The British press, like their American cousins, doesn’t seem to able to get enough of Sarah Palin.
The self-described hunting, shooting and hockey “mom” is the “biggest hot-button political story in the English-speaking world”, says Martin Kettle in The Guardian on Friday.
Newspapers have devoted pages to the previously little-known governor of Alaska and now Republican vice-presidential candidate.
But while she was described as the next Margaret Thatcher by the American media in the Daily Telegraph, the British media have concentrated on drawing parallels with psychiatrist Dr Melfi from “The Sopranos” TV show or the late Princess Diana.
“She joins those women, such as Diana, Princess of Wales and Carla Bruni, who were picked to fill a gap at the side of a prominent man and promptly upstaged him,” writes Bronwen Maddox in The Times.
Her colleague Andrew Billen draws on Palin’s joke for inspiration: what is the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull — lipstick.
“It has been applied liberally to Mrs Palin’s pleasing face, less hockey mom than Dr Melfi from The Sopranos or the Specsavers model, a sexy lady who knows it but won’t show it. Her hair was down but her neckline was up.”
But all the papers agree she was a superstar. Suzanne Goldenberg in The Guardian writes that Palin had “provided excitement and glamour to a campaign that formerly had trouble electrifying the Republican base”.
She can connect with people in white working-class small towns and conservative areas, as well as younger voters and working mothers, Goldenberg adds.
“Hers was the sort of speech that George Bush, at his best, could do with great effect,” Kettle says.
Peter McKay in the Daily Mail goes one further and says she shouldn’t just set her cap at becoming vice-president.
“The story now isn’t about Sarah Palin’s suitability as vice-president. It’s the certainty that, if McCain, 72, wins, he’ll serve only one term. And his party will be grooming her as America’s first woman President.”
And all that despite her grating voice. “You could kill a bear at 200 yards with Sarah Palin’s voice,” Maddox cruelly says in The Times.
“I heard it first on the radio and winced; an octave higher than Hillary Clinton’s. It made a screech out of ‘I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country’.”
Palin as President would be bad news for The Daily Telegraph’s Charles Clover though. He writes in his Earthlog that she “could yet be a disaster for international relations” and that “environmentalists detest her”, quoting her pro-drillers stance and hunting habit.
She is not popular with Philip Stephens in the Financial Times either. Her speech was “not as good as the gush suggested”, he writes.
British newspapers were not fooled either by the “potent mixture of the homely and the daring”.
“Her teeth had not only been whitened, but sharpened, the better to sink into Barack Obama,” Billen in the Times writes.
Maddox describes Palin’s overall effect as “bullying”.
“You would not want to be on the Parent Teacher Association with her,” she observes.
“Her sarcasm was plain nasty. Mrs Palin portrays herself as the innocent outsider but she is a very worldly queen of her domain.”
The Guardian’s Kettle writes: “Palin can certainly attack. But will either male or female voters want a long-term relationship with a political dominatrix from the Arctic?”
Kettle warns against pumping up Palin’s profile too much.
He says the media had initially underestimated her, but the danger after her barnstorming speech on Wednesday is that it will now overestimate her.
“This isn’t a movie. This isn’t Geena Davis in Commander in Chief. It isn’t Jane Horrocks in The Amazing Mrs Pritchard.”
“Palin is one important factor among several in this election, and the real challenge, especially here in the eye of the storm, is get her into some perspective.”
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25 comments so far
I suppose the current obsession with American politicians in the British press is a reaction against the uninspiring po-faced con-men and hatchet-faced harridans on the UK political scene.
The British equivalent of the American contest would be a young Mrs Thatcher against a young Blair. Roll over, Obama - you’ve been handbagged!!
- Posted by Mike TGreat article.
- Posted by Roger HubbardReally, this stretches the imagination…Thatcher or Diana…chalk and cheese comes to mind/ I think Gov. Palin has a good bio, but Field and Stream comes more to mind than Thatcher or Diana. Mrs. thatcher did not have a household of children (stay at home Mr Mom not withstanding) for whom only a Mom can satisfy certain needs. She does not Have the political background Mrs. Thatcher had behind her when assuming office of P.M. and Gov. Pailin certainly does not fit ANY of the bio or physical backgrounds or aspects as Diani Princess of Wales had.
- Posted by WinnieThe British press would do better to report the real Palin; Anti abortion even in instances of rape or incest, pro creationism in schools, thinks the Iraq conflict is “God’s war” , does not believe humans are causing climate change, Palin makes Thatcher look liberal.
- Posted by Donald THonestly, I’m sick and tired of this American circus. Every time I switch on the news or Politics channel, or look at a newspaper in the rack its McCain, Palin, Obama and this endless cheerleading and vacuous verbiage rammed down my face. Soap on an industrial scale.
