You want lotsa Sarah Palin? Here comes lotsa Sarah Palin

ABC News, which gained three exclusive interviews with America's hottest new news celebrity, Gov. Sarah Palin, is planning a prime-time special for Friday night, plus broadcasts of other segments on "Nightline," "Good Morning America" and "World News."

The first segment will appear on "World News" tonight.

Today and Friday news anchor Charles Gibson is conducting three separate interviews of the Republican Party's first-ever female vice presidential nominee, in both Fairbanks and her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska.

The prime-time special will be "20/20" on Friday night at 10.

With it will be a special biography of the 44-year-old mother of five by Kate Snow and a round-table discussion of the presidential race moderated by George Stephanopoulos.

Palin, a former city councilwoman and mayor and a self-described hockey mom, was seen as a comer for the last year or so in Republican Party circles, especially among GOP governors, who have produced two of the last three Republican presidents.

She's made quite a political name for herself in Alaska by twice challenging her own party's corrupt establishment and winning election to the governor's office as an insurgent in 2006. She then ...

... backed her own lieutenant governor as a challenger to Rep. Don Young and has maintained an approval rating around 80%.

But nationally Palin, a former high school basketball star and beauty pageant contestant, was little known. Her selection as Sen. John McCain's running mate on Aug. 29 shocked many.

But Palin's compelling personal story -- including a love of hunting and fishing and the birth in April of her fifth child, who has Down syndrome -- seems to have ignited widespread curiosity across the country, as well as enthusiasm among the party's base, a post-convention bounce for the GOP ticket and a surge in fundraising.

Her return home Wednesday night drew a crowd of 3,000 chanting "Sar-RAH! Sar-RAH!" according to The Times' Stephen Braun. So strong has been this Palinomenon that campaign officials are considering pairing McCain and Palin much more often in the eight weeks before election day.

Politically, Palin's presence on the GOP ticket seems to be attracting large numbers of voters, especially women, according to recent polls.

And the stir over her is causing some concern among Democrats over the fading of Obamania. A Times team report Wednesday found that Palin's presence and growing popularity have thrown the Obama-Biden campaign off stride, causing a more strident tone that some fear may be counterproductive, especially among women.

Palin's acceptance speech at last week's Republican National Convention was viewed by more than 37 million people. This and other websites report heavy traffic on almost anything Palin, such as this Sarah Palin fashion photo gallery.

News reports say women are adopting Palin's upswept hairstyle, as well as her distinctive eyeglass frames.

Posters have appeared with Palin as the determined, patriotic Rosie the Riveter of World War II fame (see photo above) and as Hurricane Sarah moving down from Alaska into the Lower 48 states; another portrays her holding a shotgun and saying, "Read My Lipstick."

Last Saturday the Fox News Channel broadcast a documentary special, "Gov. Palin: An American Woman." It drew an audience of 2.7 million viewers, largest prime-time documentary audience in the network's history.

Even without any Palin interviews, CNN is also planning a special on the governor this weekend.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[DW]

When detailing Palin's "compelling" personal story, it's a shame there wasn't room to mention the ethics investigation she is facing in Alaska, her lies on the campaign trail about the "bridge to nowhere", her hypocrisy in presenting herself as an anti-pork reformer, or her extreme religious and anti-abortion views.

I suppose we'll just have to hope that the ABC interview covers that stuff.

[Dan Girdner]

I think John McCain is a great American. I am grateful for his service in the Navy and the Senate. I voted for him in the primaries. His choice of Palin is now a signal that the Bush/Cheney/Rove policies will continue in full or in part. He has been gradually changing some of his positions to be more in line with the current administration.So what is the difference between President Bush and Palin? Lipstick. Wake up people, now Palin is the media celebrity.
We need McCain to continue his fine service to this country in the Senate. We need the oil and defense lobbies out of the White House for awhile.

Palin is not talking to the media, which means she is not talking to us. We want answers about her record, her lies about the "Bridge to Nowhere" and why we should vote for her.

I am a fiscal and social conservative. I am a Christian. I am a father that wants the best for his children. The fact is Barak Obama's tax plan will be more helpful to the working and middle class Americans...while adding less to the Federal Deficit the John McCain's plan. I will not let fear undermine my decision to do what is best for America. I will think of my son and daughters and the world I want them to inherit. I will grit my teeth and vote for Barak Obama. Then I will support my local pregnancy center. I will be ready to fight any Federal attempt to overtrule my states laws.

We need Obama in the White House, McCain in the Senate, and Palin to stay in Alaska.

