Poll-itics: IWRC* Palin "ouch!" edition

By GottaLaff

A new Washington Post-ABC News national poll is out, and guess what:

While top-of-the-ticket rivals John McCain and Barack Obama both remain broadly popular heading into their Election Day showdown, public perceptions of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin have fallen dramatically since she emerged on the national political scene at the GOP convention.

Good golly, and what with IWRC bein' out there talkin' to the press and mixin' it up with Brian Williams and all, and ... well.... it didn't work.

A majority of likely voters in a new Washington Post-ABC News national poll now have unfavorable views of the Alaska governor, most still doubt her presidential qualifications and there is an even split on whether she "gets it," a perception that had been a key component of her initial appeal. [...]

Obama is up by a large margin among women, 57 to 41 percent in the new Post-ABC tracking poll. And the senator from Illinois just about ties McCain among white women -- 48 percent back Obama, 49 percent McCain...

Ouch.

In polling conducted Wednesday and Thursday evenings, following the disclosure that the Republican National Committee used political funds to help Palin assemble a wardrobe for the campaign, 51 percent said they had a negative impression of her. Fewer, 46 percent said they had a favorable view. That marks a stark turnaround from early September, when 59 percent of likely voters held positive opinions.

The declines in Palin's ratings have been even more substantial among the very voters Republicans aimed to woo. The percentage of white women viewing her favorably dropped 21 points since early September, among independent women it fell 24 points.

Ouch!

More broadly, the intensity of negative feelings about Palin are also notable: 40 percent of voters have "strongly unfavorable" views, more than double the post-convention number. Nearly half of independent women now see her in a very negative light, a nearly three-fold increase. [...] In the new poll, 58 percent said she is insufficiently experienced.

Ouch!

Perhaps more fundamentally for Palin's national political future, though, is that voters in the new poll are evenly divided about whether she understands their problems. Three weeks ago, 60 percent said she did; now, it is 50 percent yes, 47 percent no.

Both Democratic and independent women are half as likely as they were in late-September to see Palin as empathetic. Among independent women, the percentage who view Palin as in tune with people like themselves slipped from 73 to 50 percent.

Ouch, ouch!

Taking the tickets together, 53 percent of voters express favorable views of both Obama and Biden, 41 percent of both McCain and Palin. Those numbers are very close to current vote preferences in the latest Post-ABC tracking poll: 53 percent said they would vote Democratic if the election were held today, 44 percent would opt for the GOP.

Anyone got a Tylenol? Ouch.

*"In What Respect, Charlie?"