Sarah Palin On Today Show – Is Someone Getting Used?

With much fanfare, NBC announced that, none other, than Sarah Palin would sit in as a co-host for NBC’s the Today Show. Yes, you read that right, the same network, who with Katie Couric, showed to the world some 4 years ago that Sarah Palin was of questionable talent to become Vice-President. In that infamous interview by Curric of Palin, Palin was at a loss to describe which newspapers she read in order to be informed as to world events. The fallout from that interview in large part doomed the McCain presidential run. 

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Following that interview it was widely reported that Sarah Palin felt as if she had been ambushed by NBC and was portrayed in an unfair light. Ms. Palin’s supporters expressed anger that NBC and the Today Show had tried to target Sarah Palin in order to “bring her down.” It also raised allegations of a “liberal media bias,” out to destroy Palin’s reputation.

So here we are April 2, 2012 (not April 1^st which could then be dismissed as an April fool’s joke) and Sarah Palin is returning to the scene of the crime to CO-HOST the Today Show. Again, this is not an April fool’s joke. Ms. Palin is to discuss the Wisconsin primary and join the Today Show’s panel to tackle the day's hot topics alongside Star Jones, Donnie Deutsch and Dr. Nancy Snyderman.

I am not a fan of Sarah Palin and her politics. I believe she is woefully underqualified to serve as Vice-President much less the role of Governor of the State of Alaska. Nevertheless, Palin has become a media super-star among her supporters and even haters. She has developed a very lucrative “brand” and commands hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaker’s fees, to address her adoring fans.

Then there is the Today Show. Morning “news shows” are a mix of general news stories and, for lack of a better term, “fluff.” It is meant to be entertaining and not as much a news broadcast; yet, there is still an element of reporting and news journalism.

So one must ask why would NBC and the Today Show invite Sarah Palin to co-host? Is it because Ms. Palin has important and probative information about the Republican Primary (here the answer seems clear that, yes she does have an important view-point as concerns the Republican election) and “other” news of the day; or, is it for the entertainment value of having Sarah Palin on the network in order to show what helped derail the Presidential bid of John McCain and her?

The answer may be more obvious than we think. On today’s Today Show, Sarah Palin called in about her guest appearance and Matt Lauer wasted no time in proving that Palin’s visit was nothing more than a garish and petty attempt to grab ratings.

"Are you reading some newspapers?" Matt asked, referencing her TV interview gaffe from 2008.

Palin, for her part, cracked up: "That's a fine 'How do you do,’" she said. "Here we go."

Clearly Ms. Palin does not feel as though she is being “trapped” now and has become part of the entertainment show. But in so doing, has NBC lost credibility and relegated the Today Show to simple circus theatre?

In an earlier article, Ms. Palin told Breitbart News: "We’re 'going rogue' (also the name of her Book) and infiltrating some turf for a day." For those not familiar, the term “going rogue” was attached to Ms. Palin during the presidential campaign by members of John McCain’s staff who felt that Sarah Palin would not listen to their advice and instead decided to do what Palin alone thought right (which became a book and HBO movie); which from a historical perspective is extraordinary as the Presidential nominee is the person who sets all agenda for the election. So Ms. Palin’s statement that she was “going rogue” is clearly advertisement and theatre to keep her “brand” alive.

Matt Lauer, not to let sleeping dogs lie, jokingly pressed Palin for an explanation of her “going rogue” statement, the former V.P. candidate was coy: "What do you think that means?" Palin said.

"You're taking over Matt's dressing room," Al Roker joked.

“Special guest” Meredith Vieira also joined in the comic routine with what can only be described as a condescending tone as to it all (doesn’t Meredith host a game show?).

So there, in those brief minutes, it is clear that NBC and the Today Show threw themselves in the gutter to garnish ratings. If anything, Sarah Palin comes out as the “better person” not only forgiving NBC and the Today Show for the incidents of 2008, but bettering them and showing that Sarah Palin has the “mystique” to draw a crowd.

It is often said it is NOT important who wins the battle, only who wins the war.

In this War, Sarah Palin has thus far proven the winner and NBC and the Today Show have shown they will wallow in pig’s shit if it will achieve a ratings boost. As “news-people????”, Matt and Vieira should be well aware of the saying: “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.”

NBC needs to fumigate as they have sunk to a new low. And as to Sarah Palin (even though I am not a fan), I say bravo! Sarah, you are beating them at their own game.