Is Palin a positive or a negative for the GOP ticket?

A definite positive. As a tactical move, it was brilliant. If you're analyzing her impact on the race, you can't allow the impact of the financial crisis to pollute your data, which is essentially what is happening. Had McCain a conventional center-right running mate, this thing never would have even gotten as close as it had to begin with.

And in regards to independent voters, while the majority may hold an unfavorable opinion of her, I suspect that it's not enough to where her presence on the ticket is a major top-2 factor as to why they are leaning Obama, among those leaning Obama.

 

None of the traditional VP picks would have given McCain enough of a boost to give him a credible chance against Obama.

So on 4th and long he heaved up the Hail Mary to Palin -- on the hopes that she'd awaken the fundies, the rural voters, the disconnected from washington types, the free enterprise in spirit types, some women (though he never really had a chance with the Hillary crowd), and rekindle the 'who has experience,' and 'east coast elitist' dialogue.

Then she spoke

....fumbled the ball. And he could not recover.

Negative.

 

On a positive note....

she has made SNL and David Letterman semi-relevant again.

 

Her RNC speech inspired me to donate and contribute to the $10 million raised by Obama's campaign in the following 24 hours

 

The results here aren't that far off from scientific polling.

NBC poll

NY Times :

Whenever I watch Peggy Noonan on TV, she always likes to pratttle on about how great Reagan was, often quoting lines from his best speeches. What she doesn't mention is that she was his speechwriter, and wrote those speeches. That Reagan's delivery of the lines was excellent, given his previous profession, is to my mind not a mark in his favor.

Palin's terrific at reading a prepared speech. The RNC speech, though petty, was well-performed. Unfortunately, she wasn't well-vetted, and is out of her element on national issues that matter this election cycle.

It's one of the reasons I like Obama in this age of manufactured politics. I realize he has a cadre of speechwriters working on an infinite number of typewriters at any one time. However, he was reportedly the main speechwriter on many of his addresses, particularly his "A More Perfect Union" speech, which to my mind was the best statement on race relations I've seen in forty years. The medium isn't the message; the man is the message.

 

I have to disagree with most. This maybe a gimmick by the GOP to try to sway women and Hillary supporters or whatever but it worked. She created a spark when McCain was dead in the water. I may never vote for a ticket that has her included but what she did for the GOP in reviving the base has been nothing but a positive for them. Before they announced Palin as a VP, there were a lot of questions about McCain in their supporters and Palin revived and excited them. If it wasn't for Palin, this would of never been close at any point. Of course it didn't work in the long run because with each and passing day she would be exposed but they needed something radical and they went with it.

 

Obama got a bump from the DNC, yes. But that would have faded back to Obama's pre-DNC lead. And, per the article cited above, McCain's internal polling was showing the Paris Hilton celebrity crap was working, he was closing the gap, and that he didn't need to throw the Hail Mary.

 

For me a negative.

I am an independent who was leaning towards McCain until the introduction of Palin to the ticket. No I've been pushed towards Obama and will vote for him.

 

Not quiet. See below.

 

She is absolutely a negative. Her appointment took the biggest trump card/"I Win" button that McCain had against Obama, the experience issue, and completely negated it to the point of actually dragging McCain down. With any of the other VP candidates, he could have framed his entire campaign around the theme of "readiness" and "experience" and made a strong push against Obama. Oh, well. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

 

It's not top-2

It's top 1:

 

She is positive for the party but she needs to learn how to make attacks. She need to learn what the reactions of what she doing will cause. She has a lot to learn basically. A key is she not part of the GOP that in Washington right now. The same that was bought by the Repubican party 2002.

 

^^^^ was typing too fast I ment courupt business bout the republican party

 

Should have picked Romney if he could have predicted the economy turning to ****.

 

My brother's a conservative that was scared away from Palin. He's now voting for Obama. He's not the only conservative that feels that way either.

 

Interesting. I wonder though what the net figures are. I would still suspect that the amount of support she has garnered for the ticket more than offsets the number of independents she's turning off.

Atleast in respect to the fact that any conventional pick probably wouldn't have made any +/-.

 

47% negative view of Palin
38% positive view of Palin

55% unqualified to be president

Milquetoast Pawlenty, i.e. no +/- would have been better for McCain than this current, substantial net negative.

 

I was undecided. I liked the McCain of a few years ago and ind of felt like if he were to win he would be more moderate than his campaign would allow.

The Palin choice turned me off. From the get go it seemed like he sold out and made a choice for the election and not the job. Yes, I understand you have to win first, but that is a bit irresponsible when the top seat in the country is at stake and the man is 72 years old.

After hearing more and more of her viewpoints, I had to go against them.

The biggest thing is that she seems ignorant to the issues in America. I know Alaska is in the Union, but I'd feel the same way about a pick from Hawaii. I just can't see them concerning themselves with a lot of what happens in the coninental US.

 

THE PROBLEM WITH ROMNEY IS THEY ARE SCARED OF HIS RELIGION. THEY ARE SCARED OF NOT GETTING GOP IS A CHRISTIAN PARTY VOTE.