Andrew Sullivan, Ezra, Kevin Drum, and others discuss this graph showing all four candidates' favorability numbers and note that it shows a dramatic drop for Sarah Palin:
But it seems to me the more important thing here is how much McCain’s numbers have slipped. After all, folks mostly (correctly) care about the presidential nominee.
McCain's slide (and Obama’s surge in the polls) could be due to the unraveling of his relentless campaign of lies. Or it could be that, now that questions about Palin are penetrating the public consciousness, people are starting to disapprove of McCain for picking her. Seventy-five percent of the public thinks the Palin pick was politically motivated. Combine that with McCain's absurd disregard for basic facts, and Palin’s own dishonesty and scandal, and the saintly maverick image is beginning to look seriously undermined.
That's the real story -- not Palin's slipping numbers but the first signs that the public at large is starting to join numerous pundits who’ve taken a second look at McCain and not liked what they’ve seen.
—Sam Boyd
