2012: Palin's Year
Paris Hilton wants to paint the White House Pink. Elle Woods is changing the legislature with pink heels and upbeat attitude. Women in Hollywood’s spotlight continue to poke fun at a woman holding authority in the White House, but what does this mean for women who really do want to make a difference in politics? Are they supposed to succumb to the stereotype or put all of their energy into proving the stereotype wrong?
In a recent article by Roger Simon of the Politico team (an assortment of journalists with the collective goal to inform the public about politics), the issue of Sarah Palin’s likelihood of running for president in 2012 was explored. Whether or not McCain won the presidency in 2008 was irrelevant because due to his age, he was unlikely to be able to remain president for a second term.
According to Simon, the subjects Palin was scrutinized for during the 2008 election, such as her expensive wardrobe, will be long forgotten by the 2012 election. She realizes that her gender would inconvenience her campaign no matter what she wore because of the double standard society presents her with. Just as Hillary Clinton before her, Palin will have to overcome prejudice if she closes to run for the presidency, but she welcomes the challenge claiming she will “plow through that because we are embarking on something greater than that, than allowing that double standard to affect us,” (Politico). America has proven to look past skin color with this past election, so why can’t gender also be overlooked? Palin has at least one thing going in her favor: her popularity among the Republican Party. She is willing to push for the more “traditional conservative values,” which Republicans will be in favor of in the next election.
I agree with Simon’s support of Palin as having a solid support system with the Republican Party, but I also think she has the potential to benefit from some of Obama’s campaigning strategies. By learning from his success, Palin has the ability to gain support from one of the rapidly growing demographics: America’s youth. Obama’s victory taught us that being able to relate to a younger audience is a key factor in being perceived as a “trendy” president. Through text messaging, several celebrity endorsements, and his physical attractiveness, Obama was able to create an image that was appealing to Americans, an image which defined him as a candidate who was connected with the people. Palin possesses many similar characteristics, which may help her to gain the respect and the support of US citizens in 2012. Her attention to physical detail and youthful and energetic attitude may prove to be appealing in the future because it will be a fresh new interpretation to the presidency. She also appealed to America’s youth with her sense of humor about Tina Fey impersonating her on Saturday Night Live. In one skit, Tina Fey plays Sarah Palin as she discusses the difficulties of being a woman in politics. It is difficult for women to exude humor in politics since it is not expected of them, but her ability to have a sense of humor gives her a genuine quality which is valued by Americans.
Sarah Palin has an approachable personality which is similar to the female stereotype Hollywood portrays. By having the courage to not let this stereotype define her, but instead just by being herself, charming to Americans and that is the first step in winning the vote.
In a recent article by Roger Simon of the Politico team (an assortment of journalists with the collective goal to inform the public about politics), the issue of Sarah Palin’s likelihood of running for president in 2012 was explored. Whether or not McCain won the presidency in 2008 was irrelevant because due to his age, he was unlikely to be able to remain president for a second term.
According to Simon, the subjects Palin was scrutinized for during the 2008 election, such as her expensive wardrobe, will be long forgotten by the 2012 election. She realizes that her gender would inconvenience her campaign no matter what she wore because of the double standard society presents her with. Just as Hillary Clinton before her, Palin will have to overcome prejudice if she closes to run for the presidency, but she welcomes the challenge claiming she will “plow through that because we are embarking on something greater than that, than allowing that double standard to affect us,” (Politico). America has proven to look past skin color with this past election, so why can’t gender also be overlooked? Palin has at least one thing going in her favor: her popularity among the Republican Party. She is willing to push for the more “traditional conservative values,” which Republicans will be in favor of in the next election.
I agree with Simon’s support of Palin as having a solid support system with the Republican Party, but I also think she has the potential to benefit from some of Obama’s campaigning strategies. By learning from his success, Palin has the ability to gain support from one of the rapidly growing demographics: America’s youth. Obama’s victory taught us that being able to relate to a younger audience is a key factor in being perceived as a “trendy” president. Through text messaging, several celebrity endorsements, and his physical attractiveness, Obama was able to create an image that was appealing to Americans, an image which defined him as a candidate who was connected with the people. Palin possesses many similar characteristics, which may help her to gain the respect and the support of US citizens in 2012. Her attention to physical detail and youthful and energetic attitude may prove to be appealing in the future because it will be a fresh new interpretation to the presidency. She also appealed to America’s youth with her sense of humor about Tina Fey impersonating her on Saturday Night Live. In one skit, Tina Fey plays Sarah Palin as she discusses the difficulties of being a woman in politics. It is difficult for women to exude humor in politics since it is not expected of them, but her ability to have a sense of humor gives her a genuine quality which is valued by Americans.
