Lonesome Rhodes: This whole country's just like my flock of sheep!
Marcia Jeffries: Sheep?
Lonesome Rhodes: Rednecks, crackers, hillbillies, hausfraus, shut-ins, pea-pickers - everybody that's got to jump when somebody else blows the whistle. They don't know it yet, but they're all gonna be 'Fighters for Fuller'. They're mine! I own 'em! They think like I do. Only they're even more stupid than I am, so I gotta think for 'em. Marcia, you just wait and see. I'm gonna be the power behind the president - and you'll be the power behind me!
A Face in the Crowd (1957)

A Face in the Crowd, a classic film written by Budd Schulberg, and directed by Elia Kazan that launched the career of Andy Griffith. 

Andy played Larry 'Lonesome' Rhodes, an Arkansas hobo who became an overnight media sensation.  At the top of his game Rhodes becomes drunk with fame and power.  In the tradition of classical tragedy, he is undone by his own narcissism, and arrogance, and by Jeffries, the woman who built his stardom, and who becomes so fed up with him that she turns on the mic that allows him to expose his contempt for his very fans on the air.

What does this have to do with Sarah Palin?  She is 'Lonesome' Rhodes, and we have box seats to watch Little Miss Populism's rise and fall.

As a public service, and because I suffer from terminal OPD (Obsessive Palin Disease), today is the first is an occasional blog -  Palinliography, an academic, cultural, and snidely study of all things Palin. 

 So with much fanfare and ado let's catch the Wasilla Express to Palin Land and beyond...

First up Margaret Wente in the Globe and Mail; In Sonia v. Sarah, GOP is doomed: The Bronx judge, the Alaska pin-up girl and the Republican Party:

The Democrats have Sonia Sotomayor. The Republicans have Sarah Palin. That's all you really need to know. Between them, these two women explain why the Republicans are doomed.

Sonia Sotomayor, a Latina who grew up in a Bronx housing project, is a shoo-in for the Supreme Court. Barack Obama knew exactly what he was doing when he picked her. She is a symbol of Hispanic aspirations in a country where Hispanics are an increasingly powerful political force. She's known for her ferocious drive and work ethic and, despite what you may hear, she appears to be a moderate. She represents the American dream in action. The Republicans hate her.

Sarah Palin was the most scarily incompetent vice-presidential nominee in the history of the United States. She graduated from the University of Idaho, where she majored in communications (still not her strong suit). She represents the Peter Principle in action. The Republicans love her.

Ms. Wendte sums her position:

I used to think that, after the debacle of the Bush years, the train wreck of Sarah Palin and the Obama rout, the Republican Party would recover its sanity and regroup. Clearly, I was wrong. People who argue that Sarah Palin is good for America while Sonia Sotomayor is a threat are obviously out of their minds. They are determined to drive their own party off a cliff into oblivion. And they're succeeding nicely.

Now for the big question; is Sarah staying in politics?  How's this grab you, an op-ed in the Washington Post; The 'Cap And Tax' Dead End, by Sarah Palin.  Betcha Todd was up all night writing this honey:

In addition to immediately increasing unemployment in the energy sector, even more American jobs will be threatened by the rising cost of doing business under the cap-and-tax plan. For example, the cost of farming will certainly increase, driving down farm incomes while driving up grocery prices. The costs of manufacturing, warehousing and transportation will also increase.

The ironic beauty in this plan? Soon, even the most ardent liberal will understand supply-side economics.

The Americans hit hardest will be those already struggling to make ends meet. As the president eloquently puts it, their electricity bills will "necessarily skyrocket." So much for not raising taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year.

How's this for originality:

Can America produce more of its own energy through strategic investments that protect the environment, revive our economy and secure our nation?

Yes, we can. Just not with Barack Obama's energy cap-and-tax plan.

Of course there is the big question, just how popular is dear Sarah?  CBS has a new poll; Most Say Palin Resigned To Help Her Career:

Just 24 percent of those accept Palin's explanation that she resigned because it was the right thing to do for Alaska. More than twice that percentage - 52 percent - cited her political ambition as the reason for her resignation. An additional 14 percent said they don't know the reason.

Even Republicans are skeptical of the explanation, with a higher percentage saying Palin resigned for her political career (36 percent) than saying she did so for Alaska (31 percent).

Cool.  But how many would vote for her?:

Less than one in four Americans - 23 percent - hold a favorable view of Palin. Thirty-seven percent hold an unfavorable view of the former Republican vice presidential nominee. Another 39 percent are undecided.

"23 percent," isn't that the number of registered Republicans?  Hmmm...

What do the Republican elite think of Sarah's ambitions?  Not much according to the Los Angeles Times; Republican pundits open fire on Sarah Palin:

Since announcing her resignation, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been pummeled by critics who have called her incoherent, a quitter, a joke and a "political train wreck."

"People at the grass roots see a charismatic personality who is popular with other people at the grass roots. But their horizon only goes so far as people who think like them," said Mike Murphy. The veteran GOP ad man eviscerated Palin -- a "political train wreck," "an awful choice" for vice president, her resignation an "astonishing self-immolation"

Shades of Lonesome Rhodes, eh...  But, how well does she do among the Rednecks, crackers, hillbillies, hausfraus, shut-ins, and pea-pickers?:

Consider a USA Today/Gallup poll released last week. About 7 in 10 Republicans said they would be likely to vote for Palin if she ran for president. Other surveys place Palin in a statistical dead heat with Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee...

Oy.

Who will speak out against this one woman political mulching machine?  Every Holmes must have a Dr. Moriarty skulking in the foreshadows - yes, it is he, Levi Johnston, Bristol Palin's former fiance, speaking his mind on the "Today" show; pretty weighty stuff from her sworn enemy; fame "got to her head," she talked about doing a reality show, and he wouldn't vote for her for president, he's not sure she could handle the pressure. (Johnston On Palin: Fame "Got To Her Head" (VIDEO))

Well, that's all for now but stay tuned to this channel for the further adventures of our own Sarah Palin.  She's going to be around for a long while.  God, I love it!  That is until she quits again...