• by Gaetano Pollice , October 2, 2008

As the last bits of patriotic confetti floated to the floor of Denver’s Invesco Field during the closing moments of the Democratic National Convention, little could anyone — Democrat, Republican, National Socialist — guess that a scant 12 hours or so later, Barack Obama would have his spotlight stolen as media darling of the presidential election’s dog-and-pony show.

And stolen it was by Sarah Palin, then the little-known Republican governor of Alaska. The self-proclaimed hockey mom owned the stage at the Republican National Convention, candidly discussing her Down syndrome son Trig; beaming about her son Track, about to be deployed to Iraq; and, of course, cracking wise about the difference between hockey moms and pit bulls.

That night, she ignited the conservative base and made the news media snap to attention. And when it was revealed shortly afterward that her unwed teenage daughter was pregnant, soaring TV ratings and magazine sales made Palin’s value very clear: Hers is the Spears family of politics.

The next week, Palin was on the covers of four celeb mags. US Weekly featured Palin and Trig with a cover line that seemed more like some Brangelina commotion du jour: “Babies, Lies & Scandal.” People panted, “Sarah Palin’s Family Drama,” and OK! opted for a double cover, one featuring Palin (“A Mother’s Painful Choice”) and another the Obamas. The National Enquirer, bless its blackened heart, trumpeted, “Sarah Palin’s Dark Secrets!” and went the extra mile, alleging an extramarital affair and family squabbling. Estimates of newsstand sales were solid; People was said to have hawked 1.9 million, beating its usual 1.45 million.

It might be her everywoman personality, or it might simply be that no one can figure out who the hell she really is. Either way, she’s got a golden ratings touch. When ABC News scored the first sit-down with Palin for World News With Charles Gibson, it won its time slot with 9.7 million viewers, per Nielsen; abc’s hourlong 20/20 Palin special reached 7.9 million, its best in six months.

The interview also provided more fodder for Saturday Night Live, which reasserted its relevance earlier this political season with buzz-generating skits about Hillary Clinton and Obama. This time, Tina Fey returned to film the show’s opening skit sporting an updo and speaking in a Fargo-worthy accent. The clip went viral, and the Hollywood Reporter crowned it NBC.com’s most-watched video ever, with nearly 6 million streams. Fey reprised her Palin two weeks later, also to high numbers.

Since the convention, Palin has turned a political campaign on its head, boosted ratings and readership, and blossomed into a conservative fashion icon (the Associated Press’s relentless investigative reporters found that Palin’s eyewear designer, Kazuo Kawasaki, thinks she’s “very good-looking”) — not too shabby for someone who, just a few short years ago, was indeed just the mayor of Alaska’s crystal meth capital.