Sarah Palin's Alaska: You know you want to watch it
Go ahead. Admit it. You can鈥檛 wait to tune into 鈥�Sarah Palin鈥檚 Alaska,鈥� premiering on TLC Sunday night.
Sarah, Todd, and all the Palin kids hanging out at home or showing us Alaska鈥檚 natural wonders as backdrop to their vigorous outdoor life. Maybe even a peek into her home broadcast studio where she talks on-air to the guys back at Fox News. Hey, Bristol might show us a few of her "Dancing with the Stars" samba moves!
IN PICTURES: Sarah Palin's fashion
What鈥檚 not to like?
Like all 鈥渞eality鈥� shows, it鈥檚 largely scripted. But we don鈥檛 care. Former governor Palin 鈥� who鈥檚 been stirring up American politics ever since she rocketed from political obscurity to become the Republican vice presidential candidate and then the tea party鈥檚 Mama Grizzly 鈥� often seems unscripted anyway. So what passes for 鈥渞eality鈥� may actually be reality. (Or the other way around. I鈥檓 not sure.)
Palin鈥檚 reality TV ploy has kept political pundits guessing about her motive.
鈥淲hy she thought that was a good idea, considering that she complained regularly about the media鈥檚 intrusion into her family life when she was John McCain鈥檚 running mate in 2008 (while, at the same time, frequently putting her children on display), is a mystery,鈥� writes Nancy Franklin in the New Yorker. 鈥淢oreover, you might ask, how seriously will people take her as a political candidate 鈥� a Presidential candidate 鈥� once she has participated in a reality show?鈥�
The first part is easy: Palin has complete control of the situation. The kids are on-screen when she (and, presumably, Todd) wants them to be. Her image 鈥� love it or hate it 鈥� will remain intact, maybe even be improved upon.
The second part of Franklin鈥檚 observation is exactly what GOP strategic guru Karl Rove has been asking.
鈥淎ppearing on your own reality show 鈥� I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of 鈥榯hat helps me see you in the Oval Office,鈥� 鈥� Rove told the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, also suggesting that Palin lacked the "gravitas" to be elected president in 2012.
But if the midterm elections proved anything, it was that 鈥済ravitas鈥� 鈥� typically associated with Washington insiders 鈥� is not necessarily at the top of voters鈥� lists. It may be a suspect attribute, in fact.
If Palin is serious about seeking elective office, as she hints she may do 鈥� or even just keeping her lucrative writing, lecturing, and broadcast career going 鈥� then image is all.
That could be a problem.
A Gallup survey out this past week shows Palin鈥檚 unfavorability rating at 52 percent 鈥� the highest it鈥檚 been since she joined McCain on the Republican presidential ticket two years ago. Her 40 percent favorability rating ties her previous lowest score.
Not surprisingly, she rates higher with Republicans (80 percent) than with Democrats (15 percent) or Independents (35 percent). This leads Gallup鈥檚 Lydia Saad to conclude that Palin 鈥渋s clearly in a strong position鈥� to seek the presidential nomination in 2012, but her overall unfavorability rating 鈥渃asts some doubt on her viability in the general election.鈥�
Meanwhile, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll, Palin is 鈥渢he most polarizing of the potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates.鈥� In reporting the poll, which included questions about other GOP presidential hopefuls, the AP calls Palin 鈥渢he best-known and most divisive of the bunch.鈥�
鈥淏est-known鈥� is good, 鈥渄ivisive鈥� is bad.
It remains to be seen whether 鈥淪arah Palin鈥檚 Alaska鈥� will change any of that. But Palin is betting it will as millions of Americans tune in. In any case, it鈥檚 really, really good image massaging at no cost to her.
鈥淏ased on projected [viewer] deliveries and estimated [advertising] spot costs, Palin could receive as much as $2.25 million in free media exposure per episode, or $18 million for the entire series,鈥� writes Anthony Crupi on Adweek.com. 鈥淚n other words, if Palin were to make a run for the White House in 2012, TLC will have gifted the world鈥檚 most famous hockey mom with an unprecedented tide of soft-focus campaign support.鈥�
