For someone who was supposed to be a relatively "safe" choice, Elena Kagan's approval numbers are heading south rather quickly.

From Rasmussen:

Voters have an increasingly unfavorable opinion of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan but are more convinced than ever that she will be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 41% of U.S. voters now hold a favorable opinion of Kagan but 47% view her unfavorably, up from 43% a week ago and 39% just after President Obama announced her nomination.

These findings include 15% with a Very Favorable opinion and 23% who regard her Very Unfavorably. This, too, marks a shift from the first survey when Kagan's Very Favorables were 18% and Very Unfavorables were 17%.

By comparison, the president's first Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, maintained favorables around 50% through the first three surveys following her selection, with unfavorables falling to 40%.

Ed Lasky:

After all, she really does not have much of a record to run on and many people just ignore Supreme Court picks anyway - particularly when one party dominance in the Senate will likely be used to ratify Obama's choice of Kagan. He has become radioactive not just for Democrats and others (Specter) who supported him politically and now flee from him; his nominations and appointments instantly generate disapproval.

 

Obama better hope Democratic senators don't pay attention to the polls. For Democrats wanting to show their independence from Obama, why not vote no?

Why not, indeed.