The Week: Most Recent Sarah Palin

Deb Fischer's Nebraska upset: Proof Sarah Palin still has the golden touch?

The Week — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:04:00 -0400

The Republican establishment was reeling in Nebraska this week, after a little-known but respected state senator, Deb Fischer, pulled off a stunning upset in the GOP Senate primary. Fischer became the instant favorite in her red state over Democrat Bob Kerrey, a former senator and governor. Until just days before the Tuesday vote, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning was expected to cruise to the GOP nomination, and his only apparent threat was from state Treasurer Don Stenberg, who was backed by conservative groups like Jim DeMint's Senate Conservatives Fund. But Fischer had something the others...

A brief history of Bristol Palin's controversies

The Week — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:49:00 -0400

When Obama endorsed legal gay marriage this week, he cited his daughters Sasha and Malia as factors in his evolving stance, noting that some of their friends have gay parents in admirably committed relationships. That was enough to provoke Bristol Palin, who fired off a blog post chiding Obama for being influenced by what "teenagers think after one too many episodes of Glee." Instead, she said, the president should have explained "to Malia and Sasha that, while [their] friends' parents are no doubt lovely people, that's not a reason to change thousands of years of thinking about marriage." This...

Sarah Palin's 'oddly charming' Today show appearance

The Week — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:08:00 -0400

Sarah Palin's one-day stint as co-host of the Today show was billed as a showdown of sorts between the former vice presidential nominee and Katie Couric, the interviewer who caused Palin endless embarrassment during the '08 campaign and who was co-hosting rival morning show Good Morning America on Tuesday. Sorry, Katie: Palin may have won this round, with critics hailing her performance as "oddly charming," "magnetic," and "poised." During her Today cameo, Palin predictably blasted President Obama, interviewed Tori Spelling, and weighed in on pop culture issues like Oprah Winfrey's failing OWN...

Sarah Palin vs. Katie Couric: Morning show edition

The Week — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:07:00 -0400

How does NBC top ABC's gambit of bringing in former Today star Katie Couric to co-host Good Morning America this week? By having one of Couric's most storied interview subjects, Sarah Palin, guest host the Today show on Tuesday. After their infamous 2008 interview, in which Couric stumped the vice presidential nominee simply by asking what newspapers she reads, the irony of pitting the two against each other anew "is just too sweet," says Chris Ariens at MediaBistro. When Palin was asked how it feels to face off against Couric when Today's ratings dominance is vulnerable for the first time...

Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin: The 'uncanny' side-by-side footage

The Week — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:09:00 -0400

The video: Long before the March 10 HBO premiere of Game Change, the movie adaptation of the eponymous book, HBO released the first photo of Julianne Moore in her role as former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Did she look the part? "You kinda sorta betcha!" said James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly. As the film proved, however, Moore's ability to channel Palin went well beyond looks, says Troy Patterson at Slate. Aside from nailing the accent and the intonation, she "aced the immodest task of humanizing the media beast called Sarah Palin," and delivered a performance "so compassionate...

Game Change: Fair to Palin or an offensive cartoon?

The Week — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:18:00 -0500

Game Change, the buzzy TV movie premiering Saturday night on HBO, may be racking up strong critical notices, but a certain former Alaska governor is unlikely to tune in. The film is based on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin's 2010 bestseller about the 2008 presidential race, zeroing in on the chapters devoted to John McCain's hasty decision to add Sarah Palin to his ticket and the crash-and-burn fate that befell the duo, played by Ed Harris and Julianne Moore. (Watch the trailer below.) Palin herself maintains she won't see the film, blasting it as "Hollywood lies." And while her PAC is urging...

HBO's Game Change: The 5 most controversial scenes

The Week — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:22:00 -0500

Viewers will have to wait until Saturday to see HBO's buzzy new telefilm Game Change, an adaptation of the gossipy 2010 book chronicling John McCain and Sarah Palin's tumultuous, ill-fated White House bid. But the movie, starring Ed Harris as McCain and Julianne Moore as Palin, is already outraging conservatives, who argue that it's disrespectful to the former running mates. "I won't watch it," McCain says. "I know it's based on a book that's totally unfair and untrue, especially to Sarah Palin." (Jay Roach, the movie's director, defends his work as "an incredibly well-researched...

Why Sarah Palin wants a brokered convention: 3 theories

The Week — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:07:00 -0500

Here we go again: Former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is getting supporters and detractors all riled up, telling Fox News that if the GOP goes into its August convention without a clear nominee, we "could be looking at a brokered convention" and that "all bets are off." The Alaskan polarizer referred to other dark-horse candidates "willing to offer themselves up...in service to their country," adding ambiguously, "I would do whatever I could to help." Does that mean Palin wants the primaries to end in deadlock, with none of the four remaining candidates equipped with enough delegates...

