That is an excellent point in rebuttal.
I, too, was disappointed when she chose not to continue in public service like that.
Perhaps she knew she had lurking issues with her daughter (who was promiscuous), or with her son (who has anger issues), or she needed to raise her special needs child.
In any case, she did raise expectations and then failed to follow through on them for whatever reasons. She did extend whatever coattails she had by endorsing Tea Party candidates while she could, but I think the political capital that she banked has not kept up with the cost of living in today's political atmosphere.
That doesn't mean that she can't mount a comeback... if Mark Sanford thinks he can, so can Sarah Palin!
-PJ
Yes, though going the reality TV route probably didn’t help her children either. She could have made plenty just working on policy at a think tank, with the fame to flog books in that direction instead. She is IMO done in politics at either the state or federal level, since she is apparently so politically unpopular in Alaska, hasn’t established herself in another state, and isn’t viable on either the presidential or veep level.
It’s a sorry story.
After what was done to her and her family, she became uber toxic politically, vis-a-vis running for some position or other. But she DID still have coattails early on and used what little pull she had, back then, to help others; which you did post about.
She didn't "raise expectations" at all...that was all in our heads.
There we go - see, we can agree. Her cashing in on TV deals did burnish her reputation, including the way she quit her governorship. I smell something funky going on.