Sarah Palin: The Most Accessible Candidate

After her selection as McCain's Vice Presidential, the running meme Sarah Palin was that she was being shielded by the media. This played well with the left's opinion of her that she is a vapid, red-necked whore would would just serve to embarrass the McCain campaign whenever she opened her mouth.

How times have changed. I've seen this story linked from several places now. CBSNews reports that Palin is now the most accessible of the candidates.

In the past two days alone, Palin has answered questions from her national press corps on three separate occasions. On Saturday, she held another plane availability, and on Sunday, she offered an impromptu press conference on the tarmac upon landing in Colorado Springs. A few minutes later, she answered even more questions from reporters during an off-the-record stop at a local ice cream shop.

By contrast, Biden hasn’t held a press conference in more than a month, and Obama hasn’t taken questions from his full traveling press corps since the end of September. John McCain—who spent most of the primary season holding what seemed like one, never-ending media availability—hasn’t done one since Sept. 23.

Furthermore, she is doing this by choice:

After her plane in Colorado Springs, Palin answered no less than 14 questions from the media. It took traveling press secretary Tracey Schmitt three attempts finally to get the governor to move along.

There really is something to the Sarah Palin phenomenon. I've been asked by a more than a few friends if Palin will be a force to be reckoned with in 2012, assuming an Obama victory this year. My first inclination was that she would be too damaged by the circus of hate she has been subjected to this election. I'm beginning to rethink that. She continues to draw huge crowds at her stump speeches. Her cameo appearance on SNL this past weekend was the most watched moment in over 14 years for the show. She has that ability to talk to a TV camera but appear to be talking to you--few politicians have that ability.

Will she still be active in 2012? I hope so. Of course, it would be even better if she were active as the sitting Vice President of the United States.