Sarah Palin as a Political Genius

It's often said that Sarah Palin is a political genius. Chris Matthews recently compared her to Bill Clinton. She has one of the most devoted and loyal fan bases of any politician in recent memory.

But for all her alleged political genius, she is perhaps most famous for her various gaffes and mistakes, especially as a VP candidate. While she excites the media, demands attenti

on, and is a pop culture phenomenon, it's unclear whether she is a popular, viable national politician. The media seems to think that the ability to draw attention to yourself is political genius in its own right. But if much of that attention is damaging or polarizing, its genius is suspect. For all of her strengths, they are often outweighed by her negatives. For every fan of hers, there appears to be more haters.

To wit:

There's a pretty clear trend. Is someone that has 51% unfavorable ratings a "political genius"? Especially when they are largely in the advantageous position of not having to actually govern during these harrowing times?