Why Did Sarah Palin Resign as Governor?

[Ivan Seeking]

The news conference is still under way. WOW! She not only said that she will not be running again, but she gave up authority to the Lt. Gov. immediately [at the end of the month].

In part she said that she doesn't want to be a lame duck Governor. A bit ironic when one considers that when she recently challenged Obama to a foot race, she boasted that she would have greater endurance.

 

[BobG]

Bizarre.

She did give a spiel about everyone trying to take down the point guard, and, like a good point guard, she was passing the ball off at the perfect time.

She also mentioned her son with Down's syndrome.

I think she has a scandal that's about to explode. Or ... her son has some complications that the public hasn't heard about before. The first seems more likely.

If this was just to focus on a more national level, she'd almost certainly finish her current term and just not run for reelection; similar to others such as Romney, Edwards, etc.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I swear, the flag-waiving doubletalk makes my skin crawl.

 

[LowlyPion]

Maybe she could just no longer compete for headlines with the death of Michael Jackson?

Or maybe she wants to devote herself to the flagging Tea Party movement?

Or maybe she just realizes that she is at a dead end and being a national joke is no longer much fun?

MSNBC is reporting that she has told her financial backers that they are free to choose whoever they want in 2012. So maybe she has the good grace to know how limited she really is and for once is making a smart decision?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Paul Begala mentioned the possiblity that she could have a health problem, but assuming she is healthy, he considered that Alaskan oil revenues and her popularity are both down.

It certainly doesn't help with any national aspirations. She is now a one-term governor who attended five or six colleges [for what, a B.A. Journalism degree, I think] who didn't even finish one term of office.

 

[OAQfirst]

She's going to run for President. And comedians will be able to eat again.

 

[BobG]

I'd expect Steve Schmidt to be the source of whatever bombshell Palin felt could only be defused by immediate resignation.

Schmidt and Palin have constantly feuded since McCain's campaign went South and he certainly has to be privy to any potential scandals since part of his job would be to defuse them.

Interesting history as election campaign staff for Schmidt. Four straight unsuccessful campaigns before finally joining Bush's 2004 campaign working under Rove. Nothing but success since (I guess he worked on the Alito and Roberts nominations, but not the Miers nomination?) ... until McCain's campaign and he obviously blames a lot on Palin.

 

[WheelsRCool]

Or it could be nothing really and she is just completely sick of all of the allegations which are bankrupting her. She is hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt right now.

It could also be a combination of the above and her wanting to run for 2012, if that's the case though, it's a risky move.

Her opponents would be very wrong to under-estimate her though I think.

She has been criticized for not having boned up on issues more like economics, foreign policy, etc...she still speaks in platitudes. That is okay when first going out for VP and needing to bone up, but by now, people begin to wonder (although there is still plenty of time).

I have been wondering if answering all of these allegations, plus the stress from the debts and so forth, has been preventing her from doing this.

 

[LowlyPion]

Or it could be nothing really and she is just completely sick of all of the allegations which are bankrupting her. She is hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt right now.

Well Sarah Barracuda should have no problem with money. I doubt anyone or anything is bankrupting her.

If someone like Glen Beck can write a book and make money spewing his triteness, there must be enough of P.T. Barnum's kind of people out there to shell out more clams to fill her larder to busting.

I suspect Roger Ailes is already on the phone with an offer.

 

[WheelsRCool]

She is deeply in-debt. And you obviously have never watched, listened to, or read Glenn Beck I see...

 

[LowlyPion]

Having seen her press conference today in its entirety, it looks to me like she could have used both a speech writer and a teleprompter.

Confusing, rambling, incomplete. Those are my impressions of her performance. Pretty much like her campaign speeches this last fall.

 

[WheelsRCool]

That's President Obama I think you're confusing her with there.

 

[LowlyPion]

And you obviously have never watched, listened to, or read Glenn Beck I see...

Well I'll grant you that he may be worse than trite. He may even be intentionally so. But deep thoughts are apparently beyond his shallow grasp. Parlaying outrageous statements, intentionally obtuse, or otherwise, into a pay check looks to be his only talent.

By the way what Tea Party Rally is he leading tomorrow? Or has that juggernaut movement for change totally run out of even Glen Beck's kind of amped up steam?

