Sarah Palin is in Columbus today on her book tour, signing books at a local Borders bookstore. According to a local radio broadcast this morning, people started lining up at the bookstore before noon yesterday. The bookstore announced that only 1,000 people will be admitted to see the ex-Governor of Alaska, and people lined up early hoping to be one of the lucky few. Mrs. Palin is supposed to sign books at the store from 6-9 p.m. today.
I’m not sure that I would wait for 30 hours to get a book signed by anyone. Still, it is interesting that Mrs. Palin excites that kind of interest. She seems to be the one politician in American life today that most people do not feel neutral about. People either think she is great and are willing to wait for hours on line to get her signature on a book, or think she is a blithering idiot who exemplifies the worst qualities of know-nothing conservatives. My guess is that the reality is somewhere between the two polar extremes.
Incidentally, I don’t call her “Governor Palin” because she is no longer a governor. I think any politician who is no longer in office should go by Mr. or Mrs. People who have left office are ordinary citizens like the rest of us, and should be addressed as such.
Webner House 