SARAH RISING – AT 7:14 P.M. ET:  In the next few days we'll be talking about the gradually changing perception of Sarah Palin.  Little by little, she's taking turf, and sounding more impressive and certain.  Scott Rasmussen has taken a poll that shows the impact she's having:

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Likely U.S. Voters say their own views are closer to Sarah Palin’s than they are to President Obama’s, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Just 40% say their views are closer to the president’s than to those of the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate.

Among the Political Class, however, 68% say their views are more like Obama’s, while 63% of Mainstream voters describe their views as more like Palin’s.

Eighty-four percent (84%) of Republicans and 59% of voters not affiliated with either major party say their views are more like Palin’s. Eighty-one percent (81%) of Democrats say they think more like the president.

White House Press secretary Robert Gibbs last week said Palin is perhaps “the most formidable force in the Republican Party right now,” but just 22% of all voters agree. Fifty-two percent (52%) do not believe Palin is the party’s most formidable force. Twenty-six percent (26%) aren’t sure.

COMMENT:  They love her values, they're not sure about her "stature."  That's what I read in that poll.  But stature can be enhanced, and Palin is doing exactly the right thing.  She's out there stating her views, avoiding obvious interview traps, and speaking over the heads of the media types. 

As for her rejection by the political class, my heart breaks.  For every member of the political class, there must be a hundred real voters.  Which would you choose on election day?

September 20, 2010