 

[humanino]

She realized she needs her time and privacy to improve, whether it's because of personal issues or personal ambition, it's the first smart move I hear from her.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I keep thinking about her statement that "only dead fish go with the flow". Could this be a result of her being on the losing side of the split within the Republican party? One can only imagine the fights going on between the more moderate Reps, and ultra-conservative fundamentalists. In any event, it is funny that she would refer to completing the term of office to which she was elected as "going with the flow".

Candy Crowley is reporting that friends close to Palin are saying that she is fed up and done with politics.

 

[turbo]

Palin is a relatively unpopular governor of the 4th least-populous state in the county, which has been surviving on oil revenues in recent memory. The notion that she doesn't want to saddle her state with a lame-duck governor is laughable at a minimum. It is more creative than the "I want to spend more time with my family" excuse that creeps use when they are caught in wrong-doing, but only a bit.

Edit: Let's all pitch in and buy her two mules.

 

[WheelsRCool]

Well I'll grant you that he may be worse than trite. He may even be intentionally so. But deep thoughts are apparently beyond his shallow grasp.

What "shallow grasp?" Enlighten us narrow-minded individuals who do not have your profound understanding of the issues.

He is a strict proponent of classical liberalism. Few others on television are. It would behoove you perhaps to spend some time listening and/or watching him rather than spouting what the leftists in the media tell you he is saying.

Parlaying outrageous statements, intentionally obtuse, or otherwise, into a pay check looks to be his only talent.

Being concerned about the massive growth and intrusions of government are outrageous statements? Hmm...

By the way what Tea Party Rally is he leading tomorrow? Or has that juggernaut movement for change totally run out of even Glen Beck's kind of amped up steam?

Yup, how DARE people be concerned about such excessive spending by government right now! Seriously, if you have nothing really to contribute then do not post.

I keep thinking about her statement that "only dead fish go with the flow". Could this be a result of her being on the losing side of the split within the Republican party?

What makes you think she is on any "losing side" of a split within the party?

One can only imagine the fights going on between the more moderate Reps, and ultra-conservative fundamentalists.

You are over-simplifying the Republican party. What you would define as a "moderate," I define as a more Leftist Republican.

The term "ultra-conservative," what do you mean? Neither Mike Huckabee nor Sarah Palin, the religious fundamentalists, were strict fiscally conservative, limited government Republicans per se.

If you mean "ultra-conservative" as in limited government, free-market capitalism, fiscal conservativsm, strong national defense, etc...that's not really "conservative" aside from the name. It's classically liberal. Many such conservatives may believe in God, but that doesn't make them at all the same as the fundamentalists who want to ram religion down people's throats.

The ultra-conservative fundamentalists are the types who put religion first. You can be a quasi-socialist, but as long as you are a fundamentalist Christian, they'll vote you in.

Also, do not forget the Democrats have their religious fundamentalists as well in the extreme environmentalist types who worship trees and so forth.

Extreme environmentalism is nothing more than a different variant of conventional Christianity when you look at it. It tends to pop up in areas where people reject Christianity, because when you suppress religion in one respect, it tends to pop up in another.

Palin is a relatively unpopular governor of the 4th least-populous state in the county,

Incorrect. She still has a high amount of popularity as governor and as a politician period. The very reason we are even discussing her is proof of this.

When has a governor of Alaska ever resigned and led the news?

 

[turbo]

Incorrect. She still has a high amount of popularity as governor and as a politician period. The very reason we are even discussing her is proof of this.

When has a governor of Alaska ever resigned and led the news?

Incorrect? Even the GOP in her state are ticked off at her.

And you have a pretty partisan view of her resignation. "When has a governor of Alaska resigned..." is pretty lame when you ask "When has the last Vice-presidential candidate resigned..." Time to take a breath. McCain grabbed her out of thin air and destroyed all chances that the GOP could have to retain the WH. It didn't work then and it's not going to work in the future. We don't need another air-head in the WH.

 

[LowlyPion]

The very reason we are even discussing her is proof of this.

When has a governor of Alaska ever resigned and led the news?

Train wrecks sometimes lead the news too.

