In Big Shocker, Palin Resigns As Governor
Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), the unsuccessful 2008 nominee of the Republican Party for Vice President, has announced that will resign her office, effective at the end of the month.
Initial reports had been that she simply wasn't going to run for a second term in 2010, seemingly setting up a 2012 campaign for the White House. But this sure is something...
Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), the unsuccessful 2008 nominee of the Republican Party for Vice President, has resigned her office, effective at the end of the month.
Initial reports had been that she simply wasn't going to run for a second term in 2010, seemingly setting up a 2012 campaign for the White House. But this sure is something...
Late Update: Reporter Andrew Wellner from the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman just appeared on CNN after attending Palin's press conference. She said, Wellner reported, that she could be more effective outside of government.
And she wholly blamed the national press, saying they were creating national distractions that cost the state money. Palin said: "You are naive if you don't see a full-court press on the national level, picking apart a good point guard."
Late Late Update: Here's the video. Part 1:
And Part 2:
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
I smell an indictment comming down the pike!
July 3, 2009 3:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
That or she has enrolled in a community college civics class to prepare her for her run for the presidency. She needs free up all that time because she will, you know, have to read all those books and stuff.
July 3, 2009 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
She could start with learning which countries comprise North America. Hint Sarah, you live in one, your state borders one and the other one is Mexico. Once that's mastered, being able to differentiate continents from countries. Hint Sarah, Africe falls in the former.
PEACE
July 3, 2009 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
OK, I think I've got this: the three countries that make up North America are Alaska, Mexico and Russia. Right?
July 3, 2009 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Close -- you forgot Texas, and "Mexico" is not an actual country, it's a metaphorical threat.
July 3, 2009 5:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is Sarah Palin finished?
http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=5668
.
July 4, 2009 11:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
No, Mexico, Russia and Africa. What's your problem??
July 6, 2009 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe she and First Dude are going to devote all their time and talents to the AIP.
July 3, 2009 5:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Absolutely, somethings up.
Or she is running away to go eat worms because that will show us.
Or they drove a truck full of FOX money to her house and in august she will be a news mannequin.
July 3, 2009 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
With Palin it could be anything from she or one of her family being sick (and I do hope not) to her running for president and she thinks she's getting a good head start. And Absolutely anything inbetween. Who knows with that nutcake? But I think it would be just fabulous if she did really run away and ate worms!
July 3, 2009 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know what's up.
She just announced she's running for President.
Clear as day.
I just watched the whole thing for a second time, paying more attention, after watching clips and commentary all day.
For the people of Alaska, she's passing the torch, to take away all that expense, all those investigations, to let Alaska get back to its business, AND to work at a higher level for the people of Alaska.
I know she rambles, I know she gets emotional, but when I listened to it this time, I heard just what she was saying. She has to move UP to help Alaska more. (Funny, not much mention about helping America -- yet.)
And the timing is perfect. A busy weekend here in country, with all the city folk coming out for the weekend. NO ONE knows this yet ... just us political junkies. By the time Monday rolls around, everyone will be talking about her taking control (maybe) of the Republican Party by moving down to the Lower 48.
We were just talking about WHERE she'll land down here, and hubby asked "Was't she originally from Wisconsin?" Well, it's better than that.
Sarah Palin is a native of IDAHO !!!
Yes, separatist, gun-loving, all-white Idaho.
She'll return to her native state, where she and Todd will be able to hunt, and run, and flaunt their guns.
See? She's off to take charges of the Republican Party, and to do so, she has to go down to the Lower 48. She has to be able to fly from speech to speech in a few hours. Pack a lunch and a dinner and still be home to tuck in Trig. She'll probably fly her own plane around the West!
And when you think about it, she has a good point as far as Alaska is concerned. She can't spend all the time she needs to "down there" to run for President and still attend to the needs of Alaska.
The time for her is to run now, if she ever wants to run. And do YOU think she wants to run?
She again exhibited the political shrewdness that is "native" to her. AND she'll earn beaucoup money for herself a la Ronnie Reagan.
And when you listen to her again, it's all there. If you listen to it enough, you can hear around the syntax, and the ADHD, and understand her clearly.
July 4, 2009 2:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think you are right. I still think this was a bad move if she is. No matter how popular she is, no one believes she can lead and is prepared to be president
This is not something you take a crash course in.
It is bizarre but she is bizarre and I put noting past her.
July 4, 2009 9:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps reading between the lines of her speech would help.
I'm no fan of the Witch from Wasilla, but think first about what drives her motives.
Suppose big oil offered her a multi-million dollar position to ramrod the Alaska-Canada-US natural gas pipeline. Think how much money would be flowing from the US government, Canada, and Alaska to fund such a project.
Also, she was governor of Alaska and has some pull into how to get things pushed thru especially on oil and gas issues. Seems to be the only part of State government she took any interest in - didn't anyone else notice that? Makes me wonder if that's the game old Tom was playing while he was privy to State information - remember he was cc: on just about everything and had his own account to boot. She put her friends in places and people owe her favors she can claim the ticket on.
Finally, she was the GOP VP candidate and has a huge national base of support within the Party still. And just for $hits-Grins-and-Giggles, she's the only GOP political leader not tainted by some kind of sex scandal.
I don't think she's in fear of any legal problems. I suspect she found her very own goose that's starting to lay golden eggs.
July 4, 2009 4:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think god is setting us all up for a test, to see if we're stupid enough to elect her president. At this point, I'd give her 55-45.
July 4, 2009 11:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think god is setting us all up for a test, to see if we're stupid enough to elect her president. I give her 60 - 40 at this point.
July 4, 2009 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Now it's late at night and as a junkie, I've been riding high all day.
But I just listened to her full speech (again, I'm sorry to say) and I finally HEARD her clearly.
She just announced she's running for President. And for the sake of the people of Alaska, who deserve a full-time Governor, she's turning the reins over to her very capable Lt. Gov.
She's riding to the rescue of the Republican Party, as so many of them want her to do. Meanwhile, she'll be raking in some dough as she spreads her message of Freedom across the "Lower 48."
Dough she needs because those nasty liberals and their MSM have been trumping up all those phony "ethics" charges against her, when they're not making fun of Trig.
July 4, 2009 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
this woman does nothing unless it furthers her ambition.
resigning here offers her no benefit.
it would not shock me to find out she was ahh sorta pushed out..wink wink....
July 3, 2009 3:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
this woman does nothing unless it furthers her ambition.
amen!
July 3, 2009 3:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 3, 2009 3:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow.
This is weird.
