the buzz log

With apologies to John McCain, even the presidential nominee's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last night couldn't still the buzz around his vice, Sarah Palin. Palin's prominence has breathed new life into some of the grande dames of movements past in Search.

… Back to the future. The anti-feminist, pro-life leader Phyllis Schlafly, whose politics were formed around defeating (successfully) the Equal Rights Amendment back in the 1970s, is back in the news. Searches for the social conservative spiked on word that she criticized Palin for not showing up at a pro-life dinner to accept an award. Any perceived slight didn't dampen her enthusiasm for the new poster child of pro-life policies. "It is really just stunning the way she has invigorated the grassroots across the board," Schlafly told the Minneapolis St. Paul Star Tribune.

… Au Contraire. Gloria Steinem, the founder of Ms. magazine and the modern women's movement, says Sarah Palin is not the right woman for the job. Searches for "gloria steinem" rose 723%, along with "gloria steinem sarah palin" and "gloria steinem palin," on the news that Steinem is (no surprise) no Palin fan. In a Los Angeles Times editorial, Steinem invoked her old foe in noting, "Sarah Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Hillary Clinton. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger." Schlafly couldn't put it better herself.

… Hello, Dolly. Palin certainly seems to be a lightning rod on Search. We're watching as Palin's Internet nickname, "caribou barbie" (+26%) spreads like crazy online. We're not sure who started it, but we're guessing the nickname's not a term of affection.