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Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, and author who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nomi ...
, while serving as
Governor of Alaska A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
, was nominated as the first female candidate of the Republican Party for Vice President of the United States. Following the nomination, her public image came under close media scrutiny, particularly regarding her religious perspective on public life, her socially conservative views, and a perceived lack of experience. Palin's experience in
foreign Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...
and
domestic Domestic may refer to: In the home * Anything relating to the human home or family ** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication ** A domestic appliance, or home appliance ** A domestic partnership ** Domestic science, sometimes cal ...
politics came under criticism among
conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
as well as liberals following her nomination.John F. Harris and Beth Frerkin
"Clinton aides: Palin treatment sexist"
Politico, September 11, 2008
A poll taken by
Rasmussen Reports Rasmussen Reports is an American polling company founded in 2003. The company engages in political commentary and the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information. Rasmussen Reports conducts nightly tracking, ...
just after the
Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...
in the first week of September 2008 found that Palin was more popular than either
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
or
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
; however, this perception later reversed. At the same time, Palin became more popular among Republicans than McCain. A February 2010 ''ABC News/Washington Post'' poll showed 71% of Americans felt Palin lacked the qualifications necessary to be President of the United States.Mcauliff, Michael
"Poll reads Palin's palm: no chance in 2012; 71% of Americans don't think she's qualified to be prez"
''
The New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in tabloid format, and rea ...
'', February 11, 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-19.


Qualifications for higher office

Prior to the
Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...
, a
Gallup poll Gallup, Inc. is an American multinational analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. Gallup provides analytics and man ...
found that most voters were unfamiliar with Sarah Palin. 39% said she is ready to serve as president if needed, 33% said she is not, and 29% had no opinion. This was "the lowest vote of confidence in a running mate since the elder George Bush chose then-Indiana senator
Dan Quayle James Danforth Quayle (; born February 4, 1947) is an American retired politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party (United States), ...
to join his ticket in 1988." Republicans cited her tenure in executive office, high popularity, past focus on ethics and energy issues, her personal life, as well as her command of the
Alaska National Guard The Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs manages military and veterans affairs for the government of Alaska. It comprises a number of subdepartments, including the Alaska National Guard, Veterans Affairs, the Division of Homeland Se ...
and Alaska's proximity to foreign countries among reasons for the choice of Sarah Palin.


Suitability for Vice President

Criticism focused on her limited foreign policy experience and work on major policy issues and claims of low amount of actual responsibility as well as alleged misconduct during her time in office. Her readiness to step in should the president be incapacitated was also questioned.


Suitability for President

A February 2010 poll for
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...
and ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' showed 71% of Americans felt Palin lacked the qualifications necessary to be President of the United States. In a poll in October 2010, the number dropped to 67%, with 27% seeing her as qualified and with self-described Tea party members split evenly.


Foreign policy experience

Sarah Palin cited Alaska's proximity to Russia and her dealings with foreign trade delegations as showing her the importance of foreign policy. Palin later agreed that her comments were "mocked" and reiterated her view that this proximity enhanced her foreign policy credentials. Her interviews and particularly her response to explaining the
Bush Doctrine The Bush Doctrine refers to multiple interrelated foreign policy principles of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. These principles include unilateralism, preemptive war, and regime change. Charles Krauthammer first used ...
as Bush's "worldview" were criticized. Subsequently, a survey found likely voters were divided on whether Palin had the personality and leadership qualities a president should have.


Impact on the 2008 election

After announcing Palin as the presumptive vice-presidential nominee, the McCain campaign received $7 million in contributions in a single day, and the Obama campaign garnered more than $8 million by the next day. During the campaign, Palin evoked a more strongly divided response than
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
among voters and was viewed both more favorably and unfavorably when compared to her opponent. A plurality of the television audience rated Biden's performance higher at the 2008 vice-presidential debate. Following the presidential election, 69% of Republicans felt Palin had helped
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
's bid, while 20% felt Palin hurt. In the same poll, 71% of Republicans stated Palin had been the right choice.


Perceptions of Palin's political positions


Energy and environment

Environmental organizations, including the
Center for Biological Diversity The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit membership organization known for its work protecting endangered species through legal action, scientific petitions, creative media and grassroots activism. It was founded in 1989 by Kieran Suck ...
, the
Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...
Alaska, and
Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...
strongly opposed Palin's positions on issues of energy and environment and criticized Palin for her skepticism regarding humans as the cause of
global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
and her administration's positions on wildlife, including the attempt to have the federal designation of the polar bear as a threatened species removed. They also criticized Palin's support of oil exploration in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR, pronounced as “''ANN-warr''”) or Arctic Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States, on traditional Inupiaq, Iñupiaq and Gwichʼin, Gwich'in lands. The refuge is of ...
.


