Earlier today, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announced she will step down as Alaska’s chief executive by the end of the month. Palin will not seek election to a second gubernatorial term in 2010, and in her speech announcing her decision, Palin cited her desire to avoid being a “lame duck” who simply cashed a pay check while not doing any real work. In case you missed it, here’s a brief snippet from her press conference:
Gov. Palin mentioned several times she’s stepping down now because she doesn’t want to be a lame duck, but here’s my question: didn’t the voters of Alaska choose to send Palin to the governor’s mansion to serve a full term in office, not just three years? The question’s worth asking, because if she can’t be counted on to fulfill her obligations to the voters of the state of Alaska, how could she possibly be trusted by voters when she seeks the Republican presidential nomination in 2012?
Despite what Gov. Palin says, this move isn’t about Alaska; it’s about ensuring her future as a national political figure. Gov. Palin’s approval ratings in Alaska, once sky-high, have started to take a nose dive, and she’s been mired in political intrigue since her return to Alaska following her time as Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential running mate. What’s more, there’s no doubt last week’s highly critical piece in Vanity Fair magazine, with unnamed campaign aides questioning if she was ever really prepared for the presidency, played a part in her decision to step down now and begin burnishing her credentials as a national political figure.
Ultimately, Sarah Palin chose ambition over responsibility, and in doing so, she exposed her true self.
yeah….I don’t get it
Rich, ultimately Palin chose ambition over responsibility.
Zach…I completely disagree with you. It sounds like she has too many distractions to be as effective as she would like so she is letting go for the sake of Alaska. I think she said Alaska paid over 2 million in defending her against complaints…money that could have gone elsewhere and with no end in sight I’m sure. However…if she benefits from making this move too…all the better. Why should she sacrifice herself and Alaska just to make you guys on the left happy?? And…I’m asking that question as someone with no side since I can’t identify with either one. As far as I’m concern both sides are screwed up.
Anon, how many distractions would Palin have if she were elected president? If she can’t handle distractions now, then how can anyone believe she’s up to the task of dealing with the myriad of distractions that are a part of the presidency?
It’s not that I think she can’t handle the distractions…I think she doesn’t feel the citizens of Alaska should have to continue to pay for them because she is such a target. She said she could easily ride out her term and cost the taxpayers more money but she doesn’t think that is the right thing to do. I think that’s what she meant by being a lame duck.
BTW…speaking of ducks…I couldn’t stop watching the loons (I think) behind her. At one point they started fighting with each other. I love animals and nature. 🙂
Oh…and who said she’s even running in 2012??
She’s running in 2012….that’s why she’s not seeking reelection in Alaska, so that she’ll have plenty of time to run for president.
“Rich, ultimately Palin chose ambition over responsibility.”
Yup. Yup. Kinda like a JUNIOR Senator from IL just a few days into his First term….I hear ya.
Rich, big difference here. She’s the chief executive of the state of Alaska; he was a junior senator. She’s responsible for the day-to-day governing of an entire state, a responsibility that apparently is too much for her to handle, especially with some “distractions.” Makes me wonder how she thinks she’ll be able to be president, given how many “distractions” a president can have.
She quit. She quit Alaska, she quit being governor, she quit politics.
I think that her rambling announcement is a reflection of her political character. She was never qualified to be on the national scene.
I liked her spunk but not her ‘political soccer mom, ex-cheerleader’ approach to governing.
I am glad she left politics before she suffered national and public disgrace.
I think her future in the Republican Party is to be the cheerleader for others.
I think you’re right about everything but her quitting politics. I think she’ll give a run for president one shot in 2012 before finally calling it quits.
Ok, one of us can buy the other a beer in 2011.
I’m not a huge Palin fan. I like her general political principals, but her folksy mannerisms seemed a little played out to me. I have always thought that she is intelligent and extremely self-sufficient (given her ability to expose plenty of corruption in her own party that had a stranglehold on Alaskan politics).
That being said…
She never has indicated that she will run in 2012.
The left and the media (those are still separate entities, right?) completely skewered her about her presidential credentials when a community organizer who spent one term as a U.S. senator was running for president. Palin was the mayor of a (small) town. She is the governor of Alaska. She has had to submit a budget, run her state’s National Guard, and preside over her state as the executive. Prior to Obama’s coronation, I mean, inauguration, all he ever did was talk and write. No one questioned his credentials besides the “vast right wing conspiracy.” Also, he was running for president, not vice president. The VP candidate should be qualified to be the president should circumstances necessitate that, but the VP is not the top of the ticket. McCain was.
Perhaps she’s done with politics. None of us know yet. I do not want to speculate because I do not believe it is an appropriate thing to do unless there is obvious writing on the wall (such as a certain impeachment in the case of Nixon).
I have always found it kind of funny how ingenious all the lefty political figures are (like Obama’s supposedly off-the-charts IQ) and how incredibly stupid all the conservative figures are. It’s amazing they have mastered potty-training given the intelligence assessment you guys give them.
Cameron, when did I say Sarah Palin – or any other conservative – was stupid? I think Sarah Palin’s intelligent; I just don’t think she’s cut out to be president.
“Yup. Yup. Kinda like a JUNIOR Senator from IL just a few days into his First term….I hear ya.”
Sweet. I hope “Special” remains that critical if Palin should run for president, and be the first out there warning us off her inexperience.
Yeah, that’s the thing. If Palin does run for president, she’s opened herself up to attacks about her lack of experience, as well as her inability to complete her entire term in office.
I can see the ads calling her a quitter now…
Here’s a quote from Gov. Palin. It was in a Yahoo News story this morning.
“I said before … ‘You know, politically speaking, if I die, I die. So be it,'” she said.
It looks like she’s not too concerned about her political future so maybe the rest of us shouldn’t be either.
This lame person can’t even finish a single term as governor, has limited saavy, and is dumber than a rock. She’s just another “family values” nightmare who ignored her own children. Even Alaskans don’t want this dimwit around. She’s a disgrace who almost singlehandedly set women back 100 years. Maybe she’ll have success in raising her illegitimate grandchild.
One thing I’m hearing on the news is Palin’s attorney is saying they will go after the bloggers who continue to libel her online. I think that is smart. I think anyone…whether they are politicians or not…who are libeled by bloggers should make the bloggers answer in court. This free for all on the internet is disturbing. It’s one thing to state an opinion or express one’s views but it’s a whole other story when bloggers puts false accusations or information on their blogs about people.
While I think Palin is entirely too concerned about what bloggers have to say about her, I do think some bloggers have gone too far in casting aspersions about her and her family.
The thing is when do you just ignore what people are saying and when do you take action? If you start letting things go…soon things get way out of control. I’m so tired of this “politics of personal destruction”. There are always enough legitimate issues to discuss/debate and those people who resorts to libeling candidates instead of discussing/debating the real issues deserve to be sued.