Palin More Popular Than Obama and McCain

A new Rasmussen poll has Sarah Palin viewed favorably by 58 percent of likely voter respondents, compared with the 57 percent favorables that both John McCain and Barack Obama enjoy.  Yes, that’s a statistical tie but it’s pretty impressive considering that 67 percent of the country had never heard of her a week ago.

Not surprisingly, there’s a strong partisan breakdown, with 89 percent of Republicans, 33 percent of Democrats, and 59 percent of unaffiliated respondents viewing her favorably.

More interesting — although partly explained by party — is that she’s much more popular with men (65 percent favorable) than with women (52 percent).   A separate Rasmussen survey released Wednesday found that men prefer Palin to Hillary Clinton 49 percent to 45 while women prefer Clinton to Palin 57 percent to 35.  Go figure.  Maybe Will Wilkinson is on to something with his “Paglian chtonoic sexual power” analysis.

McCain has benefitted from a “Palin bounce,” getting a jump of 12 percent (from 42 to 53) amoung Republicans and 11 percent (54 to 65) among independents in the week since making the announcment.

FILED UNDER: 2008 Election, Law and the Courts, Popular Culture, Public Opinion Polls, Terrorism, US Politics, World Politics, , , , ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Jeffrey W. Baker says:

    The most interesting part is “Fifty-eight percent (58%) of voters say that Palin’s speech helped McCain’s chances of becoming President while only 10% believe it hurt those prospects.”

    Yeah no kidding. That’s because Palin’s speech was way better than McCain’s. I wonder how he feels about been upstaged by the #2.

  2. sam says:

    Via Kevin Drum, there’s this piece of intel:

    PALIN AND THE MEDIA….Howard Fineman, Ben Smith, and Chuck Todd are all reporting the same thing: the McCain campaign is going to whisk Sarah Palin back to Alaska and then have her hole up for a good long while until they think it’s safe for her to talk to the press. The excuse will be that she needs to tie up loose ends and see off her son Track, who’s deploying to Iraq on September 11th. Perhaps the supposedly horrible treatment she’s received by the media will also be trotted out.

    Kevin is skeptical, though. I’m glossing, but he thinks she will be “interviewed” by sympathetic “journalists” throwing marshmallows at her. No Meet the Press for her.

  3. Spoker says:

    This can’t be right. How can all those sexist, piggy, cretin, neocon males be so accepting of a woman on the national ticket? Oh that’s right, she’s a moose hunter!

    As I have been saying since she came on the scene, ‘They just don’t get it!’

  4. Bithead says:

    I wonder how he feels about been upstaged by the #2.

    Since McCain has never been the best orator as James pointed out ealier this morning, I’d guess he feels relieved.

  5. Billy says:

    Sarah Palin is Dolores Umbrage.

  6. Michael says:

    A new Rasmussen poll has Sarah Palin viewed favorably by 58 percent of likely voter respondents, compared with the 57 percent favorables that both John McCain and Barack Obama enjoy.

    Yeah, well Fred Thompson had good ratings too, until he started talking. I think in politics, people will always favor those they know nothing about, than those they know something about.

    That’s not to say that they’ll vote for them, just that they haven’t learned anything that makes them dislike the candidate yet. I hope that 58% came after the several days of media stories we’ve had about Palin, otherwise it will likely drop.

  7. Spoker says:

    Dear Billy, Thank you for your most enlightened post. I am truly impressed that a troll, such as yourself, has found time between your 7th grade Health and Creative Crayons classes to write such an insightful and stinging critique of Sarah Palin. It is really so rare that one lacks so much in the way of wit, intellect, and creativity and yet knows how to turn on a computer and type.

  8. Triumph says:

    Yes, that’s a statistical tie but it’s pretty impressive considering that 67 percent of the country had never heard of her a week ago.

    A leader like Sarah Palin only comes around once in a generation.

