Tonight on TV...

[Tim]

Sarah Palin slaughters a fish while wearing designer eyewear!

OK, there's no doubt that I'm not a fan of Sarah Palin. I haven't even pretended like I like her. But putting that aside and looking at it from a purely strategic perspective, I just don't understand what her handlers think this new show of hers is going to accomplish. If they want her to win the presidency, they need to focus on appealing to the 80% of Americans who live in urban areas. Do they REALLY think that a show featuring her going around Alaska and doing outdoorsy things is going to give her the type of appeal she's going to need in order to win the presidency? There's no doubt that this show is part of their strategy... but how could they possibly think that showing her in her element in the most remote, foreign part of America is going to somehow win her votes? Wouldn't it have been better for her to do a show in which she visits some new city each week and does some local or regional activity there instead?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

[Goatnapper'96]

Sarah Palin slaughters a fish while wearing designer eyewear!

OK, there's no doubt that I'm not a fan of Sarah Palin. I haven't even pretended like I like her. But putting that aside and looking at it from a purely strategic perspective, I just don't understand what her handlers think this new show of hers is going to accomplish. If they want her to win the presidency, they need to focus on appealing to the 80% of Americans who live in urban areas. Do they REALLY think that a show featuring her going around Alaska and doing outdoorsy things is going to give her the type of appeal she's going to need in order to win the presidency? There's no doubt that this show is part of their strategy... but how could they possibly think that showing her in her element in the most remote, foreign part of America is going to somehow win her votes? Wouldn't it have been better for her to do a show in which she visits some new city each week and does some local or regional activity there instead?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

I think they all, including Sarah Palin, know that there is no chance they are going to win the Presidential election. I think that their strategic decision is to make as much money as they can trying to win it. The entire event, beyond being "flippin' fun!" is a media whore business decision.

I don't think they are trully evaluating the political angle. Sarah Palin's supporters are going to love her no matter what and those who don't like her are going to dislike her no matter what. The goal at this point is money realizing that while she has influence, she doesn't have enough to win.

[Slim]

I agree with Goat. It is about the money. Those who like her will watch her no matter where the show is shot so they might as well film her close to home.

[Moliere]

I think they all, including Sarah Palin, know that there is no chance they are going to win the Presidential election. I think that their strategic decision is to make as much money as they can trying to win it. The entire event, beyond being "flippin' fun!" is a media whore business decision.

I don't think they are trully evaluating the political angle. Sarah Palin's supporters are going to love her no matter what and those who don't like her are going to dislike her no matter what. The goal at this point is money realizing that while she has influence, she doesn't have enough to win.

Yep, everyone knows she won't win the nomination. She is unelectable. She's just trying to cash in on her fame. No shame in that.

[jay santos]

My wife is addicted to reality TV, and I have seen a little of her show. There's no way anyone told her this is a good idea if her goal is to be the next president. All she is doing is proving how white trashy she is.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I would rather watch Sarah Palin's reality show than anything on the Hallmark Channel between Thanksgiving and Christmas. All cable and satellite systems in addition to parental controls, need to also have Hallmark and Lifetime controls.

[Non Sequitur]

She's a sideshow freak. People watch her for the same reason they want to peek at two-headed goats.

[byu71]

I don't watch reality shows like that. I watch her when she appears on Fox. She is a lot smarter than a lot of you want to give her credit for.

That being said, I hope the active far right republicans don't somehow get her in as the republican candidate. She can't win. Too many people find it fashionable to call her stupid.

As a matter of fact, I myself am worried the smart people on the board are going to think I am not smart because I think she is smart.

[myboynoah]

She's a sideshow freak. People watch her for the same reason they want to peek at two-headed goats.

In hopes that she'll fall into one of those glacier crevasses to never be seen again?

[Guest]

Even those who profess hate for her in the media, blogs, cable news, etc. love her. She's great for all of those mediums; SP creates content that feeds the machine.

I will never vote for SP and I'm not a fan of her brand of politics, but I can respect how successful she has been over the last two years. She is a master at self-promotion and creating a real political following, even if she never runs for, or is elected to, a political office again.

Who can she be compared to in the last 30 years of American politics?

[Slim]

This thread was one of the last things I read before I went to bed. Then last night I had a dream that I was Sarah Palin's bodyguard. It was odd.

[cowboy]

I don't watch reality shows like that. I watch her when she appears on Fox. She is a lot smarter than a lot of you want to give her credit for.

That being said, I hope the active far right republicans don't somehow get her in as the republican candidate. She can't win. Too many people find it fashionable to call her stupid.

As a matter of fact, I myself am worried the smart people on the board are going to think I am not smart because I think she is smart.

She has a higher IQ than several self-described intellectuals on this board. People like her because she seems just like them, and she doesn't talk down to the public like most politicians. I'm less and less her fan, as I tire of the talking points tactics that she, along with most pundits, employs. However, it's undeniable that she has a following and that she is therefore a force to be reckoned with. She can't win a general election, and hopefully she can't win the primary, but any serious candidate would be an idiot to dismiss her.

[Uncle Ted]

I didn't catch Sarah Palin's but I suspect that Hooked on the National Geographic channel is a far better fishing show.

[Katy Lied]

She has a higher IQ than several self-described intellectuals on this board.

I'm curious to know who the self-described intellectuals are.

Not that I'd expect you to tattle. But you can bet if I were at dinner with y'all, we'd surely discuss it.

[il Padrino Ute]

I'm curious to know who the self-described intellectuals are.

Not that I'd expect you to tattle. But you can bet if I were at dinner with y'all, we'd surely discuss it.

SU is the only one that comes to mind.