I don't think she'll have much of an effect if the polls are any indication.
But polls could be wrong, as we all heard what Palin thinks of "poles" in that serious policy speech you alluded to earlier.
Well, believe the polls if you must, but they're actually all over the map as far as Palin is concerned. You can find poll citations for every viewpoint about Palin under the sun moon and stars if you want.
I shouldn't have to remind anyone here that Freepers have proven beyond a shadow of doubt that modern polls are routinely rigged to produce a given outcome, and that they should only be used to base ones opinion on with great caution.
It's why Sarah made the remark she made at Indianola. The polls simply are not reliable barometers of where the public stands on issues and candidates.
As I've said repeatedly, there are lots of other observable indicators that can give a person a sense of public sentiment, and these should not be discounted in favor of an industry that has been shown to have been compromised nearly as badly as the MSM.
We'll see what happens after her announcement, and how she fares during the real primary. Personally, I believe she's going to dominate the contest, and I don't say that out of simple devotion and belief in my candidate. I've seen enough to cause me to conclude that she can't be beat by anyone currently running.