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The Palin Effect: American Idol?

Posted by TYRONE STEELS II, Site Administrator in Politics.
Sep 9th, 2008 | Comments

IMAGE FROM THE MCCAIN STORE/SPAULDING GROUP

My “ultra-conservative till since the Great Wall” (his words) neighbor unveiled his new bumper sticker this morning to me. “Sarah all the way, baby!”, he exclaimed with a big grin on his face. “What happened to McCain?”, I asked. His reply:

McCain who? All my wife and I see is Sarah Palin. She can run with Donald Duck for all I care!

I’m almost 35 years old. I voted in my first presidential election back in 1992 (Ross Perot). So I haven’t seen (from adult eyes) many elections. So I asked this to the older and wiser crowd, has a vice-presidential pick has ever caused such a reaction from supporters (in that they look at the VP candidate as bigger than the Presidential candidate)? I live in a predominately Republican neighborhood in Georgia (homeowner’s association meetings are like McCain/Palin rallies). And these Republicans are positively fired up to the nth degree like many other Republicans across the nation.

People have wrote and spoke about the “Palin Effect” numerous times in newspaper articles, blogs, and on television. But I want to take a different angle on this: does this prove even more the American Idol influence/effect in America? Barack Obama has been “accused” many times of being a celebrity and I agree. He is a celebrity (not necessarily a bad thing). And to pull from my earlier post here about celebrity (via Wikipedia):

A celebrity is a widely-recognized or famous person who commands a high degree of public and media attention. The word stems from the Latin verb “celebrere” but they may not become a celebrity unless public and mass media interest is piqued. For example Virgin Director Richard Branson was famous as a CEO, but he did not become a global celebrity until he attempted to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon.

Sarah Palin’s celebrity status here in the States almost rivals Barack Obama’s celebrity status at home and abroad. Just like American Idol, it doesn’t matter who’s a good or bad singer. It’s about who is more popular. And that popularity translates into many of the show’s less-talented singers becoming overnight celebrities. Now I’m not judging the skill set of Sarah Palin. But when I see a staunch Republican flip the Republican ticket and basically “Donald Duck” John McCain, I really wonder how much more of a role celebrity will play in presidential election politics.

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Marlowecan

An excellent post, T-Steel. That said, I find T-Steel's comment is VERY unsettling:

"Just like American Idol, doesn’t matter who’s a good or bad singer. It’s about who is more popular. And that popularity translates into many of the show’s less talented singers becoming overnight celebrities."

People will not vote for a ticket based on magazine coverage, will they? I would hope not. But I don't know.

Yes, it is clear that Palin is perhaps even more a celebrity than Obama.
It took Obama months to achieve the status of filling a wall of magazine covers, as I noted in an airport this summer.

Travelling last week, I noticed Palin had achieved the same . . . in the span of a week . . . a wall of covers!!! (An achievement far beyond the capability of Sen McCain!) And we know FAR LESS about her, and seen her mind work, far less than Sen. Obama.

Now that the GOP has their own Celebrity . . . I doubt we will be seeing another "Celeb" ad like that one linking Obama and Paris/Britney this summer.

Turns out, the GOP just had "Celebrity Envy".

Perhaps this is the value of teaching cultural history. . .future political histories of the 2008 Presidential Election may be citing the cross-cultural influence of pop culture, celebrity-creating "reality" TV shows on American political history.

cfpete

The political calculation of the past was to never pick a VP that may overshadow the top of the ticket. Time will tell if going against convention pays off.

vwcat

The right has been so desperate for someone with a personality that when Palin was picked it gave them some hope.
But, as most things are even, there will come the vetting of things that have been investigated and she will either overcome them or look like a flake and bomb.
The first weeks of the new has the media and the right geared up but, it takes alot more then mere personality to survive.
While the right points to Obama, remember he's been on the trail for almost 2 years. 21 debates against the formidable Clinton, and had to show he was more than personality. If that was all he was, he would have bombed in Iowa, where the people there are skilled in cutting through the nonsense and seeing the essence of the person. They found Obama of substance and intellect. They would not have supported him if he was just all style.
Plus he has done alot of legislation (check with library of congress), written many policy articles for policy journals, and has very detailed proposals on his website.
So, he has a great deal of substance to match the charisma.
The question is: Does Palin? What has she really accomplished, what are her policy ideas and what is beneath the flash?
That is what needs to be found out.
If nothing, then the glow will wear rather quickly.

