Forbes Magazine has just published its list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. They claimed that the list was based

less on traditional titles and roles and more on creative influence and entrepreneurship

mmmmm……so they put Michelle Obama at #1? That doesn’t quite fit into the 21st century narrative, does it? The list is packed with female CEO’s, Judges, Government officials etc (though sadly only one woman, Angela Merkel, who actually runs a country) so, for good or ill, they do wield power in terms of management, authority and the impact of their decisions. But, one has to ask oneself, would Michelle be on top of that list if she had not caught young Mr Obama’s eye and allowed herself to be led to the altar?

There are also quite a few media figures – Oprah (3), Ellen DeGeneres (10) and – pass the sick bucket, Alice – Kate Couric (22) on the list which is rather strange because we are supposed to be talking about The World here and, believe me, here in the UK only Oprah has any name recognition so, in that respect, the list seems a little Americocentric.

I suppose that “creative influence” leads to the inclusion of Lady Gaga (7) and Beyonce (9) – though surely Lady G could be described as a brilliant entrepreneur on the basis of having created a business empire out of minimal talent and infinite self advertisement.

But the atmosphere amongst all those bright scribblers in the Forbes editorial suite must have been funereal when they realised that the ‘Cudah had to be slotted in to the top twenty at #16. Nevertheless, apart from a couple of obligatory mini snarks the blurb about her was reasonably balanced….

Unofficial hostess of the Tea Party, Palin has brilliantly exploited traditional as well as social media to fan the flames of discontent–and forced the GOP establishment to embrace the insurgency. As a political commentator on Fox (with a $1 million-a-year, multi-year contract) and deft user of Twitter (260,000 followers) and Facebook (2 million-plus fans), she has largely bypassed traditional media to blast the press and the president

In terms of name recognition across the world, of course, Sarah Palin should be much nearer the top of that list because, outside the chattering classes of most nations, more people would have heard of her than, say,Nancy Pelosi (11) and others in the fifteen names above her. What’s more, should they suddenly be pitched out of their jobs, very few of the top twenty would be wielding much power at all.

So the key factor to bear in mind is that all the other nineteen in the top twenty are there because of their positions – First Lady, CEO, TV host, Performer etc. Palin is the only one in the top of the list who is there because of herself. She has no official post, no gargantuan PR team, no political machine, no influential family or billionaire eminence grise behind her – she is just Sarah Palin.

What she does have, however, is the loyalty of many ordinary American people, not just because of her political views, though they are important, but, like Margaret Thatcher in the UK in the 1980s, her character and spirit and integrity.

Sarah Palin – one of the most powerful women in the world…

Not bad for a has-been……

cross posted from Conservatives4Palin