SubscribeTodd Palin told FOX News that his wife will concentrate on "doing the things for Alaska and the country" that she is passionate about and can not do as governor with the limitation and constant opposition she deals with within the state.
Either she's running in 2012, or she's trying to capitalize on the recent Vanity Fair article and portray herself as a colossal victim.My money's on both. My money is also on, "She did this without input from the national republican party leadership, or anyone outside of her circle of admirers."
"Rumors of an 'iceberg scandal' have been circulating.
Resignation is certainly out of character for Sarah Palin. Senator Mark Begich had a meeting with Sarah Palin two days ago with no mention of her leaving office. Palin's press secretary, David Murrow had posted on his Facebook page Wednesday, 'David Murrow is considering life's ironies.' He was hired less than a month ago. Yesterday he wrote, 'There's gonna be some fireworks this weekend!'" *
These troops and their important missions, now there is where truly the worthy causes are in this world and that's where our public resources should be, our public priority. We have time and resources spent on that, not on this superficial, wasteful, political bloodsport. So may we all learn from them. Really we just gotta put first things first, and first thing's first, as governor, I love my job and I love Alaska and it hurts to make this choice but I'm doing what's best for Alaska and I have explained why.Something is in the works (reference to "political bloodsport") and the news will be bad enough to damage some of her political allies. The comment "So may we all learn from them" is a call out so pathetic it's unlikely to move the conscience of even the most sympathetic of opponents.
“Colorless green ideas sleep furiously”She is nearly incoherent. It's a stream-of-consciousness babble that most of the time is devoid of grammar and meaning.
"Play her off, keyboard cat" set to the video of her resignation speech in 3... 2... 1...It's like a new Rule 34.
"312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.""'Good point guards don’t quit and walk off the floor if the going gets tough,' said John Weaver, a former senior strategist for Mr. McCain. 'Today’s move falls further into the weirdness category; people don’t like a quitter.'" *
Personally, I thank her for the confidence she’s placed in me, for her trust, and for her friendship. As Alaska celebrates her 50th year of statehood, I believe history will look back on Sarah Palin as one of Alaska’s great gifts to all peoples.Yes, indeed, I'm sure the popcorn industry agrees with you on that one.
Sources close to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin tell MSNBC that she is "out of politics for good."In other news: happy 4th of July.
"Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore writes, 'For weeks the rumors of a criminal investigation against the governor have been brewing. They are rumors, but are swirling fresh again with Palin's resignation. I'm holding my breath for the other "Naughty Monkey" to drop.'"*
9 Pieces of "Analysis" About Sarah Palin's Decision That Are Flat-Out Totally Wrong
1. This means she can't run for president in 2012.
2. She would have been a stronger candidate for 2012 if she had stayed in office.
3. Republican primary and caucus voters in 2012 will care if she served out her term or not.
4. This means she is definitely running in 2012.
5. Making the announcement on the Friday of a holiday weekend was really stupid.
6. Until today, Palin was well positioned to run in 2012.
7. Palin made the decision not to run for re-election all of the sudden.
8. Palin's rhetoric about the politics of personal destruction was not heartfelt.
9. Palin's ambition is limited to electoral politics.
Assuming there is no scandal shoe about to drop, to understand what Gov. Sarah Palin is doing, we ought to begin by taking her at her word. I readily admit that her statement today wasn't terribly clear, which is quite telling itself: she doesn't quite know why she is doing what she's doing, ALL CAPS notwithstanding. She can't explain it to herself, and so she certainly can't explain it to others. But it's not that complicated to get the gist: she's "not retreating," she's advancing. Palin, in Alaska, is a sitting duck for the people and forces she believes are ruining the country. She can't fight back -- she can't protect her family, her values, her worldview -- while she's governor. At the same time, her desire, perhaps conscious, perhaps not, to get into the mix -- to be invited to the fancy Washington dinners, to be courted by these very forces -- is irresistably pulling her towards the very fight she seeks.