 

[WheelsRCool]

Incorrect? Even the GOP in her state are ticked off at her.

That's because they were a bunch of corrupt politicians whom she fought and really socked it to them hard. The GOP in her state do not like her.

You need to remember, the GOP have various factions:

The elitist, big government, big business, country-club, mostly white male Republicans. They have no problem with big government social programs, and will support increased regulations if it suits their big business friends (George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush are of this kind).

The populist, more Christian fundamentalist, not necessarily big government but not per se small government either, Republicans (this is Sarah Palin).

(the above two tend not to like each other)

The strict Reagan Republicans who are for limited government, fiscal conservatism, free-market capitalism, strong national defense, etc...(this is what they all pretend to be while running for office, but very few actually try to follow through on).

And you have a pretty partisan view of her resignation. "When has a governor of Alaska resigned..." is pretty lame when you ask "When has the last Vice-presidential candidate resigned..." Time to take a breath.

No one really cares about VP candidates either. If Barack Obama had lost and then Joe Biden resigned, I doubt it would be a lead news story.

McCain grabbed her out of thin air and destroyed all chances that the GOP could have to retain the WH. It didn't work then and it's not going to work in the future. We don't need another air-head in the WH.

Now this is partisan. The truth is Sarah Palin turned what should have been a full-on landslide win for President Obama into a mild victory.

She represented a fundamental threat to the Democrats, which is why they, and the media, have been so hell-bent on destroying her. She was easily the best decision McCain made for his campaign. She galvanized the Republican base and attracted a lot more of the women vote (which is why she was such a threat to the Democrats).

McCain himself blew his campaign. Barack Obama out-spent him by about 6 - 1 and still only had a standard victory. McCain ran a lousy campaign, never criticized Obama on any of the issues he could have, did an outright ludicrous move by suspending his campaign like that, then failed to discuss his economic policies when the financial crises occurred.

He himself, earlier on in the campaign, even had admitted to "not understanding the economy." Not exactly a great way to win. More people decided to take a chance on Obama.

 

[turbo]

Train wrecks sometimes lead the news too.

When do we ever see "Train with competent, experienced engineer arrives on time! Nobody injured!" Never?

McCain/Palin was a pretend conservative ticket boosted by the Neo-Cons. Real conservatives got buried under the money that the GOP raised, and then McCain sunk himself by acting like he knew what he was doing.. Are there some real Goldwater republicans hanging in the weeds out there? If so, the GOP could embrace them and regain some respectability.

 

[WheelsRCool]

When do we ever see "Train with competent, experienced engineer arrives on time! Nobody injured!" Never?

McCain/Palin was a pretend conservative ticket boosted by the Neo-Cons. Real conservatives got buried under the money that the GOP raised, and then McCain sunk himself by acting like he knew what he was doing.. Are there some real Goldwater republicans hanging in the weeds out there? If so, the GOP could embrace them and regain some respectability.

Goldwater lost big-time against the Barack Obama of his day, Lyndon B. Johnson, for being "too conservative" and "too extremist." It was even said that the Johnson election proved something, and that if the Republican party did not start becoming more moderate, it was going to disappear soon. Sarah Palin was probably the closest to a Goldwater conservative as there was on the national level right now.

And what exactly is a "neo-con" BTW? How would Goldwater in modern times not be lambasted as a neo-con? One reason Goldwater lost was the implication he would take us to war with the Soviet Union. Johnson Leftists were anti-war or at most believed Communism needed to be contained.

Goldwater conservatives believed it needed to be destroyed. Goldwater was also against all social programs.

Lyndon B. Johnson criticized him as a "fascist" because Goldwater was against all of Johnson's proposed programs.

 

[LowlyPion]

When do we ever see "Train with competent, experienced engineer arrives on time! Nobody injured!" Never?

Perhaps when it comes time to erect the National monument to Obama, such a headline will top the news?

I think one thing is for sure though, Sarah Palin won't be in the engine cab when it does happen.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Yup, how DARE people be concerned about such excessive spending by government right now! Seriously, if you have nothing really to contribute then do not post.

Bush and his friends squandered wealth. Obama is taking drastic action needed to save the economy.

What makes you think she is on any "losing side" of a split within the party?

Her resignation.

