Sarah Palin Resigns
Sarah Palin gave notice to Alaska over the weekend, saying that she would resign her governorship effective July 25. She also will not seek re-election in 2010. So just what is she thinking? No one knows for sure, although many people are trying to figure it out. I don’t get it myself.
Palin, 45, the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate who has an ardent following among conservatives, had been expected to announce Friday that she would not seek re-election after her term ends in 2010. But, surrounded by her family, she blindsided even Alaska political veterans when she announced in a meandering statement that she will step down July 25 and turn over the reins to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell.
[snip]
Palin, who has been the target of a series of ethical complaints in Alaska, delivered a rambling and defensive announcement surrounded by her family, and didn’t pinpoint a reason for the decision. She said she would be “taking my fight for Alaska in a new direction.”
“My choice is to take a stand and effect change and not just hit our heads against the wall,” she said. “We know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time.”
Palin noted that she had intended to announce she wouldn’t run for a second term, but “I thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks … then I thought, that’s what’s wrong.”
“They hit the road, they draw a paycheck, they kind of milk it, and I’m not going to put Alaska through that … the same old politics as usual.
“All I can ask is you trust me with that decision,” Palin said. “I cannot stand here as your governor and allow the millions of dollars and all that time to go to waste, just so I can hold the title of governor.”
Even many of her supporters called quitting her job in midterm an act of political insanity – hardly an argument for a presidential candidate trying to demonstrate the capacity to tackle the nation’s toughest problems. And the timing of the announcement of such a major decision was puzzling – on the start of a three-day holiday when important news tends to get lost.
Though Palin said she had been considering her decision for weeks, state officials told Alaska media they were completely surprised by the announcement.
The move is the latest in a series of headline-making events for Palin and ignited a debate about whether it would extinguish – or fire up – her presidential aspirations.
“That’s the $64,000 question: Is she fed up with politics, or does it put her in a stronger position to run for president?” Whalen said. Voters “may forget if you leave your job, but they don’t forget every time you leave the state and an ethics complaint is filed. Alaska, as much as she loves her job, becomes an enormous burden if she wants to run for other office.”
Palin referred in her announcement to the ethics complaints, which she has dismissed as politically motivated.
It’s an unorthodox move to be sure, if she wants to run for president in 2012. You would think that retaining the office of governor would give her a “bully pulpit” of sorts. But she’s giving that up. But why? I can’t see that this move helps her politically, even though she remains quite popular with the Republican base. It looks to me like another indication that she is not ready to be president and that she never will be. (Incidentally, this also makes McCain look even more irresponsible in picking her to be his running mate.)
There has been some speculation that because her personal legal bills are about $500,000, she needs to get a talk show or write a book or go on the speaking circuit, or some combination of all of those. Does it give her an opportunity to rebrand herself as someone who is ready to be president? Maybe. But I doubt it.
I’m mystified by this move. Why would she do this? I really don’t get it. What do you think? Is she crazy, or crazy like a fox?
Sadly I’m guessing that the Liberals ran her out of office by bankrupting her with frivolous ethics violations charges. There were 15 – 18 of them filed, and while she was easily found innocent of all wrongdoing, it was still very costly for her and her family who are not especially wealthy by “normal” political standards.
The only good I can see coming out of this is that it has brought the idea of such legal actions as weapons of war to the public’s attention. I’m hoping – and helping – Conservatives will learn from this Alinsky-esque tactic and use it against the Liberals at each and every opportunity.
The vast left-wing conspiracy? Perhaps. But perhaps some of those ethics investigations might actually be merited. I don’t know. If they’re frivolous and were used to bankrupt her and her family, that’s reprehensible. I’m not close to the Alaska situation. This just struck me as idiotic politically.
I would say that NONE of the charges held any merit because a not particularly friendly ethics committee found her innocent of everything.
As for “The vast left-wing conspiracy” – a conspiracy doesn’t have to be vast to achieve tactical goals like bankrupting a governor with ethics charge defense bills. Indeed, it doesn’t even take a conspiracy, just a hate-filled media calling attention to any and every negative rumor that arises. Independent Liberals could do the rest without further coaxing.
I’ll defer to you on the ethics investigations, Jonolan. Like I said, I really don’t know. I haven’t followed it.
I watched that speech she gave announcing this. It made no sense whatsoever. At least she nudged the Michael Jackson circle jerk off the news for a moment.
That’s a feat, too, Alan. I didn’t think there was anything that could make Jackson’s service go away.
When she accepted the VP nomination, she knew she needed to bring her professional game up to another level, she never did. She knew that her family would get attacked as did Hilary and Chelsea before her (by even her twin maverick brother McCain in 1998), let face it she knew her family affairs would come out. But now she plays the victim card again, a card she played after those comical first extended interviews that we all enjoyed and SNL immortalized. But for the icing on the cake, she quits, because she does not want to be a lame duck governor, because the lawsuits keep coming, because it was the media’s fault, because seeing Russia from her house finally got to her, because its not fair that Alaskan’s paid her salary while she was running for the VP position, take your pick. So what does she tells us? Dear Mr. President, when things get tough, quit. Dear military men and women, if you are not having fun, quit. Dear son or daughter, if things are not going your way, quit. Sure, I agree when she first was introduced and gave a descent speech, sure the polls went up, but after the extended interviews, they went where they ended, down. She showed her true character, I really hope the book deal, Radio/ TV shows and the lecture circuits make up for what her party has lost by her actions. She may go down in history as the quitter that twittered.
