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roachboy · 02-11-2010, 01:44 PM

Poll finds most Americans are unhappy with government - washingtonpost.com

not sure if you need a subscription to the washington post to chase this link....just in case: it outlines the results of a new cbs/washington post poll. here's the results concerning sarah palin:

Quote:

But nearly two-thirds of those polled say they know just some, very little or nothing about what the tea party movement stands for. About one in eight says they know "a great deal" about the positions of tea party groups, but the lack of information does not erase the appeal: About 45 percent of all Americans say they agree at least somewhat with tea partiers on issues, including majorities of Republicans and independents.

Although Palin is a tea party favorite, her potential as a presidential hopeful takes a severe hit in the survey. Fifty-five percent of Americans have unfavorable views of her, while the percentage holding favorable views has dipped to 37, a new low in Post-ABC polling.
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There is a growing sense that the former Alaska governor is not qualified to serve as president, with more than seven in 10 Americans now saying she is unqualified, up from 60 percent in a November survey. Even among Republicans, a majority now say Palin lacks the qualifications necessary for the White House.

Palin has lost ground among conservative Republicans, who would be crucial to her hopes if she seeks the party's presidential nomination in 2012. Forty-five percent of conservatives now consider her as qualified for the presidency, down sharply from 66 percent who said so last fall.

Among all Republicans polled, 37 percent now hold a "strongly favorable" opinion of Palin, about half the level recorded when she burst onto the national stage in 2008 as Sen. John McCain's running mate.

Among Democrats and independents, assessments of Palin also have eroded. Six percent of Democrats now consider her qualified for the presidency, a drop from 22 percent in November; the percentage of independents who think she is qualified fell to 29 percent from 37 percent.

In her speech at last week's tea party gathering in Nashville, Palin said she will campaign on behalf of conservative candidates -- some backed by tea party groups -- in contested Republican primaries, even if doing so might split the GOP electorate.

The new poll shows Republicans divided about the tea party movement, which threatens to cause a rift in the lead-up to November's midterm elections. Two-thirds of those calling themselves "strong Republicans" view the movement favorably, compared with 33 percent among "not very strong Republicans."

Overall opinion is about evenly split, with 35 percent of all Americans holding favorable views of the movement and 40 percent unfavorable ones. A quarter expressed no opinion. Nearly six in 10 Democrats have unfavorable views, while independents are split, 39 percent positive and 40 percent negative.

Even after staging a national convention that garnered worldwide media attention, the burgeoning tea party effort remains something of an enigma. Through town hall protests and mass gatherings, it has given voice to those disillusioned with President Obama's economic policies and health-care agenda. But the movement -- made up of hundreds of grass-roots groups -- has no national leadership by design, making it difficult to measure the size or makeup of its following.