Main Entry:
gall
Pronunciation:
\ˈgȯl\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English, from Old English gealla; akin to Greek cholē, cholos gall, wrath, Old English geolu yellow — more at yellow
Date:
before 12th century
1 a: bile ; especially : bile obtained from an animal and used in the arts or medicine b: something bitter to endure c: bitterness of spirit : rancor
2: brazen boldness coupled with impudent assurance and insolence“I am deeply disappointed that the Governor has decided to abandon the State and her constituents before her term has concluded.”
If she is, in fact, getting a news anchor or commentator job, that might be a huge mistake for her. She'll need to at least fake like she knows and understands what she's talking about - frequently extemporaneously. When she's been allowed to speak off-the-cuff - and this press conference sounds like its pure off-the-cuff Palin - she comes across as incoherent.I imagine that it would be on Fox, in which case coherence is clearly not a job requirement.
she can string words together competently enoughI'm sorry, I thought I was in the Sarah Palin thread.
Sarah Palin's resignation as Governor of Alaska is a brilliant liberating move for her career, and a potential turning point for the national conservative movement.The editorial goes on to list all the brilliant things she can accomplish now that she is liberated from the onerous job of being Governor. For example
She should also lead the nation's mothers to oppose mandating replacement of incandescent light bulbs with the new mercury poison gas bulbs.It is news to me that the nation's mothers are so opposed to replacing their light bulbs. However that sounds like a nice, nutty niche for her to nestle into.
And because of the long distance and her family, as well as governing, responsibilities, she can’t get down to the lower-48 enough to build her national political presence.Firstly, I'm not sure what encoding scheme has a 38 byte apostrophe. Secondly, how could someone really believe that any kind of political presence building would counter a failed governorship?
"I am real surprised. It is real unconventional," William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, told FOX News. "It would make sense to finish the governorship and then run for president in 2012.
We really don't know whether Ronald Reagan did, in fact, have a penis.Speak for yourself.
At the same time, Palin is facing the same problem as many other governors: the states are facing a crunch, and without help from the federal government are going to have to make drastic cuts in services or raise taxes. In Alaska, the downturn – and the drop in the price of oil – has lead to a deficit of nearly $3 billion over the next two years, with little chance of recovery until the price of oil goes back up. By resigning in the middle of this year, she gets to avoid the painful cuts in government services or raises in tax rates that will be needed to keep the state functioning.I can see where this is going. When she does run in 2012, she can claim "When I was Governor of Alaska, I gave each and every Alaskan a check for $3,000, but now Governor X has decided to keep all of your tax money for himself!"
I've never thought I needed a title before one's name to forge progress in America. I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint.So let's see - developing independent and renewable energy sources, increasing the military apparatus, but cutting spending. Five plus five equals seven. Lovely. It's this piercing logic that made Wasilla the place it is today.
On July 3rd, 2009, Governor Sarah Palin announced her intent to resign her gubernatorial duties and transfer the powers of Governor to Lt. Governor Sean Parnell.(PDF)
Almost immediately afterwards, several unscrupulous people have asserted false and defamatory allegations that the "real" reasons for Governor Palin's resignation stem from an alleged criminal investigation pertaining to the construction of the Wasilla Sports Complex. This canard was first floated by Democrat operatives in September 2008 during the national campaign and followed up by sympathetic Democratic writers. It was easily rebutted then as one of many fabrications about Sarah Palin. Just as power abhors a vacuum, modern journalism apparently abhors any type of due diligence and fact checking before scurrilous allegations are repeated as fact.
... her private attorney -- Thomas Van Flein -- released a four-page statement seeking to quash rumors that the Alaska governor's decision to resign was motivated by ethics problems.Go Team Palin. Bang up job, you consummate professionals you.
[I]f some of her supporters are correct in surmising what she is doing — turning full time to preparing herself, after a tough year, for a presidential campaign in 2012 — it represents a huge gamble, even by the standards of a politician whose short career has been shaped by huge gambles.
Q: What kind of a gun do you use to play Alaskan Roulette?
A: An automatic.
