I'm a conservative in every sense of the word and Palin scares me to death. Fairly or unfairly, she has become a caricature of herself. There is nothing she can do to turn that view around. She is just too polarizing, even among many Republicans.
Right now, these poll numbers are more about popularity than anything else. As the race comes into focus for primary voters, she will drop because there is no "there" there with her. She just offers canned conservative phrases.
If I were Romney, I would be devastated by these numbers. His message didn't sell two years ago and it appears he has been forgotten. It's not as if he's been a shrinking violet either. I still think he's the favorite, but I would be worried about wasting more of my fortune if I were him.
What these numbers do tell me are two things. First, Obama will be very beatable in 2012. That doesn't mean he will lose, but it's certainly possible. Second, there is no clear choice for Republicans in a field of also-rans. In my view, this makes a Jeb Bush run that much more possible as he could swoop in and become the consensus candidate in short order.
Nah. What's the basis for thinking this is just favorability? Presumably, if someone being polled liked Palin but didn't want her for president, they'd be go with another of the many choices they were read. And it's not as if Palin is unknown. She's very well known so people understand full well who she is. They know what is there. And she is winning in a bunch of states. Maybe it should be your party that scares you and not just Palin.