Posted on 07/03/2009 10:48:41 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Sarah Palin’s jaw-dropping announcement that she is quitting her job as Alaska governor before finishing even her first term has divided Republican ranks and the wider political community in a very familiar fashion.
Many establishment GOP operatives and political commentators of various stripes were withering, both about the decision and the way she announced it—in a jittery, hyperkinetic news conference that rambled between self-congratulation and bitter accusations at the foes she says are eager to destroy her.
The performance, by these lights, adds credence to the claims of some associates that Palin—burned by the intense scrutiny on her and the crossfire that swirls around her—is so fed up that she's ready to get out of elective politics. Even if it's only the small stage of Alaska politics she hopes to escape, skeptics say Friday’s events also diminished and perhaps even demolished what was left of her viability as a 2012 presidential candiate.
But her defenders believed an unorthodox move, even if risky, has a clear logic and may only further increase her standing with conservatives who don’t care what establishment figures in or out of the GOP think. Leaving the governor’s office at the end of this month leaves her free to travel the country, command large speaking fees, and begin the process of rallying her devotees without pesky home-state opponents criticizing every move.
These varied reactions were an echo of the debates that have followed Palin every step since her nomination as John McCain’s running mate ten months ago—a surprise that turned out to be just the first of many surprises served up by one of the most colorful and polarizing American political figures in a generation.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Patience DoughtyOne, all is not known.
Hey, noob! 2ndDivisionVet is a credentialed, reputable FReeper with lots of good posts under his belt. He knows what he's talking about. You don't. So shut up.
If she couldn’t handle being attacked as Governor, what does she think being President will be like? Independent Counsels cost more than $2 million.I see a sleeper woke up......
I don’t suppose the constant attacks on her family had anything to do with it. How about the attacks on Trig? We might all believe that we can take it, but really, could we? Could you take someone constantly harassing your kids, and not being able to do anything, given where you are?
I sincerely doubt most of her detractors today could have been able to take all the abyse for as long as she has taken. All this crap has been having an effect on her children and her husband. She is a mother, first and foremost. I respect her decision to look after her family.
So to anyone around here questioning her decision, think about what you would do in her shoes. And don’t fantasize about it, be realistic. What would you do, if you had a negative media and a bunch of backstabbing rinos influencing what people read and see?
When was the last time you had to find half a mil to pay for defending yourself against constant ethics charges brought by the other party ? She left the governorship in good hands, and can get a breather with her family. The media has never let up on her. This last bit with Letterman and then VF with info from that snotty Steve Schmidt was too much. They have rendered her governorship useless to AK. She has already accomplished a lot for her state-now it is up to her to choose where to go.
Personally, the way the GOP bigshots have been disdainful and, literally, joined the media and Dems have turned me against them. I am a conservative, and when the Repubs want to join me, they can--til then, I despise McCain, his henchmen, and Mitt Romney's crew just a bit less than Dems.
I think turning off a huge base of Conservative Christians will help Mitt et al lose even bigger than Juan McC--there aren't going to be enough moderates to go around.
vaudine
Almost as bad as Reagan's football metaphors, right?
Are you guys at least getting overtime from Axelrod? Holidays are double time and a half aren’t they?
Neither do you for that matter.
DoughtyOne, you and I have never disagreed as far as I can remember, but lets not go wobbly now.
Ok I am going to make my point right here.
Who did you vote for the last election?
Ok I am going to make my point right here.
Who did you vote for the last election?
That's precisely how I feel.
Wow, you’re asking me who I voted for now! Take a wild guess. It wasn’t Obama.
BTW, what does Mitt pay you? Whatever it is, it's too much.
Yes, anyone who feels let down by Palin must be a sleeper in spite of posts to the contrary.
Tell you what, you can have a free shot when something justifies this. I will tell you that I have a pretty high standard on what justifies it though.
She loves Alaskans enough to give up her own ambitions. She knows the attacks will keep coming, costing state taxpayers money that is in short supply. Also the time it takes to defend all the stupid charges take her time away from doing the job she was elected to do. I admire her for her selflessness. Journalists and beltway folk cannot comprehend this sort of thinking. They are so out of touch and jaded.
You have no idea how weak that is. But then again, you wouldn’t would you...
Get off it.
If Reagan actually had suddenly resigned in the middle of his first gubernatorial term, and tried to mitigate the fallout with a bunch of football metaphors, -he too would have been lambasted from all sides.
Reagan wouldn't have resigned with barely eighteen months to go in office. That's the last thing he would have actually done.
You made my point thank you.
Now be honest who did you vote for?
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