Sarah Palin resigns as Governor

[VintagePunk]

Wtf?


Alaska Governor Palin to resign in weeks - Posted


Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has announced that she is stepping down as that state's governor in a matter of weeks.

From Alaska CBC Affiliate KTVA:

At an 11:00 a.m. press conference today, Governor Sarah Palin announced that she would not seek a second term as governor. The governor continued, saying that by the end of the month she would resign from the governorship.

Palin ran as John McCain's vice-presidential running mate and is seen by many Republicans as potential Presidential candidate in 2012.

Pundits have begun to speculate on Palin's future:

Politico's GOP watcher Ben Smith says that leaving the Alaska Governor's mansion allows Palin to bang the drum more effectively for the Republicans, something that the floundering GOP needs from one of their remaining stars.

Leaving office at the end of next year, the former vice presidential hopeful will be able to travel the country more freely without facing the sort of repeated ethics inquiries she’s been fending off since returning to Alaska earlier this year.

CNN adds a bit more to the speculation:

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

The Post's David Frum argues that getting Palin to help the Republicans would actually be a bad thing for the party:

Palin evokes a devoted response from a large following. In the mysterious soup of motives that sustains her supporters, enthusiasm for effective governance does not seem a very major ingredient. But you'd think they would at least care whether she could campaign competently. Purdum argues intensely that she cannot - that a Palin candidacy would be the greatest self-inflicted disaster since George McGovern or Barry Goldwater.


eta - more

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/03/palin/index.html

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.

Palin, a Republican, 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 25.

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."

As the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, Palin has been considered one of the front-runners for the GOP nomination in 2012. Her decision not to seek another term as governor is sure to stoke speculation that Palin is seriously eyeing a run for the White House.

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.

[deep]

Palin knows how to make a decision.

Sanford should take note.



I don't know what her reasons are,
but if she put family over personal ambition, she is better than most politicians I can think of.

[2861U2]

A bit of an odd move, I guess. You'd think she'd at least finish her term. I doubt there's anything scandalous or threatening that's about to break, like some have speculated. She'll probably spend the next 18 months traveling, speaking, spending time with family, brushing up on policy, and announce her candidacy in late 2010 or early 2011. Nothing more than that, as far as I can see. Bad time to be a Republican, and bad time to be a governor.

[purpleoscar]

Maybe she's trying to end the governorship so she can focus on the presidential race?

[deep]

Originally Posted by 2861U2

A bit of an odd move, I guess. You'd think she'd at least finish her term. I doubt there's anything scandalous or threatening that's about to break, like some have speculated. She'll probably spend the next 18 months traveling, speaking, spending time with family, brushing up on policy, and announce her candidacy in late 2010 or early 2011. Nothing more than that, as far as I can see. Bad time to be a Republican, and bad time to be a governor.

also, it gives her Lt Gov. whoever he is?

a better shot in the 2010 election.

[VintagePunk]

Originally Posted by deep

Palin knows how to make a decision.

Sanford should take note.



I don't know what her reasons are,
but if she put family over personal ambition, she is better than most politicians I can think of.

Seriously? Now?

She's facing a lot of ethics criticism in Alaska and she's getting out before her numbers drop too much, so that she can focus on 2012. It's a political decision, period.

They're reairing the press conference now. As usual, I don't even know wtf she's saying. I've never seen a more inept speaker.


The timing's suspect, too. What do you do when you want a story out of the spotlight ASAP? Call a Friday afternoon press conference. On the Friday before a holiday weekend is even better.


Eta - Ha! The film of the press conference just cut out (on CNN) and the anchor said to Candy Crowley "I'm not even sure what she was saying..."

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by 2861U2

She'll probably spend the next 18 months traveling, speaking, spending time with family, brushing up on policy, and announce her candidacy in late 2010 or early 2011.

Our Sarah has got a lot of reading to do.

[BoMac]

Originally Posted by VintagePunk

They're reairing the press conference now. As usual, I don't even know wtf she's saying. I've never seen a more inept speaker.

