Is Sarah Palin popular among Republicans?
In the poll, taken amid the media whirlwind surrounding the release of her memoir “Going Rogue,” more [Republicans and Republican-leaning independents] cite Palin than other Republicans as best reflecting the party’s core values and as the top vote-getter in hypothetical presidential nomination contests. But on neither question did she exceed 20 percent backing among all Republicans.
I think these results say more about the lack of leadership and direction in the Republican Party than they do about Sarah Palin’s popularity or electoral prospects. I think there was a point in 2002 when Joe Lieberman was polling as a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. It didn’t mean anything except that a lot of people knew him from his turn on the 2000 national ticket. Palin is ahead in these polls, but her support is weak. The GOP’s leadership is so discredited that mere fame is enough to give the misleading appearance that Palin is popular.
Just 1 percent pick George W. Bush as the best reflection of the party’s principles, and only a single person in the poll cites former vice president Richard B. Cheney. About seven in 10 say Bush bears at least “some” of the blame for the party’s problems.
That’s 1% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who think Bush represented the party’s principles. Cheney does even worse. This probably explains why we hear so much about Ronald Reagan.
Something has changed though. Dan Quayle is the American politician whose career most nearly resembles Sarah Palin’s. He was selected as a running mate without adequate vetting, he proved to be totally out of his league as both a candidate and a vice-president, and he looked to compensate for his weaknesses by pandering to the furthest-right reaches of the GOP base. But Quayle pretty much faded from view once Clinton and Gore defeated him in 1992. I don’t think Palin plans on fading from view.