Religion in public life

After being nominated, Palin's religious views came under scrutiny from the media. Palin had been involved in Independent Charismatic circles and was a member of an NAR "
spiritual warfare Spiritual warfare is the Christian concept of fighting against the work of preternatural evil forces. It is based on the belief in evil spirits, or demons, that are said to intervene in human affairs in various ways. Although spiritual warfa ...
network" linked to prophet Cindy Jacobs, through which she was reportedly encouraged to go into politics. A video, filmed at the Wasilla Assemblies of God church, of dominionist
New Apostolic Reformation The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a Christian supremacist theological belief and controversial movement associated with the far-right that combines elements of Pentecostalism, evangelicalism, and the Seven Mountain Mandate to advocate for s ...
(NAR) preacher Thomas Muthee praying that God would protect Palin from witchcraft was released during the campaign, also leading to critique. Her connection with the NAR led its leaders, particularly figurehead C. Peter Wagner, to see her as a political force for their movements. Wagner later expressed concern that Palin's NAR ties and the media's negative reaction to the Muthee video may have led to the campaign's loss. Palin spoke to a group of graduating ministry students at her former church, where she urged them to pray "that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending .S. soldiersout on a task that is from God," and in the same remarks asserted that "God's will" was responsible for the Alaskan national gas pipeline project. Following the Republican National Convention, the McCain campaign told
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
that Palin "doesn't consider herself Pentecostal," raising the possibility for commentators that she might be downplaying her faith. A Rassmussen poll taken after the convention found that Palin was a draw with Catholic voters; the poll found that 54% favored Palin and 42% found her unfavorable, a 12% difference, while Joe Biden was viewed favorably by 49% to 47%.
Republican Jewish Coalition The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), formerly the National Jewish Coalition, founded in 1985, is a political group in the United States that supports Jewish Republicans. The organization has more than 47 chapters throughout the United States. ...
Executive Director Matt Brooks commented: "As governor of Alaska, Palin has enjoyed a strong working relationship with Alaska's Jewish community. She has demonstrated sensitivity to the concerns of the community and has been accessible and responsive." The Republican Jewish Coalition publishes a page on its website debunking what it calls "smears" about Sarah Palin, as well as an endorsement from Governor
Linda Lingle Linda Lingle (; June 4, 1953) is an American politician who served as the sixth governor of Hawaii from 2002 to 2010. She was the first Republican elected governor of Hawaii since 1959, and was the state's first female and first Jewish govern ...
, Hawaii's first Jewish and first female governor.


Women's issues

On September 16, 2008, the
National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...
(NOW) gave its endorsement in the presidential race to Democratic candidate
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
and his running mate
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
. ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' of London reported: "The feminist organisation almost never supports a presidential candidate, but the Alaska governor's Christian fundamentalist faith and her opposition to abortion rights has forced its hand."Leonard Doyl
'Hillary's women' reject McCain's VP choice"
The Independent September 17, 2008
Gandy explained, "as the chair of NOW's Political Action Committee, I am frequently asked whether NOW supports women candidates just because they are women. This gives me an opportunity to once again answer that question with an emphatic 'No.' We recognize the importance of having women's rights supporters at every level but, like Sarah Palin, not every woman supports women's rights."Jon Nichols
"Clinton Praises Palin Pick"
; The Nation, August 30, 2008
The conservative magazine ''
The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis, and commentary that was published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' was described as a ...
'' responded asserting "the old-fashioned feminists have fallen back on the old theme of
false consciousness In Marxist theory, false consciousness is a term describing the ways in which material, ideological, and institutional processes are said to mislead members of the proletariat and other class actors within capitalist societies, concealing the ...
; that women who don't agree with them aren't really women at all."Noemie Emer
"The Palin Effect "
Weekly Standard, September 2008, Volume 014, Issue 03


Teen pregnancy

According to a blog published by the
Christian Broadcasting Network The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series ''The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook (198 ...
, Palin retained the support of
Evangelicals Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian g ...
following her daughter's conception of a child outside of wedlock: "First they hear that Sarah Palin chooses the life option even though she had a Down Syndrome baby and once again the family (and Bristol) has chosen the life option in this recent case... Will there be some turned off by the whole pre-marital sex thing? Of course but this type of story doesn't sink her at all with Evangelicals." Evangelical leader
Richard Land Richard D. Land (born 1946) was the president of Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, a post he held from July 2013 until his retirement in 2021. Formerly he served as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission ...
said of Palin's seventeen-year-old daughter's pregnancy, "Those who criticize the Palin family don't understand that we don't see babies as a punishment but as a blessing." Bill O'Reilly expressed support for Palin: "As long as society doesn't have to support the mother, father or baby, it is a personal matter."


Hillary Clinton

"Hillary is missing in action from the Palin-hating brigade," opined a writer for ''The Weekly Standard.'' Former Democratic presidential candidate
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
referred to Palin's VP nomination as "historic," stating, "We should all be proud of Governor Sarah Palin's historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Senator McCain.... While their policies would take America in the wrong direction, Governor Palin will add an important new voice to the debate."
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
Congresswoman
Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party (United Stat ...
expressed a different view: "To the extent that this choice represents an effort to court supporters of Hillary Clinton's historic candidacy, McCain misjudges the reasons so many voters rallied around her candidacy. It was Senator Clinton's experience, skill and commitment to change, especially in the areas of health care and
energy policy Energy policies are the government's strategies and decisions regarding the Energy production, production, Energy distribution, distribution, and World energy supply and consumption, consumption of energy within a specific jurisdiction. Energy ...
, that drew such strong support. Sarah Palin's opposition to ''
Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...
'' and her support of big oil will not draw Democrats from the Obama-
Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
ticket." The president of NOW,
Kim Gandy Kim Gandy (born January 25, 1954) is an Americans, American feminism, feminist who, from 2001 to 2009, was the president of the National Organization for Women. Since 2012, she has been the president and CEO of the National Network to End Domest ...
, said: "What McCain does not understand is that women supported Hillary Clinton not just because she was a woman, but because she was a champion on their issues. They will surely not find Sarah Palin to be an advocate for women." Palin and Clinton were compared and contrasted with one another in the media. A ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' article explained: "Mrs. Clinton and Ms. Palin have little in common beyond their breakout performances at the conventions and the soap opera aspects of their family lives. Mrs. Clinton always faces high expectations; Ms. Palin faced low expectations this week, and benefited from them. Mrs. Clinton can seem harsh when she goes on the attack; Ms. Palin has shown a knack for attacking without seeming nasty. Mrs. Clinton has a lot of experience; Ms. Palin, not so much. Mrs. Clinton is pantsuits; Ms. Palin is skirts." Guy Cecil, the former political director of Mrs. Clinton's campaign, said it was "insulting" for Republicans to compare Ms. Palin to Mrs. Clinton." The ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' skit " A Nonpartisan Message from Governor Sarah Palin & Senator Hillary Clinton" counterpoised Palin, played by
Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received List of awards and nominations received by Tina Fe ...
, against Hillary Clinton, played by
Amy Poehler Amy Meredith Poehler ( ; born September 16, 1971) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her roles in sketch comedy, sitcoms and comedy films, she has earned acclaim and several accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award (out of 26 nom ...
. The skit pointed out their opposing political views and presented Palin as unversed in global politics, as emphasized by the line: "I can see Russia from my house." Ex-
Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...
chief executive and former McCain advisor
Carly Fiorina Cara Carleton "Carly" Fiorina (; ; born September 6, 1954) is an American businesswoman and politician, known primarily for her tenure as chief executive officer (CEO) of Hewlett-Packard (HP) from 1999 to 2005. Fiorina was the first woman to le ...
blasted the ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch in a television interview: "They were defining Hillary Clinton as very substantive and Sarah Palin as totally superficial," and an ABC news blog headline soon after ran, "Now the McCain Campaign's Complaining that ''Saturday Night Live'' Skit Was 'Sexist'."


