Economist's YouGov poll and Palin running mate speculation

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From Merv Benson at Prairie Pundit, a look at the results of a recent Economist/YouGov poll:

"It is the best poll I have seen for Sarah Palin. She still must convince some voters she has the ability to perform as President. The good news for her is that Obama has set that bar pretty low so far."

Here are some of the other gems in this poll:

• Among those who identify with the tea-party movement, 26% support Mrs Palin, 19% choose Mr Romney, 16% go for Mr Gingrich and 15% for Mr Huckabee.

• Over three-quarters (77%) of Republicans have a favourable view of Mrs Palin (17% unfavourable). But 51% of the overall public gives her an unfavorable rating.

• Barack Obama’s struggles continue. In this week’s poll his approval rating is at 45%, with 48% disapproving. Just 34% approve of the way he is handling the economy — his lowest rating ever on the public’s most important issue — and even fewer, 31%, approve of how he is handling the budget deficit. Most Americans see no impact of last year’s economic stimulus package — just 29% think it has helped the economy. Only 13% say the package has created jobs; 55% say it never will.

While Benson favors the idea of a Palin-Romney ticket because it might have broad appeal, we're not so sure. Many conservatives don't trust the former Massachusetts governor, and the big advantage the GOP has over the ruling Democrats is that the current mood of the nation stems, in part, from a lack of trust in government. A Pew Research Center poll finds trust in government and all of its institutions at near-historic lows. And a plurality of the American public is still opposed to ObamaCare, especially the likely voters among them, according to an aggregation of survey data by Pollster.com. Gov. Romney will forever be linked to RomneyCare, and that is an albatross the 2012 GOP ticket does not need to be burdened with.

If Gov. Palin decides to run in 2012, she will need a running mate who brings balance, not baggage, to her ticket. The pretty much rules out Romney, Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich as well. Her ideal ticketmate will be a "papa grizzly" (for obvious reasons) who hails from the deep south or the southeast (she's from the northwest); will be Catholic (she's protestant); will have legislative experience (hers is administrative); will have an Ivy League degree; (she has been unfairly criticized for her journalism degree from the University of Idaho); will have specialized knowledge and experience related to an issue of national interest (hers is in energy) and will have private sector large business experience (she has small business experience).

In light of the above, consider that Governor Bobby Jindal is happily married with three children; was born and lives in Louisiana; has been a Roman Catholic since his freshman year of college; served in the U.S. House representing Louisiana's 1st Congressional District; graduated with honors in both Public Policy and Biology from Yale and earned an advanced degree from Oxford in Political Science with an emphasis in Health Policy; served as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and was president of the University of Louisiana System (health care and education are key issues); and worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Co.

Above and beyond balance, Jindal also brings executive experience and a record as a proven problem-solver to a potential Palin presidential ticket. As Secretary of Louisiana's DHH, he turned around a broken health care system, taking the state's Medicaid program from bankruptcy (with a $400 million deficit) into three years of surpluses (totaling $220 million). Jindal received praise from members of both major political parties for his leadership during Hurricane Gustav, ordering an evacuation which has been credited for saving many lives. As an American of Punjab Indian heritage, he would bring ethnic balance -- not a requirement but definitely a plus -- to the ticket. His leadership during the Gulf Oil Crisis has boosted his popularity in Louisiana, as a Rasmussen Reports poll taken at the end of June shows -- his approval rating in his state is at 74 percent, up from 64 percent in April.

True, there's not much ideological balance to a Palin-Jindal presidential pairing, as both are Reagan conservatives. But we don't think ideological balance will be an imperative for voters in 2012. They are not happy with governance from the left in the current Democrat administration, nor were they enamored of Republican moderate governance in the post-Reagan era. We think the country is ready for a return of Reagan conservatism with leadership provided by Governors Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal. He's not exactly Mr. Excitement, but the Democrats would look silly attacking his gravitas, and she has enough charisma for the both of them.

- JP