Palin Resigns as Gov. of Alaska

strandinthewind · #1 07-03-2009, 06:16 PM

This serves no political motive whatsoever

I smell a scandal.

Palin stepping down this month

* Story Highlights
* NEW: "Everyone is going assume there's another story," CNN's Ed Rollins says
* Gov. Sarah Palin to step down as governor by the end of the month
* Palin made announcement at home in Wasilla, Alaska
* Announcement likely to fuel speculation Palin will seek presidency in 2012

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday that she will step down as Alaska's chief executive by the end of the month. She will not seek election to a second gubernatorial term in 2010.

As the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, Palin had been considered one of the front-runners for the GOP nomination in 2012.

"People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska," Palin said at an announcement from her home in Wasilla. "Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine."

Palin was elected governor in 2006. She was tapped as Arizona Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate last year.

Palin said she was transferring authority to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who will be sworn in at the Governor's Picnic on July 26. VideoWatch Palin's announcement »

Palin added in a statement that she was "determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is not the easiest path. ... Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional lame duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose."

A Republican source close to her political team told CNN's John King that it was a "calculation" she made that "it was time to move on." The governor's "book deal and other issues" were "causing a lot of friction" in her home state, the source said, adding that he believes she is "mapping out a path to 2012."

Another source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Palin "thinks she has accomplished goals she has set forward. ... She sees what a positive influence she has had on people's lives from traveling the country in the last year."

Following Palin's announcement, the Democratic National Committee blasted what it called her "bizarre behavior."

"Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can't handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down," DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said.

"Either way, her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today."

Republican strategist and CNN contributor Ed Rollins said, to a certain extent, Palin's announcement makes her look "terribly inept."

"I think everyone is shocked by this, and I think to a certain extent everyone is going to assume there's another story. You don't just quit with a year and a half to go. You certainly don't do this as a stepping stone to run for president. You finish the job that you're in, and obviously she's not doing that," he said.

"I think people are going to be very suspicious because of the timing. You don't quit on the Friday of a three-day holiday. If you are going to do this, you think it through, you give a good speech," Rollins said.

However, CNN Republican Strategist Mary Matalin said she thought the move was "really brilliant" on Palin's part, though she admitted she was surprised when she first heard the news.

"Her delivery was incredible, if you're a less charismatic person, you probably couldn't pull it off," Matalin said. "[Now] she will be freed up and liberated the way Mitt Romney is to raise money and get political chips by spending it and getting political capital. And she is still raising the kinds of crowds and money she always did."

Now, Matalin says, Palin must focus on "putting up with the conventional wisdom" that this was a bad move and travel the country to drum up support for a presidential run.

"She takes that target off her back with a good record to launch from," Matalin said.

When asked about whether it's possible Palin stepped down because of something negative we hadn't heard yet, Matalin referenced Palin's own words that investigators have dug through research in the ethics investigation.

"We presume if there was anything else we would know it by now," Matalin said.

In an interview last month with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Palin said she was unsure about her re-election bid because she needed to focus on her state and her family.

"So, no decision yet on either 2010 or let alone 2012?" Blitzer asked.

"No decision that I'd want to announce today," Palin responded.

Palin catapulted on the national stage last August when McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, chose her as his running mate.

CNN's Peter Hamby, John King, Mark Preston, Kristi Keck and Alan Silverleib contributed to this report.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/03/palin/index.html

JWS · #2 07-03-2009, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

This serves no political motive whatsoever

I smell a scandal.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/03/palin/index.html

And I'm hoping there is one.

strandinthewind · #3 07-03-2009, 06:26 PM

Amen on that~!

In the end, what pathetically little experience she may have gotten as the Gov. of Alaska is not horribly tainted. In other words, the D's and the other R runners will note that Palin could not even finish the job og Gov. of Alaska, where she effectively worked for about a year or two given her absence as the R VP nominee and her subsequent national grandstanding. Moreover, her "lame duck" excuse could be argued in the light of "if she'll do it to Alaska, she'll do it to America as Pres."

Ding Dong . . . . .

strandinthewind · #4 07-03-2009, 06:30 PM

"I'm certainly not going to put Alaskans through that . . . "

What does she think they elected her for? To serve at her whim?

David · #5 07-03-2009, 06:55 PM

She is rockin'!! I hope she comes back, bigger & stronger than ever!!

SARAH 2012!!

markolas · #6 07-03-2009, 07:01 PM

I'm far from a Palin fan, but I never quite understood the visceral reaction many on the left have toward her. I think the most likely explanation for her resignation is that she got tired of the continued tarring & feathering she and her family have been getting in the media & just wants it to be over, and I can't say that I blame her.

strandinthewind · #7 07-03-2009, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markolas

I'm far from a Palin fan, but I never quite understood the visceral reaction many on the left have toward her. I think the most likely explanation for her resignation is that she got tired of the continued tarring & feathering she and her family have been getting in the media & just wants it to be over, and I can't say that I blame her.

I am not really far on the left (though the def. of that term is unclear) and I oppose her because I think she is another self righteous a$$ trying to prey on peoples' religious fears to serve their own ends, which are far from religious and which they and their family cannot, do not, and do not want to live up to.

markolas · #8 07-03-2009, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I am not really far on the left (though the def. of that term is unclear) and I oppose her because I think she is another self righteous a$$ trying to prey on peoples' religious fears to serve their own ends, which are far from religious and which they and their family cannot, do not, and do not want to live up to.