Guns

In a September 2008 article, Chad Baus the vice chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association comments: "Unlike
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
and
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
, Palin is a life-long NRA member and big animal hunter.... In seeking to assuage the concerns of gun owners about his spotty record on guns and rally them to the polls, John McCain couldn't have made a better choice." In its brief, "Sarah Palin and Joe Biden: Worlds Apart," the NRA Institute for Legislative Action says nothing specific about Palin's position on gun legislation but concludes: "Gov. Sarah Palin would be one of the most pro-gun vice-presidents in American history."


Health care

On August 7, 2009, Palin released a statement on her Facebook page in which she said: "The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's ' death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care." The
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
reported: "Palin and other critics are wrong." The provision of the health care bill to which Palin referred (on page 425) merely authorizes Medicare reimbursement for physicians who provide voluntary counseling about such subjects as living wills.
Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, consultant, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 20 ...
, the former Chair of the
Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...
, said that Palin "just made that up. Just like the 'Bridge to Nowhere' that she supposedly didn't support." Republicans were divided. Former
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...
Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1 ...
agreed with Palin, saying that "there are clearly people in America who believe in establishing euthanasia, including selective standards." Palin's "death panels" comment was selected as the "Lie of the Year" by
PolitiFact.com PolitiFact.com is an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, with offices there and in Washington, D.C. It began in 2007 as a project of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' (then the ''St. Petersburg Times'') ...
, the fact-checking website of the ''
St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute f ...
''. Palin was also criticized for having invoked her infant for political purposes. The ideas for Palin's death panel meme came from the editorial ''Deadly Doctors'', which was written by Betsy McCaughey and published by the ''New York Post''.Who runs gov?: Ezekiel Emanuel, a Washington Post publication
Obama's 'Deadly Doctor'?
Palin cited a speech
Michele Bachmann Michele Marie Bachmann (; née Amble; born April 6, 1956) is an American politician who was the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2007 until 2015. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican P ...
gave about the editorial regarding President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
's health care advisor Dr.
Ezekiel Emanuel Ezekiel Jonathan "Zeke" Emanuel (born September 6, 1957) is an American oncologist and bioethicist. He is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He is the current Vice Provost for Global Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania ...
, which contained what TIME called "selective and misleading quotes" from Emanuel's writings. While Rush Limbaugh called death panels "the reality of what's going to happen"TIME, August 12, 2009
Ezekiel Emanuel, Obama's 'Deadly Doctor,' Strikes Back
/ref> TIME and ABC described her remarks as false euthanasia claims. Palin said recommendations that women wait longer to be screened for breast and cervical cancer indicate "rationed care." The guideline from the
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is a professional association of physicians specializing in obstetrics and gynecology in the United States. Several Latin American countries are also represented within Districts of ...
on pap smears was begun before Obama was elected. The change in guidelines for mammograms was suggested by the
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is "an independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention that systematically reviews the evidence of effectiveness and develops recommendations for clinical preventive services". ...
, which, according to
Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of health and human services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was instrumenta ...
, does not set government policy. It also is not related to cost controls, according to members of the task force.


Perceptions of Palin's political style


Approach to campaigning

Palin was early on accused of dissimulation in her approach to campaigning during the 2008 elections. An
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
journalist reported: "Day after day she said she had told Congress 'no thanks' to the so-called
Bridge to Nowhere A bridge to nowhere is a bridge where one or both ends are broken, incomplete, or unconnected to any roads. If it is an overpass or an interchange, the term overpass to nowhere or interchange to nowhere may be used respectively. Origins Th ...
, a rural Alaska project that was abandoned when critics challenged its costs and usefulness. For nearly a week, major news outlets had documented that Palin supported the bridge when running for governor in 2006, noting that she turned against it only after it became an object of ridicule in Alaska and a symbol of Congress's out-of-control earmarking... (The campaign) equated lawmakers' requests for money for special projects with corruption, even though Palin has sought millions of dollars in such ' earmarks' this year. The ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' reported that "critics, the news media and nonpartisan fact checkers have called alin's claima fabrication or, at best, a half-truth." Palin compared herself to
Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
, the vice-president who succeeded
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
, contributing to the impression that for a time the race was between Palin and Obama. Indeed, for many Palin was the main attraction at McCain-Palin rallies; there were often "a sizable number of people making their way towards the exit" after Palin left the podium. After the McCain-Palin ticket lost the elections, media coverage focused on rumors of infighting within the McCain campaign, reporting that campaign staffers stated Palin had refused preparation for her interview with
Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. Since 2016, she ha ...
, was at times emotionally intractable, could not list the three members of the
North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (, TLCAN; , ALÉNA), referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, ( ) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The ...
(NAFTA) and was unaware that Africa is a continent rather than a country, had scheduled an interview with French President
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
which turned out to be a radio station prank, spent far more than the reported amount on her campaign wardrobe, and asked to make her own concession speech on election night. Although Palin disputed the accusations as "foolish," she said she bears no ill will towards the McCain staff who anonymously leaked the accusations to the press. Ultimately the press emphasized Palin's statement that she was sorry if she had cost McCain a single vote.