Those lines [from Palin's Facebook announcement] would fit almost perfectly into a stump speech in Iowa or New Hampshire -- two states you should expect to see Palin in sometime soon."Should" here presumes that she is capable of listening to and has the personal fortitude to act on sound political advice.
She also wanted to shield herself and her family from the attacks that seem to have been aimed permanently at them in the 311 days since Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced her as his running mateYes, its subtle, and maybe a compete coincidence, but did they seriously just do that? Three hundred and ELEVEN days, eh? Not 310, or 312, depending on how you count it. I can't believe we're still stuck in these metaphors and using them as such. Seems cheap and inappropriate to me.
John Allen McKay Let me cut to the chase. Obama and anyone else who supports abortion (baby murder) and forces those of us (who see it as an act of Satin) to support it with out taxes are destined for Hell. That's not my opinion, but a promise from Jesus Himself. I hope Obama and all his "Groupies" who have the American Idol mentality enjoy this brief journey we experience on Earth because eternity is an awfully long time. Obama, his church and Rev. Wright are frauds. Shame on any "professing" Christian who voted for him.Jesus wants us to tax abortions?
She did not quit. From what I saw of her speech before Fox inexplicably cut it off (after seven days of wall-to-wall Michael Jackson coverage), this is not a woman who is retiring or "cutting and running," as Hillyer put it. She is getting into the fight to save America. Palin committed herself to fighting "for our state and our country, and campaign(ing) for those who believe in smaller government, free enterprise, strong national security, support for our troops and energy independence." Obama's treasonous presidency has made this struggle necessary. Palin, like all patriotic Americans, is shocked by what is happening. Obama is destroying this country. She knows it. We all know it. We need a leader.
Palin is that leader. On Friday she assumed the mantle. She delivered a campaign speech. She spoke on the eve of Independence Day about the sacrifices great Americans have made, and what our Founding Fathers fought and died for. Without naming Obama, she went after his disastrous policies, saying that "living beyond our means today is irresponsible for tomorrow," and noting that as governor she had "vetoed debt-ridden stimulus dollars." She believes in and wants to fight for free enterprise, small government and national security.
"Fair or unfair, I think she does herself a disservice to even mention it...When I hear a statement like that coming from a woman candidate with any kind of perceived whine about that excess criticism or, you know, maybe a sharper microscope put on her, I think, man, that doesn't do us any good. Women in politics, women in general wanting to progress this country. I don't think it's, it bodes well for her -- a statement like that...It bothers me a little bit hearing her bring that attention to herself on that level."
She doesn't want to be president. She wants to be queen.Yes. This. Exactly.
Trying to keep up w/getting truth to u, like proof there's no "FBI scandal", here's link http://tinyurl.com/nzlae8 Thanks, AK!That! Thing. I was trying to get to sleep guvnor! YOU ARE NOT A LOLCAT. Stop freaking me out. Weirdo!
about 4 hours ago from web
so I'll make attempt to keep up w/attaching corrected info. I head 2 West AK villages today, look forward to their busy comm fish activity!
about 7 hours ago from TwitterBerry
Critics are spinning, so hang in there as they feed false info on the right decision made as I enter last yr in office to not run again....
about 7 hours ago from TwitterBerry
It looks like Palin doesn't really seem distinguish between {deciding not to run for re-election in 2010} and {quitting the term she's been elected to} - and she certainly doesn't seem to grasp the magnitude of that difference.
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 8:18 PM on July 4
I don't blame her for stepping down. How can you get anything done for your State when you're hit with lawsuits every ten seconds? I think she did the best thing for Alaska.I'm starting to feel sorry for her supporters. It is not unusual for a worshiped Idol to have feet of clay, but Sarah has a brain of clay, and the attention span of Labrador puppy, and the work ethic of a three-toed sloth.
And NOW she can spend all of her time campaigning for Presidency.
There is NO ONE in the GOP that can beat Obama other than her.
NO ONE.
Damn, I admire this woman.
And the Leftist Mafia Media Machine is scared to death of her.
And they should be.
If she runs, I will campaign for her.