Rambie

Marlowecan: "People will not vote for a ticket based on magazine coverage, will they? I would hope not. "

I too would hope not, but looks like they may.

I also noticed in Utah that Palin has totally overshadowed McCain. Most of the republicans I know around here didn't really trust McCain, but they were already going to vote for him anyway in a anti-Obama vote. With Palin on the ticket it's all they talk about, they aren't looking at 2008, they're talking Palin for 2012 (or God Forbid that something happens to McCain while in office).

I said last week that McCain is being used by the GOP to hold onto the Presidency. This article, and your post Marlow, seems to confirm that thought.

Questions I'd like to know:
- Will Palin continue Cheny's work of expanding VP powers?
- Could McCain keep her in check?
- Would he even want try?
- Assuming congress stays Dem, what will they do? (roll over and play dead)

DLS

Obama is _the_ American Idol candidate this year.

But ,

"The right has been so desperate for someone with a personality that when Palin was picked it gave them some hope."

True. McCain is uninspiring, or at least unappealing, to many GOP-leaners (the next Bob Dole). All the talk by everyone is about Palin, not McCain.

Not just a personality (and she has more in common with the public than Obama has, another reason she appeals broadly, not only to the religious right bogeyman the Left occasionally shrieks about), but originality, in that the two of them now can introduce the potential for reform -- the _real_ kind of change the public wants.

* * *

"Will Palin continue Cheny's work of expanding VP powers?"

Palin should be a strong VP, like Cheney; I want a strong VP rather than a mere placeholder. I want the VP to be like the first officer or executive officer on a ship, or to function in a role similar to that of the second-highest officer in a large corporation, where the officers' duties include those of the board of directors. Just don't take over things in place of the President. Cheney does this; Palin looks truly as though she won't.

DLS

"They [in Iowa] found Obama of substance and intellect. "

I was in Iowa at the time. The correct statement is, they (we) found him of strong intellect and fully competent (as is Palin, actually more based on experience). For months he has presented _no_ substance; the appearance, the feelings, the PC idealism among his original white-progressive core fans, were all about style, not about substance at all other than that he is competent to run. None of the three candidates (Obama, Clinton, McCain) were found by them (us) in Iowa to lack the competence to merit election. Other issues and preferences were then decisive.

As far as I'm concerned, Obama and his campaign are still in the lead but Palin has now made it a real contest, at least so long as the positive response to her continues.

DLS

"So, he has a great deal of substance to match the charisma."

Less than you may wish to believe, but there is plenty, if you examine his past. (It's harder going now with Palin joining the contest, but I still say Obama should have used Toronto Transit Authority's slogan for his campaign appeal to voters to join him: "Ride the Rocket.")

Marlowecan

Rambie said: "With Palin on the ticket it's all they talk about, they aren't looking at 2008, they're talking Palin for 2012..."

I have seen the same. I must say, I just find this incredible.

Vwcat notes that it took Obama 2 years of tough campaigning to achieve the status in the Democratic Party that Palin has achieved in the GOP in 2 weeks.

More disturbingly...Rambie, vwcat, and DLS...altho from different political perspectives, all agree on T-Steel's broad point regarding the power of celebrity in this election.

If McCain is elected, Palin will have enormous power in his administration because of her celebrity status.

I must say, I find this very depressing. Could Americans actually decide to vote for a President the way they vote for an "American Idol"?

mctraw

you voted for Perot? The man had the attention span of a gnat! I couldn't even keep reading your blog as I had already been able to determine the depth of your analysis when choosing a candidate.

sh0ter

T where at? Cobb or North fulton, or anywhere else outside the perimiter?

T-Steel

Hardy har har, mctraw. I voted for Perot in protest to the Big 2. My protest vote. 'Nuff said.

sh0ter, in SE Gwinnett County not far from Walton County. I'm telling you, this former Northerner has grown to love the South FAST!

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