Everyone thought Sarah Palin would be out of the spotlight when she
resigned as Alaska’s Governor, but, instead, 2009 ending up being the
year that Palin put herself on the map. Every channel you turned on,
there she was–Sarah Palin signing books, waving to fans, and shaking
hands. Positive or negative, the media just couldn’t get enough of her
and, like her or not, Palin garnered a lot of attention.
1. “Going Rogue”
Palin wrote “Going Rogue” which sold 1 million copies just two weeks
after publication. HarperCollins increased an initial printing of 1.5
million copies to 2.8 million. The book tour itself became a cultural
phenomenon with thousands of people waiting hours, and sometimes days,
to meet the former Alaska Governor.
2. Challenged agenda driven science
Palin stirred up the climate change debate in a Facebook post and
controversial Washington Post op-ed. Not only did she state that Obama
should boycott Copenhagen, she also took on Al Gore and Arnold
Schwarznegger.
3. Challenged Obama’s death panels
Palin stirred up the healthcare debate in a Facebook post, stating,
“The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby
with Down syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’
so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their
‘level of productivity in society,’ whether they are worthy of health
care.” Palin’s comments came to define the health care debate in August
and Politi-Fact reported that the term was mentioned in news reports
6,000 times in August and September.
4. Boosted Oprah’s ratings
Oprah’s much-anticipated interview of Sarah Palin brought her the
biggest ratings in two years. Palin drew an 8.7 household rating and 13
share, the highest since Oprah hosted the Osmonds in 2007.
5. Heated up the cover of Newsweek
“How do you solve a problem like Sarah?” read the cover of Newsweek
magazine. But instead of the headline, most readers’ eyes were drawn to
the picture of Sarah Palin clad in a bright red shirt, and short black
runner’s shorts, originally shot for Runner’s World Magazine. Even
though Palin’s “Going Rogue” ignited critics and supporters, the
Newsweek cover brought forth issues such as would a male politician be
portrayed the same way and did Newsweek deliberately use the photo to
boost their sales?
6. Surprised William Shatner on The Tonight Show
A reoccurring skit with Conan had been interpretative readings by
William Shatner, which meant it wouldn’t be long before James T. Kirk
tackled “Going Rogue.” But when Shatner finished his reading, it was
Palin herself who graced the stage and tackled her own reading of
Shatner’s autobiography “Up Till Now.”
7. Entertained at the Gridiron Club Dinner
Usually the jokes and one-liners were targeted at former Alaska Gov.
Sarah Palin, but at the Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington, D.C., the
one-liners were delivered by the former VP candidate herself. The
Gridiron Club, founded in 1885, is the oldest and most prestigious
journalistic organization in Washington, D.C. and “The very fact she
was willing to take the chance of appearing in a room full of her most
disdainful critics is testimony to her courage,” wrote Dan Thomasson of
Scripps Howard. “She came away with at least a consensus of grudging
admiration.”
8. Showed her continued support for the military
On her nationwide book tour, Palin made stops at five military
facilities, donated the royalties from her Fort Hood stop to the
families hit by the Nov. 5 mass shooting, and donated the red jacket
she wore on the book cover for conservative talk-show host Laura
Ingraham’s auction to benefit the Wounded Warriors.
9. Presented Great American Award
After greeting 1,000 people who endured the December bitter cold at her
book signing in Springfield, Missouri, Sarah Palin addressed the
College of the Ozarks, a private school near Branson. The College of
the Ozarks presented Palin with the inaugural “Great American” award,
citing her contributions to promoting patriotism.
10. Named one of Barbara Walter’s Top Ten Most Facinating People of 2009
Sarah Palin’s “Going Rogue” not only graced the top of the bestseller
list, it also took Palin to the top of the list of Republican hopefuls
of 2012 and Barbara Walter’s list of the Top Ten Most Fascinating
People of 2009.
It’s too early to say who will prevail as the 2012 GOP presidential
candidate, but with the sales of her memoir and her growing popularity,
2010 should be another year that the nation keeps an eye on Sarah Palin.
Source: Examiner
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