Two Palins for the Price of One—But Is That What Voters Want?

Buy one Palin and you get one more for free. Will Todd Palin's role as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's "dude in chief," enforcer, coparent, and roughshod rider help or hurt her polling numbers? Late last week a poll showed her favorability ratings dropping a stunning 16 points.

Today's Washington Post sports an article that shows Todd Palin to be much more of a political partner than we previously believed:

John Harris, the Republican speaker of the Alaska House, said he had never been called by the spouse of a governor before the two calls he got from Todd Palin. One was to argue for moving the state capital to Anchorage. The other was to ask Harris to "keep an eye" on a key aide who had an affair with the wife of one of Todd's best friends.

Hillary Clinton made waves during the 1992 presidential campaign when she said she and husband Bill operated as a team and if voters bought one, they got the other (her) for free. That remark did anything but boost Bill Clinton's chances, as it was widely disparaged. He still won, of course, but his spouse wasn't seen as a plus at that point in the race.

Will Todd Palin fare differently and, if so, is that because of gender bias? Traditional conservatives may find it a bit much to vote for a couple where the wife wears at least the political pants in the family. True, Todd Palin's the macho type and a master snowmobiler, but will that be enough to keep über righties flocking to the Palin camp?