Palin Popularity Plunging in Polls

Alaskans are starting to get it. Palin's job approval numbers have dropped consistently since she came back from the Straight Talk Express tour. Neglect doesn't play well here.
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Sarah Palin is no longer the most popular governor in the country. That title now belongs to Connecticut Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell. Rell has a 70% approval rating (4.10.09). Connecticut has five times the population of Alaska.

Sarah Palin is no longer the most popular politician in Alaska.

Senator Lisa Murkowski is. She is polling at a combined approval of 76.3%. Lisa Murkowski avoids drama. Alaskans, while not always agreeing with her, agree she is, unlike Sarah Palin, at work.

In March 2008, Sarah Palin's combined positives were 85%. Her combined negatives were 12%. In July of 2008, according to the same polls, if you walked into a bar with 100 people, 12 people didn't approve of the job Sarah Palin was doing. Good luck getting a drink.

Last September, Sarah went on tour...and stayed on tour-like an old Aqua Net 80's band that ought to stick to playing local bars and count their iTune downloads. Sarah Palin consistently ignored the needs of Alaskans. As a result of her job abandonment, her approval rating suffered. The new Hayes Research polls show the governor at 54% combined approval and 41.6% combined disapproval. 30% of her former fans now boo her. Love can be fickle.

Alaskans are starting to get it. Palin's job approval numbers have dropped consistently since she came back from the Hate Talk Express tour. Neglect doesn't play well here.

Since these poll numbers were released, Sarah Palin has dug her naughty monkey heels in; she is selfishly refusing $28.6 million in State Energy Program stimulus funds. Alaska has the highest energy costs in the country. Newsflash: it gets cold here! The money would be used to winterize homes, which in turn, would reduce energy consumption and costs, while...ding ding ding...providing local jobs and STIMULATING a sluggish economy!!!

Palin said she doesn't want to be part of "growing the national debt." If she were truly concerned, she would accept the stimulus package in its entirety and then write the federal government a check. The $28.6 million she is rejecting will go to another state-probably California.

In a bipartisan plea to the governor, Senators Bill Wielechowski-D, Anchorage, and Lesil McGuire-R, Anchorage, asked Governor Palin to accept the money to help with urgent and important state needs. Our state budget is almost a billion dollars in short fall, and the $28.6 million would help with long range costs. The state budget prioritizes energy assistance to the tune of $100 million annually. What a concept. The stimulus money would fund more energy auditors, contractors, and tradesmen in the short term. Families struggling to pay high heating costs would benefit in the long term. Those families will spend it-thus the stimulus.

Last year, the governor, in a sweeping "love me long time" gesture, spent $740 million in an "energy assistance rebate." It came in the form of a one time payment of $1,200 to every man, woman and child in the Alaska. You should have seen the line at Best Buy that day. The checks evaporated like Palin's approval ratings.

The governor is, once again, pandering to her disappearing base and prioritizing her dream of a 2012 presidential run ahead of the real needs of Alaskans. Not accepting this money makes her a "conservative?" Her position contradicts the truth. Her own state agency, the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, stated they already have requirements on buildings to insure they meet national energy standards. The federal requirements apply to towns larger than 2,500 people. Granted, most of the state's population lives in larger towns, but the majority has energy codes already in place. So, in fact, Palin could use the funds for projects already under the federal codes.

It's crap. Sarah's excuse is crap. Her actions are as erratic as her reasoning.

Rush "Boss" Limbaugh thinks Sarah is fabulous. Boss thinks she's the new face of the party-the party that "won't attract liberals...thank God." Well, Rush lives in Florida. Rush hasn't spent up to $11 a gallon for heating fuel. Rush hasn't spent three months in sub-zero temperatures. Rush hasn't lived where the sun doesn't rise for a month.

Rush should shut it. He reminds of a guy full of fishing stories who probably can't bait his own hook. Sarah can feel pretty good about her endorsement from the real leader of the GOP. Sarah Palin is sacrificing Alaska for Boss Limbaugh's affection.

If the governor doesn't step up and help the state with some financial energy relief by May 12, her next polls will drop even lower.

Alaskans don't consider heat a luxury.

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