Palin's Qualifications Now Top Concern About McCain Candidacy

Two polls released Tuesday provide striking evidence of Palin's transformation over the course of two months from GOP energy boost to major drawback, as the Alaska governor's rising unfavorability ratings have become a critical vulnerability for the McCain campaign.

Palin's qualifications to be president now rank as voters' top concern about John McCain's candidacy - "ahead of continuing President Bush's policies, enacting economic policies that only benefit the rich and keeping too high of a troop presence in Iraq," according to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll.

Fifty-five percent of respondents now say Palin is not qualified to serve as president, a five-point jump from the previous NBC/WSJ survey.

In addition, for the first time, more voters have a negative opinion of her than a positive one. In the survey, 47 percent view her negatively, versus 38 percent who see her in a positive light.

That's a striking shift since McCain chose Palin as his running mate in early September, when she held a 47 to 27 percent positive rating.

According to another poll by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, opinions of Palin have flipped in the last month, especially among the female voters she was expected to attract to the McCain ticket.

Nearly half -- 49% -- of voters have an unfavorable opinion of her while 44% have a favorable view. A month ago, "favorable opinions of Palin outnumbered negative ones by 54% to 32%."

Women, especially women under age 50, have become increasingly critical of Palin: 60% now express an unfavorable view of Palin, up from 36% in mid-September. Notably, opinions of Palin have a greater impact on voting intentions than do opinions of Joe Biden, Obama's running mate.

Comments

[SkyDotCom]

03:19 PM on 10/27/2008

I don't know about all of you but there are certain things that completely END THE ARGUMENT for me. Like OJ and the White Bronco Chase; That was IT, game over, nothing more to discuss. I didn't care what blood was found where, who had what kinda shoes, what glove did or didn't fit... It was OVER with the White Bronco Chase. Period. Because NOBODY can explain that in a way that would EVER make sense to me. The same sorta thing happened here... When Katie Couric asked Sarah Palin for the names of some periodicals she read to inform herself of world news and events, SHE. COULD. NOT. NAME. ONE. MAGAZINE/NEWPAPER! NOT ONE!!! That was it! That was --in my opinion--- Sarah Palin's White Bronco Chase!!! (Although there were others...) But... To be literally UNABLE to name even ONE newsmagazine of ANY kind!!! That was it, my friends. Case closed, stick a fork in 'er, and send her home. And that John McCain SELECTED that maroon as his running mate... Well... That's HIS White Bronco Chase!

[CaptainHowdy]

06:32 AM on 10/23/2008

She is so unqualified that it's simply shocking that JM's poll numbers have tanked even worse than this.

What's wrong with this country? This is completely insane.

[sam4108]

03:03 AM on 10/23/2008

I am a american, not just because I was born in america, but because that who Iam. I join the U.S.
Marine Corps in 1973. right at the end of the veitnam confict. I was a very proud Marine and I was well
train to defend the U.S. in there engagement to bring freedom to other parts of the world. When I was in grade school we had to learn the consitution, but other thing like the Gettysburg address, preablem
in order to make a desent grade in history. which make me think if Mrs. Plain do not even know what the v.p. does how can we trust her to do her job. Or we to belived that she will make it up as she goes a long. wheather she was answering the questiion for a reporter or a 3rd grader she answer the question to the best of abillity. my question is if the McCain/Palin ticket do not win would she go back to be a govenor. if she does I hope that this experince has tought her something. like the old saying goes what hurts us only make us strong. we ought to learn from our mistakes.

[CaptainHowdy]

06:28 AM on 10/23/2008

Learn grammar and spelling please. You're making the military look like the idiots that they really are.

[MeritRs]

08:39 PM on 10/22/2008

Sarah Palin has more experience than Obama - have you lost your minds. Obama is Media made and who gains from that! Obama did not vote on the issues as a junior senator and all the other things linked to him. Stop feeding off the fear of the Media. Acorn Fraud links to Obama. He was wrong for America when he ran against Hillary and he is wrong for America now. Maybe that's how Hillary lost Acorn fraud.
Obama is not even in office and look at the corruption that follows him.
McCain/Palin for pro-life.

[Pacojam]

04:50 AM on 10/23/2008

Obama is brilliant. Palin a dimwit.

[Avidia]

09:42 AM on 10/23/2008

A blanket first test for leadership is whether or not you can inspire followers. Gov Palin is certainly governor of a small state whose popularity as dropped as this election rolls out - she's no longer the most popular governor in America by a long shot. She certainly has experience - but it's not in areas that are most relevant to most Americans. Her command of foreign policy and economic issues is pretty much non-existent. When Sen McCain says that he and Gov Palin share a common world view, I assume that means that he can see Russia from his houses too.

[neckozihp]

12:46 AM on 10/24/2008

Palin has more experience than Obama, plus she knows what it's like to earn an honest living. She's worked in a variety of jobs and has had more "character building experiences". Her educational experience was varied as well. Her parents couldn't afford to send her and her siblings to expensive schools and Palin worked to pay for a portion of her tuition.

Don't you realize "seeing Russia from my house" was just a joke? And I'm not sure she
was the one that initially stated that.

At least she has a sense of humor. Much better than Obama's "uncomfortable smile" when faced with hearing "the truth" in the last debate.

