Although I don’t think much of her political views, I definitively believe Sarah Palin doesn’t get enough credit for her brains. Anyone who thinks she’s a stupid or naive woman, is very mistaken about her. Her rise from obscurity has been meteoric, and while I highly doubt (though future can often be very surprising) that she has any real chance to winning the presidency, she will be an important player in American politics for a long, long time to come. Anyone who doubts that should take a look at how she has handled her publicity since that fateful Election of 2008.
I think she was the sole winner out of the four people on the election ballot. While Obama has won the presidency, he has also earned all the criticism, pressure, and just general bad karma that comes with the job. While the American President might be the most powerful man in the world, he definitively is also the most stressed out. As for Biden and McCain, it seems that the public is largely apathetic towards them. As for Sarah? I think she’s very quickly making herself one of the more relevant leaders of the conservative right.
While I do not mean to say that all conservatives think she’s a sweetheart, it is obvious that she definitely has a very devoted following. I assume she probably still has her sights set on the GOP ticket, but I think she would be much wiser if she set her sights on Rush Limbaugh’s pedestal. While he lacks direct power, the man has the ears of millions Americans, and that amount of influence should not be overlooked. However, he also has many, many passionate critics as well, as he tends to really rub a lot of people the wrong way. Sarah Palin is a lot more socially savvy than Limbaugh, and I honestly would not be surprised to hear that she’ll be having a radio show or something on Fox News in the future. It’ll be a lot more profitable for her to do that, instead of seek political office. She’ll never win over enough moderates to win, but she can definitely make a lot of money.
Now the real reason I was posting was statement released by Palin’s press team over the recent Newsweek cover. While I don’t see anything sexist over the picture, I realize that as a man I might be oblivious to some things. However, from a publicity standpoint.. well she just sold a lot of magazines for Newsweek and gained just as much attention for herself. In an environment where it’s easy to gain fame, and even easier to lose it and become just a passing joke (remember Joe ‘The Plumber’?) she had remained in the news. While I don’t think anyone has taken her seriously, (her book has received a lot of criticism over some sketchy statements) the fact remains that she is still being talked about. Heck, Levi Johnston, the guy who knocked up Sarah’s daughter, is virtually a celebrity just by hanging out to Palin’s coattails. The guy is already doing Playgirl shoots.
The statement that her team released (it’s reprinted below) chastises the media for doing anything to draw attention and taking her the photo out of context. Granted their press release will probably do even more to draw attention, but hey, if I was in her shoes I would do the same. Like I wrote before, she knows how to take advantage of the media, especially when they invite her to do it.
“The choice of photo for the cover of this week’s Newsweek is unfortunate. When it comes to Sarah Palin, this “news” magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner’s World magazine one-page profile for which this photo was taken was all about health and fitness — a subject to which I am devoted and which is critically important to this nation. The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention — even if out of context.
Anyway, I’ll leave it up to you guys to judge if the Newsweek is sexist or if Sarah is just smartly playing the media’s game. Either way, she is definitely here to stay, so might as well enjoy your presence.
As always, I’m looking forward to reading your comments.
-Golden Arple
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JLancaster
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Golden Arple
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Harrison
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Golden Arple
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Harrison
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Harrison
