Senator John McCain’s future in the U.S. Senate may be a little less assured than previously thought.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely 2010 Republican Primary voters in Arizona finds the longtime incumbent in a virtual tie with potential challenger J.D. Hayworth. McCain earns 45% of the vote, while Hayworth picks up 43%.

Former Minuteman leader Chris Simcox gets four percent (4%) support, while two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate and seven percent (7%) are undecided.

Hayworth, a conservative former U.S. congressman who now is a popular radio talk show host in Phoenix, is reportedly interested in the race but has not formally declared for it.

John McCain ran a disastrous campaign last year. He could have won and been President McCain — I truly believe this — were it not for his own bungling. The stars did not align perfectly for Obama. There were plenty of mistakes made by the Obama campaign, plenty of cards McCain could have played. But his Democrat-Lite reputation pissed off a lot of people in his own party, and he made tons of mistakes. It no doubt left a sour taste in many voters’ mouths. And with amnesty about to rear its ugly head again, I’m not surprised that Arizona voters are considering kicking him to the curb.

Bill Kristol and AllahPundit are floating the possibility of Sarah Palin coming to bail him out. Allah goes over the reasons that this would be politically advantageous for Palin, but frankly, I hope she doesn’t. First, in my opinion, it’s high time we get rid of John McCain. He’s a giant squish who has made a career out of pissing off Republicans as much as possible. We need to be weeding out the RINOs right now, not doing everything we can to help them retain their seats. Second, Palin was treated abysmally by the McCain campaign staff. They handcuffed her, gagged her, and then once the campaign was over, abandoned her and then stabbed her in the back. McCain may himself have not said or done anything, but he looked the other way while it happened and certainly didn’t come to her defense. He is a brave, courageous man in many aspects, but in this one, he was a coward. Sarah Palin was a risky choice for him. He’s the maverick, the one who relishes being the media darling. I don’t think he enjoyed being hammered in the media, and she certainly didn’t lighten that load for him. He plucked her out of relative obscurity, and then left her to be fed to the wolves. Yet now, she’s supposed to come and bail him out? She’s a rising star; he’s an old has-been. He’ll probably need her help, and if I was Sarah Palin, I wouldn’t give it. The only downfall is it makes her look petty and vindictive. I would think the best move for her would be to endorse neither candidate and make some kind of non-committal statement about how McCain is a great person and not say much more.

Of course, Allah’s predicting that McCain will be too stubborn and prideful to go begging for her help. If he won’t, then it eliminates the burden off of her shoulders. Hopefully, that’s exactly what happens, and McCain fades into obscurity after this election cycle. His career’s frankly gone on way too long.

Cross-posted from Cassy’s blog. Stop by for more original commentary, or follow her on Twitter!

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Going Rogue is going gangbusters, and it looks like both Palin and her publisher, HarperCollins, are going to make some serious money off of it. According to industry insiders, Palin got a $7 million advance for her book. She’s earning a royalty rate of 15 percent, which means she makes $4.35 per book sold, and therefore needs to sell 1.6 million books to earn out her advance. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that HarperCollins had printed another 100,000 copies of Going Rogue, bringing the total in print to 1.6 million. Palin would need to sell all of those to earn out her advance, so it’s unlikely that’s going to happen.

But HarperCollins will be making money long before that. There’s a rule of thumb in the industry that publishers net about $10 per hardcover sold, after expenses, but before the cost of the advance. Once she’s sold 700,000 copies, then, HarperCollins is in the black. And what of that 1.6 million printed? An ideal “sell-through” rate is about 75 percent, which means HarperCollins thinks it’s going to sell about 1.2 million copies. At that level, Palin will have made $7 million and HarperCollins $5 million of its own.

A HarperCollins insider told The Daily Beast that the book sold a staggering 300,000 copies on the first day alone, which was Tuesday. “Sales are phenomenal, and we are convinced that the book will continue to sell phenomenally for some time to come,” says the insider. They’re not prevaricating: As of 2:30pm today, the book was #1 on Amazon, ahead of both Stephen King’s new novel, Under the Dome, and Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. The latter sold 1 million copies on its first day, but that figure included the UK, and top fiction generally trumps non-fiction. Any way you carve it, Going Rogue looks to be a $12 million goldmine.

