At least not for a while, anyway.
In less than 48 hours we’ll know if Sarah Palin will be headed to Washington to help lead the country or if she’ll be jetting back to her Alaskan home to resume her duties as governor.
For the past few days rumors have been flying that if the latter occurs Palin will be adding another line to her growing resume: TV talk show host. Reports claim that FOX News has offered the Republican vice presidential candidate a deal to host her own show. In addition, several newspapers have been reporting that Palin has been inundated by lucrative book deals and other TV offers.
Regardless of whether you love her or hate her, the fact is, Palin is considered an attractive and dynamic presence and her sudden fame has made her highly sought after in the world of marketing.
The only problem: Parlaying that success could mean breaking the law. According to leaders in the 49th state, a provision of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act restricts outside employment, stating: “The head of a principal executive department of the state may not accept employment for compensation outside the agency that the executive head serves.”
When queried by reporters as to what constitutes “employment,” Senior Assistant Attorney General David Jones said the section likely applies to the governor but it’s not completely clear on the exact interpretation.
“Clearly, the intent of the statute is to make it clear these are full-time jobs,” Jones said. “If you are a commissioner, for example, you can’t be working in the private sector. But does that mean you can’t go out and give a speech now and then for an honorarium? I don’t know.”
Giving a speech is probably not what Palin’s team has in store for the popular candidate. As Tina Fey noted in her latest parody of Palin on “Saturday Night Live,” the 44-year-old politician could have what it takes to be the “white Oprah Winfrey.”
“It’s not unimaginable that Ms. Palin, who once worked as a television sports reporter, could someday follow (Ronald) Reagan’s path in reverse and cash in her political renown to become a show-business celebrity,” claims one New York Times critic.
If the TV gig doesn’t pan out, publishers agree that a Palin memoir would bring her a seven-figure advance, though whether she could legally accept it is still up in the air.
Palin’s term as governor is scheduled to run through 2010. After that… watch out Oprah… or at least Tyra Banks.