Sarah Palin apparently has the magic touch in picking Republican primary candidates (with a 3 for 3 record in June 8 contests), but is her endorsement the kiss of death in general elections? One clue is tucked inside a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll: 8 percent of respondents would be "enthusiastic" if Palin endorsed a Congressional candidate, 17 percent would be "comfortable" with the endorsement, 15 percent would have "some reservations," and 37 percent would be "very uncomfortable" — a 25/52 split against Palin. Does this poll, and others like it, mean anything? (Watch Sarah Palin endorse her "mama grizzly" candidates)
Palin is electoral poison: Finally, proof that a Palin endorsement is "toxic" to a majority of voters, says Greg Sargent in The Washington Post. Only two other attributes of potential candidates were viewed more negatively: Support for Bush's economic policies, and a desire to eliminate federal agencies or Social Security. At the very least, this poll shows "how out of sync with public opinion the media obsession with Palin's influence really is."
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