    She has captivated the nation by her iron will and sympathetic heart. She will be fierce to our enemies and benevolent to her followers. She has the military acumen of Teddy Roosevelt, the courage of Abe Lincoln, and the inspirational power of Reagan.

    Because of the way that she has diffused the situation with Russia, she should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

    Sarah Palin embodies the best attributes of Ghandi, General Patton, Ben Franklin, and Florence Nightengale. She is an American’s American and will bring dignity and honor to the White House.

    I love this lady.

  9. muffler says:

    McCain/Palin: Spare Change you can believe in!

  10. Zelsdorf Ragshaft III says:

    The Dems better hope she goes into hiding. If that woman is making any public appearances, she is converting, convincing and generally winning those who are looking for change in our Government. While the dems want to blame Bush for the economy, it is since 2006 that things have gone sour. After all, who holds the purse strings?

  11. Michael says:

    The Dems better hope she goes into hiding.

    Apparently she is.

  12. Bystander says:

    The press is right… McCain should have taken Palin to the vet before he released her into the public.

    By the way, what do they do when they vet a candidate?

  13. Steve Verdon says:

    Sarah Palin is Dolores Umbrage.

    Oh please, Umbridge is nowhere near as hot, either the actress that portrays her or in the books.

    Posts like this make people doubt your mental faculties.

    Sheesh.

  14. Steve Verdon says:

    And who spiked Triumph’s punch? Stop it, that isn’t nice.

  15. Triumph says:

    McCain has benefitted from a “Palin bounce,”

    Shhh! Don’t tell Cindy! Are you saying we have another Carol McCain incident???

  16. Anderson says:

    Voters this year are being asked to support a candidate who relies on vague calls for “change” without any policy specifics on what “changes” are to be made.

    Unfortunately for his supporters, that candidate is John McCain.

  17. anjin-san says:

    From Political Wire:

    A senior McCain campaign official tells Marc Ambinder that, “despite the gaggle of requests and pressure from the media, Gov. Sarah Palin won’t submit to a formal interview anytime soon. She may take some questions from local news entities in Alaska, but until she’s ready — and until she’s comfortable — which might not be for a long while — the media will have to wait.”

    Why is McCain afraid to let Palin work without a script? She is ready to be a heartbeat away from the oval office, but not ready to take a few questions away from Alaska? I though she was running for Vice-President of the United States, all of them…

  18. G.A.Phillips says:

    A senior McCain campaign official tells Marc Ambinder that, “despite the gaggle of requests and pressure from the media, Gov. Sarah Palin won’t submit to a formal interview anytime soon. She may take some questions from local news entities in Alaska, but until she’s ready — and until she’s comfortable — which might not be for a long while — the media will have to wait.”

    she don’t feel like talking to idiot 0bama supporters with microphones and cameras, who would.

  19. anjin-san says:

    Look GA, if she can’t handle a few questions from reporters, how the hell would she handle Iraq and Russia? Or deal with terrorist threats? The VP has to be ready on day one too.

    Unless Palin has something to hide, let’s let the American people hear what she, not a bunch of speechwriters, has to say…

  20. Billy says:

    Oh please, Umbridge is nowhere near as hot, either the actress that portrays her or in the books.

    Posts like this make people doubt your mental faculties.

    Indeed, I’ve been bested, for I cannot deny the hotness.

  21. Brian says:

    Why is McCain afraid to let Palin work without a script?

    Eh, it’s not such a bad idea, really. From a political point of view, there’s no imperative to have her battle the press.

    I think they’ll carry this momentum as long as they can. And until supporters urge more presstime with her, they won’t give it.

    All the meanwhile, she’s probably going to cramming all she can.

    I agree with you that she ought to be able to handle the pressure now to prove she can handle the job. But it’s not really about the job, unfortunately, it’s about winning an election.

  22. anjin-san says:

    Eh, it’s not such a bad idea, really. From a political point of view, there’s no imperative to have her battle the press.

    You are absolutely right.

    But its rather telling that so soon after McCain’s big speech, it is politics before country.

