Posted on 07/03/2009 10:57:15 PM PDT by pissant
With respect to many of the Palinologists below, I think they're getting way too hepatomantic over the entrails.
As a political move for anything other than the 2010 Senate race, today's announcement is a disaster. And I'm not sure it's a plus for the Senate - and, even if it were, the manner and timing suggest it was not a professionally planned event and therefore is unlikely to have any grand strategy behind it.
So Occam's Razor leaves us with: Who needs this?
In states far from the national spotlight, politics still attracts normal people. You're a mayor or a state senator or even the governor, but you lead a normal life. The local media are tough on you, but they know you, they live where you live, they're tough on the real you, not on some caricature cooked up by a malign alliance of late-night comics who'd never heard of you a week earlier and media grandees supposedly on your own side who pronounce you a "cancer".
Then suddenly you get the call from Washington. You know it'll mean Secret Service, and speechwriters, and minders vetting your wardrobe. But nobody said it would mean a mainstream network comedy host doing statutory rape gags about your 14-year old daughter. You've got a special-needs kid and a son in Iraq and a daughter who's given you your first grandchild in less than ideal circumstances. That would be enough for most of us. But the special-needs kid and the daughter and most everyone else you love are a national joke, and the PC enforcers are entirely cool with it.
Most of those who sneer at Sarah Palin have no desire to live her life. But why not try to - what's the word? - "empathize"? If you like Wasilla and hunting and snowmachining and moose stew and politics, is the last worth giving up everything else in the hopes that one day David Letterman and Maureen Dowd might decide Trig and Bristol and the rest are sufficiently non-risible to enable you to prosper in their world? And, putting aside the odds, would you really like to be the person you'd have to turn into under that scenario?
National office will dwindle down to the unhealthily singleminded (Clinton, Obama), the timeserving emirs of Incumbistan (Biden, McCain) and dynastic heirs (Bush). Our loss.
OUTSTANDING Steyn!
Good for Sarah.
Palin is finished as a viable Presidential candidate. She abruptly quit office. No amount of wishful thinking and denial will change this.
Yes, she and her family have been ruthlessly and unfairly attacked.
Yes, there is a blatant double standard when it comes to conservatives vs. liberals.
She might have been able to resign office during the thick of a campaign, but now? Forget it. Quitting office will be the MSM template, and she will have to start virtually every interview and press conference by explaining or answering questions about not sticking it out for even one term. This is also ignoring the possibility of some bad press coming (scandal).
She quit. She can run in 2012, but her candidacy won’t get off the ground. I’ll be glad to admit if I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am.
I'd be delighted to see Palin do the same and would certainly support her if she did.
There are a lot of us "Constitutional Cultists" out here. Membership includes Jefferson, Reagan and Palin.
you seem not to take into account that Gov. Palin was only on the scene for a few short months, whereas Zero was running for pres since he was elected Senator. She was from an small state that few people were aware of her accomplishments and the press was not going to give her any favorable coverage. Gov. Palin was also having to toe the line that McCain gave her, she was giving the same basic speech that was written for her by the RINOs, when she is able to go out and state her own beliefs then and only then will we able to make the choice of who is right for this great country.
For you to say that she had 10 million votes less then zero is disingenuous she was not allowed to be Sarah and was not being voted on for pres. She is the only reason that I and my family even went to vote.
I was originally a Duncan Hunter and Fred Thompson backer but even then was not to thrilled over the choices that were available to me, when Sarah arrived on scene then is when I became enthused about the election as I deem most conservatives did.
There sure is, and we will not see a conservative winner on the national level until we have a candidate who calls out the MSM on their bias and fights back.
Palin's decision cannot be faulted on a personal level, but on the career level it's now clear that she can't be that kind of candidate.
Bumpski, Phil!
Bumpski !!!
I agree. Mark is funny and insightful, but he gets it wrong now and again. This is one of those times.
Sarah didn't say she was going away. What Republican figure is speaking out for conservatism and against the Marxist tide? None, except Rush. If Sarah goes in that direction, with her charisma, she can really make a difference, make herself a contender, and cause problems for King Bomma.
I predict Sarah will hit the speaking and Pub fund-raising circuit to try to help elect real conservatives, and try to steer the Pub party back to Conservatism and the country away from Bomma and this Marxist disaster. Then she will run for prez in 2012.
Didn't Reagan work to steer the GOP party in a conservative direction for many years when he wasn't holding office? I think so.
The reasoning behind that statement is because of McCain choosing for me, as a taxpayer, to pay his salary as senator AND fund his campaign. Because of that, once the convention was over, all of the MILLIONS of dollars that Palin raised couldn't be used for the McCain/Palin ticket. It all was funneled to other campaigns.
In her speech Sarah commented, "I will help those that are proud to be American."
Did ya hear that michelle-my-fat-belle?
I’ve heard all of these arguments, but I think the more exposure Palin got, and the longer she was out there, the more her support shrank. Someone who leaves a bad impression from their public appearances isn’t going to be helped by being in the public eye longer.
Palin pretty much collapsed after the Katie Couric interview. She still retained her support among conservatives, but her broad support among moderates and independents — which had been considerable — pretty much evaporated.
A lot of people on our side were in denial, and still are, but that is what happened. People want to blame the media, but the truth is, the public aren’t swayed by media attacks unless they see truth in them.
Youu are probably right.
I doubt Sarah Palin will be raising money for Michelle 0bama anytime soon.
see #271.
You are on fire! Spot on, I agree with you 100%.
People, quit making excuses for her. She made the right move if she wants to get out of politics. I don’t blame her for wanting to get out, she’s been gang raped by the media.
But if this is some brilliant strategy to move up the “elected politician” ladder, it is an EPIC FAIL. She is a quitter.
Hope all is well with you and the missus, D1.
Yes, I listened to her remarks. Look folks, it would be worse in Washington, D.C. I wish the Palin family well, but I don’t see a viable future in politics for Palin now. The one thing we could point to was her executive experience. I think that’s an important item on her resume. And now we have her quitting two thirds of the way through her first term. Sorry, but that’s how I see it.
I don’t remember it well. I did think it was reasonably good at the time. I would like to see it again. You may be right. I was shocked to see it paned the way it was.
You’ll get no argument there. Some of the things that guy popped off about during the run up to the election almost gave me the impression he was taking a dive.
Spinning this to your hearts desire isn’t going to change the inevitable. You can’t quit in the middle of your first term in office, and expect folks to hire you to handle an even tougher job.
I believe this to be a hard cold fact.
I agree with your comments there.
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