According to the most recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are a little less than enthused about Alaska's former half-term governor:
For the first time in Post-ABC News polling, fewer than six in 10 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents see Palin in a favorable light, down from a stratospheric 88 percent in the days after the 2008 Republican National Convention and 70 percent as recently as October. [...]
But Palin's unfavorable numbers are significantly higher than they are for any of these possible competitors. Fully 37 percent of all Republicans and GOP-leaning independents now hold a negative view of her, a new high.
The obvious question is why? Chris Cillizza suggests Palin's tendency to polarize, but I'm skeptical. For starters, she continues to score a high favorability rating among Republicans: 58 percent, compared to 60 percent for Mitt Romney and 55 percent for Newt Gingrich. Moreover, her views are within the mainstream of the GOP; on every issue, Sarah Palin is an orthodox Republican.
As far as I can tell, Palin's fall from grace has less to do with ideology or popularity and more to do with her obvious disdain for Republican elites. Since 2008, she has been on a one-pol crusade against the activists and donors who represent important interests and elites within the GOP coalition. This was tolerable last year, when she was something of an electoral asset, but with the upcoming presidential election -- and her stark unpopularity among everyone else -- it's less than acceptable. Conservative elites are gradually distancing themselves from Palin, and in all likelihood, this has trickled down to the grassroots.
This isn't to say that Palin has lost her influence among conservatives -- she continues to enjoy a devoted following -- but it does put a damper on her presidential ambitions, if she ever had them (I'm doubtful).
