The movers packing up the Alaska Governor's Mansion in Juneau. Gov. Sarah Palin's final day in office is Sunday. (Photo by Chris Miller / AP)
by Mark Silva
Sarah Palin rode in on a high.
She is riding out low.
That's the short-take on the polling of public opinion about the first-term Alaska governor who was catapulted to the national stage last summer as the Republican Party's vice presidential nominee and who will leave office this weekend as a half-term governor who announced her resignation on the eve of the Fourth of July citing all the "insane'' controversy over unfounded ethics complaints that she was fielding back home.
A majority of Americans now view Palin unfavorably, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll - 53 percent. The 40 percent who view Palin in a positive light marks the "lowest level in Post-ABC polling since she first appeared on the national stage last summer as Sen. John McCain's running mate.''
Today is her last business day at work.
Sunday is her final day, 18 months shy of finishing her term. Palin has indicated that she intends to remain a factor in the national political debate.
To many, that means 2012.
But she has suffered image-erosion since her emergence in 2008.
At her debut at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota last summer, nearly six in 10 Americans held a favorable opinion of her.
"Republicans and GOP-leaning independents continue to rank Palin among the top three contenders in the run-up to 2012, however, with 70 percent of Republicans viewing her in a positive light in the new poll,'' the Post notes of its latest polling.
"But her support within the GOP has deteriorated from its pre-election levels, including a sharp drop in the number holding "strongly favorable" impressions of her. And while Palin's most avid following is still among white evangelical Protestants, a core GOP constituency, and conservatives, far fewer in these groups have "strongly favorable" opinions of her than did so last fall.''
The survey of 1,001 adults was taken from July 15-18, with a possible margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Comments
I hope the State of Alaska bills Palin for all costs involved with the transition to the new Governor. Why should the state bear any of the costs that arise from her selfish, cowardly, decision to abandon her office before her term is up? She is not moving on to another public service position like most politicians who leave a term early. No she is leaving to promote herself. She is leaving to nake more money. Well, let's ask for some on that money to offset the costs of her selfishness to the people of Alaska.
Posted by: She's a quitter | July 24, 2009 12:00 PM
Everything she has suffered has been because of her own actions, her own failures, and her refusing to take responsibility for her own words and deeds.
Posted by: BC | July 24, 2009 12:14 PM
Mark,
Didn't you know that (according to the Palinite minions) if you write about Palin, you're either attacking her or you're afraid of her? :-)
Posted by: Fredo | July 24, 2009 12:26 PM
No, Fredo, Mark is in love with her.
Anyway, Mark, how about reporting on the fact that in a head-to-head race your Messiah barely beats Palin? Or that he is in dead heat with Romney?
It's more like Obimbo's popularity is waning.
Posted by: John D | July 24, 2009 1:13 PM
Talk about Palin's poll numbers???
What about obama's...Rasmussen has him under 50% approval, way below Jimma Carter's at the same six month time period.
He's toast!
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | July 24, 2009 2:15 PM
The Palin's are dysfunctional trailor trash. Queen dimwit betrayed the people of Alaska who elected/ supported her. And then there's her slimy husband and his involvment in the anti American Alaska Independence Party. Palin will never hold public office again. I'm still laughing about McCain selecting her as his running mate. You betcha.
Posted by: Doug R. | July 24, 2009 3:02 PM
All she needs to do is start with the "birther" bozos and her bowl will be full of Fruitloops again.
Posted by: bill r. | July 24, 2009 3:27 PM
Sarah who?
Posted by: Gordy | July 24, 2009 3:48 PM
According 70% of Republicans, Mark's not the only one in love; more of an incentive for Mark to cover her. Otherwise, blacking-out a Republican standout like Palin, still a star with the majority of the base, would be grounds for journalistic bias. ; ) She'll be back. Mark's ahead of the curve.
Posted by: goinggoinggone | July 24, 2009 4:26 PM
The long and short of it, Palin isn't smart enough to be President. Romney may be smart enough, but won't survive the trashing he'll get from the Bible Thumpers who hate Mormons. McCain is too old, so that leaves???