The alternative is Brown and his woes; and people being driven to starvation or hypothermia in the UK because of the impotence of our politicians.
There must be other news in the UK, surely.
Let’s face it, whoever wins the US President’s job will have his/her work cut out keeping afloat let alone changing anything. They’re in a right financial mess over there. So, is it being staged just to keep us entertained? If so, it doesn’t work for me.
- Posted by Dane AubrunThe British media are being bitchy, so Palin must have something going for her.
President 2012, I reckon. Cameron had better buck his ideas up by then if he’s going to be taken seriously in Washington.
- Posted by PeterJust what America and the world need… a psycho religious fanatic literally an old geezer’s heartbeat away from the US Presidency! This woman actually advocates Creationism… denying the entire body of scientific thought since Darwin. Imagine what havoc she would cause to scientific progress. Where is Dawkins when we need him!
Where do they find these looneys? Something very “Stepford Wives” is going on in the Republican Party… those people TERRIFY me with their grim, artificial smiles, dead eyes, and all that arrogant, self-righteous posturing. “Mr Magoo” McCain is so banal so boring, so lacking in charisma, so much like Bush and his cadre of evil, and –most worringly– so electable in that crazy-ass country. God Help Us All!
- Posted by tom tilsonPalin knows exactly how to manipulate an audience of pro republicans. But so did George W Bush, it isn’t that hard.
- Posted by johnAlready since THAT speech we have seen her true colours and while earlier in the week Obama might have had cause for concern, I expect Palin to actually destroy any chance of her party winning the election.
You’ve said it in a nutshell Tom Tilson
- Posted by rogerThatcher or Princess Diana?
Me thinks none of the above.
Just another religious zealot, whose personal religion is above the needs/ wishes of the whole community.
More like George Bush Part 2.
- Posted by AdrianI have been following this election with great interest and fascination. “Soap opera” indeed. Sarah Palin’s RNC speech revealed one thing for me, she has two sides to her character. On the one hand, she is portrayed as the wholesome, christian “hockey mom”, with family values. The ” pretty suburban homemaker” turned “political maverick”. But in contrast, the image she emanated during her speech at the RNC was littered with sarcastic, sniping statements , angry attacks and bitter jibes. The “lipstick pit bull” certainly showed her sharp teeth, but is being capable of vicious rhetoric qualification enough to become vice president of the most powerful office in the world? Certainly she is much tougher than she seemed initially, but maybe the undoing of her image by the media will be her achilles heal? Do Americans really want a snarling dog dominatrix disguised as a twee librarian to be “one heart beat” away from the presidency?
Her record on environmental issues in Alaska is abysmal even by republican standards. The only foreign policy experience she is claimed to have is her awareness of “Alaska’s proximity to Russia”. She didn’t even have a passport until two years ago. Alaska has the smallest population of all the states of America, but it is rich in Oil and gas reserves, of which Palin seems intent on tapping into, even at the expensive of threatening endangered species such as native Polar bears. John Mcain himself has even opposed exploitation of the protected Alaskan wildlife refuges, he once said “it is called a refuge for a reason”. Palin’s love for hunting has been well documented, as has her connections to Big corporate Oil in Alaska. A sandal wearing, tree hugging PETA volunteer she certainly is
Palins views on abortion, gay marriage, creationism and global warming are downright scary. She seems to have been chosen, not for her political experience but for her ability to fuel the hateful fires of the puritan, right wing bible bashing, guntootin and war-lovin “redneck” community in the US. She also looks good, and choosing a woman for the VP republican ticket was quite a canny (albeit risky) move for Mcains team. The cynical amongst us would probably say her gender is being used to appeal to Hilary Clinton’s disillusioned female fan base, some of whom are resentful towards the Obama campaign and the media because according to them , Clinton was treated unfairly in the primaries. The irony of this is, Palin represents the complete opposite of feminist Ideology. She was not chosen for her skills bur rather her willingness to be a pawn in what is fast becoming one of the most bitter power struggles ever witnessed in American politics.
I find the uber nationalistic and frenzied patriotism displayed in American politics extremely disturbing, and watching the RNC Rally on TV the other night was almost like watching old news clips of the rise of Fascism in Europe in the 1940’s. The “glory” of War is being used for political gain by Mcain campaign to instill a continuing fear and divide in the American people. I find this completely nauseating. What is so glorious about bombing and maiming people? What is so noble about bombs and guns? There are no winners in war, only death and misery but it it hasn’t stopped the Republican campaign from using Palin’s eldest son being deployed to Iraq, or John Mcains Vietnam experience in marketing their political agenda.
Another republican administration means more wars, more dead soldiers and more needless suffering, haven’t we had enough of that already?