Campaign imagery

In March 2010, Palin posted to her Facebook page to seek contributions to SarahPAC to help defeat 20
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
Democrats in the 2010 congressional election. Her post featured a graphic that used gunsight
crosshairs A reticle or reticule, also known as a graticule or crosshair, is a pattern of fine lines or markings built into the eyepiece An eyepiece, or ocular lens, is a type of lens that is attached to a variety of optical devices such as Optica ...
to mark the Democrats' districts. She also
tweeted A tweet (officially known as a post since 2023) is a short status update on the social networking site Twitter (officially known as X since 2023) which can include images, videos, GIFs, straw polls, hashtags, mentions, and hyperlinks. Around ...
to her supporters, "'Don't Retreat, Instead – RELOAD!' Pls see my Facebook page." Palin critics said she was inciting violence. One of the targeted Democrats, Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, objected to the graphic, saying, "we're in the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they've got to realize that there are consequences to that action." Palin referred to the targets as "a bullseye icon" in a post-election tweet. In the immediate aftermath of the
2011 Tucson shooting On January 8, 2011, United States Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people were killed, inclu ...
, where Giffords was among those who were shot, Palin was the subject of press and political criticism about her style of political rhetoric, which was disputed by defenders of Palin in the media. Palin removed the controversial graphic from her website, but later restored it. On ''Glenn Beck'', an e-mail said to be from Palin was read, saying "I hate violence. I hate war. Our children will not have peace if politicos just capitalize on this to succeed in portraying anyone as inciting terror and violence." Following the 2011 Tucson shooting, a Palin aide stated that
death threat A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a d ...
s against the former Alaska governor had risen to "an unprecedented level." As more details of the shooting emerged, ''
The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in Electronic publishing, electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 ...
'' reported: "The suggestion that the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Saturday might have been influenced by political 'vitriol' seems less likely as more becomes known about suspect Jared Loughner."Balz, Dan.
Palin caught in crosshairs map controversy after Tucson shootings
, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' (January 10, 2010): "there is no known connection between anything Palin said or did and the alleged actions of Jared Loughner."
Palin released a video denying any link between her rhetoric and the shooting, controversially referring to such suggestions as a
blood libel Blood libel or ritual murder libel (also blood accusation) is an antisemitic canardTurvey, Brent E. ''Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis'', Academic Press, 2008, p. 3. "Blood libel: An accusation of ritual mu ...
, also saying that, "Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own. They begin and end with the criminals who commit them." A public opinion survey commissioned by ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' and conducted by Gallup January 14–16, 2011, showed that Palin was perceived favorably by 38% of those polled and unfavorably by 53%, the highest unfavorable rating since Palin entered national politics.


Approach to governance

Palin came under fire in congress and the media as a result of her support for the Gravina Island Bridge "Bridge to Nowhere," often called an emblem of pork-barrel spending and excessive earmark requests. Some media outlets repeated Palin's statement that she "stood up to
Big Oil Big Oil is a name sometimes used to describe the world's six or seven largest List of corporations by market capitalization#Publicly traded companies, publicly traded and investor-owned list of oil companies, oil and gas companies, also known ...
" when she resigned after just 11 months as the head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission because of abuses she witnessed involving other Republican commissioners and their ties to energy companies and energy lobbyists, and again when she raised taxes on oil companies as governor; in turn others said that she is a "friend of Big Oil" due to her fervent advocacy of oil exploitation, including her push to open the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR, pronounced as “''ANN-warr''”) or Arctic Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States, on traditional Inupiaq, Iñupiaq and Gwichʼin, Gwich'in lands. The refuge is of ...
to drilling and effort to de-list
polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...
s as an Endangered species since this could hinder oil speculation. Similarly, some called Palin a "small-town foe of 'good old boys' politics and a champion for ethics reform," as evidenced by her run-ins with
Ted Stevens Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. (November 18, 1923 – August 9, 2010) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senate, U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009. He was the longest-serving Republican Party (United St ...
, while others argued that Palin's record "undermined arguments that Palin has broken from Alaska's Republican machine, including Stevens." Still others point to
nepotistic Nepotism is the act of granting an advantage, privilege, or position to relatives in an occupation or field. These fields can include business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion or health care. In concept it is similar to cr ...
hiring tendencies and question her firing policies. Controversy arose concerning Palin's dismissal of the Wasilla police chief at the start of her first term as mayor,Ken Armstrong and Hal Bernto
"Sarah Palin had turbulent first year as mayor of Alaska town"
Seattle Times, September 7, 2008
and her firing of the public commissioner while governor of Alaska (what the media referred to as " troopergate").: "Monegan said he believes his firing was directly related to the fact Wooten stayed on the job. 'It was a significant factor if not the factor,' Monegan said." In an article entitled "State leaders question Palin's qualifications," the ''
Juneau Empire The ''Juneau Empire'' is a newspaper in Juneau, Alaska, United States. It publishes Wednesdays and Saturdays. History The newspaper was founded on November 2, 1912, as the ''Alaska Daily Empire''. It was founded by John Franklin Alexander ...
'', one of Alaska's main papers, reported that as governor, Palin was so frequently absent from work at the state capitol that, "someone at the Capitol even printed up buttons asking, 'Where's Sarah?'"; the article quoted Rep.
Andrea Doll Andrea L. Doll (born August 14, 1940) is a Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Alaska. She served a single term in the Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska State Legisl ...
, D-Juneau, "At a time when her leadership was truly needed, we didn't know where she was."