  23. angellight says:

    It is so ironic or maybe just plain justice, that the Republicans have exactly in Palin what they falsely accused Barack of. From day one, Republicans loved to say that Barack was a “Roll of the Dice” a “Celebrity”! However, the hand of Karma is swift and the chickens have come home to roost in the guise of Sarah Palin who is the real risk and Roll of the Dice (no foreign or national experience, under ethics investigation, possible member of the AIP) and Sarah is a Celebrity now just like Paris and Britney (on the cover of US Weekly, People, National Enquirer, etc.). What you Sow you shall Reap! Maverick McCain, a gambler, just risked the safety and welfare of this nation with his roll of the dice VP pick, Sarah Palin, who is not ready to go on Meet the Press! Tim Russert must be rolling around in his seat in heaven.

    By the way, it seems that our Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, who could be a heartbeat away from the Presidency seems, to have switched colleges at least six times in six years.

  24. Bithead says:

    It is so ironic or maybe just plain justice, that the Republicans have exactly in Palin what they falsely accused Barack of. From day one, Republicans loved to say that Barack was a “Roll of the Dice” a “Celebrity”! However, the hand of Karma is swift and the chickens have come home to roost in the guise of Sarah Palin who is the real risk

    None of which you’d mind, had the situation not turned the tables on you, eh?

  25. anjin-san says:

    I guess the Party line is that the fact Palin is obviously not ready to take a few questions has no bearing on her readiness to assume the Presidency should she be called on to do so.

    2 wars, a tanking economy, and she is in seclusion in Alaska?

    That’s leadership you have to send out a search party for…

  26. Rick DeMent says:

    2 wars, a tanking economy, and she is in seclusion in Alaska?

    Well she seems to be taking a page from the current VP Chaney .. we don’t know where the hell he is and he ain’t talking either.

  27. William d'Inger says:

    There’s plenty enough time between now and the election for Palin to make a major gaffe, but if she doesn’t, the Democrats had better be running scared of this woman.

    This election is about change, and the momentum has shifted dramatically. Obama made a serious blunder by picking, … um … I forget his name. McCain hit a grand slam home run with Palin.

    The Democrats are now the party of the ho-hum, business-as-usual, status quo whereas the Republicans are now the real party of change.

    McCain is a freakin’ political genius and is looking Presidential, with a capitol “P” (if you’ll excuse the pun). Obama, on the other hand looks like a clumsy amateur.

    If the Democrats can’t ding Palin between now and November, they’re going to lose big time.

  28. anjin-san says:

    running scared of this woman.

    Yup. Ready to talk to People Magazine on day one. It is a bit scary, but not in the way you mean…

  29. Bithead says:

    So, let me see, here, Anjin;

    Democrats attack Palin by:

    * questioning if Palin had enough time to be a mother and a VP. You may notice that didn’t work out so well.

    * Attacks on Palin’s 17 year old Daughter… the one who didn’t get an abortion, thus disobeying the great edict of the left… thou shalt abort, in an attempt to win over evangelicals. You may notice that didn’t work out so well.

    * They tried to minimize her running her state’s national guard. You may notice that didn’t work out so well, after the commander of the NG jumped in.

    * They tried to suggest Palin’s Downs syndrome baby was actually her daughter’s Of course when they found out that was mathematically impossible,… well… that didn’t work so well.

    * They tried to blame the fact that the kid has Downs syndrome to her choices as regards medical care. That didn’t work out for them either.

    * They tried to set up an October Suprise with the trooper thing up in Alaska. ONce everyone found out the guy running the investigationw as an Obama supporter, suddenly things got really quiet, and in a big hurry too. You could say that didn’t work out so very well for Obama.

    *Us Magazne tried bashing Palin while nuzzling Obama backside. At the moment, US is under a stack of subscription cancelations. Oops.

    * On the question of Experience, Obama’s people tried to point out Obama was a ‘Community Orginaizer’ which they thought would end the issue. Of course when it was pointed up that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson also projected themselves as comminty orginizers, Boom. Apparently, if that’s the definition, the American people aren’t buying. You could say that dind’t work so well, either.