I'm with Larry. Must be an indictment. If there isn't one, she's still getting terrible political advice--walk away from your current job so you can position yourself for a run for President? She won't have completed even one full term as governor!
Weird.
July 3, 2009 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since the big argument against (other than that she was a complete and utter moron and right-wing fruitcake) was that she didn't have enough experience, this seems completely counter-intuitive.
July 3, 2009 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
You betcha! And also.
She already has name recognition. Lots and lots and lots of that, so she's not going to have to start from zero. She's already a proven fundraiser, so that wouldn't be an issue, either. She could have finished out her term and started campaigning in January 2011, which was precisely around the same time frame that Obama and Clinton did.
Like I said, weird.
July 3, 2009 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. I can't see her resigning unless there's something big coming down the pike (or pipeline in her case I guess).
July 3, 2009 3:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope for her sake she chooses her criminal attorney better than she has chosen her political advisers.
July 3, 2009 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Given how really incompetent she is, this is a brilliant move. The less she does, the less she can be criticized for. Her fans don't seem to care that she is a no-accomplishment quitter.
July 3, 2009 7:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Haven't seen video of the announcement yet...
Was she a whiny baby?
July 3, 2009 3:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure she was.
July 3, 2009 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Was there something going on right now?
July 3, 2009 3:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Haven't seen video of the announcement yet...
Was she a whiny baby?
July 3, 2009 3:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is EXCELLENT news!!!!! for MCCAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 3, 2009 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
That needs to be in all caps though... (I miss our dear IDIOTIC)
July 3, 2009 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about: THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!!!! FOR PALIN!!!
July 3, 2009 4:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR REPUBLICANS!!!
July 3, 2009 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh my FSM! Yer alive! :-)
July 3, 2009 4:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
During the campaign wasn't there some talk about an affair with a partner of Todd's? Seems like the buzz was around for a few days and then went away. If I'm remembering right!
July 3, 2009 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
yup yup.
if her ego is as large as i suspect it might be, she totally had an affair thinking it would springboard her into leadership of the free world.
July 3, 2009 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe Norm Coleman will want the job.
July 3, 2009 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe she's having an affair with Norm Coleman?
July 3, 2009 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Or maybe she's having an affair with Mark Sanford! Double whammy!
July 4, 2009 12:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
I bet she takes her $4-8M (?) book advance, and moves to Orange County. From there, she starts a Rachel Ray type talk show and becomes part of the Media Establishment, just like Mike Huckabee.
This is about being famous for fame's sake, pampered, and feeding her boundless ego.
July 3, 2009 3:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
God, I hope she doesn't move to Orange County. Property values have dropped enough here, thank you very much.
July 3, 2009 6:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
You ain't seen nuttin' yet.
July 4, 2009 5:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
The GOP loses it's shining star....
leaving it completely in the dark.
:)
July 3, 2009 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
As an Alaskan Atheist and Wasilla resident, all I can say is:
There must be a God.
July 3, 2009 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Or else look for her new show on Fox News.
July 3, 2009 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think she really wants to be President, but she does want to be rich and famous.
July 3, 2009 3:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly! (Although her weirdness in the resignation speech betrays that she might be uncomfortable with this decision... As in, maybe it wasn't her choice...) I hope they caught her in some sort of scandal!
July 3, 2009 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
WTF?????????????????????????
July 3, 2009 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
I guess completing a single term for the first office that actually required some effort makes her utterly qualified to be President.
I really didn't understand how large a single ego can get, now I know.
July 3, 2009 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe it is a pattern she established in college. You know - partial term, move to a new state, become governor, partial term, quit, move to a new state, become governor, repeat ad nauseum or until we get nauseous!
July 3, 2009 4:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Watching her press conference (just a LEETLE rambling), I cannot imagine this was a long planned event. I didn't catch all of it, but something is up..
Especially to announce this on a holiday..
July 3, 2009 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
she's pregnant again. that's my bet - any takers?
July 3, 2009 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think that's it too.
July 3, 2009 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
She's having Dave Letterman's baby.
July 3, 2009 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Apologize right now! (just kidding...)
July 3, 2009 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Christ, there's snot all over my keyboard! That is so funny. But the horse is right, you better apologize right now!
July 3, 2009 5:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
That would just endear her to her fans even more. It wouldn't be a liability at all. Maybe while actually running for president, but certainly not in finishing out her term as governor.
July 3, 2009 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Evil Genius, the two words I used when I found out about the VP nomination.
Fuck. I live too close to this woman to feel safe anymore. No wonder N. Korea is testing long range missiles that could hit Alaska.
July 3, 2009 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
That would depend on who the daddy is, wouldn't it?
July 3, 2009 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does anyone know if Mark Sanford's taken any trips to Alaska?
July 3, 2009 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's inconceivable that she's doing this in order to "free up time" to run for another office, be it Senator or President. Something is rotten in the state of Denali...
July 3, 2009 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
She's freaking out on the video footage... Definitely the most nervous and harried I've ever seen her... She's speaking as fast as a meth addict... WEIRDNESS!!
July 3, 2009 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think it's purely about cashing in on her celebrity.
July 3, 2009 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe she'll move to Bristol, CT and fulfill the lifetime dream of sportscaster at ESPN.
July 3, 2009 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Faux News pays more.
July 3, 2009 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
True... And someone might disagree with her there.
July 3, 2009 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good grief! Bristol DOES look pregnant in the pics of the news conference!
July 3, 2009 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
She's having Dave Letterman's baby, too.
July 3, 2009 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait a minute. Bristol, Connecticut looks pregnant in Palin's resignation video? How's that going to play out if she's really going to ESPN?
July 3, 2009 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Check out the video that Josh posted on the front page - starting at 4.05 minutes!
July 3, 2009 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Better still, check out the coot that swims in behind her left shoulder at 5:11 in.
That's a liberal-media top-down-government socialist no-pixie-dust-economics pro-Obama bird if I ever saw one. That bird's behind all this.
BTW, what is it with Sarah and always the birds in the background? Is Hitchcock involved somehow?
July 3, 2009 5:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I might have gotten the name wrong: Bristol, Willow, Car Park, Unicorn? Which daughter is it?
July 3, 2009 8:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anything that will break the 24/7 Michael Jackson news loop is welcome.
July 3, 2009 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seconded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 3, 2009 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Guess she really didn't like that VF article!
July 3, 2009 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's the national press' fault???? She can't govern up in Alaska because Vanity Fair published a brutal takedown of her campaign?
WTF? That's just not credible.
