Taegan Goddard passes along a new survey from Public Policy Polling:
Lindsey Graham has more crossover appeal than almost any other US Senator in the country. He’s also one of the least popular Senators within his own party. Such is the product of being a rare politician with any bipartisan instincts in these highly polarized times.
The only senators with higher approval with the opposite party than Graham — at least among those states PPP has surveyed since June — are Mainers Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. But as Republicans in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, they pretty much have to have strong support from the other side. Not so much Graham.
It is nonetheless a fact that the politicians with the most cross-party appeal are almost inevitably despised by their own party’s base. Joe Lieberman was every Republican’s favorite Democrat up to the point where he was no longer a Democrat.
The irony is that when these people are forced into switching parties, ala Arlen Specter, they’re persona non grata in both parties. Not only are they hated by the party they bolted for having the temerity to bolt but they tend to be on the outs with the receiving party on most issues.