Run, Sarah, run!
There's stiff competition, but I'm comfortable describing Fred Barnes, of Weekly Standard and Fox News fame, as the nation's most hackish, reflexively partisan pundit. Pound for pound, word for word, it's hard to match Barnes' vacuity and inanity.
With that in mind, it was interesting to see that even Barnes can't put a positive spin on Sarah Palin's bizarre resignation.
I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) – After spending the holiday weekend with his family in Florida, Mark Sanford is apparently intent on fighting off calls for his resignation and staying in office, according to one South Carolina Republican who spoke with the governor on Monday.Clearly Sanford has not gotten the memo. It's perservering that's easy! Quitting is hard!
Richard Yow, a member of the South Carolina Republican Party executive committee from Chesterfield County, received a phone call from Sanford on Monday afternoon. Yow said he spoke to the embattled governor for ten minutes, during which Sanford asked Yow for his forgiveness.
Yow said he told Sanford he could forgive him, but he told the governor that he should resign for the sake of the state and his family. Sanford, he said, rejected the idea.
"He said resigning would be the easy way out," Yow told CNN.
It's this insane idea that if you want something to happen, you will also of course agree that it WILL happen, and if you don't agree it will happen, obviously you don't wnat it to happen.It would've been nice if they came to this realization back when they were doing exactly this kind of name-calling against the 10 million of us marching against going to war in Iraq, but better late than never.
In other words, if you're cheering for one side, you must of course believe that side will win, and if you suggest our side won't win, well, gee, you must be cheering AGAINST us.
It's insane. I wanted thte Giants to win against the Eagles in the playoffs, but I predicted they'd lose, because the Eagles had their number and they were coming apart at the seems. They did lose, for the reasons I guessed (I think). That did not mean I wasn't "on their side," I've been on the Giants' side all my life.
But there is a mentality in the nutroots that if you dare to post a poll showing republicans down and say "we're in trouble, we need a game-changer," well, that means you're secretly rooting against our side.
> I simply can't believe that someone who misuses the word literally, as in "the world is literally her oyster," has a job as a political spokesperson.Maybe what Palin is aiming to do is slurp the world down raw in advance of the greatest bacchanal Alaska has ever seen...?
> If it is a particularly sticky request, a few other levels of people may get involved. However, I submit that it is likely that no more than 1% of these ever made it all the way onto the Governor's deskYou're assuming Sarah Palin is actually working while she's sitting at her desk. If she really is as pathologically narcissistic as pople think she is, she's probably spending 80% of her time surfing the web looking for ideologue/freepish mirrors to bask in.
In February, Palin was required to pay back income taxes on thousands of dollars in expense money she received while living at her home overlooking Lake Lucille in Wasilla. Little more than two weeks ago she was forced to pay back the State of Alaska more than $8,100.00 for nine trips taken by her children that she had improperly charged as being part of official state business.These two ethics violations were determined to be legitimate claims against her and not just frivolous ethics violation accusations. She was actually required to pay the money back. It now looks like she may have to pay back the per diems she got while working from home, as well. If so, that will be three separate ethics violations claims against her that have been found to have merit.
§ 5. Freedom of Speech
Every person may freely speak, write, and publish on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right.
But when the family discussed whether she ought to leave office, it was her oldest child, son Track, who is serving in Iraq, who voted "hell, yeah."Wait, so the decision of whether or not for her to continue to uphold her duties as the elected official of a state, with duties prescribed by the Alaskan constitution, came down to a family vote?
Husband Todd Palin said, "It's been a topic of discussion quietly for a while. It's never come to an, 'I can't take it anymore.' Let's vote.
But you're not just laughing at her. You're laughing at people who take her seriously. Instead of, you know, actually trying to understand why they do that.
Now, in fairness, by entering into a plea bargain settlement agreement with the state, and agreeing to promptly repay the ill begotten travel allowances, Palin was able to have the official record read that there was no abiding ethics violation, but the simple fact is if there was no wrongdoing, she would not have had to enter an agreement and repay the funds.Also remember that she was found guilty of abusing her power by trying to get Wootan fired.