It really isn't.
And if she really believes that, thank God in Heaven she didn't get anywhere near the Oval Office.
What a delusional freak.
July 3, 2009 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
And with chattering dolphins in the background? Or whatever those noises are? Makes the whole thing just slightly surreal. Which may be par for the Palin course, now that I think about it even a bit.
July 3, 2009 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Courage, Grouch! Try to be strong in this trying time!
July 3, 2009 5:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Better than turkeys being slaughtered in the background...
July 6, 2009 3:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think she's getting a job at Faux News, IMHO. Governing is hard work. Being a celeb on Faux News, easy peasy.
July 3, 2009 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Almost forgot the most important part...Money!
July 3, 2009 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Victimology, w/ Sarah Palin" every Sunday morning after Chris Wallace...
July 3, 2009 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Girls got needs. That Neiman Marcus habit takes a fair amount of upkeep.
July 3, 2009 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not so much to pile on, but I think as a former broadcaster, Fox would love to have her, right wing ninny that she is.
July 3, 2009 5:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
And she doesn't have to bother with pesky details like fact-checking. Or facts in general.
July 3, 2009 7:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I never watch Fox and never have except what I see in odd snippets within e.g. Yesterday in 100 minutes on this site. One such odd snippet was one stupid lady, one of their regulars, saying this week how "suspicious" the recount in Minnesota was.
Suspicious? A recount in Minnesota is automatic when the the difference is less than 0.5%. So I take your points about not worrying over facts -- who needs them? Not when you can be "suspicious," e.g., that Obama is "an Arab," not born in USA, etc. Palin will thrive in that environment. Her anti-intellectual followers don't like facts; they create unneeded confusion after all. She might get herself arrested one day, though, if she doesn't know where to stop.
July 4, 2009 9:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
It 's called pure ignorance which has to be the audience for Fox.
July 5, 2009 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
This woman is way too ambitious to resign unless something really bad is coming down the pike.
July 3, 2009 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are assuming that she is making some kind of rational decision. What about her history in the public eye leaqds you to believe that this is even a remote possibility?
July 3, 2009 4:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Quick network news comments are saying the same thing about the conference.. "Rambling" "Unprepared"
July 3, 2009 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
And usually she is?
July 3, 2009 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't suppose that this will be big enough news to push Michael Jackson off my television, would it?
July 3, 2009 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
So far, so good.
July 3, 2009 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excuse me, but I have to pick jaw up off the floor.
July 3, 2009 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Too bad Sarah, I loved your tan lines - you dirty, dirty MILF.
July 3, 2009 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Has she been on the Appalachian Trail?
July 3, 2009 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think you nailed it.
July 3, 2009 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I haven't heard that many trite sayings strung together since....since the last time I saw her give a campaign speech!
She could not POSSIBLY be planning a run for president -- her justification for quitting is so that the lieutenant governor can have a smooth transition to be governor? How would she live that down if she was running for Pres? Would she quit the presidency so that the VP would have a smoother transition?
Shheeeessshhh! There is something very big going on, and I want to be the first to fire up the pop-corn popper!
July 3, 2009 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Palin takes ball, goes home
July 3, 2009 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
You betcha!
July 3, 2009 4:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Best theory put forward so far.
July 3, 2009 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
You don't resign on July 3rd unless you're trying to keep the news hit low key. She didn't do this with a big national press hit.
I don't think this is just about setting herself up for the White House. I'm looking forward to seeing what's happening.
And this won't knock Michael Jackson off the news, but it could let the Sanford family get a little more peace.
July 3, 2009 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
As I recall it, making a political announcement late on a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend without advance notice is called "taking out the trash."
Never more apt.
July 3, 2009 4:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did she think no one would notice? Like it's not BIG news? Maybe she had a powwow with her buddy Mark Sanford and agreed to take some of the heat off him. Oh, wait. He doesn't WANT the heat off him. These two morons just don't know when to shut up!
July 4, 2009 12:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
More seriously, I bet this is about money - book deal, fox news hosting etc... She can't do any of that (and rake in the doe) while being gov. Besides, being Governor of Alaska must be kind of boring, once you've got a taste of the high life on the national stage...
July 3, 2009 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
That press conference was as bad as Mark Sanford. Sarah has some terrible sentence construction, and she jumped from subject to subject, it was rambling, without a real point, and no explanation what-so-ever of why she is resigning, this is just very strange, very strange indeed.
July 3, 2009 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
With Sanford's recent behavior, is there a trend developing, of GOPers abandoning their posts?
July 3, 2009 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe it's the rapture.
July 3, 2009 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can't wait for Letterman tonight.
July 3, 2009 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes!
July 3, 2009 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is good news. I agree with others. She would not be doing this unless she had to. She was under investigation for several ethics violations and I suspect something turned that influenced her to make a deal so that it would not go public.
Once she dramatically resigns maybe we could stop talking about her for a while. I like to see her fall off the map for a while.
July 3, 2009 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now if she would only disappear forever.
July 3, 2009 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Could be she was one of those others that Sanford didn't "cross the ultimate line" with?
July 3, 2009 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
There must be another shoe to drop, and it must be really, really bad.
July 3, 2009 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps she's been seen partying it up in Buenos Aires>
July 3, 2009 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oooo sure, blame the media! You run for the VP GOP ticket, drag your family through the mud, travel to the lower 48, get inot sqabble wit alate nite comic, and you blame the media? How bout just blending into the woodworks and becoming a regular Gov like you were prior to last August?
July 3, 2009 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
You mean Sanford gets lucky twice in one week?
July 3, 2009 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
BTW, doesn't that qualify as cutting and running?
July 3, 2009 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, it most certainly does. She proclaims that she's "not a quitter" but that's exactly what she's doing.
July 3, 2009 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I heard she's going to run off with William Kristol.
July 3, 2009 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps it's Bristol who was seen partying it up in Buenos Aires with Levi 'the hunk' Johnson...
July 3, 2009 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Levi rules...
July 3, 2009 4:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Someone should check to see if her recent travel has included a trip to Argentina....
July 3, 2009 4:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
No one ever made fun of Trigg, stay classy Sarah.
July 3, 2009 4:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
what about trigg? as Mattt Dillon would say: "I love those retards..."
July 3, 2009 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I did see a photo-shopped thing with Trigg's body and someone else's face that was really low class.
July 3, 2009 7:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
i think she will head up a national Right to Life organization.
or join Fox News.
the first will be annoying. the latter, delightful.
no, that will be annoying too.
actually ,anything except going hiking up the Alaskan trail would be annoying
if she has bigger political aspirations
there will be a dirty Republican dogfight
popcorn anyone?
