Palin 2012?

Last Sunday, instead of doing my homework I sat down in front of the TV and watched TLC’s newest show, Sarah Palin’s Alaska. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, except that I figured Palin would benefit from the editing process. (Full disclosure: I’m not a big Sarah Palin fan.)

As a TLC show, Sarah Palin’s Alaska was completely run of the mill. Young, attractive family has superficial struggles and ends the episode heartwarmingly enjoying their time together. Yawn. This episode showed Palin trying to keep boys out of teenage daughter Willow’s bedroom, Palin and her husband taking the younger girls fishing, and Palin having a minor fear of heights freak-out while climbing Mount McKinley.

It was an hour-long episode and maybe a total of two minutes was dedicated to whatever it is that Sarah Palin does to make her scads of money. There was exactly one mention of her political views in the whole show. While discussing a fourteen foot fence that husband Todd built to keep out the prying eyes of the biographer who moved in next door, Palin noted that a fence would also be a good solution to America’s illegal immigration problem.  Right. Because in these trying times, what we really need is to spend huge amounts of money on a big wall. Later Palin is seen asking her husband, a commercial fisherman, for advice on what to say about tax increases in a Fox News interview. It’s a nice moment of husband/wife teamwork, but it’s a little worrisome that Palin can’t come up with her own thoughts on issues as fundamental as tax reform, despite being a former governor and Vice Presidential nominee, and potential future Presidential candidate.

That being said, I don’t think it is fair to criticize literally everything Palin does on this show.  Palin has become as much of a ridiculous caricature to her detractors as she has a rallying point for her supporters, and several people I talked to scoffed at everything from her clothing choice to her enthusiasm for Alaska’s wilderness. Personally, I think the fascination with female politician’s wardrobe choices is as pointless as analyzing male politician’s bald spots. As for the wilderness, Alaska’s wilderness is astoundingly beautiful, and I don’t hold Palin’s enthusiasm for it against her. Nor do I begrudge her her love of hunting – more full disclosure: I come from a place where a significant portion of the population skips school or work on the opening day of hunting season. I do, however, think that what essentially amounts to an Alaska tourism show might not be the best choice for a person who may in fact be running for president in two years.

I think we can all agree that Sarah Palin is at her best when she is being ‘just folks’. People can relate to her, sometimes she makes funny jokes, she seems like the kind of person who would tell the truth, even if she doesn’t quite understand what’s going on around her. But if Palin wants to convince those of us who roll our eyes whenever she talks about being a “mama grizzly” she’s going to have to do more than climb Mount McKinley. Like maybe pick up a newspaper.