Approval rating as Governor

As governor of Alaska, Palin's job approval rating ranged from a high of 93% in May 2007 to 54% in May 2009. In November 2006, the month before Palin took office, Alaska Governor
Frank Murkowski Frank Hughes Murkowski (born March 28, 1933) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a United States Senate, United States Senator representing Alaska from 1981 to 2002 and as t ...
's job approval rating was 19%. In April 2009,
SurveyUSA SurveyUSA is a polling firm in the United States. It conducts market research for corporations and interest groups, but is best known for conducting opinion polls for various political offices and questions. SurveyUSA conducts these opinion poll ...
reported job approval ratings for the following U.S. governors:
Bob Riley Robert Renfroe Riley (born October 3, 1944) is an American retired politician and businessman who served as the 52nd governor of Alabama from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was the U.S. Hous ...
(AL) 54%,
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
(CA) 25%,
Chet Culver Chester John Culver (born January 25, 1966) is an American politician who served from 2007 through 2011 as the 41st governor of Iowa. A member of the Democratic Party, he had previously served as the 29th Secretary of State of Iowa from 1999 t ...
(IA) 42%,
Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of health and human services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was instrumenta ...
(KS) 46%,
Steve Beshear Steven Lynn Beshear ( ; born September 21, 1944) is an American attorney and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 61st governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974 ...
(KY) 47%,
Tim Pawlenty Timothy James Pawlenty ( ; born November 27, 1960) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served from 2003 to 2011 as the 39th governor of Minnesota. A member of the Republican Party, Pawlenty served in the Minnesota House ...
(MN) 46%,
Jay Nixon Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the List of governors of Missouri, 55th governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...
(MO) 56%,
Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (November 15, 1947 – September 1, 2023) was an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the List of governors of New Mexico, 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was U.S. ambassador to ...
(NM) 46%,
David Paterson David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer, who resigned, and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to ...
(NY) 25%,
Ted Kulongoski Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the List of Governors of Oregon, 36th governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrati ...
(OR) 40%,
Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine ( ; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party (United States ...
(VA) 50%,
Christine Gregoire Christine Gregoire (; née O'Grady; born March 24, 1947) is an American attorney and politician who served as the List of governors of Washington, 22nd governor of Washington, from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), D ...
(WA) 40%, and Jim Doyle (WI) 35%. (Polls taken April 24–26, 2009).


Persona

Soon after the 2008 Republican National Convention, Palin quickly became a favorite subject of satire and derision. According to
Lara Spencer Lara Christine Von Seelen (known professionally as Lara Spencer; born June 19, 1969) is an American television journalist. She is best known for her work on ABC's ''Good Morning America'', previously as co-anchor and currently as contributor. ...
, host of the tabloid show '' The Insider'', Palin was part of a big cross-over between politics and pop culture in the 2008 election.Insider: Public Loves Politics, Pop Culture Mix
, Walt Belcher, ''
Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. P ...
'', November 7, 2008, via TBOExtra.com. Retrieved November 13, 2008.
During the campaign Spencer conducted the only live broadcast interview with Palin's husband,
Todd Palin Todd Mitchell Palin (born September 6, 1964) is an American businessman who was the first gentleman of Alaska from 2006 to 2009. He is the former husband of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee w ...
. Palin's status as a mother of a child with Down syndrome was initially a focus for some pundits and reporters during her national emergence in 2008. CNN's John Roberts pondered: "Children with Down's syndrome require an awful lot of attention. The role of vice president, it seems to me, would take up an awful lot of her time, and it raises the issue of how much time will she have to dedicate to her newborn child?"
William Kristol William Kristol (; born December 23, 1952) is an American neoconservative writer. A frequent commentator on several networks including CNN, he was the founder and editor-at-large of the political magazine '' The Weekly Standard''. Kristol is e ...
of ''The Weekly Standard'' wrote: "There she is: a working woman who's a proud wife and mother; a traditionalist in important matters who's broken through all kinds of barriers; a reformer who's a Republican; a challenger of a corrupt good-old-boy establishment who's a conservative; a successful woman whose life is unapologetically grounded in religious belief; a lady who's a leader."


Appearance

A great deal of attention was paid to Palin's physical appearance during the 2008 election. According to ''Vogue'' magazine, "Besides being telegenic, alinhad a tough-girl Alaskan résumé that most politicians could only dream of—the protein her family eats comes from fish she has pulled out of the ocean with her own hands and
caribou The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only represe ...
she has shot." Others were quick to point out striking resemblances of Palin to actress
Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received List of awards and nominations received by Tina Fe ...
, who would impersonate her on ''Saturday Night Live'', and Peggy Hill, a character on Fox Network's
cartoon series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can eithe ...
''
King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...
''. Regarding her appearance, Palin has said, "I've been taken aback by the nasty criticism about my appearance. I wish they'd stick with the issues instead of discussing my black go-go boots. A reporter once asked me about it during the campaign, and I assured him I was trying to be as frumpy as I could by wearing my hair on top of my head and these schoolmarm glasses." According to the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' of October 23, 2008, "the news that the Republican National Committee has bought Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family nearly $150,000 worth of clothing since September has fueled charges of hypocrisy by her detractors and sparked questions about the legality of the expenditures". It reported that "Election-law experts are split on whether the RNC's expenditure is allowable under federal laws, which prohibit the use of campaign funds for personal use." Tracey Schmitt, Palin's traveling press secretary responded by saying "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign." "I am an Obama supporter, but when I heard that for $150,000, they dressed her, her children and her husband, I thought, 'that's not much'," said Vicki Sanchez, a costume designer who dressed
Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Davis made her acting debut in the satirical romantic comedy ''Toots ...
as the first female U.S. president on the short-lived TV show ''Commander in Chief''." She continues on to say "When you start buying $3,000 suits, boots that cost anywhere from $800 and up, and designer shoes, which cost $500 at least, it goes fast."


