Why does Sarah Palin prefer Facebook?

Chris Cillizza at The Fix notes that since she resigned as governor of Alaska July 26, Sarah Palin has pushed Twitter onto the back burner and now uses Facebook almost exclusively to get her message out:

All told, Palin has written 20 "notes" on Facebook since mid-August on a variety of subjects ranging from a statement on the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), a plug for conservative talk show host Glenn Beck and, of course, the now-infamous post raising concerns about end-of-life care contained within the Obama plan.

At the same time, Palin, who was once a dynamic user of Twitter -- she posted 14 tweets on July 23 alone -- has gone largely dormant as a presence on that hottest of social networking sites.

Why has the former governor adopted Facebook as her medium of choice? Cillizza asked around:

"Facebook itself is a true testament to American ingenuity and the entrepreneurial spirit; it will remain one of many great sources through which the governor will communicate directly with Americans," said Meg Stapleton, a spokeswoman for Palin.

Several operatives who count themselves as friends of the former governor offered their own thoughts on the "why" behind Palin's attraction to the medium.

Fred Malek, a major Republican donor, suggested that for a politician with very little staff, Facebook's ease of use may well appeal to Palin. "Facebook has benefit of simplicity," he added.

John Coale, a Democratic trial attorney and personal friend of the governor's suggested three reasons for her Facebook focus: "1. No editors 2. Beats Twitter 3. She has a zillion Facebook friends."

As of press time, Palin's Facebook site had nearly 930,000 supporters and each of her posts typically draw thousands of comments on what she has written, comments that are broadly supportive of her. By way of comparison, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) has 82,000 Facebook supporters while former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) has 121,000.

- JP