Sarah Palin vs. Barack Obama: The approval gap silently shrinks to a few points

Not that it matters politically because obviously she's a female Republican dunce and he's obviously a male Democratic genius.

But Sarah Palin's poll numbers are strengthening.

And President Obama's are sliding.

Guess what? They're about to meet in the 40s.

Depending, of course, on which recent set of numbers you peruse and how the questions are phrased on approval or favorable, 307 days into his allotted 1,461 the 44th president's approval rating among Americans has slid to 49% or 48%, showing no popularity bounce from his many happy trips, foreign and domestic.

Riding the wave of immense publicity and symbiotic media interest over her new book, "Going Rogue," and the accompanying promotional tour, Palin's favorable ratings are now at 43%, according to ABC. That's up from 40% in July.

One poll even gives her a 47% favorable.

Most recent media attention has focused on the 60% who say she's unqualified to become president. Her unfavorable rating is 52%, down from 53%, which still doesn't ignite a lot of optimism for Palin-lovers.

On the other hand, 35 months before the 2008 election, that Illinois senator was such a nobody that no one even thought to ask such a question about him. Things seem to change much more quickly these days.

Saturday night Palin's book bus swung by a mall in Roanoke, Va., a state Obama won a year ago but just recently elected a Republican governor to replace departing Tim Kaine, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The former Alaska governor wanted to greet the hundreds of fans already lining up in 39-degree weather for her Sunday morning signing.

"She brings out a different crowd, " Salem Republican Party Chairman Greg Habeeb told the Roanoke Times. Habeeb was struck by the numerous non-Republicans he spotted in the line snaking all over the mall. "She taps into something that the Republican Party really needs to tap into."

Sunday, Palin flew ahead of her bus to visit the Rev. Billy Graham and his son Franklin at the father's North Carolina home before her appearance today at Fort Bragg.

Overall, Palin's, well, campaign will visit 25 states, most of them politically crucial. Florida gets the most stops, three.

Everybody thinks 2012 when they think of Palin, who last week pushed Oprah's show to....

... its highest ratings in nearly three years. Remember, though, in 2012 the first hurdles a rehabbed candidate Palin would face are her own party's primaries, where diligent conservatives conscientiously come out to play.

If she somehow mobilized Iowa's white evangelicals as Mike Huckabee did to win the 2008 season-opening caucus, many bets would be off about her unelectability. Right now, Palin holds 65% approval among white evangelical Protestants, not a bad place to start, if she decides to.

Anyway, Palin says 2012's not on her radar. Which is a good idea. The year 2010 is much more important for both of these political personalities.

No longer holding any office and personally set financially by the book's runaway success, Palin can devote her SarahPac and the entire year to collecting chits from local Republicans.

As Mitt Romney has already been quietly doing. Other Republicans will no doubt nominate themselves to join along the way, especially if Obama looks vulnerable after November 2010.

Although presidential incumbency has hardly kept Obama chained to the Oval Office, he and Joe Biden now own the U.S. economy, where their much-vaunted $787 billion economic stimulus package has so far stimulated unemployment to grow from 8% to more than 10%.

And then there's the growing deficit dread and the mounting costs -- human and financial -- in the increasingly unpopular Afghan conflict, where Obama is about to commit more U.S. troops at the end of the eighth and worst casualty year of the war.

We'll all hear much next year about how jobs are the last thing to improve in a sour economy, even in congressional districts that don't actually exist. Which is too bad for Democrats because jobs are the obvious first measure the public uses to measure the economy.

Historically, the White House party loses about 17 House seats in a normal midterm election cycle. That wouldn't change control of the House.

George W. Bush's GOP actually gained seats in 2002. Democrat Bill Clinton's first midterm election was a political Katrina, producing the Contract with America and so-called Republican revolution that saw the GOP take control of both houses of Congress after years of minority status.

Much of that turnaround was attributed to Clinton having run in 1992 as a centrist and then immediately pushed a more liberal agenda involving something called healthcare reform.

