Sarah Palin is resigning

The last person to win their party's nomination for president while not holding an office was...

...Ronald Reagan for the Republicans. Let the mythologizing begin.

...Walter Mondale for the Democrats. Let the prayers begin.

Do you think there might be another sex scandal brewing? This is a bit too sudden and unnatural, and there are likely several things they haven't told us yet.

Resigning the governorship means she will have only a governorship of 2.5 years on her resume, and being mayor of the incestuous village of Wasilla. For a party that hammered the thinness of Obama's resume as its major talking point in the last election, she's doomed vis-a-vis the majority of the larger electorate. It's not like Obama's going to appoint her to be Ambassador to Russia. Is she going to try to unseat Murkowski in 2010 (bloody likely that)?

Thus, I smell more of her chickens coming home to roost. But, hey, that won't prevent her from making a mint on talk radio if she wanted to.

Resignation does not make sense unless there's something going on that as a matter of scale would make Mark Sanford's tryst look like small potatoes. Blaming "the media" seems an attempt at pre-emption.

Yet this is the person John McCain declared ready and able to take his place as President of the United States. This sheds light on McCain's own deeply flawed decision-making (picking Palin and the suspending his campaign stunt, for example). Americans elected Obama because he seemed, by contrast, to be the adult in the room.

Can Palin make a credible run for President? No, but that didn't stop Rudy Giuliani from trying, no reason it should stop her. Giuliani had one talking point and an extremely disagreeable personality -- Palin has no talking points and great popularity with the base.

Heck, the GOP itself is not credible these days, awash in scandal (Sanford), brain-dead politics (opposition to the stimulus package) and denial (opposition to the need for health care reform).

Look at the numbers for Republicans in Congress: 13% favorability. Can it get any lower? Why shouldn't she run, given that backdrop?

Liam..... Who Are You??? "Incestuous village of Wasilla? Have you BEEN there! I take offense at this as an Alaskan.

Did anyone read the Anchorage Daily News article? It said that during the past year there have been numerous ethics complaints filed against her, many of them frivolous, but that she and Todd currently have a 500,000 dollar legal bill. This is wildly significant. She does not make all that much money....Half a million in legal bills with more mounting on the horizon is more than enough reason for the resignation.

There is a lot more going on behind this decision, but knowing how close to the vest Sarah was prior to her nomination as McCain VP, as well as the secretiveness surrounding the pregnancy and Down's diagnosis of Trig, I believe this sudden mysterious resignation is just Sarah Palin's mode of operation. 6 weeks from now, we will all begin to put the pieces together of the REAL reason for the resignation. My bet is that it is some personal family decision. Sarah has shocked us Alaskans in a major way 3 times that I can recall, 1. Trig's birth 2. the 1200$ energy rebate check (a nice shock!) 3. McCain's pick for VP. Like I said, this is just her way of springing news on the public.

I don't have any idea if she plans to run for President. I doubt it. But I could be wrong.

And again, if you don't live in Alaska, don't dis it. It's a lovely place full of kind and generous people.

It was heartening to learn that Alaska had such a wonderful person as governor.

For about 2.5 years, where she spent the last year focusing on her political ambitions and not the state. It's very irresponsible to give up without even completing her term. It only reinforces she wasn't really prepared to be a leader, even of a tiny state.

Maybe it is about her family, although her history of prioritizing family is not exactly stellar.

Every day that goes by I'm thankful Obama won, but now more than ever. If you can't handle being governor of a small, sparsely-populated state, you can't handle being VP, let alone President. Her political career is over. She now stands to make much more money for doing much less work as the next up-and-coming Fox host.

My guess is that if there really is a scandal in the offing (beyond what we already know about her that is), it's probably financial rather than sexual. Either that or some vindictive vendetta she got herself into.

But I personally doubt there's a scandal big enough to sink Palin. The true believers completely ignore her various abuses of power, financial improprieties and difficult relationship with the truth. Democrats and Independents don't, and sensible Republicans think she's too much of a lightweight. It's hard to see what could possibly come out that would alter that.

More likely, as Rod says, she really does want to focus on stumping in Iowa. And the problem is (from what I've read) she's alienated whatever politicians there are in Alaska who could keep the home fires burning for her while she's off chasing her ambitions. So this is probably the best choice she has if she seriously wants to pursue the Presidency.

As for her intellectual qualifications, I personally am pretty much unworthy to run for dogcatcher and I could demolish her in a debate (at least as long as the "starburst" factor is left out).

Maeb, I agree. Nominating Palin for President would be like having the Democrats nominate Dennis Kucinich or Cynthia McKinney. What's scary is that there's at least an outside chance that they might actually do it.

I personally hope that it's NOT another scandal. These endless scandals just feed an already pretty vapid media contingent, and distract us from concentrating on issues that actually affect all of us, like health care, for instance.

