STINKY TWAT...

[Crazy Levi]

Voters Say Palin's Politicking Makes It Less Likely They'd Back Her for President

Sarah Palin has established a big footprint in the nation's politics by making herself a force behind conservative candidates, but most voters say her activities since she resigned as Alaska's governor last year -- including her role as a Fox News commentator -- have made it less likely they would vote for her for president, according to a Politico/George Washington University Battleground poll conducted Sept. 19-22.

Fifty-eight percent say they are now less likely to support a Palin candidacy in 2012, with 45 percent feeling "strongly" about that view, while 31 percent say her activities has made it more likely they would do so. Seven percent say Palin's doings since 2009 have made no difference in their view of her and 5 percent were undecided.

Palin is also seen less favorably among voters than any other of the best-known Republicans likely to be active in 2012. Forty-nine percent see her unfavorably while 44 percent see her favorably. Thirty-nine percent say their unfavorable view of Palin is a "strong" one, more than twice the number who have strong negative views of Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee.
Sarah Palin
Romney is seen favorably by 45 percent and unfavorably by 28 percent; Huckabee is seen favorably by 49 percent and unfavorably by 25 percent; and, Newt Gingrich is seen favorably by 39 percent and unfavorably by 39 percent. The remainder of voters in the case of each is undecided or say they never heard of the person.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has been one of the most active in the early jockeying for 2012, has some work to do: 64 percent of this year's likely voters never heard of him.

Palin's prospects as a presidential candidate appear dubious enough that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels does better in a hypothetical match-up against President Obama, even though 75 percent of voters never heard of him. Obama leads Palin by 51 percent to 42 percent with 8 percent undecided, while Obama's lead over Daniels is 47 percent to 41 percent with 13 percent undecided.

Of course, since Palin has been a politically polarizing figure and Daniels is so unknown, that result is somewhat akin to matching Obama against a generic Republican candidate as one measure of public sentiment about Obama's performance.

Asked in the poll whether Obama has done well enough to deserve re-election, 44 percent said they would vote to replace him with another 13 percent saying they would consider someone else, while 38 percent said he deserves re-election.