Report: Palin Resigning

[Woolen Horde]

Whoah, breaking news. Caribou Barbie is stepping down. What's she up to?

[Cubit]

Yep: http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/palin-1264552-ktva-gov.html

[Linoleum]

She's heading off to film a movie in New Zealand.

[kerzain]

I am annoyed because I am interested in knowing what she's up to. I really wish I didn't care.

[frank austin]

At least this is potentially her stepping out of the spotlight. Good riddance.

Unless it's all a ploy!

[NowhereDan]

She's gotta be starting to campaign full-time for 2012. Which is an absurd move - now everyone gets to say "Look how seriously she takes her obligations to her voters. She wasn't even willing to finish out a term before bailing."

[Adree]

She's gotta be starting to campaign full-time for 2012. Which is an absurd move - now everyone gets to say "Look how seriously she takes her obligations to her voters. She wasn't even willing to finish out a term before bailing."

Sarah Bailin

[kerzain]

At least this is potentially her stepping out of the spotlight. Good riddance.

Unless it's all a ploy!Seriously, half of me wants to say, "She's tired of trying to deal with all the B.S. she has to put up with for being such a yokel in the spotlight" and the other half of me wants to say "She's going to spin this in a way to indicate her family needs her at home, and they are her number one priority -- all for use as leverage in her next big bid for president, which will occur after some of the kids are out of the house."

Either way I think she's been in way over her head ever since McCain pulled her out of relative obscurity.

[kerzain]

Sarah BailinYou are awesome if you just invented that term.

[Quaro]

Huh. Seems like she'd need the extra years as Gov if she wanted to keep going in politics. Maybe there were was a scandal somewhere that just couldn't be ignored.

[kerzain]

Huh. Seems like she'd need the extra years as Gov if she wanted to keep going in politics. Maybe there were was a scandal somewhere that just couldn't be ignored.I never considered the scandal angle.

I hope her other daughter isn't pregnant after all.

[Adam Altmann]

Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska announced Thursday that she would step down by the end of the month and not seek a second term as governor, allowing her to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2012.

So sayeth the New York Times (http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/palin-to-resign-as-governor-of-alaska/?hp).



By leaving office early, Ms. Palin will be able to travel around the country more freely and not have to deal with the constraints of being a governor.

Being governor, such an inconvenience.

[Lum]

huh, I thought she'd run for Senate.

[MattKeil]

Whatever she saw in Russia must have scared her off.

[kerzain]

Carrie Prejean for running mate.

[Woolen Horde]

By far the best thing she could have done for herself after the election was go back to Alaska and govern effectively and well and quietly. You know, prove her critics wrong. But she's been making a hash of things up there since the election, and now she's bailing out.

She's playing the Christian Right's martyr card. "The press was just picking on me so I had to quit!" That may play well with the GOP's loony base, but not to the electorate. In 2012, Obama will have had four years as commander-in-chief, and the economy should be stronger. Meanwhile, we have Palin, who couldn't even hack out a single term of a state where the government literally gives thousands of dollars to each citizen each year. Good luck with that.

[Staff Sergeant]

Man Obama better not fuck this term up. It's like Palin is deliberately disadvantaging herself so that in the very unlikely event she wins it will be all the more bitter for everyone else.

[alexlitel]

Looking forward to meeting her skeletons in the coming weeks.

[triggercut]

let it be a sex tape, let it be a sex tape, let it be a sex tape...

[kerzain]

let it be a sex tape, let it be a sex tape, let it be a sex tape...but not with mccain, but not with mccain, but not with mccain

[John Many Jars]

Being governor wouldn't prevent her from running for President. Something's afoot.

[Woolen Horde]

And who the hell announces their resignation on July 3, which is a day off for practically *everyone*?

[Staff Sergeant]

Being governor wouldn't prevent her from running for President. Something's afoot.

I agree with Lum:

However, Clinton was still pretty popular in Arkansas. Palin's popularity is dropping like a rock thanks to not doing well with national attention outside her particularly bizarre fundy world. She may have thought she could have lost the 2010 race which would have been deadly to her (thankfully surrealistically wacky) 2012 aspirations.

[triggercut]

...a friend from another message board: "If it turns out she's resigning due to liaisons with Mark Sanford in Argentina, the internet will explode."

[Murbella]

I'm trying to imagine what exactly Obama would have to do to cause him to lose to palin in 2012...

-Mistakenly nuke an american city?
-Admit to eating babies?
-Have an affair with a known male terrorist?

Seriously, i cannot believe she believes she has a chance. Are there really no decent republican candidates? At least McCain was respectable and competent. Sarah Palin just has... really good eye sight (Russia from house) and a talent for making herself look stupid whenever she says something in front of a camera.


oh and my guess for her reason is that she had an affair with the male version of herself, Joe The Plumber.

[Anti-Bunny]

And who the hell announces their resignation on July 3, which is a day off for practically *everyone*?

Someone who doesn't want a lot of press coverage.

[Ranulf]

By far the best thing she could have done for herself after the election was go back to Alaska and govern effectively and well and quietly. You know, prove her critics wrong. But she's been making a hash of things up there since the election, and now she's bailing out.

She's playing the Christian Right's martyr card. "The press was just picking on me so I had to quit!" That may play well with the GOP's loony base, but not to the electorate. In 2012, Obama will have had four years as commander-in-chief, and the economy should be stronger. Meanwhile, we have Palin, who couldn't even hack out a single term of a state where the government literally gives thousands of dollars to each citizen each year. Good luck with that.