Maybe the pugs can get David Duke to run again.
Posted by: dt☢ | July 24, 2009 4:34 PM
Talk about Palin's poll numbers???What aboutobama's...Rasmussen has him under 50% approval, way below Jimma Carter's at the same six month time period.He's toast!Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | July 24, 2009 2:15 PM
------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
.
Pres Obama's approval rating for this time in his presidency is fine (nice try Wingnut clown), his numbers are still as high or higher than any other Pres in modern history at 6 months in, including Repug hero, Saint Ronbo Raygun.
Rasmussen polling is a right-wing loving joke, which is exactly why Wingnuts like Paulo like to use them so much. Rasmussen had McCain winning the Pres election by 6% three days before he got his butt handed to him on election day. They have ZERO credibility.
.
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/06/obama-approval-rating-exceeds-50-in.html
Palin represents what's left of the Republican party perfectly - she's dumber than a bag of rocks and proud of it.
Posted by: oluaP | July 24, 2009 4:53 PM
ATTENTION SWAMP RATS!
Whenever Palin speaks don't call her a nut job or worse...call her the: "Voice of the Republican Party!"
You can see it if you look behind her syncophants, all the other Republicans in the room are trying to get as far away as they can from her without the pro-Palin Mob noticing.
Shackle your local Republican office holders to every word out of Palin's mouth. She'll push more moderate Republicans and Independents to the left than any substantiative policy discussion ever could.
"Palin is the true voice of the Republican Party!"
Of course, saying that with a straight face is going to be your biggest problem.
Posted by: DNC | July 24, 2009 5:33 PM
Anyway, Mark, how about reporting on the fact that in a head-to-head race your Messiah barely beats Palin? Or that he is in dead heat with Romney?
It's more like Obimbo's popularity is waning.
Posted by: John D | July 24, 2009 1:13 PM
I'm sorry, did I mis-read this article? I thought it was about Palin? All I have to say is GOODBYE and GOOD RIDDANCE LOSER!
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | July 25, 2009 8:50 AM
That's the Gov's Mansion in Alaska?
Explains a lot.
Sarahhhh got her head damaged wedging it into that tiny dormer window at the tippy top of the building, from which she could see Russia.
Posted by: ornery | July 25, 2009 10:13 AM
Thanks for keeping Sarah Palin in the headlines. Free publicity for voting third-party is always welcome.
Ultimately, Palin is the flip side of the coin. Every argument you make about her 'limited' experience you can make about President Obama -- minus the US service personnel body count and resultant trillions in new federal debt.
As an official card-carrying republican though, she'd continue the same doomed-from-the-start meglo adventure in Iraqipakighanistan as President Obama, a republican cross-dresser wearing democrat clothing.
Every time one of our two-party fearless leaders drags us where we shouldn't be, by convincing enough of the most vulnerably-stupid among us that such is in our best interest, this stuff continues to happens.
In EAST Iraqipakighanistan -- referred to in the press as Afghanistan -- US service personnel are now going to be picked off 3, 4, 5 or more per week, here and there, until the death toll hits the critical number where no amount of celebrity love for Obama can offset it. 2009 with Obama is just like 2003, when Bush lead us all (including Pelosi) into WEST Iraqipakighanistan (sometimes called "Iraq").
As of 2009, the 'convincing' argument is that Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan are actually three separate countries in terms of current US foreign policy, and Bush made the 'mistake' of targeting Iraq back then. Obama supposedly now is cleaning up Bush's mess by targeting Afghanistan. And the most vulnerably-stupid among us are eagerly lapping it up -- and asking for more.
It's obvious but still must be stated for the most vulnerably-stupid: Iran is also part of Iraqipakighanistan, but that for now is on the down-low. If the Iranians don't freely elect an amenable government, Obama (or worst-case scenario, his successor eight additional years later) in turn will draw us down from EAST Iraqipakighanistan to head back WEST again.
For all the chuckleheads ragging solely on Palin or solely on Obama at this late date, Iraqipakighanistan is the continuing reward for your world-class stupidity.
Posted by: dom youngross | July 26, 2009 6:45 PM