July 3, 2009 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mitt Romney -
Last GOP left standing?
If I'm Mike Huckabee, I'm starting to get nervous.
July 3, 2009 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nobody likes a quitter. This smells like cashing in or escaping an indictment.
July 3, 2009 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yup!
July 3, 2009 4:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Has she been to Argentina lately?
July 3, 2009 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Probably more recently than she's been to America.
July 3, 2009 5:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
The title of her new book, sure to sell at least 10 copies, is "The Idiot's Guide to Morons, by an Expert"?
July 3, 2009 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
She's been having a torrid affair with "Joe" the Plumber and they've been flushed out?
July 3, 2009 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's simple. She's just too big for Alaska.
July 3, 2009 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sarah blinked.
July 3, 2009 4:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just watched her news conference, and WTF indeed!
She was angry, gasping for breath, WOW!!
No real reason, but I loved the line about only dead fish go with the flow!
July 3, 2009 4:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I loved it when she said, "We're fishermen." When was the last time she sold anyone a fish to make her living? She sells plenty of other smelly stuff, but fish?
July 3, 2009 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Todd Palin is quoted over at the Page saying that she'll now be able to do things for Alaska without all the public scrutiny she's getting now as governor.
I don't think either Palin is stupid. But if they genuinely think stepping out of the governor's position is going to reduce all that public scrutiny, they are utterly clueless.
And if she really wants to run for president, she really really shouldn't bash the press. It's not going to make the situation better.
July 3, 2009 4:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think either Palin is stupid.
You don't? I do.
Seriously, wtf? I just saw the news and I have no idea what's going on. Gotta catch up...
July 3, 2009 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
she's taking Sanford hiking up the Alaskan Trail
July 3, 2009 4:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmmm. Conservative governor. Check. Tried to reject federal stimulus money. Check. Has lotsa kids. Check. Has Presidential ambitions. Check, (but who doesn't). I think it's clear that she just wants some time to herself to go hike the Appalachian Trail.
July 3, 2009 4:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
you've got to hand it to Sanford though - compared to the Barracuda, the guys seems much more sympathetic and human.
July 3, 2009 4:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Megalomaniacs both!
July 3, 2009 4:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Narcissists, I'd say.
July 3, 2009 5:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not sure if anyone else has suggested, but my conspiracy theory: Alaska's fisc is about to go the way of my home state (California) now that the country's economy is collapsing, so she wants to jump ship quickly to lay the inevitable downturn at the feet of her successor. Keeps alive her fledgling hopes for a 2012 run, and frees her up to collect lots of money from a Faux-type suitor while cultivating her "woman of the people" image (alongside someone like Glenn Beck?).
July 3, 2009 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Andrea Mitchell is reporting on MSNBC that her sources indicate as of now Palin is leaving politics..
July 3, 2009 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
can I hear Reality Show????
July 3, 2009 4:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay.
Inquiring minds would like to know ... who's she been sleeping with.
July 3, 2009 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sarah Palin is that rare candidate for president who thinks that one can never be too little prepared for the job. So she is making certain that her preparation in actually governing anything is kept to an absolute minimum.
July 3, 2009 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
look at the full vid though - something's up - otherwise, why all the blather about wasting state money so that she can keep the title of governor.
July 3, 2009 4:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Take Out The Trash Day - Friday afternoon before the 4th of July. She's actually planned this pretty well. The horribly labeled "24 hour news cycle" goes into completely hibernation at 6pm today and doesn't emerge for another 60 hours. By which time more news will certainly have happened.
As for here reasons, my guess would be Money - Money and Money
Many observers have wondered how she could receive money from a book deal while being Governor. Alaska state law clearly says officials cannot perform outside work, not even in your time off. Being an Alaska elected official has to be your one and only job.
Had she stayed on as Alaska governor, she'd have to suffer another 19 months of being poor. Well, maybe not "po", but certainly not rich.
My guess is that the moment it was announced that she had signed a book deal, the ethics complaints started rolling in. Since these ethics complaints are handled secretly, my other guess is that the ethics body told her that she could not even work on a book until after she was out of office, and were she to do so, it would be a violation of Alaska state law.
If my guesses are correct, had she stayed in office, she'd have had to delay her book for another year an a half. She would have left a hell of a lot of money on the table.
Now that she'll no longer be an Alaska state employee, she'll also be able to make money in all kinds of ways from which she is currently prohibited. She can take speaking gigs for huge sums and spend that money however she likes, even at Nordstroms.
This is all about being rich. Alaska law prohibited her from cashing in and being governor at the same time. By this time next year, I'll be surprised if she hasn't earned 15 to 20 million in personal (not political donation) income.
July 3, 2009 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course: By then, it will be time to start the wall-to-wall coverage of Michael Jackson's memorial service.
July 3, 2009 6:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
It may be a slow news day, but that just means she gets ALL the attention. Even cut a bit out of the wall-to-wall coverage of Michael Jackson still being dead.
July 3, 2009 9:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I vote for Alaskan Coast Trail.
July 3, 2009 4:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
In her own words: "the world needs more triggs..."
Think about this for a minute...
July 3, 2009 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
She should really leave her children out of it. To hide behind the poor little guy is just plain wrong. She's sick in the head.
July 3, 2009 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
someone has to vote republican
July 3, 2009 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
nice
July 3, 2009 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wonder if this announcement has something to do with Linda Kellen (Celtic Diva) and her ethics complaint against the good Gov. Kellen finally came up with the $5,000+ (with the help of some friends) that Palin's staff said was the copying cost for all those personal emails of Palin's. Now Palin has no excuse to hide them any more.
July 3, 2009 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Quitting?
darn I was hoping she would secede.
(without the great state of alaska of course)
that said, that was the weirdest news conference I have ever witnessed.
July 3, 2009 4:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
P.S. weirder than Sanford's
and that was weird
July 3, 2009 4:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mark Sanford is the luckiest sonofagun in politics today. First the death of Michael Jackson curtailed coverage of his, ahem, "news conference", and then when he had managed to wangle his way BACK into the political conversation with all that talk about his "soul mate", Sarah Palin drops THIS bombshell. Sanford must have nine political lives.
July 3, 2009 4:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
South Carolina Democrats are the really lucky ones.
The more days that pass, the more unlikely it becomes that Sanford will be forced to resign.
If he remains in office he'll be a huge anchor around then neck of all the Republicans trying to replace him. A mini-GWB.