Well, there's opposing her (and I certainly didn't and wouldn't vote for her), and then there's this mean-spirited almost-glee that I keep hearing/reading from left-wing/progressive bloggers, etc. anytime she makes some slip up, or one of her family members does, or somebody makes a joke or says something bad about her, or anytime some wild rumor comes out about her. "OMG, did you hear that her son might not really be hers but he's really her daughter's and they're just trying to cover it up - bwahahahaha!!!"

I don't know how far on the left I am anymore...compared to Palin or Mike Huckabee, I'm probably pretty far left - compared to Noam Chomsky or somebody like that, I'm probably a Fascist. "Moderate liberal" is currently how I'm describing myself.

strandinthewind · #9 07-03-2009, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markolas

Well, there's opposing her (and I certainly didn't and wouldn't vote for her), and then there's this mean-spirited almost-glee that I keep hearing/reading from left-wing/progressive bloggers, etc. anytime she makes some slip up, or one of her family members does, or somebody makes a joke or says something bad about her, or anytime some wild rumor comes out about her. "OMG, did you hear that her son might not really be hers but he's really her daughter's and they're just trying to cover it up - bwahahahaha!!!"

I don't know how far on the left I am anymore...compared to Palin or Mike Huckabee, I'm probably pretty far left - compared to Noam Chomsky or somebody like that, I'm probably a Fascist. "Moderate liberal" is currently how I'm describing myself.

I am an independent as no party I know of meets what I think. But, I hold my nose and vote D because the R's religious BS is more offensive to me than the stench associated with voting for a D.

As for Plain - she sets herself up for it when she attracts the camera with hokey and outlandish behavior she self styles as maverick. She wants the media to question her in any way so she gets more time in front of the camera. So, while I do think attacking her family is not the right thing to do and even though she put her family directly in the public eye and used them herself - I do get why people talk about her.

I mean Palin acted all put upon when Letterman joked about Bristol (obviously) Palin and A-Rod. Well, Bristol Palin has been on the cover of People magazine along with a full interview there and several months of interviews on television. Moreover, Palin used Bristol's teen, out of wedlock pregnancy as a political tool in her campaign with McCain. So, despite her youth, Bristol Palin is fair game and Palin is, once again, a hypocrite for feigning outrage at people attacking Bristol's very public pregnancy.

LukeA · #10 07-03-2009, 09:12 PM

What a bizarre speech- the longest run on sentence imaginable. She seems almost manic for some stretches.

I see either one of two scenarios being most likely. One- she's realized that she will never win a national election and wanted to ditch the office so she can establish herself as a pundit/talk show host (as she seemed to tease a couple times in her comments) and have all the $$$ and attention she could ever want. OR, yes, a scandal or something unpleasant/distracting (ex. pregnant again) is forthcoming.

becca · #11 07-03-2009, 10:17 PM

She seemed an improvement over the previous Governor at the time believe it or not, but has probably cost even more now. I don't know where they are going to find half way normal people for political office these days. I think by the time of the almost totally pointless Clinton investigations with Limpdick and Liddy barking on every other radio and tv set the writing for this kind of dumb crap to become commonplace was truly on the wall. It may be time to bring in a draft for political office, kind of like jury duty... or bring back the FCC standards that were scrapped that I feel led to this kind of scroched-earth war of attrition.

Sarah Palin does make Dan Quayle look promising as far as 2012 goes if you ask me however. She really would have to be clueless to run for even higher office again.

Musicman408 · #12 07-03-2009, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markolas

I'm far from a Palin fan, but I never quite understood the visceral reaction many on the left have toward her. I think the most likely explanation for her resignation is that she got tired of the continued tarring & feathering she and her family have been getting in the media & just wants it to be over, and I can't say that I blame her.

If she couldn't deal with the heat as governor of Alaska, how the HELL would she have been able to make it as VP- or a wanna be president????

gldstwmn · #13 07-04-2009, 01:50 AM

Holy cow. I leave home for a few hours and all hell breaks loose. When I saw the title of this thread, I expected there to be a joke inside. I wonder what the hell is going on? Is Trig really Bristol's kid after all?

Or is Sarah going to get her own teevee show? She will be the attractive version of Rush Limbaugh.

markolas · #14 07-04-2009, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I am an independent as no party I know of meets what I think. But, I hold my nose and vote D because the R's religious BS is more offensive to me than the stench associated with voting for a D.

I always think of "independent" as code for "libertarian" for some reason, so I have a natural aversion to it.

As far as Palin or her daughter being "fair game" - I think the mainstream media has basically been one big tabloid for about 20 years and I have no use for it. I've pretty well reached my level of saturation with it the last couple of weeks with the non-stop coverage of celebrity deaths, Mark Sanford, and now this.

It's totally ridiculous.

vermicious knid · #15 07-04-2009, 02:29 AM

She gave like four different reasons for resigning, and none of them made sense. She never had a chance of becoming President, but now I don't think she even has a chance of being the Republican nominee. I would never have voted for her, but I definitely would have watched any debate that she was a part of. It's going to be more boring when 2012 comes around. The Republicans have nobody!