Washington, Sept 16 (ANI): Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin seems to be losing her recently acquired political halo following reports of her seeking special interest funding from the US Congress.
The Independent quotes the latest national opinion polls as saying that people are casting doubts on her claims of being a squeaky clean reformist.
With the "Sarah Palin effect" wearing off, Republican presidential candidate John McCain's claims that his running mate had not sought special interest funding from Congress have been shown to be wrong.
It came to light that she had asked the US to fund 453 million dollars worth of projects in oil-rich Alaska for the past two years.
Among the requests was 4.5 million dollars for an airport serving fewer than 100 people on a Bering Sea island and 9 million dollars to help Alaska's already profitable oil companies.
These disclosures come on top of evidence that her administration also held on to more than 500 million dollars in federal funds for a much-derided "bridge to nowhere" which she maintains she vetoed.
Democrats heaved a sigh of relief after four national opinion polls showed that despite the bounce caused by the interest in Palin, McCain now leads by an average of just 1.6 points, his smallest margin since the Republican convention.
For two weeks the Republican campaign has wallowed in the media's obsession over Palin.
A huge bounce in the opinion polls followed, with women especially declaring that they were changing their allegiance because they admired her.
But with the focus of the election turning to the economy, especially in northern states things appear to be changing.
In Iowa, a poll in the Des Moines Register gives Barack Obama a comfortable lead of 12 points.
However, in traditionally Republican southern states, the McCain campaign remains strong. In fact, he has a 20-point lead in South Carolina. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