[balrog221]

06:54 PM on 10/22/2008

Powell was correct, the only meaningful job of the VP is to be ready to be president

[Jo Manning]

06:01 PM on 10/22/2008

I just read a snippet online from People Magazine that quotes SP as saying she is an intellectual. Well, that puts me in MY place! I mean, if People Magazine has it, it must be true. Coulda fooled me, though.

[Jo Manning]

05:20 PM on 10/22/2008

Am beginning to wonder if Palin is not really very bright. I mean as in IQ-challenged. Reading and delivering a knockout acceptance speech at the Republican convention is something any good actress could do; answering questions off-the-cuff (the newspaper one posed by Katy Couric is an excellent example) seems to be beyond her; and she didn't react to what was being said by Senator Biden during that debate, when she wasn't saying she wouldn't answer the questions, that is.

I think it's perhaps more than a lack of qualifications, of being in over one's head in re: economic and international matters. I think it's a real lack of mental capacity. They did not seem to notice it in Alaska when she was mayor and then governor, but, geeze, it's sure showing now.

There's a website on the Internet purporting to have her IQ, GPA, grade-point average (and grades themselves in high school) that looks bogus to me, but, she did drop out of -- what? -- 5 or so colleges and it took her some 6+ years to be graduated. Something is out of whack here, but no one has really examined it. The accent makes her sound uneducated, not very smart, but perhaps she actually is mentally challenged? To me, that would explain a great deal about her.

[Pacojam]

04:53 AM on 10/23/2008

Definate possibility!

Looks more and more that way.

[EvangelicalEmpathy]

05:19 PM on 10/22/2008

This is off topic, but Chris Matthews just hammered a RNC rep on Palin's comments on her role as VP. No one Palin thinks she's qualified to be VP, she doesn't understand what the job entails.

[girlsgab]

04:41 PM on 10/22/2008

I agree, I think McCain chose her to divert attention away from himself and his lack of economic experience. Sad that she didn't even see it coming. If McCain really was "Country First" he would have shown it by picking a better qualified VP selection.
http://www.girlsgab.com

[Pacojam]

04:58 AM on 10/23/2008

McCain asumed that since she had this great reputation in Alaska, she must be smart. WRONG!

He didn't vett her, or even properly interview her. If he had known she was this inept, he would have to be equally inept to pick her.

He pulled the trigger without even looking into the situation. This makes him unqualified to be president, period.

[timothyi]

04:40 PM on 10/22/2008

You obviously don't understand the breathtaking level of denial that these folks have granted themselves. In a discussion on thsi very topic with my sister in law, I was informed that "God placed the oil there for his children to use for his greater glory." No dinosaurs or prehistoric forests involved, just God's own filling station.

On the way home I smacked myself in the forehead for not asking the obvious follow-up -- why did God place most of his oil under Muslim nations? I'm sure the answer would have been enlightening, probably involving the obligation to kick said nations' asses.

[JustMyWords]

09:24 PM on 10/22/2008

Egg her into the conversation again so you can spring that one on her - I'm dying to know what the response would be!

[monty]

04:38 PM on 10/22/2008

I guess McCain picked someone a little too stupid, even for Republicans. I wonder how that happened.

[Barackaroo]

04:35 PM on 10/22/2008

I guess we can start referring to her as

The Drag Queen.

[NapaNose]

04:45 PM on 10/22/2008

omigawd, you're BRILliant!!

[ThePublicRecord]

04:32 PM on 10/22/2008

http://www.pubrecord.org/sarah-palin/413-alaska-rep-calls-for-probe-into-troopergate-witness-tampering.html

New Front in Palin's 'Troopergate' Mess

In a new front for Gov. Sarah Palin’s “Troopergate” troubles, a top Alaska Democratic lawmaker has called on the state’s attorney general to appoint an independent investigator to probe whether operatives in Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign broke Alaska’s criminal witness-tampering laws.

[Jacqbear]

04:18 PM on 10/22/2008

Palin bashing is getting out of hand although it does serve one of McCain's probable purposes in choosing Palin which is to provide himself with a human shield. Does anyone remember that just prior to his bad judgement choice, he was making several errors in speaking about foreign policy matters. She's a great diversion from his own glaring ineptitude in articulating substantive policy initiatives, historical knowledge, and communication ability (or disability).

I disagree with every opinion Palin has (as well as McCain), still I'm beginning to sense that there is some serious woman bashing going on here.

As to her opinion on the vice presidency, again I disagree with her view. Yet, I can also see why she might have it given who the current vice president is. Cheney has practically run the executive branch of the government while assisting in the shredding of our constitution, abusing his authority as vice president and as a member of the executive branch. Where were all the "ignorance about the constitution" commentary while Cheney and company were abusing their authority! There wasn't a significant peep out of anyone's throat, certainly not enough to prevent the passage of the Patriot Act or disallow the abuses of power in the executive branch.

[bluerabbit47]

10:08 PM on 10/22/2008

Well, Ms Palin is, unfortunately, a woman-basher herself. Think about the consequences of her beliefs-- all young women (besides her, of course) are slaves to the diaper and the casserole.

[CharlesSolomon]

04:16 PM on 10/22/2008

To Floridians 4 mcCain Palin:
Well Thank You for the warning about not voting for your gurus McCain/Palin, but at least They are visible...
Now when it comes to you "I'm smart! I'm in it for ME!" trashers from the SunStroke State..
Gee Thanks for the advice but would you be kind enough to wear some brain sunblock to protect
what flea sized protoplasm is left in your skulls.
Sincerely
Charles Solomon