It was only a matter of time before CNN's Jack Cafferty returned to bashing Sarah Palin, and he did just that on Friday's Situation Room. Cafferty hypothesized that the Republican's popularity was a good omen for the Democratic Party: "If anything could overcome the increasingly sour view of the Obama presidency, it might be this. Why, the Democrats should be positively euphoric."
The commentator began his 5 pm Eastern hour Cafferty File segment by emphasizing the former Alaska governor's early resignation, in comparison to the other possible contenders for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination: "There are currently five Republicans generally viewed as the most likely...Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana; Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts who actually finished his term of office...Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, who also actually finished his term of office- you see where this is going? And Newt Gingrich..."
Cafferty then moved on to Palin and her popularity compared to the others: "But the most popular of all the Republicans seen vying for the nomination in 2012 is Sarah Palin, and it's not even close. Palin, who describes herself as a female grizzly bear (laughs), has a whopping 76 percent approval- or favorable rating among Republicans, according to a brand-new Gallup poll- 76 percent! Huckabee gets 65; Gingrich gets 64; Romney, 54; and Bobby Jindal trails the pack at 45 percent."
Despite this frontrunner status among Republicans, the CNN personality actually saw these numbers as a more than positive development for the Democrats, suggesting that President Obama's re-election was all but assured if Palin was chosen to be the nominee:
CAFFERTY: Sarah Palin quit her job as governor of Alaska midway through her first term, so she could run out and capitalize on her failed bid to be John McCain's vice president. She is the darling of the GOP. If anything could overcome the increasingly sour view of the Obama presidency, it might be this. Why, the Democrats should be positively euphoric.
You see, the problem with Sarah Palin is, that while Republicans adore her, the rest of the country- not so much. According to Gallup, Palin has a 44 percent favorable rating among all Americans, but a 47 percent unfavorable rating, and numbers like that simply don't bode well for a general election where everybody gets to play.
Here’s the question: should the Democrats pop out the champagne if Sarah Palin is the most popular Republican contender for 2012?
The commentator might be a bit premature in his celebration, as a recent poll from Public Policy Polling found that Palin and Obama would each gain 46% in a hypothetical 2012 match-up, with the President losing to both Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.
Amazingly, this is the first time in over four months that Cafferty revisited his anti-Palin obsession. The last time, during a March 26 commentary, the CNN personality used the "Caribou Barbie" label and pointed to her as the sole cause of Senator John McCain's failed presidential bid. Back in July of 2009, he derided Palin as "lame." Most notoriously, he devoted 35% of his Situation Room commentaries over a month period in 2008 to bashing the Alaska Republican.
