Posted on 07/03/2009 5:24:46 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The news of Sarah Palin’s resignation as governor came during my show this afternoon, where we spent most of an hour discussing it with the chatizens and my co-host Duane Patterson. I’ve had a chance to watch the video of her announcement and read through dozens of Twitter messages back and forth attempting to rationalize this, and still, it simply can’t be rationalized on the basis of what Palin said today. It’s easily the most bizarre resignation I’ve seen, and just about senseless.
The lame-duck explanation was the most incoherent part of the entire statement:
“Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional ‘Lame Duck’ status in this particular climate would just be another dose of ‘politics as usual,’ something I campaigned against and will always oppose. It is my duty to always protect our great state. With that in mind, my family and I determined that it is best to make a difference this summer, and I am willing to change things, so that this administration, with its positive agenda, its accomplishments and its successful road to an incredible future, can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success.”
Bear in mind that the election isn’t next month but about 16 months from now, in November 2010. Using this logic, Palin should never have run for the first term unless she was willing to run for the second, and not run for either if she wasn’t willing (or legally able) to run for a third. Politicians don’t enter lame-duck status until their successor has already been elected and they’re running out the rest of the term. And all politicians become lame ducks at some point — and none of them quit just to avoid it.
Also, how can Palin quit because she didn’t want to deal with being a lame duck and claim in the same breath that her administration would “continue without interruption”? She just interrupted it! If she thinks that being a “lame duck” would hamper her ability to push her agenda in the state’s capital, how does she think that an unelected Sean Parnell is going to get it done?
If it’s her duty to always “protect” Alaska, then that strongly implies not walking away from the responsibility of governing it — a responsibility she sought, and with which her constituents trusted her to execute. No one leads by quitting. No one leads by quitting. Palin’s abandoning her post, and at least from her own description, doing it because she doesn’t want to deal with the issues of being a “lame duck,” a status all politicians have to handle at some point.
I’ve seen a myriad of excuses on Twitter and e-mail for this bizarre resignation: her legal bills are too high, she’s putting her family first, she doesn’t want to distract Alaskans because of cheap-shot ethics complaints that are distracting everyone. None of those make any sense. If the spotlight was too much, then she shouldn’t have run for office in the first place. If she’s quitting because people are taking potshots at her, then she’s not the kind of political fighter we thought she was. The legal bills might be a rational reason, but thoroughly insufficient for betraying the people who put her in charge of Alaska — and her memoirs would have paid for her legal bills many times over, had she completed her term.
There’s really no excuse, and what Rich Lowry also calls her “terrible,” “rambling,” and “not at all persuasive” statement showed that. Unless there was a serious illness or a serious scandal, the resignation on the grounds Palin gave is simply incomprehensible. She has destroyed her own credibiity in a single day.
I liked Sarah Palin and supported her inclusion on the GOP ticket last fall. I thought she had more toughness than this. It’s a big disappointment, and it’s the end of any hope of Palin getting taken seriously as a politician on the national level in the future.
Update (AP): I was going to tuck this into one of my own posts but it fits better here. Quin Hillyer, senior editor at the Spectator, calls the resignation an “appalling dereliction of duty.”
What Sarah Palin did today was get out before the real challenges of the job (whatever challenges there are for such an easy job) really rear their heads. The going got tough in terms of spurious ethics charges against her, and she took off. That’s cowardly. That’s not sign of staying power. It’s a sign of wanting to get out while the getting is good, in order to become a full-time candidate for a presidential race that won’t culminate for 3 1/2 more years. It’s a little too calculating, by half — or more.
I just listened to her speech announcing her decision, and found it singularly unimpressive. “This was a rambling, bombastic, self-centered, ‘poor me’ kind of speech.” That’s how Mike Carey of the Anchorage Daily News just described her speech on Fox News. I agree. He then said it was, darn, I already can’t remember if he said it was “pitiful” or “pathetic,” but it was some word like that. Again, I agree. It was a speech in which she clearly made a bit for a national audience — not a very effective bid, but a transparent one — but didn’t adequately explain to the people of Alaska why she was relinquishing her duty…
Statesmen hang tough. Sarah Palin is cutting and running. ‘Nuff said.
Yes, there are. I won't speculate as to whom they support or where they are from but one thing is clear...they're very bothered by something, or someone. Somewhat like roaches, having a great time scurrying around, getting into things they have no business in, then all of a sudden someone turns the lights on.
That gives me an idea. Why don't we pick a couple of Democrats and start filing all kinds of law suits? Henry Waxman and Barney Franks sound like a good place to start. We should pick a few in the Senate, too. Just keep filing for freedom of information and all kinds of bothersome court cases.
And, as long as I’m being pedantic, onion quiche or onion pie would be a closer translation than “cake.”
Correct.
I am sending her money.
She will speak and lead like no other. Now she can take the left to task.
Well if you'd read her statement you'd see that this in the plans for weeks.
Look, at this time we don't know what Palin will do. I'm all in favor of just letting events play out. If she doesn't run or is too marginalized for 2012, then we'll have to go somewhere else.
You are quite right, and I stand corrected.
Gee, have you forgotten so quickly that Palin is probably the most decent and honest politician out there. She also is for the people and has the right ideas.
It amazes me that people think they see this far out who will be the strongest candidate or who doesn’t have a chance. When you look at history you see that the person who won often was written off a year before they won.
I suggest taking a deep breath and have some humility about our ability to predict the future.
I think she meant what she said in her speech. I still like her, I would consider voting for her along with several others. Who knows who will look the best in a few years. That’s a long time from now.
Well, she is probably NOT. In any case, while you weren’t looking, the Democratics have done everything in their power to keep her from doing her job as governor of Alaska, and she has enemies among the local Republicans.
Well, she is probably NOT. In any case, while you weren’t looking, the Democratics have done everything in their power to keep her from doing her job as governor of Alaska, and she has enemies among the local Republicans.
I think it is no more Bizarre than a paid street agitator residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
I would have played up the scurrilous ethics complaints more if I were her. They became detrimental to her, her family and the entire State of Alaska. She is on the hook for 1/2 million $’s and the state an estimated $150,000 per complaint for a total of over $2, million already and no end in sight. The liberals are all sitting naked in their basements typing out ethics complaints every day.
With this move she is free to leave Alaska and work with the Conservative Republicans. She will campaign for many and raise tens of millions for them. She will then gather their favors.
As it stands it is virtually impossible for her to get any traction being in a state that is little covered. You only hear about it when someone chooses to lob a grenade at Palin.
This is either a brilliant move or not, only time will tell. As it stands the last thing that she is is done as a person in the national spotlight.
A huge deal to whom? I'm not bothered by it as partly because I have no control over it. All I can do is trust Palin's instincts right now.
The people elect you to do a job and to suddenly quit that job halfway through is something that's not usually taken lightly.
She outlined a sufficient reason why she was stepping down, she has a capable Lt Gov, *and* she also left the door open if Parnell needed any assistance. The only people who "care" about this are lefties who want to use it against her and will hate her anyway.
Deciding not to run for re-election next year would have been completely understandable. Resigning abruptly like this? Not so understandable.
Well, there's nothing you and I can do about it. She made a decision so why not let it play out and see what she has up her sleeve?
Maybe someone has asked her to go on the offensive against cap and trade and Obamacare. Maybe some Republican realized that we need her to mobilize the people against the Obama CHANGE. She could do it.
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