Will Success Spoil Sarah?

Before being chosen as John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential race, not many people could give you the correct answer to the question, “Who is Sarah Palin?” Now the iconic ‘rogue’ conservative is almost as overexposed as Barack Obama and as equally divisive in her public persona.

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The recent polls showing her popularity on par with the president in terms of percentages have again inspired liberal loathing. And her deal with FOX News Channel as an analyst puts her even more on the far right pedestal-- making her a high profile target for the Main Stream Media. Oh, to have all that free publicity from your detractors is the best PR one could hope for, especially from a media which is fading from influence with each passing newscast. Sarah Palin may or may not be in the 2012 mix as a candidate, although betting types are wagering heavily that the former Alaska governor will be stomping in Iowa before too long. But before that, the MSM is busy making noise over “Payday Palin”. Sarah and daughter Bristol will appear on the In Touch Weekly magazine cover, netting close to $100,000 for a days photo shoot. The ex-gov reportedly earns a minimum $100,000 for her speaking engagements, a deal which is allowed under her contract with FNC. She will reportedly earn a whopping $200,000 as the keynote speaker for the National Tea Party Convention next month in Nashville. Is she as the liberal press likes to say ‘dumb as a box of rocks’ or is she ‘sly as a FOX’? Funny how the press makes a huge deal over a conservative’s income while ignoring the boxcars full of money liberals rake in from political favors and back room deals. For all their bellyaching and raised eyebrows over Palin’s political power and paydays, the press needs Sarah Palin. Without a high profile antagonist the left and its willing accomplice (the MSM) would have even less about which to complain. No target, no salvos! It would seem by now that if Sarah were going to be ruined by the riches of her recent rise to fame we would have experienced a melt down already. But with each new speaking deal, each new magazine cover, and with mile high book sales, she remains the simple plain spoken conservative the Right embraces and the Left defaces. Now what about Nashville, the flashpoint for the National Tea Party Convention? On a recent Family Research Council blog it was suggested that Palin would do well to make the Tennessee capitol her base of operations. From the FRC blog

Palin has to base her operations in Nashville. Nashville contains a community of the highest quality musicians, producers, and technicians. Consequently, producing high-quality television there would be no problem. More important than the technical capabilities available in Nashville is the nature of the artistic community that lives there. …That is where I think Palin could find a large number of sympathetic executives, producers, and technicians who could produce her shows while remaining loyal to her and her evangelical, conservative values and vision. I don’t think a similar community exists in either Hollywood or New York. In an age of jet travel, there’s no reason Palin couldn’t still spend much of her time in Alaska, but her natural “base” nationally is in the South. And, if that isn’t enough – Tennessee doesn’t have an income tax.

While all that is notable, one has to wonder if Palin might not be wooed to lead the Tea Party into 2012. Let’s hope not. For all its populist surge, the Tea Party is not yet ready for the national stage in terms of a coherent political campaign that would mount a serious challenge to the current administration. Not to be derogatory, but the Tea Party with Palin as its presidential candidate would hurt Republicans far more than Democrats. Understand I am not demeaning the movement. I believe the fact that the MSM ignored them at first and now ridicules them is the best measure of the Tea Party’s influence. Sarah Palin’s appearance in Nashville will give them substantial credence. It’s a nice payday for her and a political coup for the Tea Party. What Palin says to the convention will be of utmost importance for not only the party, but for her political aspirations. Will success spoil Sarah? Will she enjoy her impact as a public speaker and commentator more than her desire to make a run in 2012? Some people never thought a ‘guy who a few years ago would be getting us coffee’ would rise to the presidency. Some people (me included) were dead wrong!