Sarah Palin -- Superstar (for now)

The book, the book tour, the cheering crowds, the praise of Sean Hannity and the derision of Jon Stewart.  It all adds up to Sarah Palin -- Superstar.

Is she peaking too soon?  Or is she solidifying her position early for 2012?  Dunno.  The tactics and strategy of political campaigning are not what this blog is about.  Rather, I'm interested in what people know about Palin and whether or not it matters. 

So let's do the numbers.

Among "independents" her favorable rating has climbed from 33 percent to 49 percent.  Her unfavorable rating has shrunk from 55 to 38 percent.  To be fair these numbers come from a poll generated by Palin-fawning Fox News, so take them with a grain of salt.  Overall, regardless of political affiliation (or lack thereof), Palin -- according to Fox -- has increased from 38 percent to 47 percent favorable.  A CBS poll over roughly the same period has her favorable rating at 23 percent.  Bias in polls?  Katie Couric playing with the numbers?  Well, ABC/Washington Post has her at 43 percent favorable, so you'd be right to wonder about those CBS numbers.

What's interesting is that Palin's numbers continue to climb as Obama's numbers continue to decline.  Soon they will meet, which demonstrates all the difference between governing and campaigning, at least as presented on television and as it plays in the public mind.