Jerry Springer and his defenders; Sara Palin. (Reuters)
When you think of Jerry Springer, the first image you probably get is of a little guy ducking while chairs are being thrown across a stage, then running to safety while burly bodyguards try desperately to rein in his excitable talk show audience.
But what you may have forgotten is Springer was also the mayor of Cincinnati, and ran for governor of Ohio, so he's got some serious political chops as well.
Which is what made PopEater.com's interview with him so interesting, especially when he started talking about Sarah Palin and liberal politics.
Here's a couple questions and answers from the interview:
So I wanted to chat about someone you have a little in common with: Sarah Palin. She's also a former lawmaker who pivoted to television. Could she hack it with her own talk show?
Well, she's incredibly charismatic. Her politics are different than mine. But I don't belittle her. She represents a significant segment of America. It might not be the majority, but certainly a significant segment of America that lives her lifestyle and believes as she does. And therefore, I can disagree with her without making fun of her. And for those of us who are more liberal, we step on dangerous ground when we try to belittle her, or belittle her fundamentalism, or religion or stuff like that, saying you know she is backwoods or stuff like that. That is how liberals come across as elitists or snobs.
Palin is viewed as a woman of the people; easy to relate to.
She's obviously got something going. Just look at the reaction! It wasn't just her 15 minutes of fame. It's lasted. She touches a nerve for people who resent being looked down upon. And there is a significant segment of America that feels it is being looked down upon. I think that's dangerous. It's where people who are liberal can get into trouble. So, I respect her. I disagree with her. But I have nothing bad to say about her. And I am sure anything she does in the media will be successful. She's got that "whatever that is" that makes you pay attention.
Go to Popeater.com to see if Springer thinks Palin will run for President in 2012, and for the rest of the interview.