A hugely unpopular and ridiculously scandalized Republican stubbornly staying in office is GOOD for Dems.
July 3, 2009 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Honestly I hope she's resigning to care for her son. That's a reason I can understand.
July 3, 2009 4:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
That would be nice, but if it were true, why the borderline hysteria? Even if was to write her book, make some personal money, raise money for Republican candidates, avoid being Gov of record during a fiscal disaster ... why the hysteria?
That's what makes it so mysterious to me.
She was blathering like an idiot (tho come to think of it, that IS her usual communications style) and practically hyperventilating. She looked like she was going to cry, she looked angry.
As I said earlier, WTF?
July 3, 2009 9:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think this is a book/broadcasting/money deal. It's too quick, too much anger. If she was getting out on her own terms, she'd be having a pleasant talk with the press - she might be insulting them, but she wouldn't be angry.
It might be petulance. But it smells like an upcoming indictment.
July 3, 2009 4:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
agreed - she will need the money though to pay for her legal bills - resigning office doesn't extinguish ethics probes and/or indictments, does it? (I mean, except for the known war criminals of the Bush junta)
July 3, 2009 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, it might result in some ethics probes being terminated as no longer relevant. What would they do, force her to resign?
July 3, 2009 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's part of her Manchurian Candidate programming. She was supposed to become VEEP, feel an overwhelming urge to resign, Cheney would be appointed as replacement, then McCain's heart was programmed to self-destruct.
July 3, 2009 5:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
My Top Ten Guesses.
10. Light looney. In September, she'll come out of it and say "well, dang!"
9. Those nude pix are finally about to surface.
8. Now that the book deal cash is in hand, she just wants to move somewhere that's not so goddamn cold.
7. Drugs.
6. Those bodies buried under the snow are surfacing.
5. "Then one day she was shootin' at a moose, and up through the permafrost came a bubblin' juice. Oil, that is, Black Gold, ANWAR Tea. Well, the firs thing ya know . . ."
4. "Do you still hear the turkeys screaming, Sarah?"
3. FBI has her and/or hubby in its sights.
2. Nervous breakdown.
1. Affair.
July 3, 2009 5:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
I still say pregnancy. Although whose pregnancy it is... stay tuned!
July 3, 2009 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
I say 1, 2, 3 AND 9.
And that the combination of all four will assist her in hauling in way more bucks than her original book deal contract.
July 3, 2009 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
HIKE!!!
July 3, 2009 8:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
The entire speech was about being a victim. Six minutes about being attacked, delivered on a news dump Friday. And her followers are buying it based on what I'm reading on their message boards. She just set the table for them to rally around her when the shoe drops. Whatever is coming, it will be an "unjustified liberal attack." Whether it's a legal, sex, or ethical problem, Sarah is now the hero driven from office and hounded even when she retreats to take care of her family.
July 3, 2009 5:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is about money.
She can stay as Gov. for 1.5 more years, or she can take a spot at Faux news for 3 million (easy), get a book sale, and do speaking engagements.
She is not going to run for President against BO unless there is a major economic downturn (again), but she will spend all her time attacking him as a "Miss USA contestant" on Faux for the next 6 years, and make 15 to 20 million easy.
She could care less about Alaskans or anyone else other than herself, and the cash available.
July 3, 2009 5:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe someone DNA'd Trig and Todd's not the daddy.
July 3, 2009 5:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't worry, we'll still have Sarah Palin to kick around. The woman is a modern day Chauncey Gardner. There will be a lot of pressure for her to run in 2012. I hope she does. She's a gift to the Democrats that just keeps on giving.
The whining FOXies are lamenting how the big, bad, nasty liberal critics finally broke her camels back and pushed her out!
YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!!!
P.S. I expect her to be hired by FOX as a commentator very soon.
July 3, 2009 5:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe she's resigning to go hike the Appalachian Trail.
July 3, 2009 5:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's it!! She hiked the App. trail WITH Sanford before he flew to Argentina!
July 3, 2009 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just watched that video, and yes, she is angry, and a bit speeded out sounding, but she had a clear message as far as I can see. Politics doesn't work, so we're going to get our guns and fix this the way we think it should be fixed. A bit of well placed gunfire and we rule and you do what we say.
Very, very scary video, with amazing production values. She just walked out and started ranting into the wind? Something is very further wrong in Wasilla. I think people in power really need to watch their backs for a while.
July 3, 2009 5:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
she clearly thinks very highly of herself, hence the anger and the flippancy - she's both a narcissist and an idiot, which is kind of an explosive combination. She gets very, very, very angry every time things don't go her way or every time she makes an awful decision, which is quite often since she's a complete imbecile.
July 3, 2009 5:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly! Excellent call.
July 3, 2009 5:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
So you'll say - sure, but she made it to Governor and VP candidate so she can't be a complete idiot. I'd say it's all about statistics. So far she's been very lucky. Except that her luck has just run out. Which makes her really angry, because she's not the kind of person who knows when to quit. Think about it - she went from mere lucky hick to entitled celebrity to butt of late night jokes in the space of 9 months.
July 3, 2009 5:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Idiocy is WHAT made her the VP candidate: McCain's idiocy. And Kristol's idiocy before him.
I just love ReThugs following advice from Kristol, he is soooooo stupid and wrong almost ALL the time.
July 3, 2009 9:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Let the Eagle soar!
Like she's never soared before;
From Rocky Coast to Golden Shore;
Let the mighty eagle soar!
So with healing in her wings;
As the land beneath her sings;
Only God, no other kings;
Let the mighty eagle soar!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFmMGYv3mag
July 3, 2009 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wonder if he knew that female bald eagles don't have the white on their heads. If one of them "soared," no one would recognize what the heck kind of raptor it was. So funny.
July 3, 2009 9:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Miss Palin has concluded that, as it is, going through "the change" is hot and sticky enough, without finding herself under the intense heat of the public spotlight.
July 3, 2009 5:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
ooooo, that's low. Funny, but low. Channeling Liddy again, huh?
July 3, 2009 9:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
ok , conspiracy theorists..Cheney is planning a takeover, Palin will be point guard, oops , ride shotgun, because Cheney isn't so good at it anymore.
If it doesn't work, Perry will offer them asylum in Texas. They'll all be happy and will secede and build a fence around Texas, thinking it will keep everyone out, but fortunately it will instead, keep them in.