    *They tried suggesting Palin was involved in a messy divorce involving one of her husband’s business partners. That didn’t work so well, either.

    As Ed says:

    So far, they’ve made her out to be a slut, a b***h, a beauty-queen airhead, and an unfit mother. She’s obviously not frigid, so that smear won’t work. How many other demeaning gender-based slurs can they throw her way?

    And so, what is the result of all of this?

    * The numbers say the Republican conventionw as the most watched, ever.
    * Palin is more popular than Obama… or McCain, for that matter.
    * The Democrats have exposed themselves as helpless to answer Palin and what she stands for, and as being desperate enough to pull stunts that would get them tossed out of any run for high school class president.

    Gee, Barry, that was a huge PR success. What will you do for your NEXT magic trick? Clinton? Yeah… get Hillary to do HER slash and burn number… yeah… that’ll work.

    And you come in here saying Palin isn’t prepared and is hiding? What color is the sky on your planet, Anjin?

    No, don’t answer that. I’m not sure you know what planet you’re on.

  30. anjin-san says:

    Democrats attack Palin by:

    What Democrats? I notice you have many allegations and zero documentation. Heard of links?

    Palin is more popular than Obama… or McCain, for that matter

    Ah. So now polls are valid and meaningful. If Bit happens to like what they say.

    The Democrats have exposed themselves as helpless to answer Palin and what she stands for

    What does she stand for? McCain is keeping her sequestered, away from any questions while McCain’s political operatives brief her on what she stands for. Why are they afraid to let her talk to the American people without a script?

    And you come in here saying Palin isn’t prepared and is hiding

    So far she has given a speech that was handed to her and talked to People magazine. Guess she is prepared. To be a celebrity. If she can’t face the press I question her readiness to deal with Al-Qaeda.

  31. anjin-san says:

    BTW Bit, I see ‘ol Ed is still telling you what you think.

    Take a shower dude. You reek of fear…

  32. William d'Inger says:

    You know, anjin-san, I didn’t place great emphasis on the Palin thing at first. Then, during my evacuation up north for hurricane Gustav, I overheard my rabid, feminist, Hillary-ite Democratic cousins talking about her.

    I was shocked and amazed. They consider Palin a genuine woman (as opposed to Clinton, an androgynous candidate who wore butt-ugly pants suits and cackled).

    Seriously, my cousins identify strongly with Palin, especially since she has a pregnant, unwed teenage daughter. My cousins (or their mothers or their sisters or their daughters) have been there and done that. I never in my life would have imagined it could be a political advantage, but it resonates with a certain crowd.

    Unbelievably, Palin’s Pro-Life stance makes little difference to them, and her NRA membership isn’t even on the radar screen. Suddenly, my family is full of hockey moms. I can assure you I have never seen such a remarkable political shift in my life.

    I know my Democratic cousins are too small a group to be statistically significant, but if there is any ground swell along those lines, Obama is toast.

    I’m not saying the Democrats are running scared of this woman, but I’m telling you they should be.

  33. anjin-san says:

    I’m not saying the Democrats are running scared of this woman, but I’m telling you they should be.

    Her handlers won’t let her take questions. Like I said, it is a bit scary, just not the way you think it is. She is ready to be a 72 year old heartbeat away from the Oval Office, but not ready to take a few questions? Generally people who don’t have anything to hide don’t hide…

  34. William d'Inger says:

    Like I said, it is a bit scary, just not the way you think it is. She is ready to be a 72 year old heartbeat away from the Oval Office, but not ready to take a few questions?

    I agree. I think elections ought to be about the issues and not about personalities. I think the same thing ought to apply to my side as well as the other side.

    Yet, to my complete consternation, I watched Palin turn a whole room full of feminists into hockey moms.

