FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It feels like Sarah Palin all over again.
Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell burst onto the national stage with her upset win in the primaries; and suddenly everyone can't seem to get enough of her.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/09/22/art.odonnell.jpg caption=" U.S. Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell smiles at supporters before doing a television interview at her Senate primary night party on September 14, 2010 in Dover, Delaware. "]
This is despite the fact that O'Donnell has some big question marks on her resume - just like Sarah Palin. She's come under fire for allegedly misusing campaign funds for personal expenses-just like Sarah Palin.
O'Donnell has also been in the spotlight for saying years ago she "dabbled in witchcraft" and had one of her first dates with a witch "on a satanic altar." And she's used her views on abstinence to rule out masturbation.
After her last-minute cancellation of two Sunday show appearances over the weekend, O'Donnell announced Sarah Palin advised her not to do any more national media interviews, and instead focus on local media.
Based on Sarah Palin's disastrous interviews with Katie Couric, that's probably not bad advice. I wonder if it means O'Donnell is as poorly informed on the issues as Sarah Palin was.
It all sounds so familiar. Palin's resume is littered with goofy comments like saying you can see Russia from Alaska or not being able to name a single newspaper she reads.
Palin quit as governor of Alaska midway through her first term. She often refuses to talk about lots of issues with the media, unless it's with the F-word network - which pays her.
But none of that seems to matter. Sarah Palin has become a huge celebrity who is seriously being talked about as a possible presidential contender. Just what we need. Remember the McCain campaign?
Here’s my question to you: Why do people like Sarah Palin and Christine O'Donnell attract so much attention?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Carlos in Pasadena, California writes:
Hello Jack. The popularity of the Tea Party lies with the media because the media loves the anomaly, the weird, the extreme, and the immediate. This coupled with the quick solution, the sound bite, and an audience that has a brief attention span makes the Palin's et al popular.
Andy writes:
Palin and O'Donnell represent the ideal Stepford housewife. The older conservative white men can fantasize about them and the older white women can emulate them. It's scary to think that candidates no longer have to talk to the issues and can hide behind slide show bullet points. Once again beauty reins in the white man's world and intelligence is s negative.
Professor writes:
I don't think the majority of Americans like either one of them, Jack. We simply like watching train wrecks occur. These two whackos are foolish people who think the rest of us are stupid enough to fall for rhetoric and populism.
Nick writes:
It's because their rhetoric is in the right place. The country is still going through a rough time, economically, and while they have shown time and time again that they do not have the qualifications to fix the problems, much less debate them, they still provide an accurate mouthpiece to vent frustration and anger amongst Americans. They are using the current situations for their own political and personal gains.
Jean writes:
Three words: "pretty white women"… Looks and no brains. Who was more famous than Marilyn Monroe? And, they don't have to be blond to be ditsy.
Tom in Texas writes:
Harken back to some of Palin's old video plus Ms. O'Donnell's recent admissions. You've just gotta know, as the song goes: "It's witchcraft."