She holds no elective office. She is not in control of anything that affects any of us. Yet, she generates more press coverage than any rock star, celebrity or sports figure out there today.
Why are we -or at least parts of the media- so fascinated by the former GOP vice-presidential candidate who briefly ran in 2008?
Surely her star will fade and burn out fairly soon. The former governor who left her elected position for some vague reason seems to entice, entertain and excite certain parts of the American public.
If she has made some brilliant comments or statements on domestic or foreign policy issues of interest I must have missed them. If she has been a guru on how to live our lives better or do something better or healthier I also must have not been tuned in if she spoke on something so profound.
So what is it about Sarah Palin that turns normal adults into angry people gritting their teeth exclaiming "I can't stand that lady" or other normal human beings proclaiming that the former mayor of a small Alaska town is the guiding light for conservatives around the country?
Is she an actress strutting and fretting upon the stage for one brief shining moment or is she some new type of political entertainer that will be with us for awhile?
Are we fascinated by her because she is from a remote rugged frontier state and she portrays herself as a Mama Grizzly who is different than the rest of us in the lower forty-eight states?
Does her family life seem like a television reality show that we can relate to for some unknown reason?
Do some of us feel sorry for her because we feel that the media picked on her when she was the Republican vice-presidential candidate in 2008?
Do some of us feel better than her because we went to more well-known colleges and seem to feel we might know more than her on the major issues of the day?
Do her good looks work against her? Do some of us feel women in politics need not be so good looking as the woman who has been described as looking like a "naughty librarian".
Or do her views seem to conservative for a group of us that we dismiss her as being too far out of the mainstream to be taken seriously as a future national candidate?
Did McCain do the country a disservice by choosing her as his untested running mate in the first place?
Does her "you betcha" and other phrases irritate us or are we irritated that she is on the national political stage and doesn't seem to know the issues. It is kind of like the salesman on the train in the opening scene of "the Music Man" singing about the music man saying "but he doesn't know the territory".
On the other side people who like her really seem to like and admire her for being an outspoken advocate for her conservative views and family values. Her admirers like the fact that she is not an elitist who went to an Ivy League college and is an average American who is making her fame and fortune and more power to her.
Her admirers really like the way she attacks the media and blames them for many of our country's problems which is rather ironic since she is a commentator for one of the most popular cable networks.
Her admirers like her straight forward talk and not being too complicated on the issues. She is admired for being a working mother and for all her sports and other activities.
I am writing a book on this topic for my publishing company, Verbis Press, where I will go into more depth and detail by talking to psychologists, sociologists, political analysts and ordinary voters to find out what it is about Sarah Palin that gererates so much anger, admiration, anxiety and publicity.
Why do we care so much about her?
Why does she generate so much resentment from one side and so much respect from the other side?
What is it about her that generates all this attention?
Has there been anyone else like her in recent American political history?
If you have any clues or answers please let me know as it baffles me.