Palin's punch

According to Toby Harnden the media were predicting Palin's stock would take a dip as her endorsement proved of little worth:

"The other bit of conventional wisdom was that Sarah Palin endorsements did not matter or were even counter-productive and that Joe Miller, the candidate she had backed in Alaska, was a sure-fire loser against Senator Lisa Murkowski, the incumbent who inherited her father’s seat after her father appointed her to it (yep, pretty cosy) in 2002."

Each of her Senate endorsements looks likely to win even the rank outisder in Alaska and overall 20 of her 30 endorsements won (a 67% success rate).  Perhaps now Harnden will be less dismissive of her new media approach that others have begun to recognise.

An Alternative Media Strategy - A Critique

Sarah Palin may be enjoying success with new media but Toby Harnden isn't impressed.  Beyond the media storms that it creates and hampers free speech he believes it is adding little.  Focusing on the Obama administration he argues:

"New technology has enabled Obama to bypass anyone who will ask him tough questions...The Obama administration, which came into being amid promises of a new transparency, has even used its own staff to conduct an interview with Elena Kagan, the Supreme Court nominee to produce an infomercial for the White House website. So it looks like openness but really it's just advertising."

On Palin he says:

"Republicans are scarcely any better. Sarah Palin, who could yet be the 2012 Grand Old Party presidential nominee, communicates with the public almost entirely via Facebook postings and cosy set pieces on Fox News. And it doesn't seem to be doing her too much harm."

He believes the reality isn't fulfiling the theory:

"In theory, social media and the web allows politicians to communicate directly with the public and circumvent the mainstream press. Alas, it also means they can avoid proper scrutiny and control exactly what they say while creating the illusion of interaction with ordinary people."

This is hardly surprising - message management can just about game whatever medium is invented.

An Alternative Media Strategy

Sarah Palin may be the person liberal America loves to hate but the New Republic has an interesting piece of how she has developed a highly successful media strategy to maintain public prominence following the failed McCain campaign and her resignation as Alaska Governor.  At its heart is new media:

"Her byline pops up now and again in the opinion pages (supporting McCain, bashing enviros). She periodically hits the campaign trail with favored candidates. She is a prolific and passionate tweeter. Her Facebook page overflows with thoughts on global events both past (DDay, Reagan’s Brandenburg Gate speech) and present (Israel, border security, the need to drill, baby, drill); news of upcoming appearances (a rally at the Lincoln Memorial with Glenn Beck, a possible U.K. jaunt to meet Margaret Thatcher); the latest media atrocities committed against her; and her rolling endorsements of “commonsense conservative” candidates who tickle her fancy. And, any day now, filming is scheduled to start on the docu-travelogue series in which Palin will “bring the wonder and majesty of Alaska” to TLC viewers."

It argues that it suits her own personality:

"It suits her core strengths—passion, pithiness, and a mind-boggling magnetism—and, let’s face it, it’s so much easier than the conventional model."

Also that despite the dismissal of her abilities, it is a strategy that she may well be the creator of:

"Any political strategist who orchestrated such brilliant success via such unconventional means would instantly be dubbed the p.r. genius of our time. But, as far as we know, there is no crack communications team charting Palin’s course. At some point, even Palin haters may have to face the possibility that the p.r. genius is Sarah herself."

UPDATE Spectator Blogger Alex Massie has a blog on the topic of Sarah Palin and a run in 2012.  He says:

"...she's not been playing the game according to the Beltway Playbook but that's exactly the point"

He points to a recent Time article which makes the point that unorthodox approaches is the way Palin does things:

"In many ways, Palin's moves mirror her run for governor. She came from the outside, taking down the GOP establishment, including the formidable Governor Frank Murkowski. She stayed on the outside for months, not bothering to build a campaign but delivering key speeches across the state attacking “the old boys club” that raised speculation she'd potentially run. And, finally, when she did announce her campaign burst into life fully formed."