http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/fey-palin-character-debuts-on-snl/?scp=3&sq=sarah%20palin%20tina%20fey&st=cse

Ever since Sarah Palin agreed to become John McCain’s vice presidential running mate on the republican ticket, she has been under constant scrutiny because of the fact that it is easy for many common people to relate to her. By now, Tina Fey’s infamous SNL parody of Palin has been viewed by Americans millions of times. In this short segment, Fey played on Palin's prairie like accent and stage presence, mimicking all of Palin's mannerisms precisely and even stating, "And I can see Russia from my house!" to play up on Palin's flaws. Palin uses an average vocabulary - terms that all people, not just politicians, will understand - to make citizens feel as though she is one of them. Although we hope for a vice presidential candidate to be an extraordinary person who citizens will aspire to be like, Sarah Palin is doing well in gaining support because she is a real, relatable person. Because Palin is an easy going person, she is an easy target for the media and programs such as SNL, but the media is being too harsh on her. Although she is fairly inexperienced compared to other politicians, she has the courage to stand up for herself and try. According to the opinion of NY Times blogger Katherine Seelye, "The political world has paid attention to SNL’s take on campaigns because of its track record in crystallizing the candidates’ foibles and capturing the zeitgeist, as it did during the primaries earlier this year when it portrayed the media as swooning for Mr. Obama." Therefore, Palin's inexperience and comfortable presence makes her vulnerable to attack by the media, some of which she does not deserve. However, Palin's character is more of a benefit to her than a drawback. When she took the stage at the VP debate, she possessed all the confidence necessary to lead the United States when she initially addressed Senator Biden saying, "Hey, can I call you Joe?" Obviously Palin felt comfortable and sure of herself, almost as though Biden had arrived at her homey Alaska residence for dinner. The debate continued on and Palin displayed that she understood the views of the people when she mentioned asking parents at a kid's soccer game about the economy to explain the financial worries in America. This statement made people feel like Palin would represent them, and this is helping her in the campaign. Palin received the most criticism, from established politicians, from her statement "Say it ain't so, Joe...Now doggone it..." This language represents that of the average American, and Palin is proving that she will represent a diverse group of people. Which other candidate has the confidence to give a speech in this manner without fear? Palin was herself and she did not let the possibilty of attack or embarassment hinder her in any way as she took the stage with confidence and a strong personality. Palin took a chance, and Americans will respond to this and support her because she is making them feel represented. Let's face it; Sarah Palin makes people feel comfortable and important, and people like these feelings, so they will vote for her for these reasons. Palin's charming demeanor is extremely helping her throughout this campaign, but she does not have all of the experience and credibility to support herself so these traits are a necessity. So in this upcoming election, let's realize that Palin will represent the average Americans and give her a chance, doggone it.