It might be hard for non-writers to believe, but I almost never have an idea which of my columns will connect and which won’t. There are things that I suspect will drive the debate, but go nowhere. And then there are things that surprise me when they strike a chord. I can’t predict.
Well, for whatever reason, my recent column on Sarah Palin took off. I suspect this was because of the confessional nature of the column, and perhaps because it served the needs of two constituencies: Former Palin fans who have jumped off the bandwagon and feel betrayed — and liberals who always hated her.
You know what you’ve written has blown up when people talk about your work without you having to be there. (An aside: A good chronology of a writer’s career might look like this: 1). Not getting on TV, 2). Getting on TV, 3). Not having to get on TV, yet still garner buzz.)
Such was the case when Bill Maher had some (in my estimation) good-natured at my expense on Friday night (my part starts at around the 02:10 mark):
Even I laughed at the MySpace gibe.
As you can tell, I take this as more of a compliment than a criticism. But it’s also a good lesson in the power of narratives. The notion is that I’ve been carrying Palin’s water for six years. That’s not the case. I was supportive of her in ’08 (and probably too critical of her conservative critics at the time). Yet since then, I’ve both praised and criticized her.
That doesn’t matter. The narrative is set. Politicians aren’t the only one’s who have to contend with this.