Generally, Republicans have been pretty enthusiastic about the fact that voters aren't too hot on President Obama or the Democratic Party. But they also tend to confuse voter disapproval of Obama for voter approval of Republicans. Of course, the fact is that voters don't particularly like Republicans, either. In a new poll, Public Policy Polling found of people who voted for Barack Obama in 2008 but don't approve of his job performance, few have anything positive to say about the most prominent Republican contenders for the 2010 presidential nomination.
Among these voters, Mitt Romney's unfavorability/favorability is 32/31, Newt Gingrich's is 32/40, Mike Huckabee's is 20/39 and Sarah Palin's is 33/63. This is in line with results from a recent Washington Post/ABC poll, where 29 percent of Americans said they didn't trust congressional Republicans at all. Hostility toward Democrats simply hasn't translated into support for Republicans or their agenda, and the GOP risks damaging its current fortunes if it assumes otherwise.
-- Jamelle Bouie
