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OUR VIEW
SARAH STRIKES BACK
Sarah Palin’s appearance on the
“Tonight Show” with Conan O’Brien mocking William Shatner was refreshing because
a conservative politician finally seems to get the need to appeal to voters
through popular culture. These types of venues have been dominated by liberals
in recent years, and have become one-sided soapboxes in which conservatives are
bashed. Palin, however, has been one of the few conservatives to use
entertainment programs and new media effectively.
 Palin’s
practice of using these forums is not new, but the venues available to
politicians have changed. Her appearance on the “Tonight Show” is akin to
William Henry Harrison running a hard cider campaign in 1840, or Richard Nixon
appearing on the “Tonight Show” and “Laugh-In.” To get their message across,
politicians sometimes have to use groundbreaking techniques and new venues
because how voters absorb information changes.
In recent years, entertainment platforms have been dominated by liberal
entertainers who simply want to bash Republicans and conservatives in general.
Palin, since she became the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008, has
received more criticism than any other politician.
But Palin, unlike most conservatives, has fought back. She appeared on “Saturday
Night Live” after the show caricatured her, as it does for every politician, and
showed she has a since of humor. She put policy messages out on Facebook. She
took on late night talk show host David Letterman after he made an inappropriate
remark about Palin’s daughter.
In Palin’s recent appearance on the “Tonight Show,” Shatner was mockingly
reading excerpts from Palin’s new autobiography while mood music was playing in
the background. After Shatner was done, Palin appeared, and while the same music
was playing, she mockingly read excerpts of Shatner’s autobiography. Shatner
looked surprised and uncomfortable, but Palin took on the liberal entertainment
establishment and scored a win.
Of course, the potential downsides to appearing in these formats too often is
overexposure and the risk that people will not take a politician seriously who
does not appear in serious venues.
But the upside is that Palin is reaching younger voters who are not being
reached by other conservative politicians. Palin also could reach voters
generally who have a negative image of her. She also is fighting back for
conservatives in a liberal format. Basically, Sarah Palin is changing the image
of conservative politicians. She has shown she has a sense of humor, and is
willing to appear in an environment that may not be friendly. Palin’s strategy
is a welcome one for conservatives.
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