But that couldn't possibly happen again because of the popularity of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi whose current favorable poll ratings are -- let's see here -- OMG, only about half of Palin's.

Related items:

What to watch for in Sarah Palin's future

Democrats going berserk over 'Going Rogue'

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credits: Getty Images; Keith Srakocic / Associated Press (Virginia book line); Jason Lee / Reuters (Obama walks alone on China's Great Wall). 

Comments

[James F McDonough]

President elect Palin and V.P.Romney will run in 2012.

[john galt]

She's a "dunce" and he's a Demoncrat "genius" stamps the LATimes as petty and too libtard to continue to exist. You folks need to continue to work on comrade Obummer for the bailout for newspapers, as you are rapidly sliding into economic failure. A misstep like that by this communist/ muslim great leader will really bring the citizens out into the streets before he has his 250,000 person internal security force set up. Watch his amnesty push for illegals in January as the Demoncrats last stand to increase their votes to avoid losing power in 2010. Also watch Palin's star power grow, at least partly in response to the vicious attacks from Demoncrats and libtards, who truly do not have a clue in their self-proclaimed intellectual superiority. Obummer is a lightweight, far from competent, as too many non-leftists are realizing, maybe a shade less intellectually challenged than Pelosi and Reid, but certainly on a par with them in his lack of truthfulness and ethics. How about them Chicago polical hacks, heh!

[NYCRetired]

"Not that it matters politically because obviously she's a female Republican dunce and he's a male Democrat genius."

Oh really...
Keep believing that..
All the way to 2012

You're in for a big surprise

[Dave]

The only dunce related to this article is the author who inserts it in the first sentence. Other than that, this was a reasonable article. If it were my newspaper, I would fire the dunce author.

[Prof. Robert Peterson]

Snide comments such as: "Not that it matters politically because obviously she's a female Republican dunce and he's a male Democrat genius." come off as juvenile, biased, and less tan an objective view. They do not help the liberal cause and appear as petty "sour grapes". If there is any wonder over the downward slide of news print readership this is a prime example. Your journalism professor would not be proud -- shame, shame, shame on you.

[richard]

barry is going down, we all see the empty muslem suit, sara palin has more integrety in her little finger than he has in his whole body. He decieved the gullible masses but they are waking up and it's like a hangover, we will get through it, but barry won't.

[king]

Palin's a dunce?? That's how you open an article? Did any of you assclowns get a journalism degree, or is character assasination the only thing that gets you out of your miserable bed in the morning?

[CyneIC]

I was unaware journalism was supposed to be unbiased.

[Scott K. Smith]

HEY ! What's going on here. This is the LA TIMES is it not ? We don't need to be speaking nice about Republicans ESPECIALLY that witch from Alaska!
Let's spend more time talking up the good points of our president's health care bill, call out all Republicans for the LIARS they all are and get this thing pushed through congress. THEN we'll have total control of their puny lives and can get on with turning the wealth in this country back over to the poor people that deserve it ! Now, THAT'S change I can believe in, bro.

[Joe V, Monterey CA]

When your newspaper insults Sarah Palin, it insults the ordinary average American. For example why should I( an ordinary average American without an Ivy league education) support passage of a new Health care bill to cover someone I do not know when your newspaper feels it safe to slam Sarah and in effect slam the very people (her supporters ) who need to be persuaded to ensure health care reform. So, LA Times whom are the dunces now?

[James Overlie]

I like how the writer just can't refrain from calling Sarah a "Dunce". I would like to know how much worse she could do than our "Harvard Genius" has done!

[Richard Alcantar]

"Not that it matters politically because obviously she's a female Republican dunce and he's a male Democrat genius."

Your unprofessional behavior never ceases to amaze. Even a commentary doesn't need to start off with this kind of poisonous diatribe.

[jim murphy]

speaking of a "dunce", do you include yourself.

FROM THE FRONT
AMERICAN NOT MARXIST

JIM MURPHY

[Phyllis Williams]

You know it is quite rude for you to describe her as dunce because you have never gave her the benefit of the doubt. You are basing your opinion on what you have read rather than on personal experienced. You are a follower instead of a leader.

