SARAH PALIN'S REAL APPEAL
Annie Oakley Is Running For National Office
The Huffington Post, September 10, 2008
In their attempt to sell newspapers and build ratings the major media outlets have accentuated Sarah Palin's so-called virtues, and in so doing made her more appealing than the reality of her public and personal life.
From the very first moment she was thrust -- make that catapulted onto the world stage by a struggling Senator John McCain seeking to juice up his tired image, the public view of this unsatisfactory candidate for vice president has been saturated with plaudits about how well she appeals to the masses.
And how has this been accomplished? By the media's playing up her blue-collar roots. That she likes to hunt and fish and went from PTA activist to mayor of a small town.
The pundits continue to highlight the word "small" as if it would have tainted the woman's credentials had she been mayor of a town over 10,000, let alone a major metropolis.
Yes, some of the news people have listed her scant experience and the inconsistencies
in her resume, not to mention the ethics probe now underway about the way she fired
a state officeholder in Alaska. And a bit more are finally taking issue with the fact that
she's been hiding from hard questioning. However, on the whole in less than two weeks they've been an unwitting accomplice, helping an obscure politician to soar exceedingly high in public esteem. Many TV commentators grin to each other with bemused winks and looks of amazement at the crowd reaction she has achieved
from mostly pure GOP believers, while failing to underscore her deficiencies with
what might have been an appropriate analogy: Gertrude Stein's famous description
of Oakland, "There is no there there."
The analysts don't take to task the Palin promoters, such as former senator and Law & Order TV star Fred Thompson,
who got such a big hand when, as a testimonial to her, he touted the governor's talent for field dressing a moose. They
don't smirk or cast a skeptical eye when stylish brewery heiress Cindy McCain brags that Palin is among other things a
"pistol packing mother of five."
When did it become more appealing to have Annie Oakley as our second in command? When did we become a nation
that pooh-poohed and mocked experience on the order of six-term senator Joe Biden in favor of a six-shooter woman
who fancies herself a pit bull with lipstick? Are we so inured in the romance of olden days that most of us truly believe
an out-of-touch lady with such a provincial and self-involved sense of the world is more attractive and more capable
than seasoned professionals to deal with the horrid problems facing our country, domestic and foreign?
And now the continual overblown reportage of Sarah Palin by the media, irresponsibly propelling her using terms like
rock star, which when so stated tends to take on a life of its own, convinces everyone in the hinterland that if the media
says it she must be so. Then the public flocks to her in ever-larger crowds than might have occurred had the media
stuck to their principles instead of falling prey to or perhaps feeding the frenzy in a bid to increase interest and ad revenue
for their respective newspapers and network time slots
Don't get me wrong, the image of Annie Oakley is warm and fuzzy from my childhood, and I even vaguely remember the
TV show starring Gail Davis. But please remember, amidst the hoopla for Sarah Palin, it's not as if such a legendary figure
was ever considered to be placed alongside Teddy Roosevelt on the aptly named Bull Moose ticket.
Probably because, though Annie was a big star and had appeared in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, she wouldn't have been taken seriously. Her qualities, reincarnated and emphasized when praising Palin, were not considered leadership material
as they apparently are now. Oh, for a time when real issues and experience mattered. Plus, with the exception of a few
states, poor Annie couldn't vote. But let's face it, even given Sarah Palin's service as a bona fide governor -- albeit for less
than two years of one of our smallest states -- it remains the sum total of her "legitimate" experience for a huge role on
the world stage.
And I don't care if Sarah Palin at the debate with Joe Biden belts out Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better with more gusto
than the incomparable Ethel Merman in Annie Get Your Gun. The fact remains that if anyone takes Palin seriously and
wants to put her in a position of authority, which modern VEEPS nowadays achieve, it might be time to seriously wonder
about the electorate's priorities. Priorities greatly influenced by the media, which as of yet haven't scolded a national
perception that those who love to shoot guns are somehow more in tune with the majority than those who give up the promise
of huge incomes to work as community organizers, to deliver meals on wheels -- yes in big cities -- and to commit themselves
to meaningful service over the course of their lives.
The media should not be proud, in their zeal for a spirited election contest as opposed to an intelligent discourse, that they
have contributed to the momentary and hopefully limited national acclaim for the very inadequate Sarah Palin.