You are over-simplifying the Republican party. What you would define as a "moderate," I define as a more Leftist Republican.

When you are all the way right, everything looks left.

The term "ultra-conservative," what do you mean? Neither Mike Huckabee nor Sarah Palin, the religious fundamentalists, were strict fiscally conservative, limited government Republicans per se.

Ultra-conservative socially. We all know that the Republicans are no longer fiscal conservatives.

If you mean "ultra-conservative" as in limited government, free-market capitalism, fiscal conservativsm, strong national defense, etc...that's not really "conservative" aside from the name.

Is was the classical conservative position until the neo-cons came along.

It's classically liberal. Many such conservatives may believe in God, but that doesn't make them at all the same as the fundamentalists who want to ram religion down people's throats.

Many liberals believe in God as well. No problem; it is a classic mistake made by Republicans.

The ultra-conservative fundamentalists are the types who put religion first. You can be a quasi-socialist, but as long as you are a fundamentalist Christian, they'll vote you in.

I'll agree with that one.

Also, do not forget the Democrats have their religious fundamentalists as well in the extreme environmentalist types who worship trees and so forth.

The difference is that they don't try to put religious extremists in power.

Extreme environmentalism is nothing more than a different variant of conventional Christianity when you look at it. It tends to pop up in areas where people reject Christianity, because when you suppress religion in one respect, it tends to pop up in another.

It is a result of fear and 40 years of Republican denials and obfuscations.

Incorrect. She still has a high amount of popularity as governor and as a politician period. The very reason we are even discussing her is proof of this.

We talk about Charles Manson too, but that doesn't mean he is popular.

When has a governor of Alaska ever resigned and led the news?

Apparently when she was a would-be vice President. The fact is that to most of us, Palin is a joke, but she was still thrust into the limelight by a man who later regretted his choice.

 

[LowlyPion]

Good summary of Palin's announcement:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/us/politics/04palin.html

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

There are apparently some conservatives speculating that Palin has resigned in order to free herself up from the responsibilities of governor so she can take a place on the national stage. Possibly starting by going on a speaking tour.

 

[LowlyPion]

There are apparently some conservatives speculating that Palin has resigned in order to free herself up from the responsibilities of governor so she can take a place on the national stage. Possibly starting by going on a speaking tour.

My guess is she will take some time to actually read the newspapers she couldn't remember reading before and try to get up to speed on events and policies in the rest of the world. Maybe even get a media show crafted to display her on Fox, though that may be a problem getting guests to go to Alaska. (Other than Putin popping his head in from over the horizon, there's not a lot to pick from up there, and moving to the lower 48 seems outre out of character.)

As she is doing that she will surely be writing a book, so she can go on a media book tour as an author, bag some bucks and celebrity appearances, all in time for the elections next year. After which she will announce for 2012, unless the economy is improved and the situation in the world (Iraq, Iran, North Korea, etc) is so much better that the Republicans will decide to save their money for 2016 and no one runs against Obama.

 

[D H]

Incorrect. She still has a high amount of popularity as governor and as a politician period. The very reason we are even discussing her is proof of this.

She has a high amount of popularity amongst a small segment of the populace.

The very reason we are even discussing her is that she became a media personality, and a rather wacky one at that. That she resigned for no apparent reason adds to the wackiness.

When has a governor of Alaska ever resigned and led the news?

When has any governor resigned out of the blue and not led the news?

Even more importantly, when has the death of a celebrity so dominated the news of political turmoil in Iran, a maybe coup in Honduras, North Korea test firing missiles, airplane crashes, ..., have barely been reported? That Palin's resignation tops the news is as much a sign of how low the media has fallen as it is a sign of the importance of Sarah Palin.

 

[junglebeast]

My guess is she will take some time to actually read the newspapers she couldn't remember reading before and try to get up to speed on events and policies in the rest of the world.

Hahaha...when hell becomes real, freezes over, and is then disproved by philosophers. Palin is not intelligent enough to educate herself on politics. The Palin you saw in the presidential race was the most informed she'll ever be.

 

[math_04]

There are apparently some conservatives speculating that Palin has resigned in order to free herself up from the responsibilities of governor so she can take a place on the national stage. Possibly starting by going on a speaking tour.