Oration

A profile in ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' described Palin's oratorical style as "simultaneously chatty and urgent," and noted that "she reinforces her words with winks and nods and wrinklings of her nose that seem meant to telegraph intimacy and ease." The article's author,
Philip Gourevitch Philip Gourevitch (born 1961), an American author and journalist, is a longtime staff writer for ''The New Yorker'' and a former editor of ''The Paris Review''. His most recent book is '' The Ballad of Abu Ghraib'' (2008), an account of Iraq's A ...
, characterized Palin as being "high-spirited, irrepressible, and not in the least self-conscious." Features of the
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
n dialect are prominent in the Mat-Su Valley where Palin grew up because the area was settled by farmers from Minnesota during the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. Palin's dialect is Upper Midwestern, and she speaks with a characteristic
North Central American English North-Central American English is an American English dialect, or dialect in formation, native to the Upper Midwestern United States, an area that somewhat overlaps with speakers of the Inland Northern dialect situated more in the eastern Gre ...
dialect. Her dialect is often tied in with her persona, and often reinforces her "folksy" image.


"Refudiate"

In July 2010, amidst the Cordoba House controversy, Palin on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
asked Muslims to "pls refudiate" support for the mosque. She was then mocked by bloggers and media outlets for using "refudiate," which is not a word. Palin later responded on Twitter, saying that "English is a living language." and "Shakespeare liked to coin new words too." According to Michael Shear of ''The New York Times'', the record suggests the original Twitter message was no typo. Just days earlier in a Fox News appearance, Palin had combined "refute" and "repudiate" into "refudiate." The word was chosen as new word of the year for 2010 by the ''
New Oxford American Dictionary The ''New Oxford American Dictionary'' (''NOAD'') is a single-volume dictionary of American English compiled by American editors at the Oxford University Press. ''NOAD'' is based upon the '' New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (''NODE''), publishe ...
'', with the statement "From a strictly lexical interpretation of the different contexts in which Palin has used 'refudiate,' we have concluded that neither 'refute' nor 'repudiate' seems consistently precise, and that 'refudiate' more or less stands on its own, suggesting a general sense of 'reject.'"


Palin's children

In June 2009,
David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...
told a joke that Sarah Palin's daughter was "knocked up" by a baseball player during a Yankees game. Palin then issued a public statement condemning Letterman's joke. A campaign then began to have David Letterman fired or to force him to apologize for his actions, with several Republicans organizing a boycott of Letterman sponsors. On June 16, Sarah Palin accepted Letterman's apology. In June 2009, Palin responded to a blogger for posting a photo in which her son Trig's face was altered, calling the change "malicious." The image superimposed was of a local Alaskan right-wing radio show host and was implying that he was her "baby" regarding his positive coverage of her governorship foibles.


Palin and the media

In July 2009, Palin threatened to sue any media outlet that printed rumors that she was being investigated by the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
on corruption charges involving inappropriate contracts. The head of the FBI in Alaska said that she was not being investigated. Some reports stated that the statute of limitations on the contract incident would have passed. She also criticized the media in an
op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...
in ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' in which she said "many in the media would rather focus on the personality-driven political gossip of the day than on the gravity of these
Cap and Trade Carbon emission trading (also called carbon market, emission trading scheme (ETS) or cap and trade) is a type of emissions trading scheme designed for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs). A form of carbon price, carbon pricing ...
challenges. So, at risk of disappointing the chattering class, let me make clear what is foremost on my mind and where my focus will be." Palin herself, the ''Los Angeles Times'', and other commentators have accused ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' of sexism for their choice of cover in the November 2009 issue discussing Palin's book, '' Going Rogue: An American Life''. The cover depicted her posing in gym-clothes and was captioned "How do you solve a problem like Sarah." "It's sexist as hell," wrote Lisa Richardson for the ''LA Times''. Taylor Marsh of ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' called it "the worst case of pictorial sexism aimed at political character assassination ever done by a traditional media outlet." David Brody of CBN News stated: "This cover should be insulting to women politicians." The cover came from a photo of Palin used in the August 2009 issue of ''
Runner's World ''Runner's World'' is a global magazine and website for runners of all abilities. It has additionally developed experiential formats, including a digital membership program, called Runner's World+. It is published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylva ...
''. In March 2010, Palin starred on a travelogue reality television series on the
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...
called '' Sarah Palin's Alaska'', produced by
Mark Burnett James Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a British television producer who has won thirteen Emmy Awards including ten Primetime, one Sports Emmy Award and two Daytime Emmy Awards. His other accolades include five Producers Guild of America A ...
. A Palin series on Fox News called ''Real American Stories'' generated some controversy since several of the guests shown "interviewed" by her claimed to have never met her:
L.L. Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow New-school hip-hop ...
and
Toby Keith Toby Keith Covel (July 8, 1961 – February 5, 2024) was an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and businessman. Keith released his chart-topping debut single, "Should've Been a Cowboy", in 1993. During the 1990s ...
both complained that footage taken from an interview with someone else was recycled for this.