[acarponzo]

The Rosie the riveter is cute but not as fun as the two candidates at http://www.bop-o-rama.com. McCain's number is still struggling to get up to 600,000. I am looking forward to hearing and seeing more about Palin.

[anonymous]

Sarah will parrot whatever her handlers coach her to say. Except when a reporter catches her off guard. That, my friends, is when she will fall squarely on her face.

They can't hide her true colors forever! It won't be pretty.

[cr]

That picture is insulting. Sarah Palin is an idiot.

[Richard]

Is she rolling up her sleeves in that picture, or is she giving the country a well-known rude gesture?

[woodstock1969]

We need to hear lots more from Sarah, what people fail to realize, is the Palin factor is effecting every political race across the entire country, from the statehouse to the presidency. There are Republican state Reps, Governors, Senators, Congressman, who have been behind all summer (and much behind), until Palin appeared on the scene. Possibly around the world, as the effects are even being felt in the Canadian race for leadership at the present.
Lets start with Idaho, a 17 point jump to Repub Risch, NC Gov McGrory, a 5 point jump, Rossi in WA, for the first time this summer, leads with a 5 point jump, and its happening in all 57 states. And on 9/11, the Dem polling group GQR (D) published that the preference for a Dem Congress dropped to a 5% difference, the highest rating that the Republicans have ever had.

[When Pigs Fly]

Rosie the Riveter is an icon of the women's movement. the poster symbolizes the ability of women to control their destiny. Sarah Palin is an affront to that concept. Ms. Palin would set back women's rights to pre-sixties era. Not one woman should vote for Ms. Palin. To paraphrase Hillary, No Way No How No Palin.

When Pigs Fly
Lipstick or not.

[Mark]

Well, from the small video segments I have seen so far, Sarah Palin is definitely holding her own with Gibson. She does not need any script or teleprompter, as she will handle ALL of his questions firmly, and easily.
She represents exactly what this country used to be when this country was founded on its God given principles. And she is the one who can bring America back to its roots, that our forefathers would be proud of.
Its just a shame that the shape this country is in right now is because of the sick, decayed society, and people, mainly of the side of the democrats that have no God given morales whatsoever. Does anyone remember "IN GOD WE TRUST, or "ONE NATION UNDER GOD"???
No, because they are too busy with the gay agenda and the abortion rights, and the right to choose murdering innocent unborn children.

[Amc]

this article is disappointingly thin.It serves little purpose, except as an ad for ABC news. A serious journalist would have asked questions about how the GOP has been keeping Palin away from the media, and about the kind of concessions that ABC would have to made to get the juicy, "exclusive", "first scoop" interviews with Palin. What is this session, with its prepared biography of Palin's "compelling life story" but an extension of the RNC's ad campaign?

And what about Andrew Malcolm's wholly uncritical, and utterly partial description of Palin's record: "She's made quite a political name for herself in Alaska by twice challenging her own party's corrupt establishment and winning election to the governor's office as an insurgent in 2006."

There are many serious pieces of journalism that give a more complex, and much less positive report of Palin's political past. Yet, no sign of this from Andrew Malcolm. Mr. Malcolm, the goal of political journalism is to ask serious questions of political candidates, so that the country can weigh the pros and cons of electing them into office with as much facts at their disposal. This article is nothing more than a celebrity-gossip column. So, Palin, McCain and the RNC will get a free ride off of ABC, in its eagerness to chase ratings, and they get a free ride off of Andrew Malcolm's wide-eyed and unbalanced reporting.

Good job. I hope you feel proud of yourselves.

[dave]

some people understand the gesture. but it's not because you say you can,
that everyone will roll over to be f'd and raped - no you can't, don't think so.

the alteration of some of your cynical blog entries and many little jabs subsequent to critical remarks, won't keep everyone from noticing and keeping track. changing 'spelling mistakes' aimed at abating the efforts of a legitimate presidential candidate like RON PAUL, and those who share his freedom message (his delegates in one of your blog articles at first were referred to as 'delebates'), or geared towards more generally attuning the people to evil (mccain/palin supporters first described as chanting 'sar-rah! sar-rah!' - 'prince of evil' or 'lord ra'), cannot prevent some people from seeing where you're coming from; and where you're headed. (and it is not a coincidence when a 'media tycoon' representative of corrupt, cynical and perverted corporate media, declared enemy of the people, of freedom and integrity, spells out the promise to oppress his fellow man and represent the voice of evil, in his very name.)

[Mark]

And what about Andrew Malcolm's wholly uncritical, and utterly partial description of Palin's record: "She's made quite a political name for herself in Alaska by twice challenging her own party's corrupt establishment and winning election to the governor's office as an insurgent in 2006."