Shrewd move or gimmick? Sarah Palin's Alaska drew record numbers for TLC making it the highest rated show in the cable networks history bringing in over 5 million viewers on its opening night. Prior to the show ever launching its inaugural episode the talking heads and pundits came out in force to debate whether this reality style show was good politics or just another money making venture for the woman who reportedly made some 14 million dollars this year. Alaska open records show the former governor and her family never exceeded $150,000 dollars in income even while residing as governor, spending much of this income on legal bills defending over a dozen ethics suits commonly brought by oppossing political parties. Frankly, Mrs. Palin was going broke at the time she left office and leveraged her considerable star power into a dynamic money making machine. The big question on everyone's mind: Is this show befitting of a potential presidential candidate and would it serve her best interest politically. karl Rove chimed in saying this was not "very presidential" and took a lot of heat from Palin supporters who defended the move as an attempt to reach that basket of viewers known as the satisficers. Let's get real here. For those who hate Palin this show will do nothing to dull their swords and for those who love Palin the show will bring a side of her not often scene in convention halls giving stump speeches. The real genius behind this savvy venture is to talk to the middle basket, the independents who may initially watch as a novel curiosity but may find themselves drawn in by a show that doesn't feature senseless shock footage as comment to reality series trying to one up each other to make a splash. By all accounts, USA Today, The New York Post and various commentators all have reviewed the show as surprisingly good, apolitical and entirely wholesome, which is a rarity on evening TV. Obama on the Daily show, Clinton on Arsinio and even Nixon on Laugh In all stand witness to important political figures reaching out to audiences they might not normally get to through more traditional mediums. Even though name recognition is not an issue for Sarah Palin, staying in the public eye in a non controversial medium only serves to keep Palin's name in the forefront of public thought. Palin admittedly is a lightning rod for criticism by her detractors, but just as they dismissed her power to influence elections and were dead wrong, they will eat their words again as she laughs all the way to the bank or perhaps the Whitehouse. No, she does not have a fancy ivy league education but neither do you who are reading this post, but somehow you excuse your own path to tear her down. Let's see if you go from shooting moose to counting your millions down the road. To say she is stupid is intellectually dishonest and Sarah Palin's Alaska will simply prove the point that she is force to reckon with, in politics or in the realm or our airwaves.
She appears to be doing an excellent branding job of becoming something resembling a female Teddy Roosevelt. The biggest difference between her and Teddy would be that Teddy wouldn't shoot the chained down bear and Sarah would shoot it from a helicopter with a nightscope. She has a lot of kids to feed and bear meat ain't cheap. Her ability as a kingmaker seems to have come up a little empty. Angle went down in Nevada, O'Donnell went down in Delaware, and Joe Miller is pretty much out of action in Alaska, though it may take a couple of months for him to admit it. If I were Sarah, I would stick to the tube.
ReplyDeleteI have read many things about Sarah Palin. Some say she's great, others think she's an idiot. I want my public officials to be smart. I want them to have had good educations or even better educations than me because after all they represent our country. I want them to carry on a debate without faltering or resorting to senselessness. I have to give it to her that she certainly knows how to get money from the fame she's getting. I guess that would be my only concession to her... she is money smart and sees where the money is. But just because you are money smart does not mean you should be running a country. This family just wants fame... she's probably doing it because she wants to get in the white house...people vote for faces and names they recognize. To the mass population, elections are just a huge popularity contest. I guess she would def be crowned homecoming queen... I just hope voters realize first who they would be voting for.
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