Is it cruel of us to let her keep going? It’s like watching a sick animal wander around for our own amusement. Put her down for God’s sake! But maybe, just maybe we have played right into her game. But why she gains any credibility with the serious news media is a mystery. A better place for her would be alongside other self absorbed celebrities on Perez Hilton’s worst dressed list.
Even Republicans who wanted very much to rally behind her hung their heads in shame during her 2008 bid for Vice-President. The only point that she seemed adequately equipped to make was to illustrate her extreme political ineptitude. There are tons of clips where she flounders on often simple questions, sometimes her answers making no sense at all.
Sure she’s got that folksy down home average American twang to her persona, but it was clear that even the ‘simplest’ of voters (and I use that term very respectfully) didn’t equate the Presidency with an episode of Giligan’s Island. They’d already suffered through the foibles of Dan Quayle. But, maybe it’s not all her fault. The Republicans wanted to steal the mobilized women’s vote from the left-overs of Hillary Clinton’s race for nomination…they just weren’t picky enough about who it was.
Now, after her bid for second in command (her failure somewhat a detractor for McCain assuredly), her resignation from the governor’s office in Alaska, why does the media still lend her this pseudo credibility? Well, perhaps she’s actually smarter than we thought. My belief is that her ‘average American’ persona is just part of a strategy for her, born out of her nomination to be McCain’s running mate, but has now grown into something of a pop culture celebrity….and she’s gonna cash in.
It’s clear that immediately following her time in formal politics; she herself had to re-engineer her image. She, or someone advising her, seemed to understand the ever growing importance of social media, like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. This worked well for her in two ways. She could control the message while avoiding being put on the spot by all those ‘tough political’ questions. Second, she could reach out to a huge population of Americans, often grassroots Americans in a way that they understood. This has allowed her to almost pick up the campaign trail where she left off, weighing in on any subject she pleases.
She’s also managed to jump on board as a commentator from time to time on Fox News, likely the only agency that would actually pay someone to have such a skewed and uninformed point of view. She’s taken up the cause of the Tea Party; a perfect fit for her…all bark and no bite! And thus, because she’s thrust herself back in the American limelight, the mainstream news media (I leave Fox out of this) seems to have forgotten she is neither a politician nor a person with any qualified reason to be listened to. It’s like asking Lady Gaga what she would do about health care or immigration.
Is it possible that we’re playing along with this too? Maybe, we’ve just grown so accustomed to her ridiculous answers that we want her around to amuse us. That seems like it serves her purpose too. She has capitalized on any publicity, good or bad. But, the line between her celebrity and her previous life as a politician has become blurry and needs to be recognized.
Palin is a masterful show person. She has created and capitalized on a persona that appeals to the average American blue-collar worker. The sad thing is we have to remember that she is NOT a politician. She’s an actor who was given a shot and she’s milking it for everything its worth.
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