[Pablo]

The Democrats are in for a rude awakening next year in the mid-term elections and for the landslide loss by Obama in 2012.

[Paul Bazemore]

Republican dunce? Democrat genius? Genius only if you think Obama is intentionally destroying the economy. Palin is hardly a dunce. Just wait and see who gets egg on their face. Who cares if Obama is smart. What matters is that he cares little of our constitution and has little respect for our country. Palin will never apologize to the world for America. She will limit government intervention in our lives and get us away from foreign oil dependence. And, she would never try the terroists in criminal court.

[Joe]

uh-oh, it looks like the LA Times has a sexist on their hands!! Sarah Palin is nothing to worry about because "she's a female Republican dunce"? HAHA! First off, Obama is a total economic illiterate and a mental midget... and second off, NO FEMALES should participate in politics. I mean, speaking of female dunces, look at Nancy Pelosi! HAHAHA! What a clown. She said that every month, 500 million Americans lose their jobs... hmm, not sure about the math on that one... also, how about Nancy Pelosi quoting an Old Testament passage from the Book of Isaiah on 5 separate occasions - the only problem with that is, she made the quote up COMPLETELY all while thinking that she's some genius... Nancy Pelosi is a danger... when someone who is a complete moron has that much power, we should all be worried. ALL FEMALES SHOULD GET OUT OF POLITICS. THEIR THOUGHTS GET CLOUDED BECAUSE OF THEIR INFERIOR MENTAL CAPACITY AND WHEN THEY HIT MENOPAUSE EVERYONE IN AMERICA SHOULD HIDE THEIR MONEY BECAUSE THESE ANGRY MOODY WOMEN WILL COME GET IT WHEN THEY"VE HAD A BAD DAY OR WHEN THEY ARE JEALOUS OF THEIR SUPERIOR MALE COUNTERPARTS AND THEIR HUSBANDS (WHO ARE THE REAL REASON FOR ANY FEMALE'S SUCCESS - IF PELOSI HADN'T MARRIED A SUCCESSFUL MAN, SHE WOULD BE JUST ANOTHER PILL-ADDICTED JUNKIE WOMAN LIVING IN A MANSION PAID FOR BY HER HUSBAND IN PRETENTIOUS SAN-FRANSISCO)

[tvan]

What paper is this again?!? very nice!

[Chris M.]

Why is it that Democrats aren't allowed to say anything good about Palin?

To me, a Democrat, Palin is a breath of fresh air and sincere. I think Palin deserves the same break and attention that all the other candidates received. She should be taken seriously.

It apparently has become politically incorrect to say anything bad -- or using politically correct language -- "negative" about this president and politically incorrect to say anything good about those who are anything other than a "Democrat." I've been a lifelong Democrat and I voted for Obama. I am tired of hearing my fellow Dems, my family and wife included, telling me its everyone else's fault but the president's; they tell me to wait and give him a chance, as if the President's waiting for a bus to arrive and take him somewhere.

I am disappointed in the man I voted for. I am disappointed in his administration and his advisors. Like so many I expected Obama to keep his promises, he has not. Our economy has tanked. I am worse off now than I have "ever" been.

The only person that seems to have benefitted from the mess he created, is Obama himself. It is without hesitation that I say I am now profoundly sorry that I voted for this man. I am one of the few Democrats who will admit that I made a mistake. In my view Palin couldn't be any worse than any other candidate running for office.

I say give the girl a chance!

[dmzrn]

Let's see. Which one would I choose?

The one who, several times, voted to deny medical care to babies born alive after failed abortions, in honor of his leftist base,

OR

The one who willingly and joyfully gave birth to a special needs baby knowing that the chosen path contained unknown hardship?

You choice tells the world what kind of person you are.

[ralpherus]

palin NOW.

[Neo Noircat]

Amazingly reasoned report and totally unbiased.

Right. And there's a bridge for sale in Brooklyn.

You article reminds me of the moronic Pauline Kael statement after Nixon's reelection that she "didn't know anyone who voted for him." Nope, because you libs are brain dead and blind to the truth. It's an ugly wakeup call now that your "genius" is exposed for a fool and a buffoon.

