Palin Out
Jul 3rd, 2009 by Timothy Pancoast
According to the AP Gov. Palin is not only not going to run for another term as Governor of Alaska, she is resigning on July 26th. This will probably pull another Alaska politician out of obscurity for at least 15 minutes of fame. Her Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell is going to be feeling the heat of the media spotlight for a little while. Gov. Palin is still leaving it open as to what her resignation will mean for her future involvement in politics, however we can probably expect more news soon.
As for me I am not to concerned either way. If she chooses to get out of politics altogether in order to focus on her family more I think that is great. If she chooses to start a Presidential campaign that is great too. She has had a definite impact on the political landscape and she provided a segment of the population with a voice and an outlet that they might not have had otherwise. She has done some great things for her state and the nation, but she has also been involved, directly or indirectly, in some pretty silly stuff too.
Overall, I like Gov. Palin, but I am not as attached to her as some. I also realize that America has more than one patriot and it never pays to pin all your hopes on one person that is no less human than yourself.
Edit: This post is for annoni, you mentioned the Palin news twice in the comments so I felt compeled to respond with a post about it.
I am very disappointed.
“If she chooses to get out of politics altogether in order to focus on her family more I think that is great. If she chooses to start a Presidential campaign that is great too.”
I’m OK with the first reason, but honestly, how can you be OK with the second? It’s one thing to not run for re-election so that you could run for higher office, but to quit in the middle of your term? You’re OK with that?
Really, it’s too easy
One of the great criticisms that Mitt Romney recieved when starting up is campaign is that he short-changed the last half of his term as Governor of Massachusetts while gearing up for his Presidential run. He was all over the country instead of in his own state half the time. By the time his official campaign was announced he was no longer in office, but his unnofficial campaign began while he was still Governor and it did occupy a lot of his time.
If Gov. Palin feels like she needs to run for President then it may be the best thing for her to step down early rather than late. I am sure she learned a lot from her VP run including the fact that it took her away from her state a lot. A Presidential run will demand far more time from her. So long as her Lt. Gov. is a capable leader the state will be better served by having him as Governor full-time than having her as Governor part-time.
One way to make nomination points is to do the rubber chicken circuit. This worked well for Richard Nixon.
How many went up to Media PA to see Palin and McCain? How many would have gone to see McCain and someone like Tom Ridge?
Tim, her term is up in 2010. The election isn’t until 2012. She quit (and has a history of doing that). Might hurt her a bit in trying for the Presidency.
It was similar timing for Mitt Romney. He had about a year from the end of his term till his official candidacy began. He took flack for keeping his post and laying the groundwork for his campaign at the same time. She is going to take flack for leaving her post in order to lay the groundwork for hers, if that is indeed what she is doing.
I am sure you can elaborate on her history of quitting. I am aware that she quit her second term on the city council due to her campaign for mayor. (The interesting thing about second terms is that you generally have to finish your first term to get a second, which is what she did, that puts the score at 1-1.) I will be happy to elaborate on her history of seeing things through to the end. She has done plenty of both. Everyone has a history of doing multiple things, some of them good and some of them not.
I am not a champion for Palin. I do not know if she will run for President or focus on her family and other endeavors. It really doesn’t matter to me either way. However, this is not the grave sin you are making it out to be. Her state can do very well and will be in capable hands without her, just as it was with her. Because of who she is and who her political enemies are she is going to be condemned for her choices no matter what they are, so she might as well do things her way.
Your welcome annoni.
Seems like it was a worth while topic to discuss so your nudge was right on target.
It was brilliant on her part.
Her quote to a reporter afterward her speech
” We’re not retreating, we’re attacking from another direction”
She’s removed herself as a sitting target, from a role(Alaskan Gov.) that was never going to be respected enough, no matter what she did she wasn’t going to get credit. Reagan barely got credit as CA gov from liberal media. Now she can add to her resume or lead a movement.
It will only be seen as quitting in the long term if the Lt Gov completely fails or if she doesn’t follow through with what I expect will be another announcement in the coming weeks.
Let’s see that’s 5 colleges, one governorship…..I sense a pattern.. QUITTER.
My, my, my, I told you that there are things she has quit and things she has stuck with. Also in attending college what was the goal? To get a degree. The college itself is not the goal, the degree is, and that is what she achieved. You also fail to mention her terms as Mayor which she saw both through to the end. I am not seeing a pattern because there isn’t one.
Personally I was a Romney guy in the last election and if he runs again he is the candidate I am going to look at first in the next primary. I am cool with Sarah, but I am not really in her camp. However, I think your remarks about her are lazy and lack merrit. If it is too easy, as you said in closing your first comment, then I suggest you work harder and do something that is of greater worth than slinging the ridicule which comes so easily to your mind.
Maybe she just wants to rake-in a few million while she’s hot. There’s always time for politics.
I would still like to hear her in a serious non scripted discussion about the world we live in.
So far, she seems like a divider not a uniter. She has that with us or against us thing going but it’s not foreigners she’s talking about it’s we Americans. It’s like there are real patriotic Americans then there are the other kind of Americans that vote for Democratic Party candidates. The NYT times and mainstream media is sort of un-American. Sounds like the average dittohead to me.
She does not strike me a smart enough for any really important job in America.