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Cutting bait (Steyn on Palin)
NRO ^ | 7/3/09 | Mark Steyn

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.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Alaska
KEYWORDS: careerendingmove; chickenlittles; democratswin; fedindictmentcoming; gopimplosion; marksteyn; palin; quitter; sarahbarraquitta; soroswins
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To: Colonel_Flagg

Newt obviously shouldn’t have been mentioned in that last post. Apologies.


321 posted on 07/04/2009 12:27:37 PM PDT by Colonel_Flagg (You're either in or in the way.)
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To: widdle_wabbit

There is something Sarah Palin said right after she was picked as a running mate, something to the effect that it was an honor to be picked and that’s why she accepted.

It got me to thinking that she had not sought the office.

I wonder if she ever wanted to be president.

And these last 10 months have certainly taken their toll.

I don’t know what to think of the resignation. Mark Levin says she’s running. For many people here, that’s Gospel. I guess we’ll find out.


322 posted on 07/04/2009 12:32:38 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: MHGinTN

Wow.. that was mighty intense.
I guess I’ll go pound sand also.

Someone asked my wife once, why she didn’t vote for Hillary, you know - because “she’s a woman”. She said, I vote for the person, not the gender.


323 posted on 07/04/2009 12:39:30 PM PDT by BillyA (Bring out your pustiles.)
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To: Windflier
I appreciate your passion. I am not, however,cowed, beaten, kneeling before any human or running to any dark place.

There are some that are willing to stand at this time. That group seems to be growing. But you are correct, I have little faith in the majority of our population. Call me a cynic, but most do not educate themselves enough to know what is happening in and to this country.

I guess this is the point I was trying to make. If Sarah has decided to protect her family instead of allowing them to be savaged by the media, I certainly have no issue with it. A large number of people only enjoy the circus of the Lettermans et al. They don't appreciate the sacrifice of public service.

In any case, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

324 posted on 07/04/2009 1:53:17 PM PDT by berdie (Philosophies of the school room in one generation will reflect the government philosophy of the next)
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To: berdie
I guess this is the point I was trying to make. If Sarah has decided to protect her family instead of allowing them to be savaged by the media, I certainly have no issue with it.

And neither do I, nor anyone else, I suspect.

Actually, I believe that Sarah's decision to resign as Governor solved several things for her, and markedly improves her situation in one fell swoop. Her solution is simple, and elegant in its brilliance, if you ask me.

325 posted on 07/04/2009 2:06:31 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: DoughtyOne
If I am not mistaken, I believe that the affirmative action's illegal alien and usurper playing PINO in the the White House only served four months out of six!!!

Now with all your posturing you need to go back and check your own "about page" here, especially what you have "committed to in paragraph four (4)!!!

326 posted on 07/04/2009 3:32:58 PM PDT by danamco
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To: DoughtyOne
I don’t like the false charges. I don’t like the treatment of her kids. What did she think public life was all about?

What do you think public life is "all about?" You completely don't understand if you think it is "all about" false charges and mistreatment of people's kids.

Public life is about issues. It is about policies. It is about public support. etc. Perhaps you meant that, didn't she know it comes with public life? However that is not what you wrote.
327 posted on 07/04/2009 3:39:20 PM PDT by JLS
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To: JLS

That’s true JLS. Thanks.

Now, does that change the fact that she quit? No.


328 posted on 07/04/2009 8:24:59 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (_Resident of the United States and Kenya's favorite son, Baraaaack Hussein Obamaaaa...)
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To: DoughtyOne

It does not change the fact that Palin decided that the expenses to Alaska and her family of having an ethics charge filed against her every time she did anything to investigate running for president was not worth it. Is her evaluation correct, we shall see.

You say she quit. I say she decided that the best strategy for her to run for president was to not be govenor of Alaska fighting frivolous ethic charges all the time. She has a point.


329 posted on 07/04/2009 8:30:39 PM PDT by JLS
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To: pissant

It is trully odd times in which we live...because I am going to disagree with my beloved, Mark Steyn.

Mark, hon, you don’t have a clue on Palin. I read, and re-read the transcript of her July 3rd speech. I don’t see her as quitting...or surrendering; she is just advancing in a different direction (with literary credit to Gen. McArthur).

The soon to be, ex-Alaskan Governor will soon be (ding, ding) ‘free to roam about the country.’ She is much more valuable, on the lecture circuit, writing her book, digging her family out of the 500k in legals she acrued fighting the frivolous ethics violations...than she is sitting in the Governor’s Igloo (yes, I know it is a mansion...but its Alaska).

Mark...when the Big Guy comes back to the Golden Microphone...take him to lunch. Talk over Gov. Palin...I think you will see things differently...


330 posted on 07/04/2009 8:38:46 PM PDT by PennsylvaniaMom ("We are not retreating. Just advancing in another direction." Gen. Douglas McArthur)
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To: JLS

JLS, by going against the grain here, I have attracted a fair amount of posts that disagreed with me. Hey I knew I would and that’s okay. I am getting to the point that I have repeated myself quite a bit.

I would urge you to check out my comments on this thread and this one, if you would like to know where I’m coming from in a broader view.

Here you mentioned the issue of her deciding there was a better tact to employ, namely stepping down and taking another path.

Sarah has lasted 30 months. She only has 18 to go. I realize that is 18 more than she wants to stay on, but it was crucial that she did.

She needs to be able to point to successful Executive Experience. Now she can’t. She can only point to a stint as the Governor of Alaska, which ended with her quitting because the going got too tough. Please don’t try to frame this differently. You have to see this through the eyes of people who do not support Sarah today. She must attract these people, because you, I and the rest of the Conservatives can’t elect her by ourselves. We don’t have the numbers.

