Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Kotz / Media / Politics Can Sarah Palin Succeed as a Talk Show Host?
Posted by Pete Kotz on Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 5:48 AM
Forget, for a moment, that there was another option available -- like staying on the job and actually working. In her ongoing play, Martyred and Persecuted in Alaska, she was resurrecting her role as the noblest of noble, while everyone who thought otherwise was pretty much an asshole.
Palin's political career is probably over. She's getting too weird for even the Republican Party, save for its professional victim wing. Word has it she'll soon be hosting a talk show of some sort, a much easier job to contain for a working mom. But it's hard to see her as successful in this role.
Yes, she can play the victim with anyone, the key ingredient of conservative talk. Yet she's also -- how can we put this politely? -- really, really dumb. Listen to her resignation speech, and you'll hear a nonstop parade of platitudes and cliches, as if she's punching the words in without knowing what they really mean. Say what you want about conservative talk, but outside a zealous victimhood, the people who excel are usually very bright, very charismatic, or both. It's not easy to blab for hours a day. You need to be well-read, well-versed in a lot of issues, lest you run out of material.
I just can't see Palin as capable of unscripted conversation that actually compels viewers over any length of time -- even if it's just crazy talk. Can you?
Comments (3)
Showing 1-3 of 3
She has quit every office she was elected to before the term was up, why is anyone surprised at what this narcissist attention whore is doing now? I just wish people would stop feeding the beast so it would stop getting its media meals and growing.
like
dislike
If Fred Thompson can pull it off, I think she probably can. She has way more fans than he does. What this says for the people who spend countless hours listening to the same old right-wing drivel is another thing.
"It's not easy to blab for hours a day. You need to be well-read, well-versed in a lot of issues, lest you run out of material."
No you don't. Phil Valentine will talk about the global warming "hoax" or the demise of the American auto industry for show after show as if he's an expert (and he's clearly not) and people keep listening to him.
