Polls, polls, and more polls. Everyone has poll from who you are going to vote for President to how many times a day do your children pick their noses. It gets utterly ridiculous sometimes. Then you have the umpteen thousand of pollsters and their companies. It never seems to end.
But, polling does serve a purpose, at least for gauging the political pulse of the country. If it is done properly and honestly it can give a clearer picture of what the outcomes might be. Presently, Senator McCain and Governor Palin are trailing Senators Obama and Biden, but the gap seems to be closing. With the RNC just closing out, the jump or lack of will not be seen till this Monday or Tuesday.
This is not the point though, are we payng attention to the correct polls? Rasmussen just posted the results of a poll that I actually found very fascinating.
A week ago, most Americans had never heard of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Now, following a Vice Presidential acceptance speech viewed live by more than 40 million people, Palin is viewed favorably by 58% of American voters. The latest
Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 37% hold an unfavorable
view of the self-described hockey mom. [1]
This is what is even more interesting about this situation.
Perhaps most stunning is the fact that Palin’s favorable ratings are now a point higher than either man at the top of the Presidential tickets this year. As of Friday morning, Obama and McCain are each viewed favorably by 57% of voters. Biden is viewed favorably by 48%. [1]
Now, keep in mind this is a perception poll, meaning do you like this person, not who are you going to vote for. How this plays into the election remains to be seen. But, there is another interesting fact among persons that are not affiliated with either party. Since McCain's pick, non-affiliated voters perception of the Senator has risen dramatically.
Among unaffiliated voters, favorable opinions of McCain have increased by eleven percentage points in a week—from 54% before the Palin announcement to 65% today. [1]
If this translates into votes, which I am not saying it will, it is this block that could actually throw the election to the Republicans. I think the Hillary supporters will be a factor, but not as much as the Independent vote.
The country is still getting to know Sarah Palin but she has definitely taken everyone by storm. My prediction is this, the Obama camp has failed to generate any type of successful response by using personal attacks on Palin. I think they will now switch to unearthing anything that they can find about her political past and exacerbating or twisting it. That is if they find anything at all. How McCain and Palin face this new onslaught coming will be another test for Sarah.
C.T.
[1] Palin Power: Fresh Face Now More Popular Than Obama, McCain
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