34         18      37       14         23        11


Interestingly, the poll also has the GOP doing the best it's done in the generic congressional matchup since 2002, and the Democratic Party has its lowest favorability ratings in decades.

[Mr. Morden]

"An overwhelming number of Americans are seriously ticked off at their government but that anger isn't driving them into the arms of Sarah Palin, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll. A full 71% of voters—including a majority of Republicans—feel that Palin is unqualified to be president.

This is the problem she faces if she actually wants to win the GOP nomination.  The GOP base may like her, but if they don't think she's ready to be president, then she has quite a problem.  I mean, the GOP base also like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, but that doesn't mean that they're ready to vote for them for president.  Quitting her job as governor halfway through her term certainly doesn't do her any favors, if her goal is higher office.  That's why I'm still not convinced that her goal *is* higher office.

[Mr. Morden]

New Economist/YouGov poll gives similar #s on Palin favorability:

http://media.economist.com/images/pdf/Toplines20100211.pdf

very favorable 20%
somewhat favorable 19%

very unfavorable 38%
somewhat unfavorable 16%

Still better numbers than Nancy Pelosi though.

[Mr. Morden]

Good article in the Politico today about how the media covers Palin as if she were the central figure in 2012 politics, when they don't actually believe that to be the case.....they cover her because it means good ratings:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32885.html

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[Mr. Morden]

The Zogby poll wasn't even a telephone poll.  It was an internet poll.

And the point isn't that she's not competitive in the national polls.  She is competitive in the national polls.  The article's point was simply that she's given outsized coverage by the media, treated as if she's the "nominee in waiting", a la George W. Bush in 1998 or Hillary Clinton in 2006, when there's no real reason to treat her that way, other than that she's good for ratings.