And thats what the well meaning supporters have been trying to tell her. Buckle down, work hard, study up and come out swinging on policy, not relying on folksy charisma all the time. She's played the victim card too much (hard not to do given current political culture and she has been a victim by a malicious press). Of course it doesn't help she's getting hit from both the left and factions on the right (McCain's bitter campaign staff... yeah Palin lost you the election... suuure).

[kerzain]

Seriously, i cannot believe she believes she has a chance. Are there really no decent republic candidates? At least McCain was respectable and competent. Sarah Palin just has... really good eye sight (Russia from house) and a talent for making herself look stupid whenever she says something in front of a camera.I honestly feel that her stupidity is what endears her to many of her supporting constituents.

[Donald L.]

Making this announcement just before the July 4th weekend sounds like she is making a run for the 2012 election.

[Cubit]

Making this announcement just before the July 4th weekend sounds like she is making a run for the 2012 election.

or trying to bury the news over the holiday weekend...

[Warning]

let it be a sex tape, let it be a sex tape, let it be a sex tape...


but not with mccain, but not with mccain, but not with mccain

Unless it's Meghan, unless it's Meghan, unless it's Meghan...

[Lum]

Looking forward to meeting her skeletons in the coming weeks.

Um, Vanity Fair just published a 10 page article that flat out called her a lying drama queen. I'm not sure what other skeletons you're looking for that would be *worse*.

[triggercut]

Making this announcement just before the July 4th weekend sounds like she is making a run for the 2012 election.

Uh, no.

Friday is "take out the trash day". Do some of you *not* watch The West Wing?

Everything about this--the incomplete press release and what seems like a hasty press conference and rambling, contradictory "reasons" behind the resignation says: scandal/indictment coming down.

Let it be a sex tape. Pleaseohpleaseohplease.

[triggercut]

Unless it's Meghan, unless it's Meghan, unless it's Meghan...

Oh HELL yes.

[triggercut]

Via TPM:

Andrea Mitchell says sources close to Gov. Palin say she is now "out of politics for good."

[Lum]

I'm trying to imagine what exactly Obama would have to do to cause him to lose to palin in 2012...

-Mistakenly nuke an american city?
-Admit to eating babies?
-Have an affair with a known male terrorist?

Seriously, i cannot believe she believes she has a chance.

Any other candidate might have a chance if Obama makes a hash of the economy and it continues to spiral into the toilet. "It's the economy, stupid" has never been more relevant than it is now.

However, Palin upends that equation. Millions won't vote for her because she's functionally mentally retarded. Millions more would vote for her because she speaks their language, isn't a pointy-headed intellectual like Obama (who, as Jon Stewart eloquently exploded over, recently gave an interview to a Pakistani newspaper where he confessed a liking for Urdu poetry) and is speaking-in-tongues religious.

And sadly, tens of millions more would vote for her because they want to have sex with her. Welcome to America.

[kerzain]

Unless it's Meghan, unless it's Meghan, unless it's Meghan...hahaha


By leaving office early, Ms. Palin will be able to travel around the country more freely and not have to deal with the constraints of being a governor.This is why Obama needs to resign TODAY so he can focus on his re-election.

[Lum]

Via TPM:

Andrea Mitchell says sources close to Gov. Palin say she is now "out of politics for good."

The hell? The New York Times quoted sources who said unequivocally that it was for a 2012 run.

I think the only conclusion we can make is that no one knows what the hell Sarah Palin is doing, most emphatically including Sarah Palin.

[kerzain]

And sadly, tens of millions more would vote for her because they want to have sex with her. Welcome to America.Hey, it worked for Ilona Staller.

[kerzain]

The hell? The New York Times quoted sources who said unequivocally that it was for a 2012 run.

I think the only conclusion we can make is that no one knows what the hell Sarah Palin is doingWhich means that now the entire country is talking about her, waiting for the big reveal. She has our attention now, I wonder how she plans to take advantage of it.

[alexlitel]

Um, Vanity Fair just published a 10 page article that flat out called her a lying drama queen. I'm not sure what other skeletons you're looking for that would be *worse*.I was hoping there was something more than the VF article.

[delirium]

It was quite a political speech for someone leaving politics forever. It was also a rambling mess. Jon Stewart should have a field day with this one. I think the main point of it was that keeping Palin in as the governer of Alaska is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Couldn't agree more.

[Hugin]

It stopped being fun so she quit. Palin liked power and attention, and now the attention is negative and she can't easily abuse her power, so she's getting out, and now she can host a radio or TV show or write a blog or whatever and have a book ghostwritten and rake in some speaking fees and that will be fun and much more flexible and give her more time for shopping.

[Eric P]

tragically the daily show is on vacation

[bdfinally]

Which means that now the entire country is talking about her, waiting for the big reveal. She has our attention now, I wonder how she plans to take advantage of it.

"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

[Mark Asher]

If she really does want to run in 2012, this doesn't make a lot of sense. It does free her up a bit, but what the hell - being governor never stopped other candidates from jetting around the country.

Resigning means she risks being labeled a quitter and someone who didn't take her responsibilities to her office seriously.

Also, her term is up in 2010, right? That's still plenty of time to campaign for the 2012 election.

It may very well be she is done with politics. She can probably make a lot of money as a conservative talk show host and speaker on the rubber chicken circuit.

What a crazy few weeks we've had with Sanford and now this.

[Mark Asher]

Ok, I saw this on Reuters, and this makes the most sense to me (if she's not resigning due to some scandal that will break)

"Palin could use the time to run for the U.S. Senate for Sen. Lisa Murkowski's seat in November 2010. Palin could use that job as a springboard for a presidential race."

