Sarah Palin's bombshell that she is resigning as Alaska governor actually has boosted her a bit among Republicans, a nationwide USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, though it also has dented her standing among Democrats and independents.
Two-thirds of Republicans want Palin, the party's vice presidential nominee in 2008, to be "a major national political figure" in the future.... Independents by 55%-34% would prefer she leave the national stage....
Among those whose opinions shifted, Democrats by a 4-1 ratio and independents by 2-to-1 view her less favorably. Republicans are somewhat inclined to see her more favorably.
As a simple electoral proposition, this is why it's a bad idea to base your enthusiasm for a candidate on the degree to which she is disliked by your opponents.
--Christopher Orr