Oh God No! She was such a polarizing figure for the GOP, probably why quite a few moderate GOP members are defecting to the Democrats or Independents. Imagine her going on speaking tours further tarnishing the reputation of the GOP. I hope she is taking time off to seriously look at what she supports and and tell herself whether changes are needed to better herself as a politician. Palin needs to immerse herself in foreign policy affairs, gain the knowledge to speak eloquently on different topics and stop portraying herself as an all out 'hockey mom'.

Even more importantly, when has the death of a celebrity so dominated the news of political turmoil in Iran, a maybe coup in Honduras, North Korea test firing missiles, airplane crashes, ..., have barely been reported? That Palin's resignation tops the news is as much a sign of how low the media has fallen as it is a sign of the importance of Sarah Palin.

Not really, depends on the newspaper you read or the TV news you watch. There has been air time about North Korea and Iran. Not so much the airplane crash if you are referring to the Yemeni Airline demise.

 

[D H]

Not really, depends on the newspaper you read or the TV news you watch. There has been air time about North Korea and Iran. Not so much the airplane crash if you are referring to the Yemeni Airline demise.

I was alluding to CNN, which used to be good. Now it appears to be worse than Fox. CNN became the 24/7 Michael Jackson network last week, with an occasional side news story.

The only reason Palin garnered so much media attention is because she is yet another media personality who has done something scandalous. Even though she has nice legs, this story doesn't. CNN can return (and already has returned) to being the 24/7 Michael Jackson network.

 

[GeorginaS]

Mr. Jackson's memorial ceremony is next Tuesday. That ought to dominate the news cycle once again. (It's times like this I'm so very glad I don't watch television news.)

As for Palin, an article on Slate offers the most reasonable explanation I've read so far

The larger reason for Palin's early departure was that she was having no fun. Ever since she returned to Alaska from the national stage, being governor has been a chore. Her political opponents have launched 15 ethics charges against her. The state economy has turned sour, and she got into an ugly squabble over federal stimulus funds. It's much more enjoyable to travel the country waving to adoring crowds of GOP activists.

So Palin decided to chuck her office for the limelight.
She can now tour the country as the only superstar in a party that desperately needs one. Because she can pack bleachers, she can raise money. In addition to boosting party morale and filling its coffers (and her own), she can build relationships nationwide that will be crucial if she really is interested in running for national office again.



http://www.slate.com/id/2222221/"

Having watched a bit of her speech, though, I must say, the Couric interviews were not an anomaly, rather, when the woman actually follows a cogent line of thought is out of the norm. She needs speech writers. And coaches.

Edited to repair screwed up quote.

 

[WheelsRCool]

Bush and his friends squandered wealth.

Fiscal conservatives criticized the Bush administration very much on this.

Obama is taking drastic action needed to save the economy

Depends; the stimulus was one thing, but he has been planning spend enormous amounts of money from the get-go. And I think he is nuts if he thinks his carbon cap-and-trade bill is going to help the economy and actually create jobs.

When you are all the way right, everything looks left.

Or one could easily say when you're over to the left, anything else looks to the "Right."
The Right is ultimately about freedom. Anything that infringes upon freedom is a variant of the Left. What many call a "moderate" is perhaps a Republican that believes in social programs, or "doing good with other people's money." Only this is a farce, because in order to get that money, you have to take it from the people. In other words, almost anything that calls for redistribution of wealth, social programs, etc...is grounded ultimately in violence and coercion and infringing on freedom at its core.

Many liberals believe in God as well. No problem; it is a classic mistake made by Republicans.

I never said leftists do not believe in god. Barack Obama believes in god.

The difference is that they don't try to put religious extremists in power.

Yes they do, just their religion is government and the environment. This whole carbon cap-and-trade nonsense is a ramming of religion down this country's throat. It is based on a theory that is completely unproven. We do not know if the Earth is warming conclusively. We do not know if warming will be bad if it is occurring. We do not know, if warming is occurring, if it is from the Earth itself, influence from the sun, or humans, and so forth.

Or like when Nancy Pelosi said in a Vogue interview, "I view my role in government as an extension of my role as a mother." In other words, she's a tyrant technically, she believes the people are sheep that need a big, maternal government run by the likes of her to look after them.