Elitist.

[U2DMfan]

If she's running in 2012, she wouldn't start her campaign until after the Nov 2010 National Election (Congress). This is how most of them do it, anyways, so they can use resources from the National Party that are usually tied up until then.

So her resigning this far out, I think it does free her up to do more media and probably relieves her of a lot of headache, but I am not sure we can attribute this move 100% to a Presidential run. 100% political? Maybe.

I am not aware of her situation in Alaska but if what VP said is true, then maybe she's killing two birds with one stone.

In any event, she has no chance to get the Rep nomination.
They will destroy her in the primaries. It will be ugly, you can count on it.
That and you also have to factor in, she's not all that sharp of a candidate.
To say the least.

[deep]

I guess this is what it comes to
if one can't take a 14 year old girl to a baseball game

without a joke on national T V about a ML Ballplayer knocking her up.

[VintagePunk]

Okay, so she said something to the effect of "to hunker down and continue [as Governor] would be the quitters way out."

Uh, wouldn't quitting be the quitter's way out?

Originally Posted by BoMac

Elitist.

If by "elitist," you mean someone who is uncomfortable with the feeling that my IQ is dropping 10 points for every minute her speech goes on, then yeah. lol

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by U2DMfan

If she's running in 2012, she wouldn't start her campaign until after the Nov 2010 National Election (Congress). This is how most of them do it, anyways, so they can use resources from the National Party that are usually tied up until then.

like i said: a lot of reading.

it's going to be like when Daniel is training in The Karate Kid -- she'll be out standing on a rowboat talking about JFK's invocation of the Monroe Doctrine or the various nuances of the Marshall Plan. she'll wax on about steel tariffs and then wax off about fuel standards. maybe trim a bonsai or two.

[deep]

Originally Posted by VintagePunk

Seriously? Now?

She's facing a lot of ethics criticism in Alaska

15 ethics complaints

all dismissed.

[VintagePunk]

Originally Posted by deep

15 ethics complaints

all dismissed.

And you think that's all that's out there? Our dear Sarah has a way of twisting the truth - or did you ignore last fall?

Btw, she is the one that said the 15 were all cleared. Admittedly, I haven't been doing a great deal of reading about her lately, but is there a source for this other than her?

[deep]

Originally Posted by VintagePunk

Okay, so she said something to the effect of "to hunker down and continue [as Governor] would be the quitters way out."

Uh, wouldn't quitting be the quitter's way out?

in actuality, by announcing she will not run in 2010
makes her a lame duck

so staying on would not be that hard.

That is why Sanford wants to stay on as a lame duck.

Stanford says quitting is the easy thing to do.

Staying on is the hard thing.

Say what you want about Palin, but I find her more credible than Sanford.

[VintagePunk]

Originally Posted by deep

in actuality, by announcing she will not run in 2010
makes her a lame duck

so staying on would not be that hard.

That is why Sanford wants to stay on as a lame duck.

Stanford says quitting is the easy thing to do.

Staying on is the hard thing.

Say what you want about Palin, but I find her more credible than Sanford.

Someone who bails on the job halfway through, no matter how altruistic she tries to make her reasons for doing so, does not inspire a great deal of confidence.

[deep]

Originally Posted by VintagePunk

Admittedly, I haven't been doing a great deal of reading about her lately, but is there a source for this other than her?

I would go with her statements on national TV that can and will be verified.

Or we could just go with gut feelings and our bias because she is yucky, and you know, she is like a slutty stewardess.

[VintagePunk]

Originally Posted by deep

I would go with her statements on national TV that can and will be verified.

Or we could just go with gut feelings and our bias because she is yucky, and you know, she is like a slutty stewardess.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing. I don't know what's gotten into you lately. I'm still wondering if your brother's hacked your account...

[U2DMfan]

Sweep the leg!

[purpleoscar]

Sarah Palin (AKGovSarahPalin) on Twitter

She's twittering that she will release more info later.