Poll: The More People Hear From Sarah Palin The Less They Want To Elect Her

Is it possible that Sarah Palin’s new job as a Fox News analyst is working against her? There’s been much chatter lately that as a possible 2012 presidential candidate her position at the cable giant is inappropriate and gives her an unfair advantage. Not so, according to George Will who writes this in his column today:

Conservatives, who rightly respect markets as generally reliable gauges of consumer preferences, should notice that the political market is speaking clearly: The more attention Palin receives, the fewer Americans consider her presidential timber. The latest Post-ABC News poll shows that 71 percent of Americans — including 52 percent of Republicans — think she is not qualified to be president.

Having transcribed a number of Sarah Palin’s statements in recent weeks I can’t say this comes as a shock. That said, don’t panic Palin fans, Will hasn’t done a sudden turnabout on Palin (by a long stretch…he actually applauds her “grit”) he does, however, say that the only way she will get the nod in 2012 is if Republicans collectively decide that they want to lose the election.

Yet Sarah Palin, who with 17 months remaining in her single term as Alaska’s governor quit the only serious office she has ever held, is obsessively discussed as a possible candidate in 2012. Why? She is not going to be president and will not be the Republican nominee unless the party wants to lose at least 44 states.

What Will doesn’t discuss is whether Palin is less interested in making a run for the White House than running a third party candidacy, which would afford her all the attention and none of the responsibility.