I know you are all waiting for me to say this:

Whatever scandal is brewing for Mrs. Moosebreath, sex is not going to be it. I can't think of a self-respecting gaucho that would go near her.

Dangitall. I really hope this does not sink my Dream Ticket for the GOP in 2012: Palin and Bachman.

My dad lives in Bachman's district, to his everlasting shame. She has so little gravitas she should float away, but she looks great in her pearls and gloves, drafting legislation to resist non-existent threats. She would have made a great VP for Palin.

Oh well. Let's wish the Palin family well and hope they are in health.

Shelley

Wasilla's size counts as a village in my neck of the woods (its estimated population is about 1/3 that of my small city north of Boston that is really a town rather than a city), notwithstanding its legal status as a city. Incestuous was not a sexual reference, but rather to the kind of small-town tribalisms that Wasilla has (like many places). My own city is rather incestuous, and I would not consider our mayor a candidate for national office other than perhaps congressman.

I'm just hoping that she has finally come to her senses and has decided to take care of her family (especially Trig) and to put her family first.

Don't hold your breath. She's going to be in Alaska now less than she was before, because she's now freed from actually trying to run the state. The family has mostly been a prop for the last year and there's no reason to believe that's going to change.

Platitudes and cliches are the foundation of American politics. Every successful presidential candidate sustains a campaign based on platitudes and cliches.

Your Name at 5:58 PM: "Okay people...let's go through this again. Obama is not a socialist or a communist. If you don't know what communism and socialism are, then please get a dictionary and quit subjecting the rest of us to your ignorance."

In less than six months of the Obama administration, the federal government has acquired ownership of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, GM, Chrysler, AIG, and a big chunk of the banking industry. Looking forward, the Obama administration has its sights set on a quasi-nationalization of the health care industry.

Care to recant?

I'm often surprised by the amount of hatred a lot of people on the left have for Sarah Palin. I'm unclear about what she did to deserve it. It was akin the bile the right spilled about Hillary Clinton when she was the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. Maybe people on the right and the left just don't like the idea of a woman in power.

Chris Mills

Christ, I don't hate her, but I was profoundly offended by her rather vindictive acceptance speech, and by her repeated campaign rallying cry to "Real Americans" (what am I, chopped liver?). Her exclusionary politics may be why she raises so much ire.

and by "Christ," I meant of course "Chris"

LOL!

As a liberal Democrat that never wants to see Neocons ever again in power, I say RUN SARAH RUN, RUN PALIN RUN, YEAH!

Chris,
Oh, I see. Yes, there are terrible things said about Palin. I didn't appreciate the anchor who asked (rhetorically, I'm guessing) if she was resigning because she was pregnant again. That's the kind of demeaning attitude toward her that really *is* sexist.

That said, I think it comes with the territory. I've seen some unbelievably awful things written about Obama in those comment threads. People love to hate, esp. when it comes to politics. I've never really ascribed to the notion that Palin herself has been unfairly targeted.

"I'm often surprised by the amount of hatred a lot of people on the left have for Sarah Palin. I'm unclear about what she did to deserve it."

You gotta be kidding me! Look at how she treats her family, thinking she can pursue a career when she obviously should be staying home with the children! Of course the left is going to be outraged at something so disgustingly unnatural.

You asked:
Do you think she could pull off mounting a credible, successful bid for the GOP presidential nomination?

In Sarah's own words?

Hell Yeah!

AND

With our help??

You Betcha!

If resigning office is successfully spun as qualification to be POTUS then Americans are dumber than Barnum thought.

Palin has a multi-million dollar contract for a memoir. I can't believe she's resigning to make more money for legal bills.

If it wasn't clear to most Americans before today that the woman's a bloomin' narcissist, it ought to be obvious now.

Liam, let's not confuse Jasper with the facts.

Listening to her 15 minute statement is painful. Shockingly painful. Bizarre. Weird. Can anyone truly listen to this and believe she is qualified to lead our nation? Basketball and looking north to the future.

Ouch.

I just watched her resignation speech and it hit me like a ton of bricks: She and her coterie want Alaska to secede from the Union.

I know it sounds crazy; heck, it IS crazy. But that’s my take on it. She said things like (and I’m paraphrasing here) “the rest of America looks north to Alaska for freedom” and “I can best serve Alaska outside the governor’s office.” She also talked a great deal about “energy independence.” That’s quite typical, but added to some of the other things she said, it could take on a little more significance. She spent a good amount of time on the troops overseas (again, hardly strange on July 3--but in context important).

Two last items I feel are significance. First, the new Lt. Governor will be a general in either the Army or the National Guard. I wonder if this is typical in most states. Second, notice how she signed off the speech, not “God bless America,” but “God bless Alaska.”

