Palin the Celebrity

At first, when McCain chose Palin as his running mate, everyone ran around screaming, "he did it because she's a woman!  He's just trying to steal Hillary supporters!"  And it made a lot of sense to think that.  He did get a huge bump right after the convention, and got the base fired up like never before.

But here's a different opinion: he did it because he needed a celebrity to counter Obama's popularity.  In an article in The Huffington Post, Lauren Cahn posits that McCain saw Palin as "a media-ready, photo-friendly moldable piece of political clay" that could be used to counter Obama's celebrity status.  There's no way he could have ever come close, so, why not try Palin?

And he's been successful, past his wildest dreams.  Palin is easily the name most often on people's lips these days, rivaling Obama's and far outstripping McCain's.  Palin and troopergate, Palin and clothing purchases, Palin and the pitbull joke, Palin and the Couric interview, Palin and SNL, Palin and negative attacks, etc.

But now, his celebrity protegé is trying to break away.  She's gone off script to address her clothing issue, and has actually talked to reporters in a setting other than an official news conference, without receiving permission from her handlers -I mean, her press agents first.

Now, she seems to have her eye on the presidency in 2012.  In an article in The New York Times,  there are several unnamed prominent conservatives who are bouncing around Palin's name for 2012.  If McCain wins the election, she'd be in prime position to stay in the spotlight for four years, create more appealing policies, develop political credentials of some kind, and run  for pres.  If Obama wins, she'd have more problems.  Since her nomination, her popularity in Alaska has plummeted - troopergate and her expense reports for her children come to mind as reasons.  Returning to the governor's office might not be such a smooth transition - and she may not last there.

We've had some conversations in class about the convergence of pop culture and politics - especially in the realm of celebrity politicians.  Well, I'd say Obama is the perfect celebrity politician- popular, young, and tech-savvy.  The Republicans needed someone to counter him, so enter Palin.  She's added a popularity and a youth to the McCain ticket that has drawn young conservatives in a way McCain never could have.  In two other articles in The New York Times (see sources), conservative college students have become energized by Palin.  So while this election won't put a celebrity Republican in the Presidency, Palin is seriously being groomed to become the new celebrity face of the party.  What a scary thought.

Sources: 

On Campuses, McCain Supporters Are Running on a Shoestring and Conviction

Young, Republican and Inspired by Palin