Sarah Palin: Celebrity in Chief

Image by sskennel via Flickr

In many ways Sarah Palin represents the best of all worlds for the media.  There are two types of news – important news and silly news.  Important news is usually the sort that revolves around politics, world events, and crises.  Silly news is generally gossip, celebrity scandals, and gossip about celebrity scandals.

In Sarah Palin we get the entire package – important news and silly  news wrapped up into one great big ratings phenomenon.  We get politics, since she is at least ostensibly a political figure.  We get world events, because she says funny things about Russia.  We get crises because, for all intents and purposes, the threat of her taking national office is a crisis in and of itself, and the media loves to hang that over our head.

On the silly side of the coin we get plenty of celebrity news, because as much as Sarah Palin is a politician she’s even more of a star.  Indeed, I think she makes a much better and more interesting celebrity than she does a politician.  This works to her benefit as well because it helps sell tickets and books and makes her lots and lots of money.  And there’s certainly no shortage of gossip and scandal, especially if you read Andrew Sullivan.  Who is Trig’s mother?  Why did she fly while in labor?  What will Levi do next?  And why won’t she show us her damn birth certificate already?

Oh the suspense!

It’s like a daytime soap combined with the West Wing.  Gosh, if somebody died we could toss in Law & Order and this would be literally the best reality show T.V. has to offer.  Who needs the Osbornes when you have the Palin family?

I don’t think Palin fascinates us because of any one thing she’s done or said or stands for.  I think it’s the stunning way she combines all these elements into one perfect media storm.  Why change the channel when we can get all our politics, scandal, sex, gossip, fear, suspense and drama in one place?  All in one person.  It’s irresistible.  And Palin – whether you love her or hate her – is irresistible, too.