Rasmussen has some numbers for the public's reaction to Sarah Palin's emergence as the VP.
She has very high favorability BUT mostly because of Republicans. Democrats dislike her (because we have sense!) which is a great sign as far as Mccain's intention that he could peel off Clinton's voters.
Palin earns positive reviews from 78% of Republicans, 26% of Democrats and 63% of unaffiliated voters. Obviously, these numbers will be subject to change as voters learn more about her in the coming weeks. Among all voters, 29% have a Very Favorable opinion of Palin while 9% hold a Very Unfavorable view.
As far as whether she makes people want to vote for Mccain, it's somewhat of a wash. She basically helps somewhat with Independents.
In the new survey, 35% of voters say the selection of Palin makes them more likely to vote for McCain while 33% say they are less likely to do so. Most Republicans say they are more likely to vote for Palin and most Democrats say the opposite. As for voters not affiliated with either major party, 37% are more likely to vote for McCain and 28% less likely to do so.
Democrats are basically perplexed by the choice, while Republicans are happy.
Republicans were evenly divided as to whether Biden was the right choice for Obama, but Democrats strongly reject Palin as McCain’s best option. Only 22% of those in Obama’s party say Palin was the right choice, while 47% disagree.
Ultimately, Mccain succeeded brilliantly in distracting from Obama's speech, and probably in muting his bounce.
But at what cost?? I think this gimmick will cost him dearly once voters start to figure out what terrible judgment he really has. It seems he gave up the Presidency just to win one newscycle.