The part that really floors me is that some of the requests are from shows David Letterman, The Daily Show and Leno.
During the campaign, these people and others railed against her so unfairly, devoting more time to mocking her than any other candidate, spreading misinformation and nasty remarks.
Now they want her to appear on the shows, because they know people will watch, and the shows will make money.
I think she should ignore the outlets that were unfair to her. At the same time, I would love to see her sit down on Leno's show and tell him, point blank, 'Screw you, Jay, you panty-waisted liberal jagoff."
I'd tape that.
Anyway, here's the story:
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Sarah
Palin is juggling offers to write books, appear in films and sit on dozens of
interview couches at a rate astonishing for most Hollywood stars, let alone a
first-term governor.
Oprah wants her. So do Letterman and Leno.
The failed
Republican vice presidential candidate crunched state budget numbers this past
week in her 17th-floor office as tumbling oil prices hit Alaska’s revenues. Her
staff, meanwhile, fielded television requests seeking the 44-year-old Palin for
late-night banter and Sunday morning Washington policy.
Agents from the
William Morris Agency and elsewhere, have come knocking. There even has been an
offer to host a TV show.
"Tomorrow, Governor Palin could do an interview with
any news media on the planet," said her spokesman, Bill McAllister. "Tomorrow,
she could probably sign any one of a dozen book deals. She could start talking
to people about a documentary or a movie on her life. That’s the level we are at
here."
"Barbara Walters called me. George Stephanopoulos called me,"
McAllister said. "I’ve had multiple conversations with producers for Oprah,
Letterman, Leno and ’The Daily Show."’
Asked whether Winfrey was pursuing
Palin for a sit-down, Michelle McIntyre, a spokeswoman for Winfrey’s
Chicago-based Harpo Productions Inc., said she was "unable to confirm any future
plans" for the show.
Palin may have emerged from the campaign politically
wounded, with questions about her preparedness for higher office and reports of
an expensive wardrobe. But she has returned to Alaska with an expanded, if
unofficial, title — international celebrity.
John McCain plucked Palin out of
relative obscurity in late August and put her on the national GOP ticket. Now,
she has to decide how and where to spend her time, which could have implications
for her political future and her bank account, with possible land mines of legal
and ethical rules.
Palin is considering about 800 requests for appearances
from December through 2009, with 75 percent coming from out of state. A year
ago, just a sprinkle of requests came from beyond Alaska’s borders. They range
from invitations to speak at The Chief Executives’ Club of Boston to attend a
5-year-old’s birthday party, from a prayer breakfast in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to a
business conference in Britain.
Michael Steele, the former Maryland
lieutenant governor who wants to be the next chairman of the Republican National
Committee, is seeking face time.
She has invitations to make appearances in
20 foreign countries, typically with all expenses paid, McAllister said. She has
more than 200 requests for media interviews, again from around the
globe.
"She has to pace herself," suggested veteran Hollywood publicist
Howard Bragman. "She wants a career made in a Crock-Pot, not a microwave."
In
her two months on the national stage, Palin energized the Republican base but
turned off moderates and independents, according to some surveys. Flubbed
answers in national television interviews raised questions about her competence.
She was embarrassed by the disclosure the RNC spent at least $150,000 for
designer clothing, accessories and beauty services for her and her
family.
The right book or movie deal could help Palin reintroduce herself to
the nation, on terms she could dictate.
While books and movie deals could be
worth millions of dollars, it’s not clear if Palin would be able to legally earn
it. State rules say she cannot accept outside employment for compensation. But
there appears to be little in the way of precedent left by former governors to
judge if book deals or lucrative speaking appearances amount to
"employment."
Palin has sent unmistakable signals she is open to running for
president in 2012, but to advance her political ambitions she must stay in the
public eye in the lower 48 states. As with any celebrity, there is the risk of
overexposure. At the same time, she’ll be under pressure to attend to governing
her home state, which is thousands of miles from the rest of the nation.
"She
has to deal with the perception that she bobbled her debut," said Claremont
McKenna College political scientist John Pitney. "She needs to stay home for a
while. If she wants a future in national politics, her No. 1 job is doing a good
job as governor."
Just this past week, shortly after conducting a string of
national TV interviews and skipping a state education conference, she was
scolded by the Anchorage Daily News. "There are ... low graduation rates,
plummeting North Slope oil prices, proposals to build alternative energy
projects, the gas pipeline," the paper said in an editorial. "It’s time for the
governor to refocus on Alaska’s needs."
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