The two-minute self-promotional spot puts Palin and conservative women back on the radar. With video, Palin goes pro

It was nothing more than a two-minute self-promotional spot, a campaign-style production that any candidate with a little cash and a capable consultant could splice together, yet Sarah Palin’s newly-released video managed to drive cable news television chatter and blazed across the blogosphere Thursday.

It was a remarkable display of force—and one that almost no one else in American political life can replicate.


The spot, scored with upbeat music designed to underscore Palin’s message of conservative female empowerment and the idea of a grassroots awakening, may not be enough to rehabilitate her polarizing profile in time for a 2012 presidential bid.

But the effect reinforced the notion that she remains perhaps the most electric force in the Republican Party, and suggested she is taking steps to professionalize her approach and solidify her role as the conservative movement's most prized endorser and fundraiser.

The slick web video marked a departure for Palin, who until now has primarily relied on a small group of advisers and pursued a mostly ad hoc political approach since her resignation as governor. She delivers the occasional speech and sometimes lectures the media via Twitter and Facebook — tactics which play well with some on the right but which are out of sync with the global profile she enjoys.

But in recent months, by lending her support to a group of successful female Republican candidates, the former Alaska governor has established herself as a GOP political queenmaker. And with Thursday’s video, she moved to cement her image as the country's leader of conservative women, leading a stampede of "pink elephants."

All of it seems to indicate a level of strategic thinking among her and her small inner circle that hasn’t always been apparent.

Her endorsements so far this year reflect a politician less hellbent on ideological purity as she's typically portrayed. In important races such as the Iowa gubernatorial contest and the California Senate campaign, Palin has endorsed mainstream Republicans over more conservative candidates.

Further, she's sought a voice in recent policy debates. She used a high-profile appearance at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans to deliver an energy speech. Last month she delivered an address on defense spending at an event in the military-rich Hampton Roads region of Virginia.

The video, which is light on substance and marked by a folksy approach that won’t diminish questions about her gravitas, shows that Palin still has major challenges as a national politician.

Yet it also reflects how she has built a powerful platform in the Republican Party by doing things in her own unique way. Her lack of cross-over appeal may ultimately limit her political prospects, but at the moment she's already got more influence than almost any other politician on the national scene.

"She is speaking to other women like her — and there are a lot of them," said GOP strategist Alex Castellanos. "For years, people said the first female president would be a Republican. What if the most powerful political leader in the women's movement that has evolved is Sarah Palin?”

Palin recognizes the power she wields, and explained to POLITICO in a statement that “sending my own message, minus the media filter, is a valuable way to remind voters that they have great choices in these upcoming mid-term elections.”

“The tools I'll use, like this energetic video that showcases commonsense Constitutional conservative women, will highlight a significant movement in our nation as we advance ever closer to what will be historic 2010 elections,” Palin said.

Despite the video’s high production values, SarahPAC, her political action committee, did not hire a well-known GOP media firm to produce the video. In keeping with her political style, a videographer was hired to follow Palin around to several events where she was a featured speaker.

The videographer made a rough cut of the video and presented it to four or five members of the PAC who then weighed in with suggested edits. After a few rounds of back-and-forth with the videographer, the PAC’s staff presented the video to Palin, who asked for a few changes of her own before signing off on the video.

The video “shows off her breezy, informal speaking style,” said GOPAC Chairman Frank Donatelli. “The decision to reconnect with women and families is a good one.”

Palin’s support for female candidate isn’t just smart politics for her, Donatelli added, but is “good for the GOP too.”

“I love it,” said longtime Republican insider and fundraiser Fred Malek, a fan of Palin's.

Malek, who is deeply involved in the Republican Governors Association pointed out that the GOP has “five great conservative female candidates running for governor as Republicans, including one Hispanic American, and one Indian American” who have received support from Palin.

“I believe all will win,” Malek wrote in an e-mail to POLITICO. “And Gov. Palin's encouragement will help make that happen.”

Palin’s decision to steer her energy toward electing Republican women has proven wise, said Republican operative Mary Matalin.

There is “nothing so powerful as a mother in progeny protection mode,” Matalin said, noting that she thought the video was “really great.”

“This isn’t just another electoral cycle ‘mom’ constituency,” Matalin said. “These moms are bringing their parents, husbands and children along.”

Palin has also made a tactical dive into policy, according to a GOP operative close to the former governor. She used a recent speech to deliver a message to tea party activists that their desire to cut government spending across the board should not apply to the Pentagon.

“Something has to be done urgently to stop the out of control Obama-Reid-Pelosi spending machine, and no government agency should be immune from budget scrutiny,” Palin said in the speech. “We must make sure, however, that we do nothing to undermine the effectiveness of our military. If we lose wars, if we lose the ability to deter adversaries, if we lose the ability to provide security for ourselves and for our allies, we risk losing all that makes America great! That is a price we cannot afford to pay.”

The speech received widespread attention—winning even a write up from Foreign Policy magazine—and provided the rare instance in which Palin’s ideas were the focal point rather than the most recent flap or personal problem.

A GOP operative close to Palin said the hope with the defense speech was that it would "lay the groundwork for her to play a serious role in [the foreign policy and defense] debate going forward.”

“She's the tea partier who supports the war in Afghanistan and pushes back against cuts to defense spending," the operative said.

Matalin, the longtime GOP strategist, said she was uncertain if Palin's ‘Momma Grizzly’ image and recent foray into policy was enough to vault her to the presidency.

"I don't think she's there," said Matalin, who has offered some advice to Palin. "But every time this conversation takes place she has advance the ball in her favor."