Obama has to run on a poor record and lots of failed expectations. Yes, the media will always pretend he's a 'winner' but the lousy economy and his continued show of weakness on all fronts cannot be hidden, even with media puff pieces. A lot of 'independent' voters wanted Obama to 'make good' and justify their effectively affirmative action vote for, all together now: 'The First Black President". Obama's failures are stacking up and even less politically astute voters are beginning to notice. This will not improve in 12-18 months and may get much worse. Enter Sarah Palin.
High 'negatives' today? Unfortunately, yes, thanks to non-stop bashing from the media, Hollywood and the political left, which is much present in our culture and has an influence that cannot be denied. However, 30 years ago, prior to cable news networks and the internet, Ronald Reagan was disparaged by the leftist media and comedians mocked him as a senile, over-the-hill 'B-movie' actor, ignoring his accomplishments and sound policies. Even so, Reagan managed to cut through the BS in the single debate he had with President Jimmy Carter. Reagan's "there you go again" response to some of Carter's statements helped diminish the perception of the already-weakened Carter and when Reagan looked into the camera and posed the rhetorical question to Americans: "are you better off today than four years ago?" Jimmy Carter was, effectively, defeated.
No, Sarah Palin isn't Ronald Reagan and this isn't 1980 but Obama is weakened by his disastrous (socialist) fiscal policies, his diffidence in the face of numerous global crises and his perception of being aloof and disconnected to the problems around him. Like the feckless Jimmy Carter in 1980, he is more and more being perceived as inept at worst and, at best, 'not presidential' which translates to 'not a leader'. Palin has a lot to overcome, granted, but she is 'authentic' where Obama is plastic and the American people are getting tired of Obama's poses minus any substantive action. A presidential debate where Obama doesn't have his teleprompter to rely on and where Sarah Palin demonstrates leadership, a command of the facts and a sound way forward without equivocation or using weasel words, along with her naturally optimistic demeanor (similar to Reagan in that regard) would overcome a lot of media BS about her being 'stupid' and so on, just as Ronald Reagan dispelled much of the 'dangerous, dopey, over-the-hill B-movie actor' characterization the left had smeared him with prior to the 1980 presidential debate. Of course, any serious mis-step by Palin could be politically fatal but that is a chance she is going to have to take and I believe she'll not only do so, but do so successfully.
Not to argue, but there is a big difference between Carter and Obama, and it is that Carter’s negatives were BAD and the media abandoned him. They didn’t like RR, but they didn’t like Jimmah. You will have none of that with Zero. And like it or not, that will make a big difference for any Republican running against him, especially Palin.