55 percent??!?

A part of me has always suspected that real people don’t pay all that much attention to the actions that get portrayed as “controversies” by elected officials.

WALSH: The new 'comeback kid?'

Nor do they really get all worked up over campaign rhetoric. They sort of listen and pick up on the negative tone. But they usually don’t have a clue as to the specifics.

IT’S ALL JUST details! Boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by the newest poll by Public Policy Polling.

Its focus is supposed to tell us whether the people of Illinois are ready for Richard Durbin to retire from the U.S. Senate when his third full term there ends after the 2014 election cycle.

It seems the answer is “no.” He has strong favorable ratings, gets some support from people who identify themselves as Republicans, and likely would clean the clock, so to speak, of anyone who might dare try challenging him.

BUT THE PART of the poll that caught my attention was its references to Joe Walsh.

He’s the one-term Congressman who lost his bid for re-election last month to Tammy Duckworth. He’s got just about one more month to go before he becomes an unemployed politico.

Although he has encouraged speculation that he will try to run again, and continue to tout his ideals that are meant solely to appeal to the Tea Party types amongst us.

For the record, 29 percent of people surveyed would vote for Walsh over Durbin if the two ran for the U.S. Senate seat in 2014 – but Durbin would get 54 percent.

WHAT CAUGHT MY attention was the part concerning a “favorable” rating for Walsh himself.

After all, he’s supposed to be the guy with the big mouth who won’t listen to anyone who doesn’t rigidly agree with him. He’s also supposed to be the deadbeat who didn’t keep up with the alimony to his ex-wife (as though she’s now on food stamps because of him).

In short, an all-around weasel-ly guy who must be seriously delusional if he thinks he can be elected to the U.S. Senate or as Illinois governor (he’s hinted at the latter post).

Sure enough, only 14 percent of those surveyed said they viewed Walsh favorably.

AND HIS “UNFAVORABLE” rating outnumbers his “favorable” one by a 2-1 ratio.

But that is still a fairly low unfavorable rating, all because his plus is pathetically low.

But more importantly, he has 55 percent of people “not sure” what they think about him.

Gee whiz, the guy whom some political observers would think was Satan incarnate, such damaged goods. So incredibly flawed!

HERE IT SEEMS that a majority of the people may not have made up their minds what to think of the man who was part of the Tea Party movement of ’10. They may still think he’s the singer from The Eagles (who himself has been critical of his political namesake).

Which in my book indicates that Walsh has great potential for a political make-over. If that many people don’t know what to think of him, he has the capability of creating a new image for himself – one that will make people forget all the nasty accusations that have been made about him in the past.

If anything, he may be able to turn this past campaign season into nothing more than an unpleasant memory – one that many people will suspect was largely a mirage.

Not that I’m saying such actions would be truthful. If I had lived in that particular Congressional district (the Illinois Eighth) during last month’s elections, I wouldn’t have voted for him!

BUT I’M REALISTIC enough to know that a lot of the trash-talk has the ability to fall to the wayside. It might not e remembered all that much – particularly when one considers how short-minded many of us are.

And that may well be the most scary part of our electoral process – not any one candidate in particular.

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