July 3, 2009 5:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hate to say I told you so but... nahhhh, not really.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/poll_palin_is_now_the_top_conc.php#comment-3242596
July 3, 2009 5:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Come on people. We all know the truth! She is about to be named as Sanford's other woman! They met at the Governor's conference, and one innocent little thing lead to another and another and so on..Why now? Because she just figured out that Argentina is another country and that paramour means lover and that "oh, my god, there is another "other" woman!
July 3, 2009 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
She's one he groped, but never crossed the "ultimate line" with =-)
I almost feel sorry for her, if all the gropers from my past showed up to ruin my party I'd take my toys and go home too - and collect per diem.
July 3, 2009 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
On another thread:
"Andrea Mitchell says sources close to Gov. Palin say she is now "out of politics for good."
July 3, 2009 5:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sanford just sent her a gift, something having to do with a lost bet. Lobster and some such =-)
July 3, 2009 6:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
What this country needs more than anything else are more politicians who promise to fulfill their duties... unless, of course, something better comes along. What ever happened to the public "servant" title that these clowns are praised with time after time when in fact, they are nothing but opportunists looking for ways to lord it over the common folk.
Common people put in hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars because these mobsters promise them everything... then jump ship if they have a chance for controlling more people (as in the case of OBAMA) or because their feelings are hurt or they no longer have the ability to overlord others (perhaps in the case of Palin).
The one sure result, though, is that this nation and the common people who have trusted them... get the shaft... while those culprits get higher positions or book deals and engagements for life... IMHO
July 3, 2009 6:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Levi is going to spill beans. He and Bristol parented Trig.
July 3, 2009 6:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Flaunt it Baby! Flaunt it!
July 3, 2009 6:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hm. Couldn't stand to watch every minute but skimming ahead to the beginning of the Part 2 video gets you to the actual "reasoning" for this decision. And it's pretty weird. Basically it boils down to "Having decided not to run for a second term, I have no choice but to resign right now." To paraphrase at somewhat greater length, the "logic" goes like this:
-I decided not to run for reelection.
-As a consequence, I would have had a lame-duck second term
-Some governors who are lame ducks collect a paycheck while doing pretty much nothing, which is unethical.
-Therefore as a lame duck, I would have to act unethically.
-Therefore my decision not to run for a second term means I have to quit right now.
Obviously this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Though having seen how the Corporate Media reacts to right wing pretzel logic as if it were the sanest thing since cogito ergo sum I have little confidence any of 'em will balk at swallowing this example. But it is simply nonsensical. The only conclusion one can draw is that some other, actually valid reason for resigning lies behind the decision, and it's hard to imagine it's one that puts her in a positive light. I only hope the resignation wasn't one of those "If you resign we won't prosecute" deals you see on Law And Order and we never get to find out what it was.
July 3, 2009 6:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Meant to add: Those "Latest videos" in the right column all date from last February. Time to update the page template maybe?
July 3, 2009 7:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Whatever the reason she quit, you can bet it had nothing to do with anything she said.
July 3, 2009 7:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Reading your numbered logic list made me bust out laughing. Isn't that just one of the most hilarious things you have ever heard out side of a comedy club? I swear I do hope she can pop back up briefly from where ever she goes ever now and then just so she can let fly another stunner like that.
July 3, 2009 9:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
So if she WERE elected President, she'd quit after one term? Or on day 1 of her second term?
WTF doesn't even seem like enough. WTF with Cheese Wiz.
July 3, 2009 9:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Correction: Lame duck second half of her *first* term. Sheesh.
July 4, 2009 10:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
You people are sad, sad, Letterman wannabes. Tsk.
July 3, 2009 6:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Significant, telling difference between Dems and Reps: if an embattled Democratic governor quit his job this way, the Dems would be all over him. Au contraire, the Republicans -- led by Bill Kristol and Faux News -- are already spinning this into a "shrewd move" and a "stepping aside," because she "can accomplish more from the outside." The Republicans aren't just the party of No. They're the party of Dishonest.
July 3, 2009 7:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
The party of dishonest? How exactly is an example of dishonesty? Perhaps you are just trying to join the mob with incoherent cries of vengeance and denouement.
July 3, 2009 7:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is a shrewd move; the woman has never done anything shrewd in her life.
She's not stepping aside; she quit.
She can accomplish more from the outside; that would be why Newt or Mitt or Delay or Livingstone have accomplished so much on the outside.
Perhaps not quite dishonest; but, extraordinarily disingenuous.
It's my belief that her quitting had nothing to do with anything she said. We all will have to wait for the other shoe to drop.
July 3, 2009 7:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, let's just wait and see who is right; those who think that it is perfectly normal and correct for an elected official to quit 2 1/2 years into a 4 year term for completely unbelievable reasons -- or those who think something nefarious (or at least self-aggrandizing) is behind this. We'll see who is right, shooter.
So, shooter. You want to make a bet that there isn't a big deal out there? Either a legal one, or a huge financial one. Bet?
July 3, 2009 7:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's entirely possible something is out there, so no, no bet today. On the other hand it could be just as simple as being fed up with being every liberal's whipping girl. The hate she is met with, is truly remarkable.
July 3, 2009 7:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
What is truly remarkable is that someone who has put so little thought into ANYTHING was ever seriously considered for national office. Whipping girl? She is a train wreck! Her dysfunctional family is miserable, and she is holding it together with "you betcha's." Everything about her is a mess.
If she were not physically attractive she would never have appealed to the republican base. She is incompetent in every way except for the one in which she comes on to the base -- firsts as a MILF and second as someone who can smilingly encourage them to rebel -- with guns.
Can anyone here imagine her dealing with international issues with her complete and total ignorance of history and geography? She is a "hot" simpleton -- good enough for some.
But shooter, get this: she is not somebody to hate; only to keep where she belongs -- doing sports announcing. Anything more would endanger our country, or even the world.
July 3, 2009 8:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
My, how sexist. Only ugly women need apply? As for smart, let's see how the putatively smart people are doing....
Nationalized banks,
Nationalized car makers
Nationalized insurance companies
Unprecedented debt
Support for dictators present and future
Increasing unemployment
Rampant corruption
Subversion of the fourth estate
And that's just what we know about. "Smart" isn't doing such a hot job lately.
July 4, 2009 7:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, well no one ever said cleaning up the enormous catastrophes wrought by 8 years of Rule By Stupidity was going to be easy. Probably not a great argument for More Stupid.
July 4, 2009 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Too hot in the kitchen?
July 3, 2009 8:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Come on shooter. You are being a bit short sighted. If we had to list the hate against Obama compared to the hate against Palin it would be no comparison and remember she was the leader of the pack on hate.
