Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who was the most popular politician in the USA a year ago, is now far less popular in Alaska than US Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose father Palin beat to become governor. Her positive rating is now at 54%, and her "very negative" rating is up from 3% a year ago, to 25%.

A new Hayes Research Group poll was published early Wednesday. On May 7th, 2008, just less than a year ago, Palin’s popularity stood at 86% positive. It is now down to 54% pro-Palin. This 32% drop isn’t as startling as her rise in unfavorables, though. The May 7th 2008 poll put all her unfavorables at 8%. This week, they stand at 41.6%. They have increased more than five-fold in a year when our governor was on a national ticket. How often does that happen? I predicted this mid-50s poll a few weeks ago.

She just finished what is widely regarded as an awful job overseeing her own agenda during one of the most unproductive legislative sessions in Alaska history.

In the depths of this last winter, as a food and fuel crisis in rural Alaska emerged in towns where most of the residents are Alaska Natives, she chose a flamboyantly anti-Native Anchorage attorney Wayne Anthony Ross, to succeed disgraced former AG Talis Colberg. Ross was soundly defeated in the joint legislative session confirmation vote, This, in a legislature controlled by Palin’s own party.

It was the first rejection of a gubernatorial cabinet nomination by the legislature in Alaska history.

Palin’s current refusal to take more than $30,000,000.00 in Federal stimulus money to help make dwellings more energy efficient is seen here as over-the-top. Alaskans are more libertarian than most states, but no politician here gains local popularity by turning down Federal money. Federal money is a keystone to our economy.

While Palin is posturing, Alaska’s two senators, Lisa Murkowski (R) and freshman Mark Begich (D) are sending press releases out daily on new Corps of Engineers, National Park, Veterans Administration, U.S. Public Health Service and other agencies’ projects, being funded by stimulus money or through new efforts by the senators.

The conventional wisdom here now is that Palin has already decided not to run for governor in 2010. Nobody from either party is lining up to run against Sen. Murkowski, who is up for reelection next year. Palin is plummeting fast enough to face a possible primary loss to Don Young, who narrowly beat Palin’s Lieutenant Governor in a 2008 primary challenge.

The number of national level Republicans still backing Palin as the great white hope for 2012 is diminishing. If she were better managed, she might have a future in becoming an aging Barbie version of Ron Paul. As it is, though, and with Levi Johnston – now with a full time bodyguard – threatening to blow on the house of cards for the right price, Palin is way beyond shelf date expiration.

Unfortunately, though, her advisors from SarahPac, particularly Meghan Stapleton, make one move after another that forces Palin further and further into the far right corner.

She’d probably do better at this point with Tonya Harding running her publicity machine.