On top of that, her favorables are rising.

As Sarah Palin blankets the media on a whirlwind book promotion tour, the former vice-presidential contender is clearly back on America’s radar screen. Despite being characterized by many as a divisive force in her party and the nation, Americans are much more likely to give Palin a positive rating (47 percent favorable) than another prominent female leader — Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (28 percent favorable). Moreover, about six in 10 Americans (61 percent) think Palin has been treated unfairly by the press, according to the latest Fox News poll.

Something tells me that the longer Democrats are in power, the more likeable Sarah Palin is going to be to Americans. Love her or hate her (and I love her), you cannot deny that she is on fire right now. 1500 people waited in the freezing cold to meet her. There’s even polling showing that, if the 2012 presidential race were held today, and Palin was running against Obama, they’d basically be in a dead heat among independents, the most important block of voters later. The mainstream media may try to demean and diminish her, but her star is clearly rising. And unless Obama suddenly turns into some kind of fiscal hawk overnight (not likely), she’s just going to keep looking better and better.

2012 is looking like a better and better year.

Cross-posted from Cassy’s blog. Stop by for more original commentary or follow her on Twitter!

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The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 62% believe tax cuts are a better way to create jobs and fight unemployment. Only 21% believe that additional stimulus spending is a more effective tool. Earlier this year, as the first stimulus package was being debated in Congress, 62% of voters wanted the plan to have more tax cuts and less spending.

Given a different choice today, 51% believe canceling the rest of the stimulus money would create more jobs while 32% say spending the money would be the better approach to job creation. These findings are consistent with earlier polling. Most Americans say that, generally speaking, increased government spending is bad for the economy. Earlier this year, before the unemployment rate had reached its current highs, 45% wanted to cancel the rest of the stimulus spending while just 36% disagreed.

The survey also found that most voters are skeptical about claims of government job creation. Most (58%) say it’s unlikely that the stimulus plan has saved or created more than 600,000 jobs.

They just hate that a Black man is in the White House, I’m sure. Plus, they are probably all wingnuts and fascists, maybe even Christianists and Fundies.

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“Going forward, anytime the American people want to know something that I or a former president wants to withhold, we will have to consult with the Attorney General and the white house counsel, whose business it is to ensure compliance with the rule of law. Information will not be withheld just because I say so; it will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well-grounded in the Constitution. Let me say it as simply as I can: transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency,“

Of course, he said the same thing countless times on the campaign trail, which started the day after he said he would finish his first term as a Senator before running? Yeah, how’s that working?

Pledges to increase government transparency were a hallmark of President Barack Obama’s election campaign – but more than a year after his election, likely voters are divided over whether the new administration is more or less transparent than the Bush administration. Thirty-eight percent of likely voters believe the Obama administration is more transparent than the previous administration, but just as many (38%) believe there is less transparency now and 19% believe the level of transparency is about the same, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.

When it came to domestic policy, the Bush admin was fully open and transparent, but, after 8 years of talking points, talk becomes reality. When it came to foreign policy, yes, things were understandably hidden. You do not announce your war plans and actions to the world, and the enemy. I bet Bush didn’t think he would have the Democrats, the Left, and the media being enemies as much as the Islamic jihadis were, though.

When it comes to Obama, most is hidden, or at least there is an attempt to hide it, regarding his domestic policy. And people know this.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove

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President Barack Obama’s approval rating has fallen below 50 percent for the first time in polling by Quinnipiac University as U.S. voter discontent grows over the war in Afghanistan.
Obama’s job approval rating fell to 48 percent in the Nov. 9-16 survey of registered voters nationwide by the Hamden, Connecticut-based university, with 42 percent polled saying they disapproved of the job he is doing.
“In politics, symbols matter, and this is not a good symbol for the White House,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a statement.
Obama’s approval rating was 59 percent in a Quinnipiac survey conducted Feb. 25 to March 2.