Sarah Palin has an approachable personality which is similar to the female stereotype Hollywood portrays. By having the courage to not let this stereotype define her, but instead just by being herself, charming to Americans and that is the first step in winning the vote.
posted by Desirae | 3:44 PM
8 Comments:
Hillary Clinton has paved the way for female Americans hoping to run for Presidency in the future, including Governor Sarah Palin. They are strong willed women who balance motherhood with the job of a government job and have had their fair share of success. Palin's personality is well-received by the Republican party, like you stated, and I believe four years is a good amount of time for growing and expanding the premise of another women to aim for the White House in the years to come.
I agree (and wrote something very similar.) Sarah Palin would be great for the Republican Ticket in 2012. She would correct the typical stereotypes that Elle Woods has instilled on our country. Her personaily would be refreshing for the Washington and for our country. Hopefully her youth will serve as a great advantage in the future election and she will learn to target the younger voters not only through SNL but also through texting and other methods Obama used during his successful campaign.
Governor Sarah Palin has come a long way since she was selected to be Senator John McCain's running mate in the election this year. Although she will not be the new vice president, she has done a lot to pave the way for women in politics, as she is the first Republican vice-presidential nominee. Governor Palin was a successful addition to the ticket this year, but regardless America did not want Senator McCain as their president. However, her views resignated with her own political party, as you said, because of their "traditional conservative values" and she has gained a substantial amount of support because of it. I agree that the use of technology could be invaluable tool if she chooses to run as it was in Senator Obama's. If nothing more, it would allow both parties to reach young voters, rather then just the Democratic party, as we saw this year. Although I agree shows, such as Saturday Night Live can aid in a campaign, I believe Governor Palin needs to be more selective in the role she chooses to have. Though many viewers got a laugh out of both her skits on SNL, she was criticized for the introduction skit with Alec Baldwin as it was demeaning to her character. However, the newsroom rap received favorable feedback. I think Governor Sarah Palin has the opportunity to be a nominee for president in the 2012 election and the integration of Senator Obama's use of technology will only make her a stronger candidate.
I think it'd be interesting to see if Sarah Palin is able to combat the gendered stereotypes that plagued her throughout the campaign in 2012 to capture a nomination. Palin did have a lot of criticism in terms of her femininity and her stances on women's issues during the election. While she certainly did a better job than Hilary of appearing both human and female during the campaign, I'm not entirely sure she can sway the hearts of the middle-line Republicans and independents.
While I really love Sarah Palin, I am not entirely convinced that 2012 will be her year. But she brought a new vigor to the GOP this campaign and that is a gift she will continue to give during the next 4 years. It is also a gift that will aid whoever runs in 2012 from the GOP.
If Sarah Palin decides to run for the presidential election of 2012, I think she would definitely use a lot of Obama's campaigning strategies. However, I do not think that Palin will draw a large crowd of young voters like Obama did in this election.
Coming from the one of the most liberal states in the country, California is not home to too many die hard Republicans like Sarah Palin. In the youth today, at least the young people I know, I have found that the voting youth is extremely liberal. Kids as young as 15 years old are developing opinions on abortion, birth control, gay marriage, and war. The voting youth, I have found, seems to be more accepting of gay marriage, birth control as health care, keeping abortion legal, and fighting for world peace. I do not think Sarah Palin would win over too many young voters because she is so conservative.
If Palin does decide to take a shot at 2012, new campaign strategies will come into play somewhat, but I think it is important to remember who her supporters are. Palin attracted the conservative/Republican base. I would argue that many, if not most, of the Republican base is less than savy when it comes to technology. Palin will have to find a way to excite the Republican base, who were somewhat neglected nin teh campaign because of McCain's moderate approach. Palin was the only reason McCain had any chance with hardcore Republicans. In 2012, Palin will have to find someway to excite the base before she tackles new campaign techniques.
While I think the first step is gaining support I think Sarah Palin faces more challenges on hard issues. The film we watched in class that described the barriors to power that women face highlighted this as a key obstacle blocking female political candidates from entering powerful political positions. I think Sarah Palin reinforces a femininity that increases the acceptance of her message something that has not been done by Hillary CLinton and has plagued her success (or at least her popularity). This hypothesis is grounded in language expectancy theory which argues that the more we as speakers reinforce our audience's expectation the more likely they are to accept our message. And while I have done significant research in support of Sarah Palin's rhetoric, I think that she will have a tough battle maintaining an acceptable balance between this femininity and playing a more powerful masculine role which is grounded in the knowledge of tough policy issues such as foreign policy. (I think we should genetically engineer a candidate the has the genetic makeup of both Hillary and Sarah!! Hillarah Paton 2040!)
I agree that Sarah Palin will do well in the 2012 election. Over the next four years, she will have the opportunity to expand on her knowledge in politics. It will also allow people to have more time to get to know her and become more aware of her political standings and ideas, thus being more inclined to support her.
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