Palin-tology: Sarah Palin increasingly a drag on the GOP ticket

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Johnny "Mac Daddy" McCain loves to play craps and he rolled the dice with an unknown and untested running mate in Governor Sarah Palin. 

At the time of Palin’s selection, many conservative pundits praised McCain for his gambler’s instinct and a brilliant move to shake up the race, a gamble that could pay off in November.

Then the pundits, and Americans, got to know Sarah Palin. And they were not happy.

It began slowly with whispered doubts about the qualifications of Sarah Palin, then grew into a loud chorus from the conservative illuminati, from Roger Cohen, George Will, Charles Krauthammer, Kathleen Parker, Peggy Noonan, etc., etc. David Brooks went so far as to write that Sarah Palin "represents a fatal cancer to the Republican Party."

These conservative pundits are widely syndicated in America’s newspapers, and apparently had an influence upon the editorial boards of the newspapers in which they appear. 

Editorial endorsements for president have been pouring in over the past couple of weeks, and are currently running almost 3-1 in favor of Senator Barack Obama. Updated Endorsement Tally–Obama Leads 124-46 (Editor & Publisher site, for a complete list of endorsements).  At least 27 newspapers have now switched to Obama from Bush in 2004, with just four flipping to McCain.  In 2004, Bush and Kerry nearly evenly split newspaper endorsements.

In almost every one of the editorial endorsements in support of Barack Obama the editors cited as a key reason for their endorsement their doubts about the temperament and judgment of John McCain because of his impulsive and reckless selection of Sarah Palin, whom the editors describe as unqualified to assume the office of president. Palin Pick The Real Reason McCain Trails in Polls?

This editorial judgment of Sarah Palin is shared by most Americans in recent public opinion polls as well.  In the NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll: Obama opens biggest lead over McCain:

Fifty-five percent of respondents say she’s not qualified to serve as president if the need arises, up five points from the previous poll.

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.

More importantly, Palin’s qualifications to be president now rank as voters’ top concern about 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.

The same results are reflected in the Pew Research Center poll Growing Doubts About McCain’s Judgment, Age and Campaign Conduct

Sarah Palin appears to be a continuing – if not an increasing – drag on the GOP ticket. Currently, 49% of voters express an unfavorable opinion of Palin, while 44% have a favorable view. In mid-September, 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.

Moreover, many more voters express doubts about McCain’s judgment than about Obama’s: 41% see McCain as “having poor judgment,” while just 29% say that this trait describes Obama.

The McCain-Palin ticket now appeals only to the GOP conservative base, which daily becomes more "base" with their increasingly racist and bigoted appeals to prejudice, and their questioning of the loyalty and patriotism of their friends and neighbors who support Barack Obama.  Their lack of civility has revealed the ugliness of their nature, and right-thinking Americans are reviled by the coarseness of what they are witnessing. 

It’s almost as if the GOP ticket has been transported back in time to the 1950’s when segregation and McCarthyism ruled the day. America has come too far to turn back the clock to that dark period of our history.  If that is where the Republican Party wants to go, it will soon find itself a permanent fring party in American politics.  Americans are ready to move on with hope and optimism for a brighter future.

Johnny "Mac Daddy" McCain rolled the dice with his selection of Sarah Palin, and it came up snake eyes.