Here are the details:

Economy: 43/52, 47/46 in October – independents 38/58
Foreign policy: 49/42, 49/37 in October – independents 45/49
Afghanistan: 38/49, 42/40 in October – inds 30/57

He can’t make a decision on Afghanistan, he bows to Communist dictators, pushing an unpopular socialist healthcare takeover, the National debt tops $12 trillion, and he is allowing stupid decisions like the 911 conspirators get a show trial. None of this can be helping much, and he isn’t near his bottom yet. He and the Democrats are losing Independents fast. At least some Dems are recognizing it!

Mounting evidence that independent voters have soured on the Democrats is prompting a debate among party officials about what rhetorical and substantive changes are needed to halt the damage.

Following serious setbacks with independents in off-year elections earlier this month, White House officials attributed the defeats to local factors and said President Barack Obama sees no need to reposition his own image or the Democratic message.

Since then, however, a flurry of new polls makes clear that Democrats are facing deeper problems with independents—the swing voters who swung dramatically toward the party in 2006 and 2008 but who now are registering deep unease with the amount of spending and debt called for under Obama’s agenda in an era of one-party rule in Washington.

A Gallup Poll released last week offered a disturbing glimpse about the state of play: just 14 percent of independents approve of the job Congress is doing, the lowest figure all year. In just the past few days alone, surveys have shown Democratic incumbents trailing Republicans among independent voters by double-digit margins in competitive statewide contests in places as varied as Connecticut, Ohio and Iowa.

Meanwhile Sarah Palin gives Oprah her highest ratings in two years…even higher than when Obama was on! 1500 people waited in the freezing weather for her autograph! She is making an impact and making her critics sweat. The pendalum is swinging!

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Two-thirds of Americans disagree with the Obama administration’s decision to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in a civilian court rather than a military court, according to a new national poll.

But, you know what? All you folks who oppose Obama and Holder’s idea are raaaaacists. And mean. And hate our Constitution. Or something like that.

But six in 10 people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday say that the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks should be tried in the United States, as the administration plans to do, rather than at a U.S. facility in another country.

I have to wonder how that would have changed had the question said Guantanamo Bay rather than at a U.S. facility in another country.

“The decision to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in front of a civilian court is universally unpopular – even a majority of Democrats and liberals say that he should be tried by military authorities,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “Despite that, most Americans say that he will get a fair trial in the U.S.”

So, in private, where the Obamazombies do not have to push their talking points, a majority think the Obama/Holder idea is dumb as a bag of rocks. Figures.

“Nearly eight in 10 favor the death penalty if that happens – including one in five who say they normally oppose the death penalty, but would support it in this case,” adds Holland.

Notice how Democrats tend to drop their beliefs in a heartbeat, depending on which way the wind blows?

Shockingly, the only left leaning site that seems to be sort of kind of covering this is TPM. No, wait, they are only pointing out the NY Gov. Paterson is against the plan. I’m waiting with bated breath for some of the bigger supports, who went down the insult people road when the plan was announced Friday morning, such as The Moderate Voice (snicker) and Alan Colmes, to post the survey.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove

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Dr Francis Yeboah, Head of Molecular Medicine at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), on Tuesday said too much heat could affect how the brain worked and could also increase the risk of cardiovascular or heart diseases.

He explained that even though the body could absorb some heat, the required body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius, when the body temperature rises above 40 degrees Celsius there was cause for concern.

Dr Yeboah said certain fluids, including the cerebrum spinal fluid were affected when the body absorbed too much heat.

Too much cold has a negative effect on the body, as well. And, this thing about too much heat makes a bit of sense. But, he wouldn’t have an agenda, would he?

He was speaking at workshop organized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the theme: “Integrating Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Development Planning.”

No, no agenda.

The workshop is being attended by participants from the various embassies and high commissions, delegates from the sub-region, representatives from the various Ministries, Department and Agencies as well as the media Dr Yeboah said with changes in the weather, temperatures were expected to rise and it was important that government put in place measures to address public health since many diseases in Africa were also linked to changes in the weather.