[David Kaiser]

Perhaps the people that they she is " obviously a female Republican dunce and (Barak Obama ) he's a male Democrat genius" are the real dunces in this country. When you continue to write this garbage no wonder your readership is down 70 percent, Andrew. LOL I could find a kid off the street to write better and have more perspective and facts then you bring to the table everyday. Switch careers and just run for office so you wont take up space to that old rag the LA Times...

[Chuck Cobb]

The reason so many Americans love Sarah Palin is because of what she represents, and she represents America and all that is real and good and beautiful about it, including its trials and tribulations, which makes her real. She is not as conservative as she is painted, but neither is America. Any honest American who loves liberty will admit a mixture of liberal and conservative views that are necessary under a Constitution that stands for the grand ideas that our Founding Fathers so eloquently articulated, with their understanding of such great documents as the Magna Carta, and fresh from their independence from an oppressive government embodied by the Crown (e.g. ruling class). Regardless of hers or their own intellectual capacity, Sarah Palin reminds Americans of those great principles that we love, and so we love her and support her. That is the way leadership should be. A leader doesn’t run ahead of the herd, like so many poll driven politicians, pushed ahead of the masses, nor does it drive them. The great American leaders and their forebears stood up and said what they believed in, or they led the charge up the hill, and determined hearts followed them to the ends of the earth. This is why so many hate Sarah Palin: They fear American resolve to throw down the oppressors and ring the bell of liberty across the land.

Like William Wallace said, “Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom.”

Give ‘em hell Sarah.

[mtnthc]

Its frightening to think that Americans could really put Palin anywhere close to Obama. Regardless of the party, one thing I like to see our president have is intellect which is complete absent in Palin. Despite my disdain for Bush and his less than brilliant presidency, I would take him any day over the shallow minded Palin. Frightening,...

[Dan]

You are a politically biased idiot. "Not that it matters politically because obviously she's a female Republican dunce and he's a male Democrat genius"

[dick burrows]

Maybe all the lies Obama told during the campaign is finally catching up with him. He and his family has spent millions of tax payer money jetting around the globe and has done nothing at home. We have two wars going and all he can say is that Pres Bush was at fault. We have a 10% unemployment in this country and all he and his idiot handlers can say it"s Pres Bush fault. The American people should have been smarter to elect a man who had only been in the Senate one year and a community cowboy handing out money to his people. Right now Sarah Palin makes Obama look
pretty bad

[PATTY]

Face it , Liberals!!
We Love Sarah, We will vote for Sarah and Sarah will beat Obama!!!!!!!!
Obama is a complete failure and his health care disease is H1N1 to America.

[Terry]

Over the weekend Rasmussen Reports released interesting numbers from a phone survey concerning the 2012 Republican presidential hopefuls. The data states that 29% of Republican voters nationwide say former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is their pick to represent the GOP in the 2012 Presidential campaign. Going-rogue (or do you say-vogue) best selling Amazon.com pre-sale author, magazine reading aficionado and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin came in at 18% for the bronze medal, behind Mitt Romney with 24%. The numbers for Huckabee and Romney look even stronger when GOP voters were asked which candidate they would LEAST like to see get the nomination. Palin was at 21% while 20% named former Speaker Newt Gingrich. Romney and Huckabee were in the single digits with 9% and 8% respectively.

[American]

"Not that it matters politically because obviously she's a female Republican dunce and he's a male Democrat genius." What have you been sniffing? This is pure liberal spin, and you wonder why nobody buys your newspaper? He has yet to do a single valuable thing, and already has caused harm domestically and abroad for his pure unadulterated incompetence. More incompetence than perhaps any president in modern day history.

[Paul]

What do you mean Obama didn't get a bounce from his trip. Didn't you see him eat that ice cream in China? That's bound to increase his popularity.

[carla1]

What a biased piece, starting right in the first sentence.
Calling Palin a dunce, and Obama a genius.
Yet despite the ignornorant and biased screel by the likes of you, her poll numbers keep rising.
And your (cough)"genius" Obama's keep falling.
Maybe you are the dunce!

