Still, Republicans are starting to get their sea legs after spending months of serious soul-searching and having to watch the likes of Palin, Steele and conservative radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh dominate the news cycle -- for all the wrong reasons.

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Peter Chernin, president of News Corporation, whose Fox network broadcasts the Idol show, rejects such talk as unjustified cynicism.

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It's also a way for pundits, bloggers and talk-show hosts to elevate themselves during the 24-hours news cycle, says Robert Thompson, a professor of pop culture history at Syracuse University in New York City.

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