There were lots of issues back during the early days of the Little Ice Age. The Vikings in Greenland started dying off when they were no longer able to farm, they couldn’t grow grapes for wine in England, and, oh, yeah, the Black Death was spreading around Asia and Europe.

The heat is probably affecting people’s belief systems, too

The latest Pew poll on global warming shows a large drop in the percentage of Americans who say there is solid evidence that global temperatures are rising, from 71% down to only 57% in the last 18 months. And global warming due to human activity? The overall numbers have declined from 47% to 36%. To put this in perspective, a Gallup poll found that 37% of Americans believe that houses can be haunted. This contrast is particularly dramatic among conservatives: Only 18% of republicans believe that there is evidence of global warming caused by human activity, while 28% of conservatives believe in haunted houses.

To sum it up, 37% believe in haunted houses, 36% believe in AGW.

Meanwhile, Climate Chief Lord Stern says you need to turn vegetarian, particularly since a successful Copenhagen climate treaty will “lead to soaring costs for meat and other foods that generate large quantities of greenhouse gases.”

And, all you fatties? Yeah, you are bad for the climate environment. Has anyone told Al Gore? He’s not exactly thin anymore, what with all that great food at all the conferences he attends as he flies around the world.

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Cast your vote.

FNC’s ratings are up 10% since the White House launched its little war. Meanwhile, the Obamunist toadies at CNN have seen their ship sink to last place in prime time.

On tips from Just passing, Jay Guevara, and BURNING HOT. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.

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In a poll released by Rasmussen Reports, 37% of voters would vote for a yet unspecified Republican candidate for Governor in 2010 versus 36% for an unnamed Democrat. 27% are yet undecided. This is HUGE for the DPRM.

From Rasmussen Reports…

Men like Republicans more, women prefer Democrats. Support for the GOP candidate is highest among voters ages 30 to 64.

Voters not affiliated with either major party prefer the Republican candidate by a more than two-to-one margin, but 55% of those voters are undecided. Married voters also go for the Republican by nearly two-to-one compared to those, unmarried.

Sitting two-term Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm is facing forced retirement as the DPRM limits Governors to 2 terms.

Other news out of the DPRM poll shows that the Emperor’s Death Care scheme isn’t doing so well among the electorate in the DPRM. In a state which has been in the pocket of the liberal party for decades thanks to the overwhelming control of labor unions, support for the Death Care scheme is down to 45% with 48% opposed. This might seem like a tight split among those in the DPRM but when you take into consideration the strong weight that big labor and the Democrat Party play into the politics of that state, this is a stunning defeat for the Emperor in my humble but not-so-silent opinion. Nationally, the Emperor’s plan is opposed by 51% of the people with the same 45% support as garnered in the DPRM.

Economic conditions in Michigan are so bad that many are looking to leave the state.

More than one-out-of four voters (28%) in the state say they are at least somewhat likely to move out of Michigan, with 13% who say they are very likely to do so. But 67% say that a move as unlikely, with 39% saying it’s not very likely and another 28% saying it’s not at all likely for them.

The incumbent Governor’s numbers are dismal. Just 40% of the citizenry approve of Jennifer Granholm’s job performance and 60% disapprove. I think it’s telling that there are no undecideds in this area of the poll.

Those who strongly disapprove outnumber those who strongly approve by a 47% to 18% margin.

Some of you may ask why I call Michigan the Democratic People’s Republic of Michigan (DPRM). Michigan is the prime example of what happens when you leave the big government hounds of the Democrat Party in charge for too long and allow big labor unions to dictate political will. The people in Michigan are not so much an electorate as they are subjects. As in they are subjected to political abuse on a daily basis.

It’s not that I wish to belittle the people of Michigan but rather it is my goal to “nudge” them into seeing with their own eyes for a change. Prompt them to recognize the problems within their state and take action against the cause. Because the cause is liberal politics and big government.