If Palin served out her term it would have made six very important points.

1. It would have shown she had the faculties to be a very successful Executive
2. It would have shown she was one tough cookie, able to take everything her enemies could fire at her, and still fulfill her duties and come out smelling like a rose.
3. She could have written a book, explaining what things she had to face as Governor, reinforcing what leadership skills she exhibited, and causing many in the public to respect her.
4. She would have immunized herself against the charge that should didn’t have the stamina or sticktuitiveness to handle the job of a chief executive.
5. She would have shown the left that pulling a Tom Delay on Republicans won’t drive them from office.
6. She would have reinforced the idea that she could withstand the pressures of international incidents, and situations calling for the use of our military.

Sarah states that she did everything she wanted to do. Okay, but even if the state is perfect, doesn’t it need a good chief executive to keep it that way. And who would be more qualified than Sarah to make sure it did.

I’ll stop there. There are some important reasons I didn’t touch on here.

You take care.

Check out my comments on this thread too.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285286/posts


331 posted on 07/04/2009 8:51:28 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (_Resident of the United States and Kenya's favorite son, Baraaaack Hussein Obamaaaa...)
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To: AuntB
Palin told them the same thing....which is why they've been out to get her from day one. In her first speech...

darn right....

be afraid Democrat / RINOS / CINOS...be very afraid.

332 posted on 07/04/2009 9:13:42 PM PDT by skinkinthegrass (Zer0Bambi to the poor voter: Welcome to 0bamacare (Peasant Care ®) You Sucker... Now Die! :^)
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To: DoughtyOne

I understand and certainly go against the grain here from time to time. However by resigning now Palin:

1. made herself available to fund raise for other GOP candidates in 2010. This will strengthen the party.

2. made her own fundraising available to her to run for the presidential nomination should she decide to seek it. As it was much of that money might have been chewed up by legal expenses.

3. allows herself the time it takes to get ready to run for president if she so decides. This includes still writing a book if she so desires. Running for president is a tough haul, having a bit of time to prepare can be important.

She also likely determined that some would never give her credit for being the Alaskan governor and others would credit her executvie experience anyway. To a great mass of voters she will be Gov. Palin and they will not remember that she left office early.

You keep saying the going got too tough. I keep saying, that she quit to allow herself the freedom to explore running for president. You are taking the MSM position, I am the one really going against the grain here.


333 posted on 07/04/2009 9:23:18 PM PDT by JLS
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To: JLS

JLS, you’ve read the threads here and think you’re the one going against the grain here. Well... okay.

Thanks for explaining your thoughts. Take care.


334 posted on 07/04/2009 9:25:41 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (_Resident of the United States and Kenya's favorite son, Baraaaack Hussein Obamaaaa...)
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To: JLS

BTW: I am explaining my views here. I am not regurgitating the MSM line.

I’m not going to jump up and down and act all gleeful when I think a bright and shining star for our party, and a very viable presidential candidate, destroys her own career.

That’s what I think she just did. I don’t think she’ll be taken seriously as a Presidential contender now. I am saddened by that. Is it you position the MSM is?


335 posted on 07/04/2009 9:28:28 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (_Resident of the United States and Kenya's favorite son, Baraaaack Hussein Obamaaaa...)
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To: DoughtyOne

One is not taken seriously or not taken seriously as a presidential candidate. Palin will either win Iowa or N.H. and sweep through primaries or not. If the people vote for her, it matters not a what the pundits say about her.

All that matters is winning primaries, if you want to be a serious presidential candidate. Perhaps you remember when Reagan in the NH debate declared he had paid for the microphone and the reaction of pundits was he had lost, when in fact it led to his election.


336 posted on 07/04/2009 10:15:33 PM PDT by JLS
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To: PennsylvaniaMom
The conservative movement is dying for lack of a leader. Our way of life is changing day by day and still no leader comes forward.

Plans by the GOP? What plans??? The stimulus and Cap and Trade were passed by Republicans. Shameful indeed.

We have no leader of the GOP and certainly no leader of the conservative movement in this country. The GOP is run by RINO’s and no one, not even us working slobs have a plan to protect and defend our dear Constitution, our freedoms and rights.

In other words, “we're doomed Captain Bitto”, unless someone is willing and able to sacrifice their well being and potential future to lead us back from the abyss.

We don't know what the future holds, but as for me I want this great nation to survive, and it will not under current leadership.

Pray for American, pray for our Constitution, pray that a leader will come forward to lead us against the forces that seek to destroy our way of life. Most of all pray that Sarah has agreed to be the person to lead us back from insanity. As for the Presidency, that will come in due time.

337 posted on 07/04/2009 10:26:56 PM PDT by Dream Warrior (Sarah is now unleashed, turn and lead us against the enemies of the Constitution.)
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To: JLS

Thanks JLS. What you say is true on the face of it, but these comments could be made about a lot of people. We’ll see how it goes.


338 posted on 07/04/2009 10:28:44 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (_Resident of the United States and Kenya's favorite son, Baraaaack Hussein Obamaaaa...)
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To: DoughtyOne

Sure it is true of everyone. Win primaries, get votes and you are in fact a serious presidential candidate. See Obama.

Had Rudy won FL last time around he might have rolled to the nomination and seemed brilliant. Instead everyone second guesses his strategy. [Incluing me.] But maybe the stay out until FL was his only chance and it just did not work.


339 posted on 07/04/2009 10:47:53 PM PDT by JLS
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To: JLS

I think he made a big mistake there. I forget what his financial situation was though. He may have been hanging on by a thread. I just don’t remember.


340 posted on 07/04/2009 10:52:10 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (_Resident of the United States and Kenya's favorite son, Baraaaack Hussein Obamaaaa...)
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