A loving embrace from which one cannot escape is still a form of tyranny remember. This is completely opposite of the conservative view, which is that the people are the adults, and the government is like putting your sixteen year-old in charge of the family finances. If you don't watch them closely, they'll spend extraordinary amounts of money, then when you try to criticize them and reign them in, they'll act offended and tell you they know better, even though you're the one making the money.

It is a result of fear and 40 years of Republican denials and obfuscations.

Environmentalism as religion is nothing new. The Nazis held an almost religious view of the environment, and the environmental zealots who want to control everything everyone can do are neo-Nazi in their worldview.

In the religious variant of environmentalism, you have the period of peace, in which humans lived in harmony with nature (akin to Adam and Eve), then you have the first sins, when humans started manipulating nature to their own benefit (akin to eating of the fruit), then you have the coming doomsday in which Nature will go haywire and we will all be destroyed and die for our sins against the Earth (akin to Revelations).

We talk about Charles Manson too, but that doesn't mean he is popular.

Palin is very popular though. That's why she is such a threat to the Left. Otherwise, no one would care about her.

Apparently when she was a would-be vice President. The fact is that to most of us, Palin is a joke,

Yes, and you're wrong. Palin is no joke. Don't let your ideology rule your thinking. She is far too intelligent and too much of a threat to be any joke to the left. Now a guy like Biden, he is a joke. He actually still has Presidential aspirations. He is actually naive enough to think the Democrats would make him a front-runner. Barack Obama was also easily a joke in terms of knowledge of the issues; he was not any joke however as a candidate who stood a good chance of being elected.

Having watched a bit of her speech, though, I must say, the Couric interviews were not an anomaly, rather, when the woman actually follows a cogent line of thought is out of the norm. She needs speech writers. And coaches.

I wouldn't make fun of anyone's speaking ability right now when we have a President who cannot speak without a Tele-Prompter and a Vice President who seems to make a gaffe per week when speaking.

 

[cristo]

The Right is ultimately about freedom.

Freedom? So conservatives allow freedom of choice; they would support same sex marriages, for example?

Yes, and you're wrong. Palin is no joke.

I think the rest of the world would disagree!

 

[WheelsRCool]

Freedom? So conservatives allow freedom of choice; they would support same sex marriages, for example?

Yes, they should. That is mostly ones wanting to put religion on people. They make concerns over saying this opens the can of worms up to men being able to marry boys and so forth, like NAMBLA, and perhaps with the hardcore left that is a concern, but overall I do not see that. Children are not adults. Two consenting adults I wouldn't care if they are gay, straight, whatever if they want to marry.

Of course an issue here and there that the Republicans want to control, that automatically makes them the party of tyranny.

When the left want to tax, regulate, and control every aspect of our lives for the most part, they are somehow the "liberals."

What separates a "conservative" from a "liberal" is that the philosophy overall of the conservative promotes freedom.

Limited government, low taxes, free trade, etc...promotes freedom. If you get some ultra-religious John Hagee type in office who wants to ram religion down people's throats, they have to go against their own philosophy overall if they claim to be a conservative.

OR, if they do not, and the people do not like their policies, they get voted out of office, because government lacks authority.

With the "liberals," it is just the opposite. Their philosophy, no matter how much they may believe in freedom or claim to, works fundamentally against it. One cannot believe in and support big government, and then expect a people to remain free because it is in the inherent design of government to always grow and grow and to infringe on freedoms more and more.

With a leftist government that is big and powerful, if they start enacting laws and controls you don't like, you may not be able to vote them out of power. They are too large, have too many government agencies, and so forth.

I think the rest of the world would disagree!

This means nothing. What the "rest of the world thinks" means little. All that matters are what the facts are.

The fact is she is a leftist's worst nightmare.
-She is highly intelligent.
-She is charismatic.
-She triangulates them on identity politics.
-She is immune from attacks on the abortion issue.
-She can really mobilize the base, along with attract moderates.

Such a person is not a joke, even if you completely disagree with her policies (of which I have never really heard any articulate arguments against the types of policies she stands for on paper, just namecalling, that seems the only attack method the left has).