Sarah Palin might have really squandered an opportunity to improve her image last week.
Despite endless discussion in the wake of the Arizona shootings about whether Palin might bear any responsibility for fostering an atmosphere conducive to such an attack, 64% of Americans firmly say Palin has no culpability to just 26% who think she is partly to blame. Even among Americans with an unfavorable opinion of Palin- the vast majority of them- most don't think she should be getting the shooting pinned on her in any way, shape, or form.
Beyond that there are a significant number of voters, even beyond Palin's small group of partisans, who think she gets treated unfairly by the media. 45% of voters in the country think Palin gets a bad shake from the press to 47% who think that she is treated fairly. Given that Palin's favorability is a 35/58 spread, these numbers show that there are a decent number of voters who don't even like Palin who still think she gets treated unfairly.
So with a strong majority of Americans thinking that Palin had no responsibility for the shootings and almost half of them thinking the media mistreats her, she was in a more sympathetic position with voters across the country last week than she had found herself in a long time. And then she made the video...
Most Americans familiar with Palin's video response to the Arizona shootings think it was inappropriate- that's where 40% of voters stand to 33% who were not familiar with her response and 27% who thought it was fine. Even among Republicans only 41% thought that what she did was proper- Democrats (60%) are much more unified in their feeling that it was not. Independents split toward thinking the video was inappropriate as well by a 42/28 margin.
Where does Palin stand now? In our monthly 2012 Presidential poll, which we'll release later this week, she trails Barack Obama by 17 points. That's the largest deficit we've found for her since May of 2009. She started last week with an opportunity to make some head way. She ended it perhaps further away from the Presidency than she's been since the day before John McCain picked her as his running mate.
Full results here
Palin is further away from the Presidency than she was before McCain picked her.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't know her then. Now, we do.
Adding to my other post:
ReplyDeleteThe day before McCain picked Palin for VP, she had pretty much 0% name recognition outside of AK. Now, she has %100. This is what puts her even further away from the presidency, as it should.
Let me get this straight. First, Palin is pulled into the issue that doesn't even involve her by the shameless media intent to continue the "Conservatism is Evil" narrative at all costs. Palin creates a video defending herself from reprehensible and disgusting partisan attacks. For creating the video, the press disembowels her for inserting herself into the national tragedy. And now she is attacked by the press because she didn't take advantage of the moment.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm finally beginning to understand Palin Derangement Syndrome.
Palin was never going to be a president. Her main role is to rally conservatives, and this entire brouhaha has only strengthened her position.
ReplyDeleteNobody knows this more that Palin herself.
her response was inappropriate??!!
ReplyDeletewhat part? i've read it, i've seen it, could someone who thinks it was inappropriate please cite the offending parts for me? how would you respond if you were accused of being partly responsible for this massacre?
That just shows you how bias the polls are because I liked her speech and never thought she was responsible for any crazy person in Tucson.
ReplyDeleteSgt Red
PLEASSSE find me anybody who will stand up to corruption like Sarah Palin did to the Repub machine of Alaska????
ReplyDeleteMany Sarah's fans will stand up for her "character" which many politicians don't have. I'm sure many would have sold out and accepted the OIL bribe from Alaskan Repubs.
Where's the poll on whether or not the t-shirts and the pep-rally whooping-it-up was appropriate at the memorial service?
ReplyDelete"Palin [was] pulled into the issue that doesn't even involve her by the shameless media intent to continue the 'Conservatism is Evil' narrative at all costs."
ReplyDeleteNo, Palin was pulled in because she released a map with a gun sight on Congresswoman Giffords, and Giffords subsequently got shot. All Palin had to do was show some humility. Is it really that hard?
Hi THere,
ReplyDeleteI recall PPP's recent column where he stated that Democrats HATED Sarah Palin .
Yet nowhee on his questions did I see the "Do you HATE Sarah Palin ?"
PPP is just bias confirmation. Nowhere in my Statistics for The Social Sciences 101 would I have passed inserting a label after the fact.
"No, Palin was pulled in because she released a map with a gun sight on Congresswoman Giffords, and Giffords subsequently got shot. All Palin had to do was show some humility. Is it really that hard?"
ReplyDeleteSo she was pulled in over something which had nothing to do with the shootings whatsoever. She should show humility for something she had nothing to do with? Maybe the left should show some humility and apologize for all of the hatred it piled on her when none was deserved. Is it really that hard?
Fivecard -that is not a gun sight. If you've ever looked thru one you would know the difference.
ReplyDeleteIt is akin to the 04 -05 Democrat Party's Target map of vulnerable Reublicans though.
Since that map 50,000 Americans have been shot dead..
Of course Governor Palin shouldn't defend herself! Why, who does she think she is??
ReplyDeletePresident Bush took the high road for 8 years. How, exactly, did that help him?
Thank you Libs for helping take out the only Repub. candidate Obama was almost guaranteed to win against.
ReplyDeleteYour Palin Derrangemnt Syndrome will do nothing but help Republicans win The White House.
i'm disappointed that Palin is self destructing so early.
ReplyDeleteit's really much better for Obama/Democrats if she can make a strong showing (even if she doesnt win) in the GOP primaries... I think she would be a major problem for the Republicans to have around.
i'm worried that she will not even run.. i mean even she can't be so stupid as to think she has a chance in hell of winning against Obama... can she?
Again the sheep believe what the media tells them...How can Mr. Obama enjoy the generous curve he is given whenever he comes close to doing the right thing IF we do not bash Mrs. Palin?
ReplyDeleteLove her or hate her; she has more balls than Mr. Obama will ever have, and she will stand-up for this country instead of handing it to our enemies, as Mr. Obama seems to want to do.