Sarah Palin visited our great state last week to stump for U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. Both of these charismatic women have come under fire in the last couple years for various reasons, but mostly because of things that have or have not come out of their mouths.
Katie Couric's interview with Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign made the former Alaska governor look ill-prepared and out of her league.
Is she still?
Palin's got star power. She's a celeb. She knows how to activate activists. But she belongs in Hollywood, not Washington. At Wednesday's Minnesota rally, Bachmann said, "she is so much one of us." Really. Why, because she says "you betcha" a lot?
Bachmann also felt the need to remind everyone there that Palin's "drop-dead gorgeous." Everyone knows how important of a resume-builder THAT is for a politician.
Many on the right adore Palin, but for what reasons - because she has Republican values, or because she's a "drop-dead gorgeous" woman with Republican values? Are we blinded by Palin's looks? Her charm? Her wardrobe?
It's certainly not Palin's fault she's attractive, but looks and grooming, including a good dose of makeup, haven't really been a difference-maker in politics since the infamous televised Kennedy-Nixon debate in 1960. Kennedy, it's safe to say, had a wee more political savvy than Palin possesses. Compared to Nixon at the debate, Kennedy would've looked good in sweats.
The right should also acknowledge that Palin is the butt of many jokes and didn't exactly make herself look good as John McCain's running mate. As a Republican, didn't you want to cover your eyes when you saw Couric grilling her in '08? It was like watching a horror movie, spreading your fingers apart just enough to see if the real scary part was over yet.
Might Palin seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2012? You betcha she might. And you can support her all you want, but make sure it's for the right reasons - leadership, a grasp of foreign and domestic policy, etc. - not because she's a celebrity with a thick Minnesota accent.