What’s the matter with Tom Corbett?

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is among the most vulnerable Republicans of the big Class of 2010 governors, with poll ratings that are as grim as it gets.

With just 31 percent of voters saying he deserves to be re-elected and 51 percent saying he doesn’t deserve a second term, the most recent Quinnipiac Poll analysis describes his standing this way: “There is no strong base of support for Gov. Corbett among any income or age group or in any region of the state.”

Two of the state’s top political analysts, G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young, explain that the economy, the child sex abuse scandal that stained the legacy of late Penn State coach Joe Paterno and the tarnished GOP brand have all contributed to Corbett’s imperiled status but, as with any struggling politician, stylistic issues and bad political instincts have hurt him as well.

From their Politically Uncorrected column:

More of a Prosecutor than a Governor—At heart, Tom Corbett is a prosecutor. In the role of attorney general, he excelled. The political skills needed to be a successful governor, however, are not necessarily those of a prosecutor. Prosecutors declaim and declare, but governors must bargain, cajole, cheerlead, and even sometimes beg a little. Corbett has little of that in him. What made him a good attorney general makes him a bad politician. A Tin Political Ear–Corbett misses the sometimes subtle tones of state politics. He has often failed to explain very well why he did things or to promote his agenda. Equally problematic has been his tendency to take on contentious issues without building consensus for them. Weak Political Leadership–Coming into office Corbett had his party’s biggest legislative majorities in 50 years. Nonetheless, he advocated little and succeeded not at all in passing any of his big ticket items: school choice, LCB privatization, transportation funding, and the pension problem during his first two years.

There’s still time to turn the ship around and, with the Quinnipiac poll reporting a quarter of voters undecided on the question of whether they approve of his handling of his job, there’s still room for him to grow.

But if Corbett's recovery doesn’t begin to take shape soon, he risks breaking Pennsylvania’s recent streak of electing governors to a second term, a tradition that dates back to the 1970s.