Sarah Palin may be rich, thanks to her book deal, but she's not popular, according to an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll conducted Oct. 22-25 and a CNN poll conducted Oct. 16-18.

CNN's poll found that a whopping seven in 10 Americans surveyed don't think that the Republican Party's 2008 vice presidential nominee is qualified to be president.

The NBC-Wall Street Journal poll tracks Palin's general popularity, and found that at a new low, with 11 percent of those surveyed having very positive feelings toward her and another 16 percent having somewhat positive feelings about her. Last October, polling registered voters, Palin's numbers were much higher -- 26 percent very favorable and 18 percent somewhat favorable.

Pluralities of Americans say President Obama's plan to overhaul the health care system is a bad idea (42 percent) that will make health care worse (40 percent) and more expensive (47 percent), according to an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll taken Oct. 22-25.

Then there's another plurality: the 45 percent who say it should be passed anyway if the alternative is to keep the health care system as it is now. And 45 percent say setting up a government-run health insurance plan is "extremely important" to provide competition to private health insurance.

The margins in these poll findings are thin in places. To the 42 percent who think the president's health plan is a bad idea, 38 percent say it's a good idea. While little seems to crack through the 50-percent barrier, some aspects of the plan have considerably more acceptance than opposition. The 40 percent who think quality will decline are 19 percentage points ahead of those who think it will improve, and the 47 percent who say costs will go up are 34 percentage points ahead of those who say they will go down.

Americans have some doubts about President Obama's next moves in Afghanistan and his handling of foreign policy, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted the week of Sept. 21, but he's also shored up support for health care overhaul, his top domestic priority.

The poll of more than 1,000 adults shows growing optimism that the economy has begun to turn around. Obama's overall approval rating has held steady at 51 percent since August, as his message on health care has clearly begun to penetrate.

Still, the poll inferred some warnings for Obama and congressional Democrats.

For the first time, independent voters -- who put Obama in the White House and gave Democrats control of Congress -- disapprove of the job he is doing, by 46 percent compared with the 41 percent who approve. In July, 49 percent of independents approved of the president, against 38 percent who disapproved.

New doubts about the president have coincided with new hopes for Republicans, who appeared flattened by the election nearly a year ago.

As the 2010 election cycle heats up, 40 percent now favor Republican control of Congress compared with 39 percent in July; 43 percent favor a Democratic-controlled Congress compared with 46 percent in July.

However, the mood is improving on the economy: nearly one-quarter of the poll's respondents said they feel satisfied with the state of the economy, which marks a 10-point jump from July. Thirty-five percent of respondents now believe the economy has pretty much hit bottom, compared with 27 percent who thought so in July.

Public disapproval of the way Congress is doing its job is a 3-1 runaway over public approval, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll taken Sept. 17-20.

Public approval of Congress stood at 22 percent, while disapproval was 66 percent, according to the poll. As bad as that may sound, it's not as bad as it has been. Last October, the same poll found public approval of Congress was 12 percent.

Despite their low opinion of how Congress is doing, people responding to the survey aren't crazy about their choices: 41 percent feel positive about the Democratic Party, which now controls both houses of Congress, and 39 percent have negative feelings. Republicans are not in a strong position to capitalize on that. Twenty-eight percent have positive feelings toward the GOP, and 43 percent are negative.

Forty-six percent of Americans disapprove of President Obama's handling of the issue of health care reform compared to 41 percent who give him positive marks, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted July 24-27. Thirteen percent are undecided. That compares to the 52 percent to 40 percent disapproval of former President Clinton's push for an overhaul in 1994.

Forty-two percent say the plan Obama is pushing is a bad idea, 36 percent say it is a good idea and 17 percent have no opinion. That compares to June when 32 percent said it was a bad idea, 33 percent labeled it a good idea and 30 percent had no opinion.

Thirty-nine percent believe that under Obama's plan their health care will get worse, 29 percent say it will stay the same and 21 percent say it will get better. In April, 24 percent said it would get worse, 29 percent said it would stay the same and 22 percent said it would get better

President Obama is starting to move out of his "charismatic and charming leader" phase with the public to judgments on how he is handling challenges facing the country, with concerns growing about the budget deficit and the extent of government intervention into the economy, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted June 12-15.

Fifty-eight percent of those polled said Obama and Congress should focus on keeping the deficit down even if it slows economic recovery. Sixty-nine percent said they had concerns about federal intervention in the economy whether it was taking an ownership stake in General Motors, limiting executive compensation or getting more involved in health care. Thirty percent did not share that level of concern. Today, the Obama administration took that a step further with its proposal for broader regulation of the financial system.

President Obama's popularity remains high at the 100-day mark of his presidency, says a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, with tentative support for some of his most complex policy goals, including health care and energy overhauls.

On energy, 53 percent of those surveyed approved of a proposal that would require companies to reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming, even if it would mean higher utility bills for consumers.

The numbers are not so overwhelming on health care: Without being given a description, 33 percent said Obama's plan is a good idea, vs. 26 percent who said it's a bad idea. When given a description, 56 percent said they favored the plan and 33 percent opposed it.

Even though the economy is still in turmoil, several polls are finding a rise in the number of people who believe the country is on the right track or satisfied with the direction it's going.

A Gallup poll conducted March 1-3 found that 20 percent of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going - a low number, but an improvement from the 14 percent who felt that way in early February. The trend is mostly driven by self-described Democrats whose satisfaction has risen from 20 percent in February to 27 percent. The number of independents in this category rose from 15 percent to 20 percent while satisfaction among Republicans is at 11 percent, a point lower than it was last month.

Rasmussen Reports, in a poll released today, found that 35 percent said the country is moving in the right direction up from 30 percent last week and 28 percent the week before. Fifty-eight percent of Democrats believe this, as do 27 percent of independents and 15 percent of Republicans.

Americans approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as President by 60 percent to 26 percent and his handling of the economy by 56 percent to 31 percent, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted Feb. 26 - Mar. 1. Sixty-eight percent have very or somewhat positive feelings about him, 12 percent are neutral, and 19 percent have somewhat or very negative views.

The poll also indicates that, so far, the Republican opposition to Obama's proposal and policies is working against them.

Sixty-seven percent say they feel more hopeful about what Obama is doing in terms of his leadership and plans for the country while 28 percent are more doubtful.

A new poll shows many Americans support President-elect Obama's stimulus plan but the optimism is tinged with apprehension that the government will spend too much money and exacerbate the budget deficit. The new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showed 43 percent believe the stimulus is a "good idea" and 71 percent approve of the way Obama is handling the transition. At the same time, the survey suggested many remain concerned about the potential impact on the government's budget. Sixty percent said they worry more that the government will spend too much money and worsen the deficit, while 33 percent said they worry more that the government will spend too little.