July 5, 2009 1:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Really. Perhaps you have some examples of Palin's hate?
July 5, 2009 2:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know about the "party" of dishonest but I don't think there's anything in the oath of office for the Alaska governorship that says, "I promise to preserve, protect....unless the 'librul media' gets too fiesty". Yup-dishonest and a whiner to boot.
July 3, 2009 7:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Right. They're not the party of dishonest. They're the party of denial.
July 3, 2009 9:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I cry DENOUEMENT! The sooner the better.
July 3, 2009 10:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes! That long-lost homemade porn tape she made in college is finally coming out! Wait, did she go to college?
July 3, 2009 7:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
4 OR 5 of them
July 3, 2009 7:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
At 11:41 in the 1st video, she derides lame ducks who take their "international overseas trade missions" and then at 3:56 in the 2nd video, she talks about how much benefit she got out of her visit trip to wounded troops in Kosovo. And that helped Alaska how?
And at 5:25 in the 2nd: "..real climate change." Ha ha. Funny. Your grandchildren, and you will have plenty, will be so proud of your climate change denial from their mud-flats in the (previous) tundra.
July 3, 2009 7:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, after listening to her announcement, I think the reason she is leaving is as plain as day. She is resigning to become a commentator on Fox News. It will defray her legal bills quickly, and it will give her a platform to vent 24/7 between now and 2012 AND she gets to play footsie with Karl Rove. Sweet!
July 3, 2009 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, after listening to her announcement, I think the reason she is leaving is as plain as day. She is resigning to become a commentator on Fox News. It will defray her legal bills quickly, and it will give her a platform to vent 24/7 between now and 2012 AND she gets to play footsie with Karl Rove. Sweet!
July 3, 2009 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, after listening to her announcement, I think the reason she is leaving is as plain as day. She is resigning to become a commentator on Fox News. It will defray her legal bills quickly, and it will give her a platform to vent 24/7 between now and 2012 AND she gets to play footsie with Karl Rove. Sweet!
July 3, 2009 7:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hate being the son of an OB/GYN at times like this.
All I could focus on was the fact that Sarah Palin's daughter Piper seemed to be having a hard time clutching a awfully LOW pot belly behind her unusually loose pink frock. (see the last shot in the video when Palin turns the microphone over to the lieutenant governor)
(btw, Piper's dress is not the sort of outfit you'd expect from a girl who's older sister is a paid speaker for "Candies," a preteen "Fredrick's of Hollywood.")
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/05/bristol-palin-candies-fou_n_196838.html
July 3, 2009 8:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Umm, Piper is 8. Try again.
July 3, 2009 9:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
If it's scandal, that would be a relief.
I'm more afraid it's in advance of a senate bid: scrape together a veneer of national and international experience, and then go for the presidency.
Please let me be wrong.
July 3, 2009 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
All of this reminds me of one of those hokey old movies where the small town girl packs her old suitcase and moves to Hollywood to pursue her dream of becoming a star. Palin has had a taste of the big time, people are telling her she could get elected POTUS, and that's that; who needs crummy old Alaska? But if you're looking for a specific reason "Why now?" the answer seems pretty obvious. Mark Sanford, and she even made a transparent and gratuitous reference to international trade missions. As electoral-vote.com has been pointing out for some time, it takes all day to get from Alaska to Manchester, New Hampshire. She couldn't run Alaska and run for president at the same time, and like Sanford she's a controlling person who can't stand the thought of leaving someone else to run the state while she's stumping; look at all this waffling over coming to Washington and New York and such for GOP events. It's hard to get there from where she is; now, she can go set up shop in the lower 48 and campaign for the nomination for the next 2 1/2 years.
July 3, 2009 8:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
She sees how easy Rush Limbaugh has it.
July 3, 2009 9:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
So much for "actual responsibilities".
July 3, 2009 9:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good one.
BTW, having once worked for Easter Seals, I know that for a person with Down Syndrome to reach his/her full potential, they need intensive one-on-one therapy from day 1. It's not hard, a parent or sibling can do it with training, but it must be done EVERY DAY.
I hope has been receiving this therapy (called "early intervention"). I truly do.
He deserves to be more than a permanent photo-op for La Palin.
July 3, 2009 10:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
My latest favorite bit: all those lame duck governors out there are just wasting their states' money. That's when the fun starts, when you're a lame duck.
Talk about LAME!
July 3, 2009 10:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have it on very reliable inside information that Palin is taking a page out of McCain's campaign. Remember how McCain suspended his campaign so he could fly back to Washington and devote himself to the job working with other members of Congress to resolve the financial crisis. Many viewed that as a huge mistake. Palin has thus concluded that the inverting that idea would be as a brilliant masterstroke. Suspend your responsibilties as a governor to devote yourself to fulltime to campaigning. See how clever she is!
July 3, 2009 10:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think Princess and Todd needed more time to volunteer for the Alaskan Independence Party... work on that secessionist platform.
However.... if my daughters turned up on my space posting pictures of their underage selves, drinking alcohol, smokin' a little ganga, kissing girls and ended up pregnant from abstinence...
The Lord does work in mysterious ways...
After the lifetime of bible thumping and clean Christian "Mark Sanford" living I had impressed upon those girls...
I think I might spend a little more time at home myself...
July 3, 2009 11:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh yeah, Princess... nobody in REAL America likes a quitter.
July 3, 2009 11:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
For all her self-righteous media and liberal bashing and supposed brilliant campaign tactics for 2012, it may be a simple old scandal that forced her out. From the Daily Beast:
"The suddenness of her announcement raises the question about whether Palin resigned to avert a major scandal. One logical place to start looking is the affair that has Alaska political circles buzzing: an alleged scandal centered around a building contractor, Spenard Building Supplies, with close ties to Palin and her husband, Todd.
Many political observers in Alaska are fixated on rumors that federal investigators have been seizing paperwork from SBS in recent months, searching for evidence that Palin and her husband Todd steered lucrative contracts to the well-connected company in exchange for gifts like the construction of their home on pristine Lake."
July 4, 2009 12:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
that stuff was already out there during the campaign (the house-as-freebie-from-contractor thing) - I remember it was tied to the building of the Wasila gym. hmmm.
July 4, 2009 4:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes it had floated to the surface last fall. A pending indictment, after a thorough criminal investigation, 8 or 9 months later. The timing seems right.
July 4, 2009 9:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
She is pregnant.
July 4, 2009 12:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Heard she's going on tour with John from Real World Los Angeles?!
July 4, 2009 3:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the mammaries...
