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Palin Rolls Out All-Media, All-the-Time Campaign
With the debut of her eight-part family series, "Sarah Palin's Alaska," which drew a record-high nearly 5 million viewers to The Learning Channel on Sunday (against Sunday night football and the CBS and ABC hits "Undercover Boss" and "Desperate Housewives''), Palin can chalk up another media victory.
But it is a mega-profile in the New York Times Magazine, released online Wednesday in advance of publication in print this weekend, that brings her to the cusp of media saturation -- and recognition. In a cover story titled "The Palin Network,'' writer Robert Draper sums up Palin's stature today: "Having crawled from the wreckage of the 2008 presidential campaign and her much-derided resignation as governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin had emerged as arguably the most captivating and influential Republican in America -- and therefore a viable contender for the presidential nomination in 2012."
Asked if she is considering a run for president, Palin told The Times, "I am. I'm engaged in the internal deliberations candidly, and having that discussion with my family, because my family is the most important consideration here." She's been toying with this answer for a while now, but this was perhaps her most direct response.The Times article, one of the few times she has agreed to let a mainstream media reporter look closely at her and her guerrilla organization, is a big addition to her lengthening list of command performances across multiple media platforms, such as the social networks Twitter and Facebook, cable TV (Fox News and TLC), and an upcoming nationwide book tour (for a new book, "America by Heart") -- all of this from a woman described by critics as ignorant and brash and praised by supporters as authentic and bold.
Related: Sarah Palin: I Can Beat Obama
Palin's media strategy seems different from anyone else's on the national political stage. To an unusual degree among politicians, she has manipulated the media to get her message across without the need to go through many of the usual gatekeepers of mainstream journalism and paid advertising.
No question, Palin is a media phenomenon. In this election year, she gained more free air time than any other politician. In many ways, she controls the media and the message.
And Palin does so with the greatest of ease because she seems comfortable even when others might wince. Alessandra Stanley, the New York Times chief TV critic, put it this way in her review of "Sarah Palin's Alaska":
Ms. Palin is no ordinary politician. It's still not clear whether she plans to run for president in 2012, or is just riding high on her popularity and fame. The TLC program highlights her physical bravery, but the series' existence points to a different kind of courage: Ms. Palin is not afraid to be herself.
One of Palin's most acerbic critics, former Salon editor Joan Walsh, was surprisingly kind about the reality show on MSNBC's "Hardball" on Monday. After acknowledging that viewers would appreciate Alaska's beauty and the outdoorsy Palin family, Walsh said the program was a bit of a screwball comedy, like the 1950s hit "I Love Lucy."
Palin, who gets $250,000 per episode for the TLC show, doesn't need the network evening news or NPR or "60 Minutes" to make her case. Usually, she addresses voters directly, without intermediary static. She follows her instincts, good and bad. She endorsed underdog upstart candidates, well over half of whom came out winners on Nov. 2, though she gets the blame for clunkers like Sharron Angle in Nevada, Christine O'Donnell in Delaware and Joe Miller in Alaska.
Palin's media strategy seems impromptu at times, unrehearsed and unscripted, and it is nearly always a family affair. Her daughter Bristol, 20, a much-criticized unmarried teenage mother, is now is a surprise finalist on "Dancing with the Stars." With her mother cheering from the front row, it's clear that Bristol owes her success -- she won a spot in next week's finale -- to the votes of her mother's admirers. There's been much chatter about the tea party vote for Bristol, but bloc voting is nothing new on DWTS.
"Think of all the people out there who hate my mom," Bristol told E! News on Monday evening. "Why don't we talk about that? It can work both ways with me being Sarah Palin's daughter."
She's right. Politics runs through everything her mother does. Next in line is Palin's tour for "America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag." It's a good bet that her tour, which pointedly skips blue states, will be a resounding success, as was her first one, for "Going Rogue.'' From the wilds of Alaska to the front row of DWTS to upcoming book signings and photo ops, Sarah Palin seems to be everywhere because she is.
And after the attacks she received since her vice presidential nomination two years ago, Palin seems to have emerged smarter and perhaps better prepared.
"Few are underestimating Sarah Palin anymore," said the Times Magazine piece. "The prevailing narrative of Palin in 2009 was that she was an incompetent ditz. This year's story line is that she is a social-media visionary who purposefully circumnavigated the power-alley gasbags and thereby constructed a new campaigning template for the ages. The reality is that Palin's direction is determined by her instincts."