Follow Michael Russnow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kerrloy
Contact Us
In their attempt to sell newspapers and build ratings the major media outlets have accentuated Sarah Palin's so-called virtues, and in so doing made her more appealing than the reality of her public and personal life.
From the very first moment she was thrust -- make that catapulted onto the world stage by a struggling Senator John McCain seeking to juice up his tired image, the public view of this unsatisfactory candidate for vice president has been saturated with plaudits about how well she appeals to the masses.
And how has this been accomplished? By the media's playing up her blue-collar roots. That she likes to hunt and fish and went from PTA activist to mayor of a small town.
The pundits continue to highlight the word "small" as if it would have tainted the woman's credentials had she been mayor of a town over 10,000, let alone a major metropolis.
Yes, some of the news people have listed her scant experience and the inconsistencies
in her resume, not to mention the ethics probe now underway about the way she fired
a state officeholder in Alaska. And a bit more are finally taking issue with the fact that
she's been hiding from hard questioning. However, on the whole in less than two weeks they've been an unwitting accomplice, helping an obscure politician to soar exceedingly high in public esteem. Many TV commentators grin to each other with bemused winks and looks of amazement at the crowd reaction she has achieved
from mostly pure GOP believers, while failing to underscore her deficiencies with
what might have been an appropriate analogy: Gertrude Stein's famous description
of Oakland, "There is no there there."
The analysts don't take to task the Palin promoters, such as former senator and Law & Order TV star Fred Thompson,
who got such a big hand when, as a testimonial to her, he touted the governor's talent for field dressing a moose. They
don't smirk or cast a skeptical eye when stylish brewery heiress Cindy McCain brags that Palin is among other things a
"pistol packing mother of five."
When did it become more appealing to have Annie Oakley as our second in command? When did we become a nation
that pooh-poohed and mocked experience on the order of six-term senator Joe Biden in favor of a six-shooter woman
who fancies herself a pit bull with lipstick? Are we so inured in the romance of olden days that most of us truly believe
an out-of-touch lady with such a provincial and self-involved sense of the world is more attractive and more capable
than seasoned professionals to deal with the horrid problems facing our country, domestic and foreign?
And now the continual overblown reportage of Sarah Palin by the media, irresponsibly propelling her using terms like
rock star, which when so stated tends to take on a life of its own, convinces everyone in the hinterland that if the media
says it she must be so. Then the public flocks to her in ever-larger crowds than might have occurred had the media
stuck to their principles instead of falling prey to or perhaps feeding the frenzy in a bid to increase interest and ad revenue
for their respective newspapers and network time slots
Don't get me wrong, the image of Annie Oakley is warm and fuzzy from my childhood, and I even vaguely remember the
TV show starring Gail Davis. But please remember, amidst the hoopla for Sarah Palin, it's not as if such a legendary figure
was ever considered to be placed alongside Teddy Roosevelt on the aptly named Bull Moose ticket.
Probably because, though Annie was a big star and had appeared in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, she wouldn't have been taken seriously. Her qualities, reincarnated and emphasized when praising Palin, were not considered leadership material
as they apparently are now. Oh, for a time when real issues and experience mattered. Plus, with the exception of a few
states, poor Annie couldn't vote. But let's face it, even given Sarah Palin's service as a bona fide governor -- albeit for less
than two years of one of our smallest states -- it remains the sum total of her "legitimate" experience for a huge role on
the world stage.
And I don't care if Sarah Palin at the debate with Joe Biden belts out Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better with more gusto
than the incomparable Ethel Merman in Annie Get Your Gun. The fact remains that if anyone takes Palin seriously and
wants to put her in a position of authority, which modern VEEPS nowadays achieve, it might be time to seriously wonder
about the electorate's priorities. Priorities greatly influenced by the media, which as of yet haven't scolded a national
perception that those who love to shoot guns are somehow more in tune with the majority than those who give up the promise
of huge incomes to work as community organizers, to deliver meals on wheels -- yes in big cities -- and to commit themselves
to meaningful service over the course of their lives.
The media should not be proud, in their zeal for a spirited election contest as opposed to an intelligent discourse, that they
have contributed to the momentary and hopefully limited national acclaim for the very inadequate Sarah Palin.
Follow Michael Russnow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kerrloy
Contact Us