Bristol Palin is one of the four finalists on “Dancing With the Stars,” the No. 1 rated show in the country, a fact that has bedeviled some fans and critics.
The 20-year-old daughter of the former governor of Alaska has consistently earned low scores from the show’s on-camera judges, but those scores are combined, a la “American Idol,” with the contestant’s call-in vote, where Miss Palin is a juggernaut.
The show’s producers think tea party voters who back Sarah Palin have turned “Dancing With the Stars” into a referendum on the power of grass roots political muscle.
In one episode, the younger Palin wore a tea party t-shirt during rehearsals.
“There’s a strong popular movement behind Sarah Palin at the moment and she’s receiving a lot of support from the Tea Party,” said Conrad Green, executive producer of the program. “It’s entirely possible some of those people are behind Bristol for political reasons.”