If she gets the Senate seat, she can still run for President, and if she doesn't get the nomination, she's still a Senator. And she's young, so 2016 isn't that far off.

http://www.reuters.com/article/sarahPalin/idUSTRE5624VW20090703

[rei]

Tasteless Photoshopped commentary. (http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb149/eqtworld/palin.jpg?t=1246650350)

[Wholly Schmidt]

Look, obviously Michael Jackson's death has hit some of us harder than others. Let her mourn in peace.

[Tom Chick]

Oh, wait, is this the thread where we pray for a sex tape? The two most awesome reasons for Palin to resign, in order of awesomeness, would be:

1) a sex tape (I'd be okay with her just making out with another chick)

2) intent to run for President in 2012 (not that Obama faces any competition from her, but you cannot deny the comedic value of a Sarah Palin candidacy, which will set back the Republican party yet another decade!)

-Tom

[Jose Liz]

I honestly don't think that she's considering running for 2012 because her "quitting" will only be added to her relative inexperience. It'll be like those Obama 2am ads but worse. It also doesn't make sense because I thought she was still one of the GOP's biggest fundraisers.

I think she just had enough of the media attention. Given her background, I wouldn't be surprised if she just wanted a quieter life and the relative fame (and money) she's gained in the past year made her sufficiently well off to live that quiet life.

[Murbella]

She could accuse him of being a quitter in Iraq because it takes one to know one?

[MattKeil]

http://tinyurl.com/nyowqk

[Oghier]

Given her background, I wouldn't be surprised if she just wanted a quieter life and the relative fame (and money) she's gained in the past year made her sufficiently well off to live that quiet life.

I hope this is correct. It would be best for her family, the republican party and the country if she retires from politics. The only 'losers' in that scenario are Letterman, Conan and Jon Stewart.

[Mark Asher]

Ok, that pic is weird. I'll assume that her 14 year old is a bit pudgy.

[Anti-Bunny]

There's too many Palin threads.

I designate this one the Sarah Palin Tribute Youtube thread.

To start it off:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKeHv6xlnl0

[MattKeil]

Ok, that pic is weird. I'll assume that her 14 year old is a bit pudgy.

She doesn't look fat enough all around for that to be her normal stomach, unless she's severely malnourished. Which, given Palin's competency in other areas, isn't really that unlikely, I guess.

[forgeforsaken]

I think that's the 8 year old in the pic, not the 14 year old. Kids that age can have weird body shapes.

[Shadarr]

I think she just had enough of the media attention. Given her background, I wouldn't be surprised if she just wanted a quieter life and the relative fame (and money) she's gained in the past year made her sufficiently well off to live that quiet life.

No way has she gotten tired of the attention, she is an attention whore. If anything, I think she becomes a pundit like Ann Coulter.

[Cubit]

I think that's the 8 year old in the pic, not the 14 year old. Kids that age can have weird body shapes.

Yeah, thats what I was thinking. That girl is wayyy to small to be 14.

[Woolen Horde]

"In the words of General MacArthur, we are not retreating, we are advancing in another direction," Palin said, as she turned the podium over to the apparently shocked Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell.

Ummmm.... That wasn't MacArthur.

[MikeJ]

Ummmm.... That wasn't MacArthur.

Who was it? When I threw that phrase into google, all it had was MacArthur and Palin.

[Woolen Horde]

Who was it? When I threw that phrase into google, all it had was MacArthur and Palin.

http://www.3rdmarines.net/Marine_Quotes.htm

"Retreat Hell! We're just attacking in another direction." (Attributed to Major General Oliver P. Smith, USMC, Korea, December 1950.)

Remember the context. It was said during the campaign at the Chosin Reservoir. Middle of a frigid cold Korean winter, Red China had suddenly swarmed hundreds of thousands of troops over the border, and the Marines were completely surrounded and had to fight their way to safety.

[Lorini]

So how many more 'potential' GOP presidential candidates will shoot themselves in the head? Pretty soon they'll be running Limbaugh, watch.

[Matthew Gallant]

Ummmm.... That wasn't MacArthur.
Well, of all the crazy stuff she believes, that's the least of it. It's for the best, though. If she used that sack of gravy she calls a brain to utter a piece of the epic poetry that was Mac's every spoken word-- were she to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses, thundering those magic words: fuck off Sarah Palin.

[Timsfker]

I just read this quote from her on CNN:


"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."

Can anyone decipher the logic behind this? From what I can gather, she thinks that resigning is the best thing for Alaska (which is probably true), and that people will make jokes about her as a lame duck Governor. Essentially, remaining as Governor and filling her term ('embracing the conventional lame duck status') is the kind of bad politics that she campaigned against? That has to be the most stupid reasoning for quitting prematurely i've ever heard.

[frank austin]

The only winning move is not to play.

[Lorini]

How is quitting the not the easiest path? STAYING is hard Sarah, not quitting.

[Talisker]

Nearly every politician serves out the term they're elected to; since they all do it, that means it's just politics as usual?

[Angie Gallant]

I like that she claimed that Trig gave input on her decision. That's the kind of sage advice politicians should be seeking out.

[frank austin]

Nearly every politician serves out the term they're elected to; since they all do it, that means it's just politics as usual?

With Palin's new politics, politicians don't even have to show up for work anymore! This is awesome!

[Drastic]

Can anyone decipher the logic behind this?
A lot of puzzling things become less so when you take a step back and realize the larger context. For instance, that much of the GOP currently is infected with a particularly vicious strain of toxoplasma gondii.