In other news out of Rasmussen Reports, the Emperor’s Presidential Index is at -12 as his party is seen to be less trusted than Republicans on 10 key issues.

Health Care:

The people favor Republicans in the area of health care by a 6 point margin. 46% trust the Republicans to better handle the issue of health care as opposed to 40% for those pushing a government run system.

Education:

The people favor Republicans in the area of education by a 5 point margin. 43% of Americans trust Republicans with the issue of education as opposed to 38% who trust Democrats.

Social Security:

The people favor Republicans in the area of Social Security by a 8 point margin. 45% of Americans trust the Republicans to on the issue of Social Security as opposed to 37% trusting Democrats.

Taxes:

Here’s no surprise. The people favor Republicans in the area of taxes by a massive 15 point margin. 50% of Americans trust Republicans on the issue of taxes as opposed to 35% who trust Democrats.

Economy:

Again, no surprises here. The people favor Republicans in this area as well by a margin of 14 points. 49% of American trust the Republicans to better handle the economy as opposed to the 35% who actually are misguided enough to trust Democrats and their tax and spend ways.

Abortion:

The people trust Republicans more by a margin of 12 points on the issue of abortion. 47% trust that the Republican approach to the issue of abortion as opposed to the Democrats who are trusted by a mere 35%. So much for liberalism’s most central issue.

Immigration:

The people are more trusting in Republicans on the issue of immigration by a margin of 7 points. 40% trust Republicans over their Democrat colleagues on the issue with Dems snagging 33% support for their efforts.

National Security:

I know this is going to shock the hell out of your Obamabots, but the American people trust Republicans with National Security by a margin of 23 points. A full 54% trust Republicans more as opposed to the 31% who favor Democrat’s surrender in order for the world to like us policies.

Iraq:

Again, another shock for the defense-challenged liberals. Republicans again edge out Democrats by 19 points. For all their bitching during the Bush years about the Iraq war, the Dems haven’t make any progress in either war. Rasmussen’s polling numbers indicate that 50% of those surveyed trusted Republicans to handle the situation in Iraq as opposed to the dimwitted 31% who put their faith in the Party of pacifists.

Government Ethics:

In spite of all the “culture of corruption” rhetoric that still lingers from the 2006 midterms, the American people favor Republicans to better handle government ethics over Democrats by a margin of 4 points. Both numbers are rather dismal however Americans trust Republicans (33%) over Democrats (29%). Who is throwing around dangerous rhetoric now Nancy?

With Republicans being seen as more trustworthy on so many social issues, what does this say for the direction of the country? What does it say about Obamamania and the love affair with Democrats? I’m banking on the fact that said love affair is over and Obamamania is dead.

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Correction – In the original posting of this piece, I stated, “The people are more trusting in Republicans on the issue of immigration by a margin of 17 points.” This figure is incorrect. The spread is actually 7 points. It has been corrected in the body of the piece.

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This poll reflects a slight shift in ideology among American adults where in 2005 the number of moderates was even with Conservatives.

Gallup also suggested that a series of 16 polls conducted since January has identified some key issues upon which the American people are taking a greater Conservative position. Such as, 45% of Americans now believe that “there is too much government regulation of business and industry.” This is a 7 point jump from September.

Also notable is the number of Americans who now say that labor unions should have less influence over government – 42%. This reflects a 10 point leap since August.

America is getting fed up with the liberal power grab. As it continues, you will see it reflected in the polls. As damaging as it is, perhaps the Obama Infestation, the SanFran Nan House, and the Reid Senate are actually doing more to turn the tide of the GOP more Conservative than ever. The blue blood socially liberal RINOs who wish to control the Republican Party are losing support as many on the right see them as being no different than Democrats.

The 2008 Presidential elections were a no win for Republicans as the two choices presented to the American people were both liberal. Conservative America only had 2 reasons to vote for McCain – Sarah Palin and to keep Barack Hussein Obama out of the White House. The media’s portrayal of Palin and their championing of Obama was the difference. Hence the reason why I called Obama the President the media picked.

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