Oprah Winfrey welcomed Sarah Palin and her daughters Piper (left) and Willow to her show in Chicago last week. Palin attributed the GOP loss in the 2008 election to a sinking economy.
(George Burns/ Harpo Productions)
Political Notebook
Palin a hit in bookstores, less with voters
Oprah Winfrey welcomed Sarah Palin and her daughters Piper (left) and Willow to her show in Chicago last week. Palin attributed the GOP loss in the 2008 election to a sinking economy.
(George Burns/ Harpo Productions)
As Sarah Palin embarks on a pivotal week for her future political prospects, new polls show just how far she has to go with the American public.
The former Alaska governor, 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, and possible 2012 presidential contender, who appeared yesterday on “Oprah,’’ officially comes out today with her best-selling “Going Rogue’’ memoir, and will participate in other interviews this week.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll published yesterday indicated that 38 percent of Americans believe she is qualified to serve as president.
But 53 percent said they would not vote for Palin for president in 2012, while only 9 percent said they would definitely vote for her; 37 percent said they would consider it.
In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released yesterday, only 28 percent said that she is qualified to be president. That is significantly lower than for potential 2012 GOP rivals Mitt Romney (47 percent) and Mike Huckabee (43 percent).
And Palin’s number is far behind two high-profile Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton (67 percent) and Vice President Joe Biden (50 percent).
In the “Oprah’’ interview, Palin said that a 2012 bid is “not on my radar screen right now,’’ but she didn’t rule out that it might be later.
She also deflected any blame for the Republican ticket’s loss last year.
“I think the reason we lost is that the economy tanked under a Republican and people were very seriously looking for a change,’’ Palin said.
“I don’t think I was to blame for losing the race, more than I could have been credited for winning the race if I had done a better job.’’ -- GLOBE STAFF
Americans are squinting at fine print in health care
WASHINGTON - Americans are worried about hidden costs in the fine print of health care overhaul legislation, an Associated Press poll says, creating new challenges for President Obama as he tries to close the deal with a handful of Democratic doubters in the Senate.The poll found that 43 percent opposed the health care plans being discussed in Congress, while 41 percent were in support and 15 percent neutral or undecided.
The survey, conducted by Stanford University with the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found broad support for Obama’s goals, but skittishness when required trade-offs were brought into the equation. For example, while the public backed banning insurance practices that discriminate against those in poor health, when told that such a ban would probably cause most people to pay more for health insurance, 43 percent said they would still support doing away with preexisting condition denials, but 31 percent said they would oppose it.
More than 4 in 5 Americans now have health insurance, and their perceptions about costs are key as Obama tries to rally his party’s congressional majority. In the House, Democrats came together to pass their bill. In the Senate, Democratic liberals and a smaller group of moderates disagree on core questions as majority leader Harry Reid prepares to take legislation to the floor. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sotomayor celebrated prior to first high court decision
WASHINGTON - Apparently, no one told Sonia Sotomayor that Supreme Court justices are supposed to be circumspect, emerging from their marble palace mainly to dispense legal wisdom to law schools, judges’ conferences, and lawyers’ meetings.Since becoming the first Hispanic justice, Sotomayor has mamboed with movie stars, exchanged smooches with musicians at the White House, and thrown out the first pitch for her beloved New York Yankees. A famous jazz composer even wrote a song about her: “Wise Latina Woman.’’
In short, Sotomayor has become a celebrity - all without having made a major decision at the nation’s highest court. Part of the adulation stems from the historic nature of her appointment: the first Hispanic on the court, and only the third female, after retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and current Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“She is the first Latino, Latina to sit on the Supreme Court and that’s powerful. She’s a powerful role model,’’ said Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS
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