I'm going to use all my pull with the powers of the universe to predict a sex tape, too. A Palin-Bachman sex tape. It's a long-standing affair, and Bachman fulminated so strongly against the census because awhile back a census taker interrupted them.

[Matthew Gallant]

Listening to her speech, well, it was like her regular pageant ramble, but it was faster. I seriously would not be surprised if she is on meth.

[Drastic]

Politicians not being on meth is just another dose of politics as usual.

[DragonPup]

With Palin's new politics, politicians don't even have to show up for work anymore! This is awesome!

She learned that trick from Romney.


Listening to her speech, well, it was like her regular pageant ramble, but it was faster. I seriously would not be surprised if she is on meth.

I mentioned in the other thread that her breathing sounded off, too. She was taking a lot of rapid deep inhales.

[Angie Gallant]

Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up", but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out.

She's quitting to win, because winners don't quit.

[kerzain]

The birds in the background of her speech sound like a laugh-track.

She *breath* sounds like *breath* she's *breath* rambling.

[Jose Liz]

No way has she gotten tired of the attention, she is an attention whore. If anything, I think she becomes a pundit like Ann Coulter.
I got the impression that she wasn't very bright, wanted to defend herself from what she saw was unfair press, and didn't know when to stop.

[Murbella]

didn't she just yell unfair press whenever someone called her on something stupid she did?

[Mark Asher]

didn't she just yell unfair press whenever someone called her on something stupid she did?

To some extent, and she alluded to that again in her resignation speech.

[arctangent]

FWIW, the rumor is "possible federal indictments against Palin, concerning an embezzlement scandal related to the building of Palin's house and the Wasilla Sports Complex built during her tenure as Mayor. Both structures, it is said, feature the "same windows, same wood, same products." Federal investigators have been looking into this for some time, and indictments could be imminent, according to the Alaska sources."

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7280#more-7280

[strummer]

FWIW, the rumor is "possible federal indictments against Palin, concerning an embezzlement scandal related to the building of Palin's house and the Wasilla Sports Complex built during her tenure as Mayor. Both structures, it is said, feature the "same windows, same wood, same products." Federal investigators have been looking into this for some time, and indictments could be imminent, according to the Alaska sources."

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7280#more-7280


Hey, maybe the speculation above was correct and her house had a "hot chicks" room!

[Skipper]

Jesus, just watching this announcement reminds me of why I hate her. Rambling, going-nowhere, patriotic-like, with her actual message peppered in. Plus it was rushed to the point she was mispronouncing things. Seriously ... it was 13 minutes in before she got to her resignation. She had to summarize her entire time in office and all her staff. It's a resignation lady. Get to the point, pull the band-aid off, and walk away. You're obviously not going to tell us the reason, so don't waste our time on bullshit.

[kerzain]

Hey, maybe the speculation above was correct and her house had a "hot chicks" room!That and 'ass pennies' are my favorites from UCB.

I don't know much about her house, but it did at least have a 'hot chick' room.

[strummer]

That and 'ass pennies' are my favorites from UCB.

I don't know much about her house, but it did at least have a 'hot chick' room.

Think how much different the 2008 campaign could have been if Palin had put some ass pennies in circulation before her Couric interview.

[Mark Asher]

Her little analogy about her being like a point guard, pushing the ball up the floor against a full-court press (the media) was cute. I mean, what point guards do is quit in the third quarter and head to the locker room, right?

[Jeff Green]

Anderson Cooper was awesome just now. Talking with Palin's spokesperson, she tried to extend the stupid basketball metaphor again, and he just interrupted her with something like: "I know nothing about sports. I don't know what this hoop is that you're talking about."

Thank you Ms. Palin for what will now be days of extended entertainment!

(p.s. Bring on the sex tape!)

[Glenn]

How bad is Alaska's State budget? Is she trying to be out of the room when some vicious cutting takes place?

[Jose Liz]

Can't be very good given how much oil revenue has plunged year-over-year.

[Tom Chick]

FWIW, the rumor is "possible federal indictments against Palin, concerning an embezzlement scandal related to the building of Palin's house and the Wasilla Sports Complex built during her tenure as Mayor. Both structures, it is said, feature the "same windows, same wood, same products."

BO-ring!


Hey, maybe the speculation above was correct and her house had a "hot chicks" room!

AWE-some!

-Tom

[Murbella]

Probably in better shape than Palin's political career.

[Jason McCullough]

Any other candidate might have a chance if Obama makes a hash of the economy and it continues to spiral into the toilet. "It's the economy, stupid" has never been more relevant than it is now.

However, Palin upends that equation. Millions won't vote for her because she's functionally mentally retarded. Millions more would vote for her because she speaks their language, isn't a pointy-headed intellectual like Obama (who, as Jon Stewart eloquently exploded over, recently gave an interview to a Pakistani newspaper where he confessed a liking for Urdu poetry) and is speaking-in-tongues religious.

And sadly, tens of millions more would vote for her because they want to have sex with her. Welcome to America.

Hey, I was looking for somewhere to put this (http://www.themonkeycage.org/2009/04/a_tantalizing_graph_featuring.html).



Graph #3 is the average favorability toward the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The trends in feelings toward Palin match McCain’s poll standing almost exactly. The “drops” occur at the same time. It’s eerie.

