Gallup Poll: Sarah Palin more admired than Michelle Obama, Oprah

"The big win goes to Palin"
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President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton were the "most admired" man and woman in America in 2010, according to the results of an annual Gallup poll. For Hillary Clinton, this is her ninth consecutive year at the top of the list of most admired women in the U.S. Here's Abe Greewald's take:

Now for the fun part: Guess who has the No. 2 spot. None other than George W. Bush. Normally, there’d be nothing remarkable in the last president being the second-most admired man in the country. But because the anti-Bush attack machine had so doggedly tried to paint him as a frightening historical outlier it’s stunning to see him treated like any American president. So much for the validity of an eight-year long, millions-strong politico-cultural movement.

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And speaking of the 2008 election, the Democrats’ national nightmare, Sarah Palin, came in second to Hillary. Palin beat out none other than omnipresent cultural goddess Oprah Winfrey, who came in third (Both beat out First Lady Michelle Obama, who came in fourth).

To my mind, the big win goes to Palin. For all the pundit chatter about her not being a viable contender for president, the public admires her more than the most beloved media personality in the country. Like Oprah, Palin channeled her talent to connect with Americans toward its most efficient use. The Tea Party allowed her to showcase her ability, raise her market value, and serve a cause she believes in: America. Right before the eyes of antagonistic columnists and hostile comics she became the credible face of the most transformative political movement the country has seen in decades.

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The USA Today/Gallup poll was conducted by telephone December 10-12, 2010, with a random sample of 1,019 adults 18 years of age and older.

- JP