Howard and I discussed Sarah Palin’s Facebook page in this week’s Perpetual Post!
When Sarah Palin resigned from her post as Governor of Alaska, there were many who claimed that she was making a huge mistake. They pointed out that it would be difficult for her to accomplish much of anything now that she was no longer an elected official. Sarah Palin went on to amass nearly 100,000 friends on Facebook. Who’s laughing now?
What Palin’s critics didn’t realize is that by joining the ranks of Facebook, she has discovered a revolutionary new way to communicate directly with her former constituents. Never mind those big government laws and regulations separating politicians from the people—with Facebook, Palin’s base can interface directly with her to note that they ‘Like’ things she has said. Not since the press conferences of former President Bush has a politician been so clearly surrounded by individuals who are free to express their feelings of ‘Like’.
You think your average Joe the Plumber is going to call, write a letter or send an email to his local representatives to enact change in the world? He doesn’t have time for anything like that! But were he on Facebook, which he isn’t, he could instead leave a simple comment on Palin’s wall (or send her a beer!) and know he’s made a real difference.
While the vast majority of Palin’s Facebook friends are her children, many others are not. Her eldest son Track, in particular, is heavily involved in her Facebook campaign, and has even founded his own group entitled ‘People Named Track’. While the group has only one member so far, it is assumed to be the beginning of a growing movement.
Palin takes her new role as Facebook member seriously, and is an active participant in the online social networking community, playing the game ‘Farmville’ and joining causes to ‘Raise Salmon Awareness” and support ‘Polar Fleece Appreciation’. Palin is also exploring the option of drilling in her Little Green Patch in an effort reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil. Her Facebook profile offers the average Joe Sixpack rare insight into her inner life, just by checking out her ‘Where I’ve Been – And Places I Can See from My House’ application and viewing her results on the ‘What Kind of Gun are You Most Like’ quiz.
Palin’s tenure as Governor may have come to its natural end, but if the internet has anything to say about it, she’s not going anywhere! Anyone who can inspire over 5,000 strangers to click a little thumbs-up button which indicates their approval after reading a short missive entitled ‘Birthday Wishes to Margaret Thatcher’, is clearly an unstoppable political force! Sarah Palin, your journey has just begun.
I know I’ve got everyone guessing about my political leanings, so I’ve decided I won’t keep you in the dark any longer.
I am so in the tank for Obama.
There, I said it. Now you won’t have to wonder anymore if I’m making fun of Sarah Palin because deep down I really love the way she does her hair.
I actually hate her dumb hair, almost as much as I hate her anti-abortion and abstinance-only-education stances and the sly, folksy way she talks in circles without actually saying anything. I think she’s a dangerous, calculating, power-hungry politician who will be a total disaster if put in office. And she’s bad at naming kids.
I like Obama. I like his approach to healthcare that means that more people won’t be turned away from being eligible for health insurance when they need it most (i.e. when they are ill).
I like the fact that he is educated and intelligent. He is articulate, and he doesn’t talk down to the public. He discusses ideas and doesn’t just repeat mindless, meaningless rhetoric.
I like the way he makes me feel all hopey inside. I haven’t felt this inspired by a politician in a long time.
If you must vote for John McCain (and…shudder…Sarah Palin), maybe because you think we should start drilling offshore for oil that won’t be accessible for 20 years, or because you want the free market to do for health insurance what it did for the economy, or because you want a president who is so forward-thinking that he doesn’t know how to use e-mail, then that’s fine.
You should still vote. It’s your right, and your responsibility, and whomever you are voting for, by all means vote.
But I recommend voting for Obama/Biden. I think you’ll be glad you did.
I need a Halloween costume! It needs to be wittily hilarious. Or poignantly sexy. Or classically gauche. Or all or none of the above.
Apparently everyone at my new office dresses up for Halloween. And there’s a chili cookoff! Awesome, right? Except now the pressure is on. It’s my time to shine! And I don’t think I can go as Sarah Palin as I’d planned, because it might be a little more provocative than I am really ready to deal with after less than a month on the job.
A sexy nurse? An unconventionally attractive nurse, but there’s just something about her? A tank? A bunch of grapes? I’m at a loss. And I have ten days.
At this point I think it’s been fairly well-documented that I want to crown Sarah Palin as prom queen and then dump a bucket of moose blood over her at the Vice Presidential debate.
Fortunately, I don’t have to watch alone tonight. Brian is going to be home late, and I was worried that if I spent 45 minutes watching the debate by myself, I’d bite my pants in half and drink all the bourbon. Luckily I found a local town where they’re showing it in a movie theatre. A movie theater! Full of similarly tweaked-out liberals! What could go wrong?
I’ll let you know what happens.
I Heard Tell 