- Posted by A fascinated observerPoliticians in the USA push populist buttons in order to get elected and ours share that with them. After all, Tony Blair was the most egregious example of such button pushing this country has ever seen but obviously he didn’t mean a lot of what he said. I don’t think we in the UK are able to recognise the subtler clues which are probably being given off by someone like Palin and it seems utterly fatuous to compare her to well-known UK women. One thing is certain, though; US voters won’t give a damn about what our commentators say, even in the unlikely event that they are reported there.
- Posted by John LambleI like Tom Tilson’s post. Substitute “Labour” for “Republican” and “McBroon” for “McCain” and you’ve got a perfect picture of our own Labour Party.
Maybe if Ms Palin doesn’t get the Veep’s job in Novemember we could pay her to come over here and take over from the McBroon. Election? Who needs one? He didn’t.
- Posted by JasonAn interesting and revealing post about Sarah Palin’s character/exploits while in office as mayor and governor can be viewed here http://www.andrys.com/palin-kilkenny.htm l
- Posted by DaveI find the whole saga bizarre, insincere and alarming. They want a woman of her experience to take over when McCain keels over?
The wildlife killing, gun toting Palin might have more to do with Michael Palin’s lumberjack than real life.
- Posted by AwfulTruthThe comparisons between Sarah Palin and Margaret Thatcher are laughable.
Thatcher got a degree in chemistry from Oxford (so she understands that the Earth wasn’t created in six days). She then went on to study law and was called to the bar. She was elected to Parliament 1959 and was on the national stage for 20 years before eventually becoming Prime Minister in 1979. During her time as a Member of Parliament, she held several Cabinet posts (including Secretary of Education).
Palin pales into insignificance by comparison.
- Posted by PrinceKeithAs an advocate for Sarah Palin, I googled Margaret Thatcher, to learn more about how her political career, and to see if there are any comparisons between the two ladies.
My first googled article talked about how Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan ‘pushed back Russia and communism’.
My next article googled was this one .. ‘Palin-the next Thatcher or Diana?
With Russia stiring, maybe a McCain/Palin partnership can repeat history.
- Posted by DonWhat garbage this is.
Mrs. T - while never my vote of choice - was a formidable politician, who worked her way up through the party, and lead it for 4 years before becoming PM for 11. Mrs. Palin was runner up in a beauty pageant, and has nothing to show that she has Mrs. T’s wit or carriage. The speech she gave the other night was written for her and she lied all the way through it. The pipeline she claims to have obtained for Alaska hasn’t been built, hasn’t even been designed. The nearest she’ll ever get to Mrs. T’s MA from Oxford in Chemistry are the meth labs that litter her home town and which she has done nothing about. She was for the famous bridge to nowhere before she was against it, she was for small business, before she closed many down. She has demanded loyalty oaths from her staff, fired librarians and banned books. And unlike Mrs T, who actively campaigned and voted for the decriminalization of homosexuality and legalization of abortion, Mrs. P hates gays and believes that abortion is a crime, even in cases of rape and incest, and must be banned.
The analogy between the two simply does not stand. Not on ANY level - other than they are both women. That’s where it begins and ends.
- Posted by Jan ZiffOh PUHLEEZZZEEEE! I am an American and I am DISGUSTED by this comparison. You guys really will do anything to get attention. Palin is one of the dullest, political choices EVER. You cannot compare her to Thatcher and NO ONE compares to Diana. Palin does NOT HAVE the wit, charm, intelligence, beauty, as a matter of fact ANYTHING that describes the angel Diana is.
- Posted by Hello!This is an insult to Diana and Thatcher. Don’t compare an dense and NOT-good looking, good-for-nothing, radical rightist (who makes an exception for her daughter) with a Thatcher with a degree from Oxford and an angel like Diana.
- Posted by AMERICANSarah Palin the next Diane or Thatcher? oh honestly!
I don’t want to be reduced to an insignificant question. I have a better question. Who is Sarah Palin?
- Posted by KimmoIt seems that in the USA, the less well-known a politican is the more popular they are. Hopefully she’s more Thatcher than Diana!
- Posted by The LondonaI do not think she will ever be either Thatcher or Diana, it is still early days to jump on the gun and compare Palin to Thatcher or Diana. First and foremost she is herself, and can’t be anyone else with what I’ve seen so far.
- Posted by Lec NeliWhy would you want to apply that measuring stick to two true british icons who were not especially liars or pompous or shallow. Watch what you wish for you cute little limeheads. You just might get it.
- Posted by avocadoLove
America
I read this excellent article with a great interest. Thank you. It is so obvious the Obama camp is paranoid that is why they don’t stop trashing Sarah Palin who runs for number 2 not 1.
Yes I agree that Sarah is both M Thatcher and Diana.
Sarah is smart and beautiful, a few ugly women love to attack her because they are jealous of Sarah.
Let me tell these radical left “McCain will be the President of the United Stated and Palin will be the Vice President of the United States.”
- Posted by Beatrice