In the wake of Sarah Palin’s nomination, a surprising number of people — some of whom weren’t even operating in bad faith — suggested that the smart thing to do when faced with a popular political opponent would be to avoid attacking her, lest the attacks cause a backlash. Looking at the Research 2000 tracking poll data, however, confirms common sense — when you attack someone, she becomes less popular:
That’s her net favorable rating over time.
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