Former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been in the news every week since she and Presidential Candidate John McCain bid their post election farewell amonth ago. I had a strong suspicion that she wasn't going to resume her life of Alaska governance as usual. My gut feeling was confirmed when a CNN field correspondent reporter covering McCain's concession speech in Arizona, reported that a couple of hours after McCain had left (and was probably at his Sedona, AZ ranch) the stadium was practically cleared but Palin was still mulling around signing autographs and chatting away with her supporters. What a telling sign.
On her first day back the Alaskan office, she was asked a bevy questions: Another shot for 2012? What did she think of accusations from McCain's campaign camp that she was acting as prima-donna? Will she actually donate some of her 150K designer label wardrobe to charity like she said she woud? She's fair game now as she's her own spokesperson, no longer muzzled by McCain's cronies. Now we'll start to see her true colors uncensored and unscripted. She should have taken heed on restraint when she said there were some people (although she didn't name names, we know she was talking about McCain's people) who spread those prima donna lies. Did that comment help her? No, it only showed how reactive she is.
She made her first official public appearance a month after the election at the Republic Governors Association and of course, the media gave her a lot of undivided speaking time. I guess she owes them that as all the outlets complained she didn't provide many interviews and not one press conference. Actually the Miami meeting was her first press conference. Some of the GOP governors said her press conference was uncomfortable in that she was relishing the attention. You think?
Then Larry King scored the first post election interview with her and there's more starry eyed vultures standing in line vying her attention. Book publishers, speaking engagements and other high profile TV hosts want her. Alex Baldwin and Paris Hilton say she's hot and so is her celebrity star like status.
We can't forget the money shot of the upside down turkey getting slaughtered at a turkey farm a week before Thanksgiving. What a fine backdrop for Palin's interview. I didn't even paying attention to what she was talking about. Who did? In that Kodak moment, a big, feet wiggling turkey was the subject and talk of the repulsed media, the only living creature so far to steal Palin's thunder.
But the foul turkey fiasco didn't stop her from campaigning for Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss. Who?
You know, the Senator who's running for re-election. If his name doesn't ring a bell upstairs, he didn't mind when Palin took more podium time than he did. CNN again asked some everyday citizens why they attended . Two young 30-something women said she is an inspiration for all women and a 20 something lad said frankly because she's hot. And most recently she was still able to grab some television time at Barack Obama's meeting with the governors where large a majority asked for federal financial aid.
The election is almost two months old and the recession and the Big 3 auto companies are spearheading the news headlines. Yes, there's lot of bad news that will infect more people with the early holiday blues than the flu, but what about news that will help us to recover and get through this economic mess. That's what's on everyone's mind. If Sarah Palin has some solid, detailed and thought out solutions or plans to America's ills (instead of random generalizations with no substance), then I welcome her ideas. Otherwise, don't hog the podium for the sake of further self exposure. Enough surface talk, take real action that will affect us all. My prediction: Sarah Palin will continue to be in the political limelight at least through the first half of 2009 either supporting a fellow Republican candidate or cause, or as a gaffer on the economic crisis. I'm placing bets right now...