Paul Revere remarks

During a 2011 bus tour, titled "One Nation," across the Northeastern states and paid for by her PAC, Palin visited the
Paul Revere House The Paul Revere House, built c.1680, was the colonial home of American Patriot and Founding Father Paul Revere during the time of the American Revolution. A National Historic Landmark since 1961, it is located at 19 North Square, Boston, Mas ...
in Boston. When asked what she had learned during her visit, Palin replied with a comment to the effect that
Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...
had warned the British that Americans would not let them confiscate American arms, and that Revere's warnings involved ringing
bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...
s and firing guns. The remark was widely seen as a
gaffe A political gaffe is a mistake or blunder in speech or action made by a politician that attracts media attention and public scrutiny. While often unintended, political gaffes can have significant consequences, as they may reveal the politician's p ...
and not accepted by the news media, but she declined to withdraw her assertion. Historian Brendan McConville stated that Palin's account was "essentially right" and Cornell law professor William Jacobson said Palin's critics are the ones in need of a history lesson. "It seems to be a historical fact that this happened, A lot of the criticism is unfair and made by people who are themselves ignorant of history." On the other hand, Revere biographer James Giblin disagreed with some of Palin's remarks, characterizing her comment about warning the British as a "blooper." A director from the
Paul Revere House The Paul Revere House, built c.1680, was the colonial home of American Patriot and Founding Father Paul Revere during the time of the American Revolution. A National Historic Landmark since 1961, it is located at 19 North Square, Boston, Mas ...
also disagreed with historical descriptions made by Palin. Robert Allison, the chair of the history department at
Suffolk University Suffolk University is a private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. With 7,560 students on all campuses, it is the List of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston, tenth-largest university ...
, commented in an interview with
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
that Revere did not personally ring bells nor were gunshots involved, but he did ride as part of the militia warning system, intending the ringing of church bells as a sign of American solidarity and a warning to the British not to impound the colonists' weapons. Allison said that Palin was correct on the whole.


Parodies

Palin became a subject of
parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...
and satire soon after her nomination for Vice President on the Republican Party ticket for the 2008 presidential election.


2008 presidential election


Immediate comic reaction

A
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
writer joked that "she's a
pit bull Pit bull is an umbrella term for several Dog type, types of dog believed to have descended from bull and terriers. In the United States, the term is usually considered to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, A ...
who wears lipstick for some reason!" (in response to her statement at the
2008 Republican National Convention The 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008. The first day of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's convention fell on Labo ...
that the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom was lipstick). In addition, David Harrington's "Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator" generates hunting, industrial, hockey-related, and other idiosyncratic personal names from names that are supplied to it. Also, comedian
Julie Brown Julie Ann Brown (born August 31, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, musician, writer, and director. Early life Brown was born in Van Nuys, California, the daughter of Celia Jane (née McCann) and Leonard Francis Brown. Her father worked ...
re-wrote her 1980s single " The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" as a parody titled "The Ex-Beauty Queen's Got a Gun." Some
street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant gr ...
in New York City also parodied Palin before the 2008 election, including one employing
Shepard Fairey Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. In 1989, he designed the " Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (...OBEY...) sticker campa ...
's Barack Obama "Hope" poster.


Tina Fey and ''Saturday Night Live''

On September 13, 2008,
Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received List of awards and nominations received by Tina Fe ...
appeared in a comedy skit, "A Nonpartisan Message from Governor
Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, and author who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nomi ...
& Senator
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
," on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' as Sarah Palin, alongside
Amy Poehler Amy Meredith Poehler ( ; born September 16, 1971) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her roles in sketch comedy, sitcoms and comedy films, she has earned acclaim and several accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award (out of 26 nom ...
as
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
. The sketch was written by Poehler, Fey, and head writer and ''
Weekend Update ''Weekend Update'' is a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast and been featu ...
'' anchor Seth Meyers. The following year Fey won an Emmy Award, Emmy in the category of Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress – Comedy Series, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her impersonation of Palin. Due to its popularity, additional sketches with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin were seen in later ''SNL'' episodes leading up to the weekend before the election, with Fey ultimately performing her impersonation alongside both the real Palin and
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
. Palin has said that, before her national prominence, she once dressed up as Fey on Halloween. Palin herself has appeared several times on ''Saturday Night Live'' or its primetime specials; a couple skits have featured guest stars mistaking Palin for Fey.


Nicole Parker and ''MADtv''

On September 27, 2008, Nicole Parker portrayed Sarah Palin during a mock Q&A session in a live audience. On October 4, 2008 MADtv aired a Special Election Presidential Special where it featured Parker once again appearing as Palin.


Gina Gershon

Actress Gina Gershon self-produced and posted several parody videos in which she portrays Palin for the comedy website Funny or Die. In one of the videos, Gershon, as Palin, dons a stars-and-stripes bikini and totes a gun, a reference to a widely circulated, but faked, photograph purporting to be the real Palin in such a scenario.


''Live with Regis and Kelly''

Kelly Ripa impersonated Palin on the Halloween edition of ''Live with Regis and Kelly'' (broadcast October 31, 2008), parodying phrases associated with Palin such a "Say it ain't so, Joe" and "Maverick," wearing Palin's well-known red outfit, and speaking in Palin's accent. Her co-host, Regis Philbin, impersonated
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
.


Caribou Barbie

Following her nomination, Palin was often tagged with the epithet "Caribou Barbie," a play on Malibu Barbie, owing to her background as a beauty pageant contestant in her home state of Alaska. Palin herself uttered this phrase when she made an October 18, 2008 guest appearance on ''Saturday Night Live'', filling in the blank for Alec Baldwin, who could not remember what people called her. Baldwin later referred to Palin as "Bible Spice" in an appearance on the ''Late Show with David Letterman''. The epithet Caribou Barbie has been contrasted with Palin's usage of Mama grizzly to describe herself and later to describe other moms seeking political office. Country music singer Ray Stevens issued a YouTube music video entitled ''Caribou Barbie'' on March 11, 2010, which gently parodies Palin's image but at the same time denounces her critics and urges voters to think of her in 2012 should she decide to run for the U.S. Presidency.


