A sampling of early reviews for Sarah Palin’s debut as a contributor on Fox News. (h/t J$)
NY Daily News’ David Hinckley:
She underscored her populist appeal with a plain-talk style that could set her apart from analysts who go for clever wordplay and subtlety – in neither of which she has shown much interest.
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TimesOnline’s Chris Ayres:
This, of course, is Fox’s problem with Palin: in spite of her rimless media mogul glasses and slick black studio outfit, she remains more candidate than pundit. Which means she wouldn’t take O’Reilly’s bait over whether the Obama Administration should invade Iran…She couldn’t even spare an insult for Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker – practically a pantomime villain for conservatives these days.
Newsday’s Verne Gay:
C.
OK, C +.
Baltimore Sun’s David Zurawik:
In a protected TV environment like the one Fox and O’Reilly skillfully provided for her Tuesday night, I think she could be a red-hot ratings winner. And the country and our political conversation are going to be the poorer for it. I can only imagine what kind of power these two might come to wield in the elections of 2010. This is not news analysis. This is TV as political propaganda.
USNWR’s John Aloysius Farrell:
The camera loves Palin–she comes across as genuine–and she seems to love the camera. She addressed the economic woes of average Americans; sounded eminently reasonable, and deftly dismissed the criticism she has received from some of John McCain’s campaign aides in the last year, for which beltway gossip-mongers seem to have an insatiable appetite.
Probably the most amusing review comes from the Chicago Tribune:
Shortly after her hiring was announced Monday, Irish betting site paddypower.com set the line at 8-to-1 that Palin will leave or lose her new commentary gig before Sept. 1. The odds are 10-to-1 that she’ll be out between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, and 11-to-10 that her departure will come Jan. 1 or after.