Her press aides say that before considering interviews, she insists that they comb through reporters' work, even if they write for a friendly, conservative publication," writes Ron Kessler of NewsMax.com.I'm not sure that this makes me sympathetic.
In helping to convince Sarah Palin that her road forward in national politics would demand even more sacrifices and pain than exacted from most politicians, the media did nothing to encourage women or people of modest means to participate in politics.
She made many mistakes after suddenly being thrust into the national spotlight last year, but hasn't merited the sneering contempt visited upon her by national reporters. She simply was not their kind of feminist -- and they disdained the politically incorrect life choices she had made.If by 'not my kind of feminist' you mean someone who spouts obvious lies gleefully at every opportunity, and by 'politically incorrect life choices' you mean someone who is so politically incompetent that she listed living in Alaska as foreign policy experience, then yeah, I can see how my sneering contempt for her is unwarranted.
Karl Rove acknowledges the unusual battering Ms. Palin has endured in recent months, but told Fox News that GOP leaders are still puzzled by her decision. "If she wanted to escape the ethics investigations and save the taxpayers money, she's now done that," he said. Unfortunately, he added, her decision "sent a signal that if you do this kind of thing to a sitting governor like her, you can drive her out of office."So, let me get this straight. Palin can't stand the heat, so she's quitting the kitchen... and it's because the system is broken.
But Palin friends say such commentary misses the real point. "The Beltway media can't understand someone not consumed with presidential ambition," one told me. "Maybe Sarah Palin won't run for president and maybe her family situation made it tougher to handle the barrage of attacks that come with that territory. The real issue that should be asked is why a mean-spirited system has to treat people who run like that, instead of why someone may choose not to go through it."
The thing that strikes me about this is the penny ante nature of her ethics violations. Stealing the per diem, travel for her kids, firing someone because they won't fire your sister's ex...that's just lame. If you're going to be corrupt, be corrupt - sell a senate seat, take bribes, accept kickbacks, shake down a children's hospital.Keep in mind that she is the governor of a state with a population one fourth that of the city of Chicago. There isn't as much graft to get... grafty with.
“As a woman who is often criticized and dismissed by the media I obviously can relate to Governor Palin on many levels,” Daniels said in a statement. “Given this I am very interested to hear what she has to say about the challenges women like ourselves who are not afraid to display our sexuality face when it comes to being taken seriously as leaders. [...]if our values are not backed by the responsibility to make the tough choices and to understand the consequences of our actions then we are doomed to failure as a society."I can see why Stormy Daniels would think they have something in common-- both have used their bodies in the past to obtain money and approval, but I think Stormy might be a little too mature for Palin. Stormy thinks that you should think about the consequences of your actions. I think Palin is more of an "act now, think about it later" kind of girl.
The symptoms of mania include excessive risk taking, hypersexuality, reckless financial spending, gambling or investments, and incoherently rapid and disjointed speech. Another common bipolar symptom is grandiosity, a grossly inflated sense of one's abilities and entitlements.Well...all the evidence that she's "a hard working and high functioning politician" has just burned up in a blaze of giddy hyperfocus, leaving only....er...the manic behavior.
Governor Palin has a very happy and successful marriage, her personal finances have been scrutinized and found above reproach through the VP vetting process, she has maintained a successful career, and does not abuse alcohol or drugs....Governor Palin is a hard working, high functioning politician, with views some do not share....
