Comments on The 7-10: Palmer on Politics: Decoding Sarah Palin

I am going to start us off with a very provocative...

2009-07-15T23:32:24.011-04:00

I am going to start us off with a very provocative statement, maybe the most provocative statement I have ever made here: Sarah Palin is an absolute genius. I totally believe this. Never before in my whole life have I seen a person who can convince people to follow her every move. Up here in Seattle, by default, I have more liberal friends than conservative friends. And while they will never admit it, they all have crushes on Sarah Palin. I never really knew that crushes could work in two different ways. I mean, I am familiar with people having a crush on somebody they really like. For instance, back in the 90s, I kinda had a crush on Marisa Tomei. I thought she was an amazing actresses. My sister still thinks I watch her movies when nobody is around. Well, Mindy, a person can do worse than having a crush on somebody who won an Academy Award, okay? My liberal friends have a different kind of crush on Sarah Palin. They like to see her fall flat on her face. I mean, they like to see her fall flat on her face again and again and again.

Which brings me to the point where I explain how Sarah Palin is a genius. We all assume she quit her job as governor of Alaska because she is running for president. Um, why would we assume that? Running for president and then actually being president is generally a hard job. For every decision you make as a president, millions and millions of people will disagree with you. Your staff will wake you up often to answer some phone call at 3 in the morning. I do not envy President Obama. Dude already looks older than he did when he started. I do not think GQ will be putting the president on the cover anytime soon with all that gray in his hair.

On the other end of the spectrum, being a celebrity is generally an easy job. You get paid lots and lots of money. You are surrounded by "yes" men. People cater to your every whim. You can throw a temper tantrum because your hotel room is not stocked with your favorite mineral water and people will forgive you because "celebrities will be celebrities." I never hated Sarah Palin last year because I never thought of her as a politician. I thought of her as a celebrity who knows how to get the audience that she wants. If the audience is made up of partially of haters, who cares? An audience is an audience.

When John McCain picked Sarah Palin out of obscurity to be his running mate, it was akin to Steven Spielberg picking some obscure actresses that he had seen in a student film and casting her in "Munich" or whatever movie he is working on currently. When Mr. McCain called Sarah Palin, she realized this was her ticket out of Alaska. The issue was never, "Is Palin ready to be a heartbeat away?" The issue to Palin was, "Wait till they get a load of me." Palin was handed an opportunity to become the celebrity she wants to be. And, let's be honest with ourselves, we have given her what she wants.

Quitting the governorship of Alaska was a smooth celebrity move because it exhibits a certain diva-esque flair. Mariah Carey got mad one year at the Grammys because she only won three awards out of the ten she was nominated for. Eddie Murphy walked out of the Academy Award ceremony when he did not win the Oscar for "Dreamgirls." We like our celebrities temperamental and spoiled. Has this not been the way Ms. Palin has acted ever since we learned who she is? She is not angling for the presidency of the United States. She is aiming much higher than that. She wants to be the next Oprah. When Sarah Palin gets her own talk show, her viewing audience will be made up of united group of red states and blue states. Red state audiences will watch because they like her. Blue state audiences will watch because they will want to see her make a fool of herself. It will be a huge audience though. That is all that matters.

Sarah Palin knows all this. She knows you like to watch...her.

Sarah Palin is a promoter — a self-promoter — who ...

2009-07-12T15:54:56.836-04:00

Sarah Palin is a promoter — a self-promoter — who enjoys the limelight in front of cheering, smiling crowds, enjoys rubbing elbows with the wealthy and well-connected at times, enjoys the trappings of office and deference a high-profile elected leader is usually afforded.

However, Palin finds the day-to-day responsibility of governing a tedious drag. She's not a policy wonk who gets off on mastering the nuts and bolts of public-policy matters, laws and lawmaking. That's especially so when an obstacle like a serious-minded, uncooperative legislature gets in her way.

Palin exhibits a sense of entitlement. She seems to feel her popularity in some quarters should buy her a pass from having to mind her P's and Q's where ethics and dipping into public and party coffers to spend on herself and her family are concerned.

I can see Palin going on speaking tours. I can see her getting a ghostwriter to help her with a book telling her side of the story (ahem), then going on a book tour to promote it. That would probably suit her and might bring in some money, which would definitely suit her. I can also see her going out to campaign for other Republicans, showing up as a right-wing heroine who got picked on and hounded from office by liberal political and media elites.

What I can't see is Palin mustering the self-discipline to dig in and develop a thorough understanding of complex issues. Likewise, I can't see Palin sticking with the full run of a presidential campaign, beginning ASAP with serious, near-constant fund-raising. Running for president is the most grueling long-distance race in American politics. Nothing else even comes close. It's exhausting and all-consuming.

Palin has shown herself to be flighty. She attended four or five colleges in four or five years earning her B.A., for example. Unless the money was rolling in big time, the crowds were big and adoring, and the nomination looked like a sure bet for her, I could see Palin bailing out fairly early in the primaries.

For much the same reason, I doubt Palin would be happy holding down a job as a media pundit. Radio talk shows generally run three hours a day, five days a week. Those who do them successfully, like Al Franken when he was Air America's best talk-show host, and more-recently Rachel Maddow, put a lot of off-air preparation and homework into keeping on top of facts and events, learning about guests, and so on. It can get to be a grind unless you're self-disciplined and love it. I can see Palin getting antsy and burned out within a few months at most.

Andrew Sullivan seems convinced that there is a sc...

2009-07-12T09:51:44.056-04:00

Andrew Sullivan seems convinced that there is a scandal behind this and I have to admit, he's rubbing off on me. Whatever it was, it had nothing to do with "the people of Alaska" or "getting away from politics as usual."