Lastly, why would she make this announcement on July 3? Is there an even bigger bombshell tomorrow? Could she envision herself as the first President of Alaska?

Sarah Palin's resignation was meant to serve an even higher purpose than most people would suspect: namely, to trigger a huge resurgence in religious belief. All across this great nation of ours (and most especially in Alaska), millions of atheists and agnostics are turning their faces heavenward upon hearing the news of Palin's decision and stating, in an awed whisper, "We'll, whaddya know? There really IS a God!"

You betcha!

Incidentally, according to an Andrea Mitchell piece on RealClearPolitics.com, Gov. Palin is planning on getting out of politics altogether. Apparently (and this is based on second-hand info, so DO take this with several grains of salt), Gov. Palin has had it with the way she and her family have been treated since they've been in the spotlight, and she is not planning on being part of any Presidential run in 2012.

If this is indeed the case, then "good on her". Her first priority should be (and should have always been) her family. If she is stepping down to pay more attention to her family's needs, then she made a right call.

Your servant,

Lord Karth

Sarah Palin spent 15 minutes 'explaining' why she is resigning. Everyone else spent the rest of the day speculating as to why she was resigning. That tells us something about Sarah Palin. What exactly?

At this moment, without further preparation, Sarah Palin, and 60% of the names in every phone book are 5 times more capable than almost all of the previous 3 election's candidates.

She doesn't need 'gravitas', since that's a really stupid media invention. She needs brains, integrity, and common sense. All which she and most of the rest of us have in vastly more quantity than all the twits in DC.

Certainly, she is far more qualified than 90% of the Yale and Harvard Alumni.

All these arguments may be moot. It appears the real reason she's quitting is that she's about to be indicted in a years-old embezzlement case.

Rumors at this point:

MSNBC: "Criminal Investigation" Reason For Palin's Resignation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFdcSu4UyxI

During the campaign, I read about open questions about who paid for the building of Palin's house:

Sources are saying that Sarah Palin’s sudden resignation as Alaska Governor is actually damage control because a major embezzlement scandal is about to erupt involving construction projects in her home town of Wasilla, Alaska.

Multiple sources have been digging around in the wake of Sarah Palin’s cryptic resignation speech Friday and they’ve found that when Palin was Mayor of her home town of Wasilla, AK in 2002, she was influental in the construction of the Wasilla Sports Complex and hockey arena. First of all, the $12mil+ project ended up in the hands of contractors who were friends of friends of Palin. Secondly, at around the same time the sports complex was being built, so was Palin’s new house. What’s interesting about that is the house is constructed from the exact same materials the sports complex was built with. The windows in both structures are the same, the wood is the same, pretty well everything.

When the house was being built, Palin, being Mayor at the time, influenced the bylaw requiring building permits in the town so that now there is no official list of the contractors who worked on her house.

The information is coming from local Alaskans who have been watching Palin and collecting information for some time. The reason it hasn’t been made public yet is because they have been told by federal investigators to keep their mouths shut so a subsequent media frenzy doesn’t impede the investigation.

An example of what happens to threateningly popular conservatives who get uppity.

Let's assume for the sake of argument that Palin is not resigning over a soon to be released scandal and that she is innocent of any wrongdoing - do we then want as an influential upcoming politician someone who could be hounded from office by David Letterman and Katie Couric?

Lord Karth's explanation fits what I observed in the resignation speech. She seemed frustrated and somewhat bitter at what she and her family had gone through. She seemed disillusioned about the gap between her ideal view of how the world should work and the reality she experienced.

I'm not a Sarah Palin fan, but I don't see anything more sinister (scandal) or ambitious (presidential run) going on here.

77 comments on July 4!

Say what you will, she's got star power. She's Roxy!

Novelists, race your engines.

Arrgh's incoherent ramblings demonstrate exactly what is wrong with the hardcore right wing. Obama lies "100%" of the time? Seriously? Do you expect the rest of us rational people to go along with that kind of stupidity? 100% of the time would mean that Michelle isn't his wife and he doesn't really have 2 daughters.

And before I get the standard conservative martyr response here...I'd say the same thing to someone who stupidly claimed that Bush lied "100%" of the time.

I hate this kind of character assassination politics. Obama isn't evil incarnate. And if you think he's a socialist or a communist, PLEASE buy a dictionary and get a little bit of education first.

Um, Obama is not operating the companies and is trying to get out of ownership as quickly as is economically feasible. Hardly the stuff of socialism. Waving the bloody red shirt of socialism is a great shibboleth to preach to the choir but has very shallow results these days. Very lame.

Um...Liam, here you go again confusing people with the facts.

Re: Well, Obama's got the first part.Take over of major industries, GM and banking.

I suppose that when De Gaulle nationalized Renault he was a socialist too? Give me a break. De Gaulle was anything but a socialist, and neither is Obama.