December 2, 2008 8:03:48 PM CST
(Newser) – Sarah Palin has been an instant hit with gossip mags and supermarket tabloids, making the covers of US, People, OK!, and the National Enquirer, even before her knockout speech at the Republican convention. It hasn't been all that flattering—the US headline was “Babies, Lies and Scandal”—but the short-term Palin-bashing belies the more long-term reality, Myrna Blyth argues in the National Review, that she's going to be a huge star at the checkout counter.
So what if liberal magazine editors would rather publish things like "a love note to Michelle Obama’s supposedly great sense of style" or a "totally drooly piece on how much Barack loves the Missus." Blyth bets that many women, even those who don't agree with her views, can't help liking her. "The coverage in those magazines that appeal to millions of ordinary women unloading their shopping carts could get considerably more sympathetic," she predicts.
Source National Review
Nov 4, 08 4:19 PM CST Sarah Palin hopes to become a less divisive figure in national politics, assuming she’s not headed to Washington with John McCain, the vice-presidential nominee said after voting today in Alaska, CNN reports. “If there is a role in national politics, it won’t be so much partisan,” Palin said. “It would certainly be a uniter type of role.” More »
Sep 24, 08 2:00 PM CDT The National Enquirer returns this week to its claim that Sarah Palin had an affair, this time naming the alleged lover as Brad Hanson, a city council member in Palmer (near Wasilla) and former partner of Todd Palin in a snowmobile business. To bolster the claim, the tab now says that "no less than three members of the man’s family including one by sworn affidavit" have reported knowledge of said affair. More »
Sep 3, 08 9:53 PM CDT Sarah Palin tonight played up her small-town credentials, cast herself as a political outsider, and took a swipe at her critics in the media during her much-anticipated address to the Republican convention, Politico reports. After formally accepting the nomination to be vice president, she took a not-so-subtle shot at Barack Obama. "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities." More »
What is most important to these magazines, though, is that Sarah Palin became not merely a vice presidential candidate last week, she became a fresh new star. And checkout mags need stars, especially stars their readers find appealing.
Election 2008 • Sarah Palin • Republican • vice presidential candidate • tabloids • Republican voters • liberals • OK! magazine