She cost McCain the election, her folkyness, accent and winking do not ring true, her intellect is below par (our vivid memory of the last one who delegates and follows because of their lack of intellect), but lets face it with the right type of marketing (vote folky, vote god) it can be sold to US, history tends to repeat itself. God help us!
Jonolan,
I’m curious if NONE of the ethics charges had merit, then why would she file them against herself? Either there was merit, or she felt that it was worth wasting taxpayer dollars to improve her image.
Personally, I’m guessing she is eyeing a run for the WH. One pet peave of mine is politicians who run for another office while still being paid to perform their own duties (and obviously not being able to give full attention). In this, if Palin IS going to run, I support the method.
LOUDelf,
Palin didn’t file the charges, other people did and she was forced to defend herself against them. She was also inundated with an inordinate number of FOIA requests, which sucked up a lot of her and her staff’s time in responding to them each within the legal time limit.
The Liberals – and I think some of the GOP “Old Boys” in AK – successfully used Alinski’s 4th Rule – Make you enemy live up to their book of rules – against Gov. Palin.
Technically, you’re right, Palin didn’t file any charges — her lawyer did. He sent an ethics disclosure to the Attorney General . The governor asked that it go to the three-person Personnel Board as a complaint. So, I’ll stick by my premise that she can be included in those filing the ethics charges or “disclosures”.
LOUDelf,
With the exception of “troopergate,” which was a response to an ongoing investigation, Palin’s ethics disclosures were a response to complaints and required under Alaskan law. Alaska Statute AS 39.52.210(a) requires such measures from Public Employees.
So once again we’re back to Alinski’s 4th rule…
But hey, to those who hate & fear Palin, it’s all moot. In their eyes nothing that she does other than to die would be seen as right.
Can anyone real tell me that you were impressed by her exit speech? You can’t real believe that she is the only person that can win in 2012. You know, if she can’t take a joke, don’t get in the game, its politics, they all get kicked around. Let me paint you a picture, in my opinion, for the last eight years where the mantra was no regulation and no oversight and spread to all federal agencies and the justice department was filled by unqualified religious morons and the dullard (ex-drunk) religious president started two wars of choice with extreme tax dollar spending, well we now find ourselves with our current economic situation because of those choices. Do you remember how Ronald Reagan got us out of a recession? By spending and we will do the same. Oh, by the way I read that God blog, very funny, it reminds me of those TV evangelists who claim the talk to God and want so and so foreign country leader to be killed or such and such a us state to be punished for a court ruling that intelligent design is just another word for religion. We had enough of religious dullards in our government. If you believe that the USA has strayed from God then go out to your communities and preach to your neighbors, the sick, the shut ins, the poor and invite or take part in your church, build a community. But I know that’s hard work we want a government official to do that for us, well that was tried and look where it left us, in the gutter, but our country does not quit and we will rise again. I am not a pro at this, for that tune in to those who love to speculate Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck, ok maybe not.
Can anyone real tell me that you were impressed by her exit speech? You can’t real believe that she is the only person that can win in 2012. You know, if she can’t take a joke, don’t get in the game, its politics, they all get kicked around. Let me paint you a picture, in my opinion, for the last eight years where the mantra was no regulation and no oversight and spread to all federal agencies and the justice department was filled by unqualified religious types and the dullard (ex-drunk) religious president started two wars of choice with extreme tax dollar spending, is anyone surprised with our current economic situation because of those choices. Sure “W” sucker the religious right to vote for him and that’s why he placed unqualified people in positions of responsibility and they failed (almost a “plan to fail”), do you forget Katrina, where the Director of FEMA Michael D. Brown, was relieved of his duties because of incompetence? Or can you forget disgraced White House correspondent James Guckert, AKA Jeff Gannon, the male escort, why was a male escort getting into the Whitehouse, hmmm? I know it was Barney Frank’s fault, he controls the county and republicans had their hands tied (even though 7 of the last 8 years they had the majority and the presidency to do something (fact or fiction?), but not the will to act). Oh, by the way I read that God blog, very funny, it reminds me of those TV evangelists who claim the talk to God and want so and so foreign country leader to be killed or such and such a us state to be punished by God for a court ruling that intelligent design is just another word for religion. We had enough of religious dullards in our government. If you believe that the USA has strayed from God then go out to your communities and preach to your neighbors, the sick, the shut ins, the poor and invite them to take part in your church, build a community. But I know that’s hard work we want a government official to do that for us, well they tried that and look where it left us, in the gutter, but our country does not quit and we will rise again. Do you remember how Ronald Reagan got us out of a recession? By spending and we will do the same. But she is just another “W” in heels and she is stringing the religious right along, she will sell you her books, her radio/TV shows and speaking engagements. Lastly, I do not want you to believe what I believe, so please keep writing, feel free, I am starting to enjoy this.