Sarah Palin speaks at a 2008 rally (Photo by Derek Walter)

When Sarah Palin took to the stage at last year’s Republican National Convention, she gave the best speech of the week and single-handedly resurrected John McCain’s fledgling campaign. At the time, I wrote a glowing review while blogging the convention for The Fresno Bee (I’m even ashamed to admit I used the phrase “Sarah Barracuda”).

During that week Palin seemed like the perfect vice presidential candidate to complement McCain. The buzz was that she was a popular, conservative governor who had worked with Democrats and fought corruption. The message was complete. It was the Reform Ticket.

Fast forward to last weekend. Palin’s speech to the tea party gang was simplistic, cliche-ridden, and just downright bad. Not to mention she ought to think twice about criticizing President Obama’s use of  a teleprompter given that she opts for a Sharpie. She had no issue sharing the stage with other buffoons like Tom Tancredo.

I have to believe that any ounce of Palin’s well-spoken deliveries or talking points were the result of the McCain campaign team. No wonder they muzzled her. If the Sarah we have now was acting like this back then, McCain would have lost by another 50 electoral votes.

She has evolved into a non-stop self-promotional machine. Which is fine for a celebrity. But another thing for a prospective stateswoman. If she wanted to convince us she was ready to be president, she would have put her head down and gone to work in Alaska as governor. How about some legislative accomplishments? Maybe even a state of the state speech or two?

No, instead we have a Fox News studio in her house in Wasilla and $100,000-a-pop speeches. Trips to Oprah’s couch and an unending feud with her grandchild’s father. The reality show has finally come to American politics.

Palin and the Tea Party group are going to hang around, but their influence won’t be that fruitful. Just as it did in 2008, the battle for the middle will dominate elections in 2010 and 2012. It was independents that helped put Scott Brown in the Senate in Massachusetts. These voters aren’t that interested in someone who speaks in 1980s conservative rhetoric, misspeaks, and has the same tired attack on Obama. She’s going to have to develop some actual ideas and policy points, or people may get bored and tune out.

I already have.