July 4, 2009 5:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
so,the poor heifer wants to blame the media because she is dumber than a box of rocks?waaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaa. bye bye boo-hoo
July 4, 2009 8:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
She's such a Maverick!
July 4, 2009 10:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here are the three scandal scenarios I find most compelling:
1) Imminent indictment of Sarah and Todd Palin for misuse/misappropriation of state and federal funding, namely steering pork-laden projects to their cronies, in exchange for cash and/or services
2) Imminent revelation that Todd's activities in the Alaskan Secessionist movement were neither casual nor benign, but criminal, involving violent plots and illegal arms dealing
3) Incest.
July 4, 2009 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Could be as simple as greed. She can certainly make more as a private individual than as the governor and why wait 18 months to cash in if you can do it now? Scandal doesn't seem to phase her--she simply denies reality--so I can't see that being the issue. It could be that she sees her opportunity to be the female Rush Limbaugh and wants to take advantage of her ability to build her celebrity and her fortune for a presidential bid. She has apparently lost her luster in Alaska, but the rabid fringe of the Republican party in the lower 48 still love her. At the end of the day, she is a narcissist and her actions are motivated by extreme self-interest. Any attempt to figure out her seemingly bizarre behavior needs to be viewed through that lens.
July 4, 2009 12:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey here's an idea. She is tired of a-holes like Letterman going after her family. And judging from the comments here, Letterman doesn't lack for company.
July 4, 2009 1:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Which might be true only if she chooses henceforth to stay out of the spotlight and not give fodder to the comedians and pundits. My guess she will be on the speakers tour, making six figures plus, in a couple of weeks. Then her book and the corresponding promotional tour. She'll make herself as much a target as if she stayed in as governor, maybe more so, now that she has jumped ship, as well as having jumped the shark.
July 4, 2009 5:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hillary Clinton was criticized much more frequently and with greater vitriol than Palin. The attacks on Obama never stopped. But that was "funny" to conservatives. Anyone who criticizes Poor Palin is just mean and "we don't get it," how wonderful she is, God's gift to politics. With defenders like you Shooter, who needs enemies?
July 4, 2009 7:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're right, you don't get it. Yeah, we made fun of Hillary, but nobody went after Chelsea. That's the difference, and I'm not surprised that "nuance" escapes you. Duh.
July 5, 2009 8:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
That's strange. I remember Andrea Mitchell saying nasty things about Chelsea. I also remembeber hearing on Fox news, when Bush was "elected" for his first term, that it was going to be nice to have a president with good looking daughters in the White House. I'm sure there is more, Shooter, but this is what comes immediately to mind.
July 5, 2009 11:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Nobody went after Chelsea".
John McCain = "Nobody"? Really?
I don't recall conservatives getting angry and upset on behalf of Chelsea Clinton after McCain's tasteless joke.
The double standard is astonishing.
July 5, 2009 12:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's see, one joke which was never repeated, against a year of incessant assault by the left....
nope, not a double standard. Except to the mind of partisans with no sense of fairness.
Tsk.
July 5, 2009 2:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ha!
I realize you're just snarking. Sorry for my error. No other explanation for your statements.
July 6, 2009 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, dozens of Conservatives made fun of Chelsea, so you are the one who "doesn't get it." John McCain made a famous joke about Chelsea being ugly because Janet Reno was her father. So you either forgot that, or you are too dishonest to bring it up and don't belong on a site where you can be challenged.
July 5, 2009 6:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anderson Cooper interviewed Palin's spokesperson last night and she clearly had no idea this was coming. She did her best to put a positive spin, but she was not prepared.
So Palin's spokesperson was not informed. I think that pretty much rules out the "She quit to run in 2012" theory.
I also rule out the "She quit because of a family tragedy" theory. Her family was with her at the announcement and they all looked fine. Besides, she would certainly milk the sympathy angle -- any politician would.
I see only two plausible explanations for her resignation:
1. She cannot take the pressure. For her sake, I hope this is the reason. There is no shame in not being able to handle life in a fishbowl.
2. There is a very bad scandal about to break. This might be personal (a Mark Sanford type) or legal. Logic tells me it must be personal. If it were legal, wouldn't she be in a better position to fight it if she were still gov? A sitting governor has a lot more power to fight the legal system than an ordinary citizen.
So my prediction: There is a personal scandal involving Palin or a close family member. We'll know soon enough.
July 4, 2009 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think she just feared that the gravy boat would sail away. She can't make money on the side as governor, and big bucks were being dangled in front of her. Even writing her book while in office would have been a problem for her to collect the advance. That, plus her obvious anger at all the bad press.
She is very impulsive, and probably made this decision the night before. I am curious, though about getting 4 yesses and a hell yeah from her 5 children -- is "Trig" able to consent to anything except having his diapers changed at this point? And which of her children would have the nerve to say "no" to something that mommy wants? Give me a break!
July 4, 2009 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Henceforth, she should be referred to as "Bailin' Palin."
July 4, 2009 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Love it! Gonna USE it. Except I'm gonna call her "La Balin' Palin."
July 4, 2009 4:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Love it. Balin Palin. I'm using that. Thanks MM
July 5, 2009 12:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just found this clip where Hannity and Palin talk about how great socialism is, but they are too ignorant to know what they are actually saying.
From the date stamp, this was only a couple of weeks ago. Gosh they are morons.
This is hilarious.
http://progressnotcongress.org/?p=2025
July 4, 2009 8:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
with apologies to Tom Waits
Big With The Base
I got the bark but not the bite
I got the corner but not the fight,
I got the nails I got the smile
I got the teeth, but not the file
But I’m big with the base
I’m big with the base heh
I’m big with the base
I got the guns but not the aim
I got the holes but not the blame
I got the sheet but not the boo
I got the don’t but not the do
But I’m big with the base
I’m big with the base heh
I’m big with the base
I got the zing, I got the wow
I got the rump and the righteous with me now
I got the cross, I got the thorns
I got the strings, I got the horns
I got the cork but not the wine
I got the book but not the spine
I got the baby but not the drill
I got the house but not the hill
But I’m big with the base
I’m big with the base heh
I’m big with the base
Heh ho they love the way I do it
Heh ho there’s really nothing to it
I got the zing, I got the wow
I got the rump and the righteous with me now
I got the cross, I got the thorns
I got the strings, I got the horns
I’ve got the lock but not the load
I’ve got the yellow but not the road
I’ve got the crow but not the scare
I’ve got the bridge, but not the where
July 5, 2009 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
sdf
July 6, 2009 9:44 AM | Reply | Permalink