[John Thompson]

Boy you guys really don’t get it. The only real Dunce in the article is Obama. A Box of Rocks has a higher IQ than he will ever have and guess what-Americans know it.

[regularguynyc]

Now as we have had the opportunity to see these two people away from the campaign trail the differences are becoming obvious. On one hand, we have a self-made woman who shows deep convictions while not showing or any sense of superiority over the people she wants to serve. On the other hand, we have a very insecure and self righteous leader in our President, who to this point has shown no interest in listening to the desires of the population he is supposed to be serving. It is basically the difference between night and day, no matter how the main stream media tries to paint this picture it is obvious our "elected" emperor has no clothes....

[red]

Yeah, Sarah's a dunce all right, just like Ronald Reagan huh? Oh yeah and Obama's a genius? How's that playing out in the history books? Oh yeah, Reagan is universally acknowledged as one of the best Presidents in U.S. history and Obama will be listed among the worst alongside his buddy Carter. It never ceases to amaze me how the left will demean and try to marginalize a genuine threat from the right. You idiots on the left must be quaking in your boots at the thought of candidate Palin against your teleprompter-in-chief. I'd say Sarah must be doing something right to be continually attacked in this way. Keep up the good work Sarah, 2012's just around the corner.

[snowboardpete]

I just love the way Sarah Palin drives the libs nuts! She is smarter than Obama, had more experience than Obama going into the 2008 election, she is more eloquent than Obama and she connects with people on a personal level. For all these reasons all the libs can do is call her names. All I can say is, keep it up libs, there is a tidal wave coming and you people are too arrogant to see it. This is going to be fun to watch and take part in!!

[TrueBlue]

Obama's a genius? Really? Cap and Tax, Porkulus, bowing to national leaders, civilian trials for terrorists, and now this insanely expensive government healthcare being forced through. I can imagine what being stupid must look like to biased lunatics like you. lol

[The Black Knight]

She's a blue star Mom with a son in combat. She needs to tell Mister Peanut to stop using our troops as photo op props, and start giving them what they need to win.

[Robert]

Both Palin and Obama had pretty thin resumes prior to the 2008 election. Obama now has a real job (regardless of how ineptly he is handling it) and Sarah gave up hers (regardless of how well she was doing it).
As much as I like Sarah Palin as a person, she was really just conservative eye candy in the eyes of the country club Republican leadership that backed Senator McCain. She needed to get some more experience under her belt before any intelligent person would consider her qualified for the White House. Still she was an authentic conservative that had real possibilities for the future . . . UNTIL she gave herself a huge black eye by resigning from governor of Alaska.
After that, I'm sorry. I know she was under a lot of pressure but we can't have President who quits when the going gets tough. By resigning from Governor she demoted herself to the rank of Cheerleader. Conservatives can listen to her speeches but we need to look elsewhere for the next Ronald Reagan.

[john utley]

You started your article: Not that it matters politically because obviously she's a female Republican dunce and he's a male Democrat genius. Obviously you are an idiot. he's a male democrat genius????obviously someone has left the keyboard unlocked for the insane and they have not taken their meds in a very, very long time. Genuis is the one word that goes contrary to everything the president is. He has spent more time advancing an idiotic agenda that will undermine every American's freedom and the American people are figuring this out very quickly. No one I know, and I know a lot of very intelligent people, remark that he is a genius. A socialist...yes....but a genius...seriously???? Too bad no one could see the smirk on your face, the tongue firmly implanted in your cheek when you wrote this...obviously...

[Tom]

The LA Times will never be accused of being fair and balanced. Because of your ingrained left wing starting point, you will never be able to refer to Palin as anything other than "a Republican dunce" or to Obama as anything other than "a Democrat genius." While an objective consideration of the facts (an art not practiced at the Times) is causing most people to realize that the monikers are inaccurate, and probably reversed, the Times will ride its shrinking circulation into the ground spouting this sort of bias.

