Archive for July 4th, 2009

Sarah Palin resigns as Governor of Alaska

We have a new benchmark ladies and gentlemen. No longer do you have to wait for my football or horse racing tips in order to work out who will not win, you can now safely assume that if I go offline on purpose, somebody of some importance will resign.

Last time it was Peter Costello, this time it’s Channel Nine newsreader Mark Ferguson, and Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin shocked the political word Friday afternoon by announcing that she will step down at the end of the month and transfer power to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell — a move that throws into doubt her political future and a potential run for president in 2012.

Palin, last year’s Republican vice presidential nominee, made the surprise announcement from her home in Wasilla, flanked by her husband, Todd, and family and state commissioners.

“I never believed that I nor anyone else needs a title to do this, to make a difference,” she said. “I’m determined to take the right path for Alaska, even though it is unconventional and it’s not so comfortable.”

One factor she cited was the media and political attacks on her, and she suggested that her reason for quitting abruptly was to allow the state to move forward under Parnell without distraction, calling this the “right path for Alaska.”

“For my state and for my family to progress … I will not seek re-election as governor,” she said, voicing confidence that her successor would “continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success.”

Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor’s picnic in Fairbanks at the end of the month, Palin said.

I think the person to sum up Mrs. Palin’s resignation in the best manner is Eddie Burke, political commentator and broadcaster with radio KBYR in Alaska, who was interviewed yesterday by the excellent Mark Simone, filling in for Sean Hannity on Sean’s national radio show (convoluted, I know, but stick with me):

The Governor is sick and tired of the peppering of ethics complaints that has cost the citizens of the Alaska upwards of a million dollars. These liberals up here have just peppered her constantly. She can’t go to a snow machine race with her husband’s jacket on without getting an ethics complaint.

That said, I have been amused by the interestingly partisan reporting of the story. CBS News’ 1am EDT radio newscast, for example, was very amusing, declaring that Palin “couldn’t hit the nail on the head” in her press conference, implying that she didn’t make any sense.

I, for one, hope that this isn’t the end of Sarah’s political career. She has a lot to offer her country and I dare say that, if she does run on the Presidential ticket in 2012, it will be nice to have her doing so whilst not drawing a paycheck for a job (such as Governor) which she would struggle to do satisfactorily whilst in campaign mode. I think she may have learnt that lesson during the 2008 campaign where she was run off her feet doing both jobs. Perhaps Obama had it right in that regard…just ignore the job of Senator while campaigning.

Stepping away from the serious for a moment, when I first heard the story without the full details, and I heard Sarah saying that she would continue to “make a difference” for her country and that she “doesn’t need a title to do that” (paraphrased), my first thought was that she may be about to start a promising media career. Rush Limbaugh is on leave next week, and it would be great fun having Sarah Palin fill in for him. Alas, the details of the date of her resignation, July 26, dispel that fun theory.

Back to the serious, and I highly doubt that this is the last that we will see of Sarah Palin. In fact, I think that she has just placed herself in a better position to prepare for a run for President in 2012, and with Obama’s approval rating currently sitting on 53% according to the daily Rasmussen Tracking Poll, and the grassroots conservative movement gaining an awful lot of traction, 2012 could very well be the best time in many years for a strong conservative candidate to lead the Republican party to victory, and that would really need to start with next year’s mid-term elections.

I get the distinct impression that this is just the beginning for Sarah Palin, and that KXNT’s Casey Hendrickson was thoroughly correct when he mentioned that he was:

[..] watching the libs spring into disorganized action trying to figure out what Palin’s next move is. They are so transparently scared

.

Whatever Sarah’s next move is, I’m sure she will do very well, as will her country as a result.

Samuel

2 comments July 4th, 2009 at 04:39pm


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