Has US reached peak interest in Sarah Palin?
| Washington
Has the United States reached peak Palin? In other words, are US voters now showing a declining interest in former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, meaning her political fortunes are sliding downwards?
That鈥檚 the implication of , which finds that 54 percent of Americans now say they鈥檝e heard enough from Ms. Palin. They鈥檇 prefer she speak up less, according to survey findings.
This finding fits with what some left-leaning pundits are saying about Palin鈥檚 recent call for President Obama鈥檚 impeachment, in which she compared the nation to a battered wife. The ex-Alaska governor feels her audience slipping away, goes this theory, and is resorting to increasingly inflammatory speech in an effort to rebuild her influence.
Palin 鈥渨ill do or say just about anything to get attention and feed bloody red met to what鈥檚 left of her following,鈥� Tuesday at The Washington Monthly鈥檚 鈥淧olitical Animal鈥� blog.
Well, maybe. It鈥檚 true that she鈥檚 gone from a major party presidential ticket to a paid Fox News pundit to the star of a cable TV hunting show. That鈥檚 not exactly an upward career trend.
But don鈥檛 cry for her, Wasilla. Sarah Palin will continue to be a big draw on the political celebrity market. There is a large segment of voters that still sees her in a very favorable light. As we noted when talking about her impeachment call Tuesday, many Americans feel the US is slipping away from strict constitutional governance. They approve of her rhetoric, whether it鈥檚 directed at President Obama or establishment Republicans she excoriates as feckless.
Look a bit deeper into the NBC poll numbers to see what we mean. Her disapproval is driven mostly by Democrats, two-thirds of whom wish she would go away. So do a majority of independents.
But only about 40 percent of Republicans want her to stop speaking, according to NBC data. That means a majority of the GOP still will listen to what she has to say. That鈥檚 a lot of people, particularly for somebody who鈥檚 not exactly famous for reaching out to the other party.
Other surveys show she still has a strong brand within the GOP, if not universal support. A in May found that 68 percent of GOP voters in that important caucus state have a favorable opinion about Palin. Among Republican celebrities, only Mike Huckabee rated higher.
In December, Palin tied for third in , behind Hillary Clinton and Oprah. OK, she was only named by 5 percent of respondents, but it鈥檚 an open-ended poll, so that鈥檚 actually pretty good. Plus, the person she was tied with was Michelle Obama.
Politico鈥檚 media critic, that Palin finally seems poised 鈥渢o retreat into a relative wilderness.鈥� We bet that 鈥渨ilderness will be somewhere she鈥檒l still manage to get lots of attention for her political endorsements and opinions.