Of course, Johnston and Thorson describe this analysis as suggestive, and, indeed, treat Palin’s importance as a puzzle — if only because vice-presidential nominees usually have so little impact on the election’s outcome. They write:

Judgment on her was incontestably important. The correspondence between dynamics in her ratings and dynamics in McCain vote intentions is astonishingly exact. Her marginal impact in vote-intention estimation models dwarfs that for any Vice-Presidential we are aware of, certainly for her predecessors in 2000 and 2004. And the range traversed by her favorability ratings is truly impressive. But why? We are unaware of any theory that opens the door to serious impact from the bottom half of the ticket.

I'm going with mind-bendingly awful scandal. Evidence #1:

Mysterious tweet (http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/first_signs_what_happened.php?ref=fpblg).


Now?

4:20 PM ... Hmmm. Even better. This is Gov. Palin's 'announcement', such as it is, on Twitter ...

We'll soon attach info on decision to not seek re-election... this is in Alaska's best interest, my family's happy... it is good, stay tuned

She apparently didn't realize she was resigning yet. Stuff obviously moving pretty quickly ...

[Matthew Gallant]

Her latest tweet, 8:25 PM:

In Juneau- gorgeous & 82¤ on eve of Independence Day. Thinking of our vets who kept us free & our troops keeping us free today: THANK YOU!
Weird.

[RepoMan]

God, just when you think it couldn't get any more bizarre....

Yeah, I'm smelling major federal scandal here. Sex tape, no way -- the woman doesn't put out nearly as much as the librul intrnetz would like. No, this has "corrupt chickens coming home to roost" written all over it.

And you heard it here first: Sarah Palin will be the 21st century's first new Ann Coulter / Rush Limbaugh media mavenette. Except dumber and cuter (yes, Palin is a lot cuter than Coulter, whose chin could cut glass). She'll play great in Peoria and rake in the speakers' fees forever.

[alexlitel]

Palin recently told an aide that she had no interest in a 2012 run following viewing of the "big-screen commercial for the documentary 2012."

[Andrew Mayer]

She's going to quit government to save it.

The third person basketball metaphor is amazing. "She needs to pass the ball for victory!"

Wow, just wow.

Modern conservatism is awesome.

[Doug Erickson]

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc59/tosubrock/V3plvX2eRph3beftySZk0wD5o1_500.jpg

[Midnight Son]

The "Hell yeahs!" have it!

[extarbags]

I like that her stated reason for resigning is that she's spending too much of the state's money defending herself from ethics charges.

[RepoMan]

My favorite quote from her resignation speech (excuse me, her attacking-in-a-new-direction speech):

You won't have Sarah Palin to kick around anymore!
Oh wait, she didn't say that. But she should have.

What would be really disturbing is if she does in fact return and eventually become president... unless she were then impeached. Palin = Nixon 2.0!!!!!

[krise madsen]

Palin = Nixon 2.0!!!!!

Well, really. Nixon was smart. (a crook, sure, but smart)

[Hugin]

And you heard it here first: Sarah Palin will be the 21st century's first new Ann Coulter / Rush Limbaugh media mavenette. Except dumber and cuter (yes, Palin is a lot cuter than Coulter, whose chin could cut glass). She'll play great in Peoria and rake in the speakers' fees forever.



Pfft, back of the line, prediction dude. :p


and now she can host a radio or TV show or write a blog or whatever and have a book ghostwritten and rake in some speaking fees


She can probably make a lot of money as a conservative talk show host and speaker on the rubber chicken circuit.


No way has she gotten tired of the attention, she is an attention whore. If anything, I think she becomes a pundit like Ann Coulter.

[corsair]

Political suicide.

Can't stand the heat? Run out of the kitchen crying like a sissy. I can see that scenario playing out well with North Korea if she were president. "Talk tough with me, bitch, I'm aiming my nukes at Alaska!" She polls her family and resigns. Such leadership.

It's kind of like being the captain of the Titantic, and veering course for the iceberg and yelling, "Ramming speed!" Thus sinks her political career. It's a truly sad day - I mean, who could possibly replace her comedic value?

[Hugin]

Political suicide.

Can't stand the heat? Run out of the kitchen crying like a sissy. I can see that scenario playing out well with North Korea if she were president. "Talk tough with me, bitch, I'm aiming my nukes at Alaska!" She polls her family and resigns. Such leadership.

It's kind of like being the captain of the Titantic, and veering course for the iceberg and yelling, "Ramming speed!" Thus sinks her political career. It's a truly sad day - I mean, who could possibly replace her comedic value?

http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=52037

She's trying!

[DragonPup]

Play her off, Keyboard Cat! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT_OwLS6Uew)

[BlueJackalope]

She's confident she can beat Obama. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/01/AR2009070100467.html)

http://www.runnersworld.com/images/cma/palin_iar_200.jpg

http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2009/07/01/PH2009070100470.jpg

I like this one - "Usin' the American flag to prop up my ego ya know."

http://www.mofopolitics.com/wp-content/gallery/sarah-palin-runners-world/sarahpalin7.jpg

[Bill Dungsroman]

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc59/tosubrock/V3plvX2eRph3beftySZk0wD5o1_500.jpg

The awesome part about this is that Biden would totally say that.

[rei]

Holy shit, her blubbering is inane.

[alexlitel]

Play her off, Keyboard Cat! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT_OwLS6Uew)Toby Radloff has videos on YouTube? Why I am only finding this out now?

[Enidigm]

I WISH I HAD A CELLPHONE CAMERA ARGGG1!!!

Today at noon i pulled up to the full service car wash behind a red GMC Sierra 2500HD. That is a dually pickup, for those not in the know.

It had a big "Texas Edition" logo along with some brand logos. It had a big deerhorn decal on the back window. It had those "hot girl" mud flaps like so :

http://gallopingnelly.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/mudflap-girl.jpg

And i swear the custom license plate was .... UBTCHA.

[Lloyd Heilbrunn]

Ok, I saw this on Reuters, and this makes the most sense to me (if she's not resigning due to some scandal that will break)

"Palin could use the time to run for the U.S. Senate for Sen. Lisa Murkowski's seat in November 2010. Palin could use that job as a springboard for a presidential race."

If she gets the Senate seat, she can still run for President, and if she doesn't get the nomination, she's still a Senator. And she's young, so 2016 isn't that far off.

http://www.reuters.com/article/sarahPalin/idUSTRE5624VW20090703


Taking a page from Charlie Crist.

[kerzain]

I really hope she runs in 2012, because I'd love to see Tina Fey have a good reason to resume playing Palin.

[Matthew Gallant]

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/pdf/GovPalin_Happy4tAK-Letter.pdf


I’ve never thought I needed a title before one’s name to forge progress in America.

Yikes, pronoun agreement and verb choice.

I will suggest the following edit:


I've never thought.

[tiohn]

I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less
government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and
much-needed fiscal restraint.
The following sentence is even more egregious than the one you quoted.

[Tom Chick]

That one just looks like a typo. The first "and" should be "at".

But to her credit, she writes about like she talks.

-Tom

[Jose Liz]

I really hope she runs in 2012, because I'd love to see Tina Fey have a good reason to resume playing Palin.
This is almost certainly the best thing about Palin in politics

Also, she saved 30 Rock

[Talisker]

Also, she saved 30 Rock
Explain

[awdougherty]

I think she made Tina Fey a genuine household name which then benefited 30 Rock.

[kerzain]

Many think Palin saved 30 rock (from going down the same path as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) when Fey started getting all the media attention for her brilliant performance as Palin. People couldn't get enough of Fey on SNL and as also started tuning into a good show that had lackluster ratings up until that point, but had started to get mentioned in headlines and bylines alongside Fey, SNL, and Palin's name.

[Jose Liz]

Yup. What he said. ^

The post Palin-impressions ratings bump for 30 Rock was huge. In the 20% range (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_rock#Ratings) which is almost unheard of a show's third season.

[RepoMan]

Yay Tina Fey! I saw some 30 Rock with no audio on the airplane recently, and it looked funny even without sound.

The more I think about this, the more I think Palin just so completely screwed herself that it's not even funny. Except, in a sad way, it is funny. And it's a big fucking relief, to have one of the weirdest and yet most serious creationist / anti-gay / pro-life political wackjobs out there permanently and indelibly brand herself as a quitter. That's not something that anyone likes.

[alexlitel]

I think she's going to be a late night talk show host.

She'll one-up those damn comedians by being the joke herself.


…or come Wednesday, Variety will say that she's writing the next Transformers.

[rei]

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/exec-column.php

Official text. She sounds like a moron.

[RepoMan]

Sounds like?

[RepoMan]

Wow, she really is something. I have no idea WHAT, but SOMETHING.

People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska. Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine....

Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up", but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out....

With this announcement that I am not seeking re-election… I’ve determined it’s best to transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor Parnell; and I am willing to do so, so that this administration – with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future – can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success....

I cannot stand here as your Governor and allow millions upon millions of our dollars go to waste just so I can hold the title of Governor....

And we will be in the capable hands of our Lieutenant Governor, Sean Parnell. And Lieutenant General Craig Campbell will assume the role of Lieutenant Governor. And it is my promise to you that I will always be standing by, ready to assist. We have a good, positive agenda for Alaska.

What. The. Fuck. So that's what narcissistic political self-immolation looks like. Serving Alaska is such a great honor that I have to quit being Governor because I'm costing the state too much money because of all these lawsuits, and only quitters don't quit, but don't worry, I'll "always be standing by," except not really?

Fuuuuuuuuck. She doooooooomed.

[WildElf]

Sounds like?

I honestly think its poor form to judge any public figure by how they come across in the public sphere. I bet George W. is a really cool guy in person. Palin would probably be cool on a hunting trip.

On the other hand, if it sounds like a duck and supports public policy like a duck, then I don't want them fowling up any political office I'm voting for.

[alexlitel]

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/exec-column.php

Official text. She sounds like a moron.Pretty sure Adam Bellow is going to resign imminently as well.

[Tom Chick]

I bet George W. is a really cool guy in person.

I would take that bet. I bet he's just as much of a buffoon in person.


Palin would probably be cool on a hunting trip.

You mean, like just me and her? Would it be an overnight trip? I like where this is going...

-Tom

[Sarkus]

I would take that bet. I bet he's just as much of a buffoon in person.

-Tom

Ann Richards, who Bush defeated in Texas to become governor, insisted that he was smarter then his public image.

So he may not be the dolt we all think he is. It would be interesting to have a conversation with the guy to find out. You may come away surprised.

[Ben Sones]

I cannot stand here as your Governor and allow millions upon millions of our dollars go to waste just so I can hold the title of Governor....

The sad thing is, I suspect that she really believes that being governor is mainly about holding a title--sort of like being a beauty queen. Protip: most governors justify their expense to the taxpayers by doing stuff for their state.

[Joe M.]

Ahh, Bible Spice -- funny. First time I'd read that one. Thanks.

Oh and I'm pretty sure Palin worked hard at bringing home millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars from blue states while claiming she was totally against federal money. Or something like that. And I'm not even talking about the stimulus. So she did something, she was just typically dishonest about it.

[bago]

Every breath you take (http://www.rumproast.com/index.php/site/comments/sarah_palin_every_breath_you_take/).

[WildElf]

I would take that bet. I bet he's just as much of a buffoon in person.

I'm just not sure the things that make him a political buffoon means he'd be Forrest Gump in person. From what I've heard he's witty, charismatic, and laid back. He also proudly doesn't read (newspapers, at least) and is a born again Christian, so I doubt he's my kind of cool, but I'm sure having some BBQ with him once would be fun.


You mean, like just me and her? Would it be an overnight trip? I like where this is going...

Thems Alaskan nights get mighty cold....

[Jose Liz]

Ann Richards, who Bush defeated in Texas to become governor, insisted that he was smarter then his public image.

I don't know about smart (Karl Rove probably gets the credit there) but I bet he was a pretty cool guy. Didn't he win based largely because he was a guy people would want to have a beer with?

(Note: Some or all of this post may be based on information from the motion picture W.)

[RepoMan]

Every breath you take (http://www.rumproast.com/index.php/site/comments/sarah_palin_every_breath_you_take/).
That is sick, disturbing, and funny as fucking hell.

Edit: But wow, this (edited to remove the sane part) comment on that post is almost more disturbing:

As for this “haunted vagina” crap that meatprod etc. are trying to push as Victimhood 3.01 for Palin, it’s not at all original, and I wonder whether they know of one recent manifestation of that memette, and that behind the admittedly hilarious hay people like occasional commenter here belledame222 made of it on her estimable blog, there lies a tale of supernatural female genital mutilation (NSFW, I think!).

It’s also associated with another tome on this theme which features the immortal line: “It’s difficult to love a woman whose vagina is a gateway to the world of the dead.” Amen.

It’s a twist on the vagina dentata. Whereas that classically relates to the castration complex, idiot meatprod and others don’t grasp that the “haunted vagina” trope makes Palin herself the sorry victim of dark forces channeled willy-nilly through her own enchanted ladyparts. Not what you’re generally looking for in a role model, let alone a public figure, unless we’re talking about a starring role on Buffy here.

But then any excuse to talk about vaginas in public, eh, clownyboy?
Um... yeah. Any excuse at all.

[RepoMan]

Holy shit, Bill Kristol really is a laughable tool (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/06/AR2009070602251.html):

The media establishment didn't protest much about the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama. He gave a good speech at the 2004 Democratic convention, was elected to the Senate that fall, and immediately started running for president. He didn't accomplish much in his four years in the Senate (nor could he have been expected to). But that didn't seem to hurt his standing. Isn't Palin about as well positioned for the GOP 2012 nomination as Obama was in 2005 for the 2008 Democratic one?

I think so -- except that her own party's establishment fears and even loathes Palin, while the Democratic establishment wasn't set against Obama. The hostility of the GOP establishment may be an obstacle to her success. On the other hand, given the performance of GOP operatives and pols over the past few years, maybe their opposition isn't a bad thing.

In any case, this is the same GOP establishment that rallied behind first-term governor George W. Bush in 1997-98 and then propelled him to the nomination in 1999-2000. Had Bush accomplished more than Palin at that point?
Here's a hint, Billy: whatever else you can say about Obama and Bush, they didn't quit their fucking jobs because they wanted more money. Palin, on the other hand, just did. It's too funny to see people acting like that doesn't matter. Can't wait to see the Palin poll numbers....

[Abilio Carvalho]

was Bill Kristol ever right about anything in the history of the world ever? I'm glad he's never made any statement on T&A being awesome, I'd have to consider becoming gay.

[Matthew Gallant]

Yes, Bill, the charismatic, empathic Columbia and Harvard grad who taught constitutional law was just last year exactly like the incoherent, six year community college general studies/journalism-degreed local sports anchor who delivers prophecies of doom with a buzzsaw voice is now.

[Jeff Green]

Fox News (!) commentator rips right into Palin.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/06/fox-news-contributor-rips_n_226370.html

The anchor tries to defend Palin...to no avail.

[RepoMan]

D0M3D

[Miramon]

Fox News (!) commentator rips right into Palin.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/06/fox-news-contributor-rips_n_226370.html

The anchor tries to defend Palin...to no avail.

Holy moly! That's one conservative commentator who won't be asked back. "Think of what William Buckley would say...". Ha!

The best part was when the anchor tried to accuse Maurine Dowd of some kind of evil intent, and she says, no, that was a well-written funny piece.

[bago]

She pronounces Wasilla wrong. It's wah-sill-uh. Not wah-seel-uh.

[strummer]

Ann Richards, who Bush defeated in Texas to become governor, insisted that he was smarter then his public image.


The other option for Ann is to admit she got beat by a buffoon. I would have chosen the option she went with, too.

Of course, "smarter then [sic] his public image" is a pretty low bar to jump. So it could have been a somewhat backhanded compliment.

[Shadarr]

The other option for Ann is to admit she got beat by a buffoon. I would have chosen the option she went with, too.

Haven't you see the video of Bush in the Governor debates? Either he got genuinely stupider or it's an act.

[Uncle Larry]

Didn't Bush fly a fighter jet once or twice? It's harder than it looks!

George Lakoff says (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn6oc4UdCuA) that Bush isn't dumb, he's just evil.

[Tankero]

Well, if he's that smart and he put that front for THAT long, long after he got elected too, in fact...

That's just so much more reason to mentally bludgeon him about the head and shoulders.

