I hadn't seen the candidate for at least a week or two when I had been invited back to the campaign to observe. I mean it was reality teevee, they knew I needed to be there to formulate a loose script.  They were high on life at the campaign, they were spinning and happy, in fact they were ecstatic! They all felt like winners.  Sarah and her family; they were a huge hit on the trail! Young and beautiful; they had a large family, with an adorable baby who reminded everyone of Timmy in the Dickens classic. If there is one thing conservatives respond to is the illusion of family. It had been at least a week before I was invited back to see the campaign.  I have to say, the entire Palin family looked different, in more ways than just attire, in fact their confidence had grown, things were certainly looking up, so many people were coming to see her and her family at the rallies. People were cheering, waving, asking for autographs, talking about abortion and taxes and gay marriage, and the many offenses of the federal government.  They didn't like that other guy either, the Democrat. "He isn't like us", she told them, and they believed her. Sarah's wardrobe was very different, was that the Versace jacket I wanted, the Kor's skirt, the boots I saw last time I was in Saks? I wasn't sure about the skirt, but I knew it was that jacket for sure. Sigh, I really needed to look into politics and not just the Real Housewives franchise! She also had a very different appearance, her makeup was more downplayed, her cheeks certainly didn't look as packed with rouge and her foundation didn't look nearly as thick, but it does take makeup to look good on teevee, let's not fool ourselves, she was suddenly looking a bit more natural, more professional, toned down but she didn't lose her overall look, the fresh faced girl from Wasilla, AK, a place that no one knew existed.  In fact she was beginning to mimic Cindy McCain's style, a more professional low key style, but built on some oh so fabulous designers!

John McCain himself was a man of Washington and everyone could see that, even his family was different than Sarah's, Meghan McCain, the outspoken daughter, with a mind of her own and completely willing to speak out, was so much different than the Palin children. She was much more used to the press and she had an impressive style for someone so young. No one told her what to do or say, but she knew there was a line and she never crossed said line. It was obvious she had a terrific, no, great relationship with her father, it would be more difficult to write around that, the franchise needs strife, John McCain seemed to have little strife with his children. But no matter, John McCain and his family a mere side story to the newest incarnation of The Real Housewives, because the real story was Sarah Palin and her family. The Palin's and Sarah herself had had a story that was begging to be told.

Sarah and I had never really spoken before this day. We were close to the same age, we had children, and she remembered my name and as I walked in the room gave me a "shout out". I think she was comfortable with me, and it made it easier to watch her and try to peg the persona needed for the franchise. She was more than willing to participate, she seemed to instinctively know what was needed to get her name out there, she had some of the same sense of media awareness as Madonna, Rodman, or Love, she knew how to get her name out there and she knew how to keep it out there. She had talent, no doubt about it, I was hoping for the sake of the franchise that her talent in this regard would promote the franchise as I thought it would. Well, I have to say, I don't think I was wrong.
That same evening after the rally, her pregnant daughter, was dead on her feet tired. She snapped at her mom who had requested something of her, as teenagers sometimes do. They certainly don't like to do what their parents ask them, especially on the franchise, so my ears honed in on the conversation.  The pregnancy episode had been handled rather poorly by the McCain campaign; they'd seriously never had to think about anything like this before! It stunned them in a way, but then believed they could easily attract many more working class, god fearing people to the campaign with this information.  Outwardly Sarah handled her daughter's pregnancy with stunning grace. But the arguments inside were entirely another story.  There was a good deal of anger going on around the unplanned pregnancy.  As any typical parent, they were worried for their daughter, they'd both felt she may have ruined her life. Outside though, where all the world's a stage, they felt sure they could turn this into a plus with the pro-life crowd, Sarah was already seeing herself as the next best thing for the republican party, and she was certainly willing to use whatever she could to take advantage of that fact, even if it meant throwing her daughter out there and using her circumstances to benefit a future in politics or on the fringe of politics, either way, they could get rich, and that is what counted. Cynical, yes, but would the pro-life crowd buy it, well in short, yes.

To be continued: