Posted on 07/06/2009 9:29:19 AM PDT by Congressman Billybob
There are two aspects of Governor Palin's decision to resign now, which have not been competently discussed, or discussed at all, in the main stream media. One is based on the map, the other is based in American political history.
Regarding the map: I have two, immediate sources to know how long it takes, with what sort of wearing down from the journey itself, to travel to and from Alaska. One is my cousin who is a leading labor lawyer, and who went from Atlanta to Alaska frequently when the Aleska Pipeline was under construction.
The other is my son-in-law's brother who was until recently the Agent In Charge for the FBI in Alaska. His trips home were often to North Carolina. The bottom line is this. In going to Alaska, or coming from that state to the "lower 48" for any purpose, two days are lost in travel for each trip, and there is recovery time to be sharp and on your toes in addition.
Throw in the fact that at least two of the phony, and dismissed, ethics charges made against Governor Palin were based on the fact that she was "out of the state" in order to appear or speak at events in the lower 48. It is well known that Governors and Senators who habitually run for President are often absent from their states and their constituents (unless they come from Iowa or New Hampshire to begin with).
The travel restraints are far worse for Alaskans and Hawaiians than residents of any other states. The result is that no one can function in a full time government position in Alaska or Hawaii, while playing a significant, permanent role in politics in the rest of the nation.
The political history aspect refers to Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Both built their national base which gave them their respective party nominations for President by traveling the US for years on the rubber chicken circuit. They supported and raised money for hundreds of state and local candidates. They had good results doing that, much better than similar efforts by Bill Clinton, to choose a name not entirely at random.
Bottom line: I think Sarah Palin is planning a similar, grassroots effort to those of Nixon and Humprey. I think she knows that she needs to show immediate results in the 2010 elections for the House and Senate, with candidates she supports usually winning. She has to start now, rather than just wait to run for President or Vice President in 2012.
I think she recognized that it was impossible for her to be a Governor, a mother and a wife, and an active speaker in the lower 48, all at once. So, she left the least important of those three tasks in the hands of her selected Lt. Governor.
The proof of what I posit will come on 12 September, 2009, if Palin is the most important speaker at the Rally on the Mall in Washington. My analysis is correct, if she begins her speech then and there with words like these: "My fellow Americans, I come before you today not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as an American who is deeply, deeply concerned about the wrong directions this nation is taking because of failures by politicians in both of those ancient political parties...."
Congressman Billybob
Her explanation was perfectly coherent and logical, for those who took time to actually listen to it or read it. Only those who didn't, or who, for whatever reason, wish to intentionally distort it, say otherwise.
Whether you, or they, agree or disagree with it is another matter entirely, but your assertion that it was incoherent is nonsense.
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I'm sure that the people of Alaska will be thrilled to learn that being their governor is so low on the pecking order.
Actually, early indications are that most Alaskans understand the situation and respect her decision. They are sorry to see her go, but they are happy to be getting a governor who will be able to actually tend to their business without the constant debilitating distractions.
Even more, they are absolutely "thrilled" that the horde of disgusting, dirt-digging, agit-prop spreading leftist scum who invaded their state last year solely to attack her can now leave...
I think you are dead on in your understanding of the calculations.
I also speculate that she is going to be speaking out against Obama’s stupid foreign policy and national security gaffes like missile defense, nuclear weapons drawdown and mirandizing captured battlefield combatants. That at least is how I interpret the “hell, yeah” vote of one of her children which I assume was the vote of the oldest boy currently serving our country.
Our country is in trouble, NOW and we need her to be the voice of fly-over country.
Okay, I just read the whole speech. Perfectly coherent and logical save for a plausible reason for abruptly quitting office mid-term (ethics complaints, not being a lame duck?) or an explanation of what she plans to do now. All these thousands of posts at FR are speculating about what her true reasons and actual plans are, because her speech doesn't answer.
Also, since I got to read the whole speech, I note that the quote she gave for MacArthur is misattributed. This was actually said by Marine General Oliver Prince Smith, to describe the movement of his Marines at the Chosin Reservoir. The rout of the 8th Army could not be described by MacArthur as "advancing in another direction". In Palin's defense, MacArthur is cited as being the source of this quotation at a thousand web sites.
In the words of General MacArthur said, "We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction."
In the words of General MacArthur said?
That was addressed more than adequately -- to paraphrase, she (through the ankle-biting of her political enemies) has become a distraction to the state of Alaska; the ethics complaints are forcing her to waste the state's time and money and show no signs of stopping.
In the words of General MacArthur said?
What, you've never made a mistake when speaking by inserting an extra word?
That Piper is one to watch.
She is just her mom in miniature,
and she’ll have a lifetime to learn from her.
H/T to editor-surveyor
Best explanation I have read...truly makes practical sense!
Business travel is easy when the rest of your life is being emperor and pop star. It is not so easy when you are expected to accomplish actual work the rest of the time.
Interesting look at how Sarah’s decision affects her practical campaign opportunities.
The lame duck excuse was just silly, as many others have managed to accomplish things during their last year in office.
The cost to Alaska was an interesting argument, except if the ethics complaints were truly frivolous as they appeared, the same people will be able to do the same thing to the next Governor — so what Alaska needs is to fix their ethics laws so people can’t spend Alaska into bankruptcy by filing frivolous charges.
Quitting for the ethics costs only makes sense if there is something special about her that makes her an easier target for the ethics complaints. Note that traveling a lot out of the state appears to be such a thing, but that would have been covered by her simply saying that she wanted to take a national stage and she couldn’t do that from Alaska and still serve her state.
Quitting because her family voted to have her quit isn’t logical or sensible. While I might well respect my elected representative using their sound judgment to make a decision like this, I didn’t elect their children, and I don’t really care if their children want them to quit or not. If I quit my job every time my kids voted for it, I would be penniless.
Quitting because of the attacks on her family doesn’t make sense, unless she is quitting politics. If they attacked her as Governor, they are going to attack her in any public role. The attacks were terrible, and we needed the media to wake up and call them for what they were. The people were getting on her side, and those who attacked her children WERE being called out.
But now she has validated their tactics — they wanted her out, and she quit. The next person they go after will have to work harder to prove the tactics won’t work on them.
Nothing about this was unethical, so I didn’t address that — I’ve certainly not called her unethical for quitting.
Was Tammy Bruce OK with Sarah’s move? Michael Medved is VICIOUS today....YUK!
And Reagan was a SPOKEMAN doe General Electric and did a TON of speeches...political speeches!
Thanks for the great maps.
You forgot Las Vegas!! Not all of us are Reidiots!
Don’t you think she had to leave it somewhat AMBIGUOUS and not say she’s going to HELP people get elected that are PATRIOTS and have Common Sense??? I think so.
ROFL!
Ann Coulter intimated that the best way to decipher Sarah's speech was to take her at her word.
I never thought to do otherwise.
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