The political columnist John Heilemann wrote in New York magazine: "There is a growing consensus that Palin is running or setting herself up to run." Citing professional Republicans, Heilemann, co-author of "Game Change," wrote, "All agreed that her entry would radically and fundamentally transform the race. More averred that if she steps into the fray, she stands a reasonable chance of claiming the Republican prize. Indeed, more than one argued that she is already the de facto front-runner.''
And to top off her latest run, Palin scored another victory this week: a word she made up, "refudiate," for which she took a lot of ridicule months back, was designated the "word of the year" by the New Oxford American Dictionary.
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This is who America wants to vote for? An Easy quitter? Reminder, Palin QUIT her job as Governor because the media was into her family... If something that all Celebs go through easy pushed Sarah Palin out of office, imagine if an attack on america were to happen? She'd quit and have the vice to do it for her.
November 17 2010 at 11:31 PM PermalinkI love Sarah. She is the best think that's ever happened to the Democratic Party. She's the poster child for just how far the GOP has fallen.
November 17 2010 at 11:31 PM PermalinkSarah Palin would be eatin' by the media. Just like Bush was. SNL destroyed her in the election with McCain. Repubs need someone who isn't the celebrity clown to run as president. Someone who hasn't been in the spotlight and could bring some serious leadership. Palin can't do that show-boating on her TV show. I will never vote Democrat but would not vote for Palin either.
November 17 2010 at 11:23 PM Permalink +2Sarah Palin is just the type of leader we need in Washington. Rather than wasting her time on silly and unimportant activities like governing the state of Alaska (like she promised her constiutents) or trying to understand our nation's problems and think of solutions for them, she did really important things like promote her book and appear on travel shows. All that experience will be really helpful when she is trying to convince the Chinese government to buy our worthless bonds and bailout our economy.
November 17 2010 at 11:22 PM PermalinkI'm a Republican, and a Conservative.... but Sarah Palin will NOT get my vote, should she receive the Republican Party's nomination for President in 2012... any woman who raises her children to be as blatantly homophobic as she has (see an earlier AOL article on her younger daughter's insulting remarks towards gays)... would be too divisive a President for this country..... and the Rainbow Party will crucify her for her daughter's remarks.
November 17 2010 at 11:19 PM PermalinkI watched her program on TLC and felt like I was watching any other family vacationing in Alaska. I didn't get the impression they were accustomed to being outdoors all that often. She's too high maintanence to be as rugged & outdoorsy as she wants everyone to beleive. If elected President, will she quit to pursue more lucrative endeavors?
November 17 2010 at 11:16 PM PermalinkSarah Palin is a good conservative but, I dont think she is the chosen one for the Republican party. I do believe that she can be a king maker though. The liberal media has damaged her. Ignorant people believe the press. Of course the Democrats will keep their base regardless of their ideas on Palin. We need a CEO for president next time. Someone who has run a state and its finances. Someone who can take us out of this economic desert. Someone who lives by the founding father's Constitution to the letter. That CEO will not be Sarah, bless her heart.
November 17 2010 at 11:15 PM Permalink"The liberal media has damaged her. Ignorant people believe the press." You said it, mikehuskernut. Ms Palin is counting on it, that's why she's "rolling out all media all the time", counting on the majority of Americans to be ignorant and listen to her exercise in cheerleading. It's sad that other media still posts about her.
November 17 2010 at 11:33 PM PermalinkIf Sarah Palin gets to The Whitehouse and becomes president...I am moving to Germany...for real. I know our country is in terrible shape with Obama, but I know Palin would be the nail in our coffin. Please people, don't be so nieve to think this woman would have the answers...hell, she won't be able to see Russia from her house if she is in The Whitehouse. Seriously...we will be in deep **** if she becomes president. Please don't let this happen.
November 17 2010 at 11:14 PM Permalink +9Oh boy! I sure do hope Palin becomes president! Because from what I understand from all the other posts on here, she will not only transform the country into an instant utopia, but will also bring unicorns that will free us all from our addiction to cars! And after her snow leprechauns use their space cannon to kill all those pesky middle eastern people, we can all have a barbecue! Yay Sarah!
November 17 2010 at 11:12 PM Permalink +6
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