Is Sarah Palin still a threat to Obama?

The Week — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:56:00 -0500

Mitt Romney may have won the straw poll at the end of the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference in D.C. over the weekend, but CPAC's real star was Sarah Palin, says Josh Lederman at The Hill. Among the many speakers, the former Alaska governor "received far-and-away the most spirited and enthusiastic reception" from the 10,000 conservative activists in attendance. And the former vice presidential candidate, who opted out of the 2012 presidential race in October, "appeared to relish her role as conservative attack dog, blasting Obama and Democrats," and bringing the crowd repeatedly...

The 'sensational' Game Change trailer that 'skewers' Sarah Palin: 4 talking points

The Week — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:22:00 -0500

Last year, HBO teased us with a short clip of its upcoming movie adaptation of Game Change, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin's dishy look at the 2008 presidential race. Now, they've dropped a full trailer, focusing much more on the movie's central figure, Sarah Palin (played by Julianne Moore) but also offering tantalizing peeks at Ed Harris' John McCain. (Watch below) Produced by the creative team behind HBO's 2000 presidential drama Recount, Game Change will almost certainly be "poignant, unrelenting, and all done with comedic flair," says Jesse Carp in Television Blend. We'll have to wait until...

Game Change: Julianne Moore's 'uncanny' Sarah Palin impression

The Week — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:42:00 -0500

The video: Can Julianne Moore possibly rival Tina Fey's indelible Sarah Palin impression? According to some critics, "You betcha." The four-time Oscar nominee stars as Mama Grizzly in the upcoming HBO film Game Change, based on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin's gossipy behind-the-scenes account of the 2008 presidential race. A new teaser for the film, which will air in March, focuses on the introduction of Palin as John McCain's running mate. "We desperately need a game-changing pick," says Woody Harrelson, playing McCain advisor Steve Schmidt, "and none of these middle-aged white guys are...

The 'futile' 'Run Sarah Run!' ad

The Week — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:21:00 -0500

The video: At this point, most political observers assume that the GOP 2012 presidential field can only shrink, not grow, since it's already too late to get a candidate on the primary ballots in states like New Hampshire and Florida. The group Conservatives4Palin doesn't agree, and just bought TV time in Iowa for an ad urging former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to reconsider her decision to sit out the race. (Watch below) "If this ad is able to build some momentum for the Governor," the group says, Palin could still jump in.

The reaction: The ad is fine, if a little grainy and routine, stringing together...

Is Sarah Palin's political career over?

The Week — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:31:00 -0400

Sarah Palin's decision not to run for president in 2012 didn't exactly come as a surprise — she had already said the demands of a campaign might be too "shackle-y" for her maverick spirit. But her fans were still dismayed by this week's news that she's officially out, even though polls suggested that Palin stood little chance of winning the Republican nomination or the general election against President Obama. Is Palin just waiting for her moment, or is this the end of her career in elected politics?

Palin's political career is over: Palin's "political career was brief, bizarre, and sordid...

Why Sarah Palin isn't running for president: 5 theories

The Week — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:35:00 -0400

Sarah Palin has officially closed the door on a 2012 White House run, telling supporters Wednesday that her family comes first, and that she feels she can better serve the conservative cause without chasing the "title" of president. With New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also formally opting out of the race this week, Palin's announcement leaves the GOP slate of candidates pretty set in stone. After months, if not years, of hinting she might run for president, why did Alaska's former governor ultimately decide to sit out this year? Here, five theories:

1. Palin knew she couldn't win
President...

Has Sarah Palin lost interest in the presidency?

The Week — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:10:00 -0400

Sarah Palin still hasn't announced definitively whether she is running for president. But on Greta Van Susteren's Fox News show Tuesday night, the former Alaska governor did give some reasons why she might sit out the race. "Is a title and is a campaign too shackle-y?" she mused aloud. "Does a title take away my freedom to call it like I see it and to affect positive change that we need in this country?" Without the constraints of a campaign, Palin added, I "can be rogue, can be maverick, can be passionate about issues and can get people to think very wisely about issues." On the other hand, when...

Should Sarah Palin sue over Joe McGinniss' scathing biography?

The Week — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:52:00 -0400

Sarah Palin's lawyer is threatening to sue journalist Joe McGinniss and his publisher for "knowingly publishing false statements" in McGinnis' book The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin, which was released last week. Attorney John Tiemessen says the book, which contains tales of adultery and cocaine use, is nothing but a collection of "tawdry gossip" intended to harm the Palins. Crown Publishing, a division of Random House, has not responded, nor has McGinniss. Would it be wise for Palin to take McGinniss and his publisher to court?

Absolutely. Palin should sue them: Random House has...