Palin Makes Good Copy, Not Good Candidate

That Sarah Palin drives up TV ratings and online traffic is clear, but listen up, mainstream media—that doesn’t mean she’s the next big thing in Republican politics. Just look at the polls, Jim Vandehei and Jonathan Martin write for Politco. They say they “know we’re part of the problem—and we’ll surely continue to run stories about Palin.” But take it with a grain of salt: She's good copy.

“We just can’t quit her,” Vandehei and Martin admit. “The left loves to mock her, the right rushes to defend her and folks in between seem to be fascinated by the whole spectacle.” But editors and TV producers need to distinguish between ad dollars and presidential prospects. “To cover her as the chief alternative to Obama and the presumptive front-runner for the GOP nomination in 2012 borders on the dishonest.” (More Jonathan Martin stories.)