    As for your hypothetical “handlers”, they are doing the right thing. Look at the mess Michelle Obama made with her gaffe about the first time she was proud of her country. Look how long her handlers kept her in reeducation purgatory. If the Republicans are smart, neither she nor McCain will say a single word they don’t have to.

    Your side is going to have to come up with something stronger than whining about her not talking to the press.

  35. Bithead says:

    Generally people who don’t have anything to hide don’t hide…

    So, does that statement include Obama who has gone to great lengths to keep people from investigating his history?

    As one example of many, you may want to ask Stan Kurtz about the lengths Obama’s people are going to.

    Oops, huh, Anjin?

    Face it, pard, you’re not ready for prime time.

  36. Bithead says:

    Heard of links?

    Well, I guess I over-estimated your logiocal ability.

    Here’s a whole list.

    Now… are you seriously suggesting Republicans are pushing this nonsense, particularly when we’re seeing it on Kos, DU, and the like? Come on, Anjin. You’re running low on tinfoil.

  37. anjin-san says:

    Who cares what bottom feeders on blogs have to say? No Obama, DNC, or Democratic party officials have made below the belt attacks on Palin.

    I take stuff on Kos about as seriously as I take stuff on Red State, which is not at all. Individuals, be they left or right are free to post whatever nonsense they want on blogs, even if it is nasty, false whatever.

    Believe it or not, there are even people crass and slimy enough to call Obama a “poverty pimp, or to suggest he would lose a war to win an election (oh wait, that was McCain).

  38. Bithead says:

    Who cares what bottom feeders on blogs have to say?

    LOL!
    Yeah, sure, Anjin. Sure.

    Believe it or not, there are even people crass and slimy enough to call Obama a “poverty pimp, or to suggest he would lose a war to win an election (oh wait, that was McCain).

    He did?
    Where did he say that? You have links?

  39. anjin-san says:

    He did?
    Where did he say that? You have links?

    Rodchester, New Hampshire on July 21:

    JULY 22, 2008 7:00
    McCain Meltdown
    Posted by Joe Klein | Comments (264) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This
    John McCain said this today in Rochester, New Hampshire:
    This is a clear choice that the American people have. I had the courage and the judgment to say I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.
    This is the ninth presidential campaign I’ve covered. I can’t remember a more scurrilous statement by a major party candidate. It smacks of desperation. It renews questions about whether McCain has the right temperament for the presidency. How sad.

    http://time-blog.com/swampland/2008/07/mccain_meltdown.html

  40. anjin-san says:

    What’s more offensive? Bottom feeders on a blog saying something slimy, or a candidate for President saying something slimy?

    You be the judge…

  41. Bithead says:

    Joe Klein?

    My god… you HAVE lost it. I mean, he’s one of those blog lowlifes, isn’t he?

    And by the way, Anjin; Prove to me me the Democrat are not about losing the war.

    We’ll wait but not long.

  42. anjin-san says:

    Bit, I am sorry, but I am afraid you are just too much of a robot to waste any more pixels on…

  43. Beldar says:

    anjin-san, you spectacular liar, I hope you’re still following this thread, given your prior fabricated claim that Gov. Palin was in favor of denying contraception to the citizens of Alaska. The exact opposite is true:

    In a widely quoted 2006 survey she answered during her gubernatorial campaign, Palin said she supported abstinence-until-marriage programs. But weeks later, she proclaimed herself “pro-contraception” and said condoms ought to be discussed in schools alongside abstinence.

    “I’m pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues,” she said during a debate in Juneau.

    In lieu of an apology, I suggest you send $10 to the RNC.

  44. G.A.Phillips says:

    Look GA, if she can’t handle a few questions from reporters, how the hell would she handle Iraq and Russia? Or deal with terrorist threats? The VP has to be ready on day one too.

    reporters, lol name some.

  45. Bithead says:

    Bit, I am sorry, but I am afraid you are just too much of a robot to waste any more pixels on…

    You’re a joke, Anjin.. As everyone has just seen, when the topic gets a mite heavy for you, you head for the exists.

    Enjoy your obscurity.