The polls summarize and reflect the truth. Obama's popularity and the perception of his genius have steadily declined from the day he took the oath of office. With every opportunity, he has proven himself to be an intellectually rigid and petty socialist demagogue. Even propped up with a ludicrous Nobel prize award, he is quickly on his way to becoming one of the most divisive, least popular presidents in American history. Just project the Gallup polls out a few years, or a few quarters, and you will see the abject trajectory of the dawning recognition of the truth.

After Obama, Americans will look back on Jimmy Carter (who is arguably the worst president of the past two centuries) with fondness and respect.

[Ron]

The longer Obama is in office, the more people realize he doesn't belong there, he is clearly in over his head. Palin, on the other hand has a track record of success that has prepared her for the Presidency. None of the whining typical of the lefwing sluts and nuts, Sarah is a strong, accomplished, intelligent, moral, and patriotic example of true American feminism.

[johnbirch47]

Your continued Minimizing and marginalizing of the Conservative Moment in this Great Nation of ours is done at the peril of the Socialist Left Wing-nuts.

[changeling48084]

Two thoughts:

I look at Palin's so-called unsuitability for the Presidency as a result of the same type of factor that emerged between King Saul and David: "Saul killed his thousands and David his ten-thousands!!" It follows that McCain's ego has been such that he could not tolerate an underling viewed by so many with such favorability. So McCain and his minions just had to undermine and destroy her...except it apparently hasn't worked, just as Saul failed to destroy David. Don't be surprised if Palin does indeed make it into the White House. God and Politics both work in mysterious ways.

Obama is doing "silly" things to undermine his own credibility here and abroad. He approaches other global leaders with the same attitude as a 10-year old dressed in an oversized football jersey wanting to play flag football with high-school kids. By all accounts, his deep bow was viewed as mortifying by the Japanese. Too, the Norwegians used Obama's ego (per the Nobel Peace Prize) as one would use a leash on a puppy dog. In fact, Obama's overall manner abroad is more akin to that of a Labrador Retriever than as a head of state. In contrast, at home, Obama treats the average American citizen in a manner very typical of how one would treat a puppy dog who left a puddle on one's carpet. Increasingly, he comes across as one's spendthrift wastrel of a brother-in-law who has moved in, eats one out of house and home, doesn't do a thing around the house and is very difficult to evict.

In light of the above, I believe that Palin's star is rising and that Obama's star is collapsing into a black hole that is beginning to suck the Democratic Party into oblivion.

[Biff]

They're both dunces.

[Phil]

If a politician could mark out a pragmatic approach between Obama's Big Government and Palin's right-wing anti-elitism, they would have my vote.

[Marianne Prescott]

Obama is a genius are you kidding me? This enlightened comment is based on what exactly? Did you locate this information from his college records? Oh, I forgot he had them sealed before the election. Perhaps from the wonderful job he his doing with the economy. Oh yes, the economy has tanked since he took office. Obama is not only not a genius, he is moron of the highest order.

[Steve]

Calling one politician a dunce and another a genius is opinion, and belongs on the opinion page. Saying that such opinion is obvious is further evidence that this piece belongs on the opinion page. It doesn't take a genious of an editor to figure this out, but it sure makes an editor look like a dunce.

[Bob]

It's amazing that the liberal media condones a statement like the one at the top of this article ("....obviously she's a female Republican dunce and he's a male Democrat genius." I would think that all women, regardless of political leanings, would be outraged by such biased blather.

[Naomi]

I think it's the other way round. Obama is the Democrat male dunce who depends on teleprompters, who is the commie/socialist in the White House, who is the let-me-kowtow-to-Saudi king-and-Japanese emperor and who wants to destroy all things American versus Palin the down-to-earth ordinary hardworking, unpretentious, partriot of American ideals who cleaned out corruption in Alaska government and gave back Alaska to Alaskans. (Read her book). If she can do the same for the most corrupt place on earth DC, she gets my vote. I'm sick of pretentious, east coast elitist snobs with their lawyerly disdain for ordinary Americans. Sarah 2012