Post-resignation


William Shatner

In addition to his career on ''Star Trek'', actor William Shatner is also known for his William Shatner's musical career, spoken word performances. On July 27, 2009, Shatner gave a "spoken word" interpretation of Resignation of Sarah Palin, Palin's farewell address on ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien''. He returned to the ''Tonight Show'' on July 29, 2009, and performed a few of Palin's "Twitter, Tweets" on ''Twitter''. Shatner then appeared on the show on December 11, 2009, to recite Palin's '' Going Rogue: An American Life'', but was followed by an appearance from Palin herself reading excerpts from Shatner's autobiography, ''Up Till Now''.


''An American Nightmare'' versus ''An American Life''

''Going Rouge: Sarah Palin, An American Nightmare'' is a collection of essays about Palin with a parody, spoof title and cover design similar to Palin's memoir.Attention, Sarah Palin Bashers: Lookalike book "Going Rogue" is Coming
by Thom Geier, ''Entertainment Weekly'', October 21, 2009
The paperback was released on November 17, 2009, the same day that Palin's own hardback '' Going Rogue: An American Life'' was released. Both books feature Palin on the front in red, but ''Going Rouge: An American Nightmare'' has her against a backdrop of black thunder clouds and lightning, instead of the blue sky with clouds of her actual memoir."Going Rogue" Spoof: "Nightmare" Stories may have Sarah Palin Seeing "Rouge"
by Olivia Smith, ''New York Daily News'', October 21, 2009
''Going Rouge'' is compiled by Richard Kim and Betsy Reed, two editors of the Left-wing politics, left-leaning weekly ''The Nation'', and includes essays by Katrina vanden Heuvel, Naomi Klein, Katha Pollitt and others.


''Iron Sky''

The 2012 movie ''Iron Sky'' casts Stephanie Paul as the President of the United States as parody of
Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, and author who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nomi ...
.


Other appearances in the media

In 2016, Palin appeared as a panelist on the revival of the classic game show Match Game hosted by Alec Baldwin. In 2020, Palin competed on season 3 of ''The Masked Singer (American TV series), The Masked Singer'' as the Bear, where she sang "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot. She was eliminated on her first appearance.


Palin as an inspiration for fictional characters

Actor Zach Galifianakis cited Palin's handling of her overnight elevation to national prominence in 2008 as a source of inspiration for his portrayal of the character Marty Huggins in the 2012 comedy film ''The Campaign (film), The Campaign''. In the film, Huggins is a politically inexperienced candidate. Former McCain campaign staffer Nicolle Wallace cited Palin as the inspiration for her depiction of a mentally ill vice president in her 2011 novel ''It's Classified''. Wallace had worked directly with Palin during the 2008 campaign, with the two being odds both during and after the campaign. In 2020, Michael Schur, co-creator of the television series ''Parks and Recreation'', revealed that Palin's role in the construction of the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center while mayor of Wasilla had inspired a plot point in the series in which the character Ben Wyatt (Parks and Recreation), Ben Wyatt had previously (as a teenage mayor of a small town) bankrupted his hometown's finances by funding a planned ice rink complex called "Ice Town". Actress Lucy Punch cited Palin as the inspiration for her portrayal of the supporter character Amy Squirrel in the 2011 comedy film ''Bad Teacher'', remarking that she portrayed her character as behaving like a younger cousin of Palin who is employed as an elementary school teacher. Palin is also speculated to have been a likely inspiration for the character Laura Pickler, portrayed by actress Jennifer Garner in the 2011 comedy film ''Butter (2011 film), Butter''. During the run of the comedy series ''Veep'', comparisons were made between its lead character Selina Meyer and the real life careers of prominent women in American politics, including Palin, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi. Actress Julia Louis Dreyfus (who portrayed Meyer), however, denied that the character was meant to serve as a parody of Palin, "any other female politician", or "any one specific person". Creator Armando Iannucci has similarly denied that the character was modeled upon Palin or any specific individual. Analysis of the series has noted that its early writing and conceptualization was responsive to the then-current political atmosphere surrounding female aspirants to the White House, in which Palin's vice presidential candidacy (recent at the time the show was conceived) and subsequent public interest in Palin was a significant factor. Palin was cited by some of the show's costume designers as a source of inspiration for some of the outfits worn by the character during the first season. However, lead costume designer Ernesto Martinez noted that Louis–Dreyfus was resistant to the use of Palin and fellow Republican politician
Michele Bachmann Michele Marie Bachmann (; née Amble; born April 6, 1956) is an American politician who was the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2007 until 2015. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican P ...
as wardrobe inspirations, which led the costume designers to instead favor Michelle Obama (the then-current First Lady of the United States, first lady) as their most significant reference point for Meyer's wardrobe that season.


References


External links


New Yorker: Steve Brodner on Sarah Palin and the politics of perception


– slideshow by ''Newsweek magazine''
"Palin's Strengths Rooted in Alaska,"
by Sally Jenkins
"How Palin governs: She keeps a narrow focus, prefers message to mechanic,"
by Anchorage Daily News September 28, 2008 * Burkeman, Oliver.
Parody Extravaganza: Twenty US election spoofs you may have missed
" ''The Guardian'', October 30, 2008.
Sarah Palin: The Sound and the Fury
by Michael Joseph Gross, ''Vanity Fair (magazine), Vanity Fair Cover Story'', October 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Public Image Of Sarah Palin Sarah Palin Public image of American politicians