The Republican primary for the Presidential nomination in 2012 has begun in earnest this week. While Newt Gingrich has been the most active until now in laying the groundwork for his run, mostly by knee-kerk opposition to everything Obama does, it was Sarah Palin yesterday who really made the first move, with dramatic style – she resigned as governor of Alaska.
The decision, made ostensibly for the sake of her family’s privacy, came out of the blue, and seemed to be a snap judgement rather than something carefully planned. Her political allies in the GOP and Alaskan elected officals were caught totally unawares. On her official twitter account, she only mentioned that “she had decided not to seek re-election” – just moments before her press conference about resigning. Note of course that not running for re-election is very different from resigning partway into your first, and now uncompleted, term.
Palin is now unemcumbered by having to be tethered to Alaska, which is the ultimate backwater when it comes to presidential politics. She’s outgrown her state and now needs to be free to focus on the lower 48, building her following in the electoral heartland, and wooing the DC insiders. She won’t be lacking for money, as she can easily pull in a fortune from doing the lecture circuit among the party faithful full-time now. She’s already got her PR people working on selling her image, focusing on what she thinks the red-blooded conservative males who are voting for her want to see – and she’s probably right. Plus, she needs to be closer to DC and available to the media to do pushback on the inevitable stories that erode at her image as the Maverick v2.0 – such as the insider stories of sheer drama that former McCain campaign aides are leaking.
To be honest, I think this is actually a pretty good decision on Palin’s part. Frankly, Alaska was suffering with her being distracted by her ambition for 2012. And it benefits everyone, especially President Obama, for Palin to get more exposure. The people will see more of her and be able to draw their own conclusions. I think she had more cachet and mystique as a sitting governor than she will as just another full-time political aspirant. Now, she has to actually speak to be heard… and people will be paying attention.
Sarah Palin’s overconfidence is her weakness.
Related – great analaysis at The Politico, which discusses the advantages to Palin for quitting in more detail, as well as describing how her move has split the GOP ranks. Also, great post at DailyKos about some of the revelations behind the scenes of the McCain campaign, not to mention the landmark story on Palin in Vanity Fair.
posted July 5, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Todd Pailin’s body language showed a lot. He was unsmiling and stiff and she didn’t refer to him at all as someone who gave her advice,,,just her children.
posted July 5, 2009 at 8:30 pm
S. Palin’s body language was nervous, scattered, anything but confident and relaxed, or happy and a peace with her new plan for helping “the country” to become more conservative. Not our country, not America, but “the country”. Her face was strained in pictures, also. Body language sends positive and negative messages for sure.
posted July 6, 2009 at 12:09 pm
It just shocks me that people take her so seriously. This woman has gotten by on her pretty looks, and quick wit all her life. If this woman looked like Obama, would you tolerate what comes out of her mouth? It’s because she says all these rash comments with a smile, a sing-song voice, and twinkling eyes.
She shoots from the hip, without forethought. The world and society is way to unstable to have people like that in charge.
posted July 6, 2009 at 6:45 pm
After the reports in The Daily Kos that her son Trig was not hers but her daughters was enough to enrage anyone with a special needs child. Sarah was a team player during the entire McCain campaign fiasco. Without her on the ticket McCain would have suffered a distinctly more crippling loss than he did. The result of her loyalty was to be “blamed”for McCain’s loss in November 2008. I have yet to see any apology or retraction by The Daily Kos for their vulgar stories. You see, the WOMAN that the media wanted to be the first US President was Hillary Clinton. I am a former Republican and I am appalled at the treatment she has received at the hands of the party and the media. Not much was made from Hillary’s lie about being under fire during a visit to Kosovo. The Mainstrem Media is now officially our 4th branch of government. The Republicans paid for their idiocy in 2008 and they will pay again in 2010 and 2012.
posted July 7, 2009 at 2:54 pm
This is the outcome of using “homespun northwestern redneckism” ;the RNC is a democrats best friend. Sarah Palin ,Rush “percocet” Limbaugh, and Newt Gingrich that the holy trinity for Repulicans to rebound….I love It!!!!!!