Since announcing that she would resign as governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin (R) has been blaming her decision on the “mainstream media” and political operatives who accused her of “all sorts of frivolous ethics violations.” Ironically, Palin last year criticized Hillary Clinton for complaining about being put under “a sharper microscope,” saying that when there is “any kind of perceived whine” coming from a “woman candidate,” she thinks, “Man that doesn’t do us any good.” Time’s Jay Newton-Small asked Palin about this contradiction in a new interview. Palin replied that she’s totally different than Clinton because the accusations she’s facing are way worse:What I said was, it doesn’t do her or anybody else any good to whine about the criticism. And that’s why I’m trying to make it clear that the criticism, I invite that. But freedom of speech and that invitation to constructively criticize a public servant is a lot different than the allowance to lie, to continually falsely accuse a public servant when they have proven over and over again that they have not done what the accuser is saying they did. It doesn’t cost them a dime to continue to accuse. . But that’s why when I talk about the political potshots that I take or my family takes, we can handle that. I can handle that. I expect it. But there has to be opportunity provided for truth to get out there, and truth That’s a whole different situationisn’t getting out there when the political game that’s being played right now is going to continue, and it is.
Things are getting tough and once again she is trying to hide behind that dysfunctional family of hers. She actually stood there and talked about how the Palins had a family meeting and everyone agreed it was time for her to step down as Governor. Well, I call bullshit. The only family meetings the Palins have usually involve someone peeing on an early pregnancy test stick.Andrew Sullivan has a handy guide to Sarah's Lies
It's too easy to characterize Sarah Palin as an irrational bundle of bristling grievance. But I think it's more complicated than her simple love for playing the victim all the time. If you think of Palin as someone who never felt herself to be fully heard or understood, not truly politically realized in the eyes of the American public, her rage toward the country, the media, and those of us who fail to love and understand her is easier to comprehend. Think of an American visiting France who believes that if he just speaks louder, he will be speaking French.
BROWN HAIRED GUY: We keep marrying other species and other ethnics--WTF?
GRETCHEN CARLSON: Are you sure you are not suffering from some of the causes of dementia right now?
BROWN HAIRED GUY: The problem is the Swedes have pure genes. They marry other Swedes, that's the rule. Finns marry other Finns; they have a pure society. In America we marry everybody. We will marry Italians and Irish.
DAVE BRIGGS: This study does not apply?
BROWN HAIRED GUY: Does not apply to us.
[pause]
DAVE BRIGGS: Huh.
"One of the chief reasons Sarah Palin has given for resigning as Governor of Alaska is that her state’s taxpayers are being forced to spend money defending her government against ethics complaints that would otherwise fund teachers, cops, and road repair.
But in response to our questions, a spokesperson for the Alaska governor’s office just gave us new information that casts serious doubt on this assertion. The revelation makes the resignation episode even stranger, and raises fresh questions about the real reasons for her abrupt departure...[more]..."
Alaska House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, said Palin didn't inform him ahead of time that she was going to resign.
"It would have been a little nicer to know," Chenault said. "But then it didn't surprise me, because the governor has done a lot of things she hadn't told anybody about." [source]
After watching Sarah think for the past three years, my view it is that her big decision to quit was the logical result of several smaller decisions. Like a Slinky flopping methodically down a flight of stairs, each of those decisions flowed one after the other from Sarah's realization at the conclusion of the 2008 presidential campaign that she had transcended politics. That thanks to media like People Magazine and the National Enquirer, she now is playing way above the rim with cultural icons like Paris Hilton and the recently deceased Michael Jackson, rather than below it with common vote-grubbing politicians like Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.
After watching the Friday news conference, Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson said that he thought Sarah "seemed more like a spoiled celebrity than a serious public official."
What Gerson got wrong is that Sarah is a spoiled celebrity.
The administrative director in the governor’s office, Linda Perez, conceded that some costs were counted twice and said “the total cost is overstated by $26,849.”
...a line item that says 0.3 attorney hours added up to $10,063 in costs. That would add up to an attorney billing of over $30,000 an hour, and Perez said the flat billing rate the state uses for its attorneys is $121.98 an hour.
...the initial costs for the governor's office through March 24 added up to $315,268 for 4,488 staff hours for 49 employees. That equals $70 an hour at 90 hours average work for those employees. She said the updated cost adds $110,281 through June 23, representing 1,285 additional staff hours spent by 29 employees. That's an average rate of $86 an hour.
(those figures don’t reflect just the salary they get, but also their benefits and other costs the stay pays to employ them.)
posted by Gungho at 12:59 PM on July 3 [1 favorite]