[Lum]

Remember the interviews he gave the last month or so he was in office, where he turned off the dumb yokel act? It was an act.

He was still a horrible president, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He just pretended to be one.

[triggercut]

I think "dumb" is a inaccurate portrayal of why Bush would be a drag to hang out with in person. "Incurious" is better.

[extarbags]

Remember the interviews he gave the last month or so he was in office, where he turned off the dumb yokel act?

No. What interviews are these?

[Murbella]

Remember the interviews he gave the last month or so he was in office, where he turned off the dumb yokel act? It was an act.

He was still a horrible president, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He just pretended to be one.
Yes, i remember those clearly because it was the same day Duke Nukem Forever came out. I intently remember getting back from the store with my metal special edition box, installing the game and watching him get interviewed on tv while duke nukem librated various strippers and other professional women from alien forces bent on world domination. Right after that Black & white got patched so i didn't actually end up wasting $40 on it years ago. It was the best day ever.

[Mark Asher]

Oh for fuck's sake:

"No legal "bombshell" or personal scandal lies behind Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation, but off-color jokes by talk-show host David Letterman contributed to her decision to step down, Palin's attorney said Monday."

She's blaming it on Letterman?

Glad about this, though:

"Thomas Van Flein, Palin's personal lawyer, said no surprises await. The governor needed a break after being "on duty now for two and a half years solid," he said."

Hey, I understand. She served more than 50% of her term. My god, that's exemplary. Who would ever expect more?

[kerzain]

Oh for fuck's sake:

"No legal "bombshell" or personal scandal lies behind Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation, but off-color jokes by talk-show host David Letterman contributed to her decision to step down, Palin's attorney said Monday."

She's blaming it on Letterman?

Glad about this, though:

"Thomas Van Flein, Palin's personal lawyer, said no surprises await. The governor needed a break after being "on duty now for two and a half years solid," he said."

Hey, I understand. She served more than 50% of her term. My god, that's exemplary. Who would ever expect more?I'm too lazy to do my own homework on the matter, but those quotes make me OMFG outloud.

[Mark Asher]

Source of the quotes above:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/06/palin.resignation/index.html

It's kind of funny to think that a politician can be hounded out of office by a talk-show host. That's the kind of leadership we want.

[Saiban]

I think "dumb" is a inaccurate portrayal of why Bush would be a drag to hang out with in person. "Incurious" is better.

I would say that might be true, but even that seems slightly off. Everything I've read, anecdotal accounts from people who met him personally or had dealings with him in private, have said that he was a pretty sharp guy, but that he was...listening to the wrong people, really. Was that because he was 'incurious'? Hard to say. But he certainly wasn't a dumbass, as you and Lum and others pointed out.

Most of the conservative movement in this country have ideas that, on the whole, are rather retarded. Does that make them stupid? Much of their leadership have graduate degrees and Ivy League educations. By the standards of our society, those people would never be considered "dumb".

[Mark Asher]

Bush wasn't the most eloquent of speakers, and he stumbled a bit. He may not have been a genius, but I never thought he was below average intelligence. That doesn't mean he didn't make moronic decisions, however.

And he clearly didn't really earn any of his achievements. They were all due to his family and connections.

[Drastic]

Hitler is surprised by Palin's resignation. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IzNPEGWNos)

That clip's just a gift that keeps on giving.

[Joe M.]

Cribbed from a popular liberal website (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/6/750538/-Wow.-.-.-Tell-Us-How-You-REALLY-Feel) who took this from Fox News of all places:



It's very easy to say that the liberal media is caving in on her, and yes, they are; but she has given them a lot of raw meat. The woman is inarticulate, undereducated, and I pose this question: 'What do you think William F. Buckley would have thought of her as the standard-bearer for the conservative party?'
I think a lot of this criticism is well-deserved.
...This is one of the rare cases where I think all the liberal stylists like Maureen Dowd, Gail Collins, and the rest of them really have a case. I mean, she just begs for adjectives like flaky and wacky.
...[Maureen Dowd's column] was a well written, funny piece. And, you know, there's one other element here, and I think most writers are afraid to bring it up. They sort of skirt the idea that this is a woman who has used her good looks and her gender to really get ahead in the political world. That's something, of course, the men don't want to admit, and certainly not the women.
So what are we talking about here? We're not talking about a great statesman of profound experience whose banner is integrity. We're talking about somebody who, right from the get-go, has been a flashy person who gets into a lot of trouble and really has no credentials for any job.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvj-Xr0irhE

All I have to say is: yeah, pretty much.

edit: emphasis is not mine

[Tom Chick]

Cribbed from a popular liberal website (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/6/750538/-Wow.-.-.-Tell-Us-How-You-REALLY-Feel) who took this from Fox News of all places

Dude, that stuff is so page 5.

-Tom

[Flowers]

I would say that might be true, but even that seems slightly off. Everything I've read, anecdotal accounts from people who met him personally or had dealings with him in private, have said that he was a pretty sharp guy, but that he was...listening to the wrong people, really. Was that because he was 'incurious'? Hard to say. But he certainly wasn't a dumbass, as you and Lum and others pointed out.

Most of the conservative movement in this country have ideas that, on the whole, are rather retarded. Does that make them stupid? Much of their leadership have graduate degrees and Ivy League educations. By the standards of our society, those people would never be considered "dumb".

Stupid is as stupid does.

[Matthew Gallant]

Asked whether she’d be subjected to the same “political bloodsport” if she went for national office, Palin told [ABC's Kate Snow] she’s confident that the “department of law at the White House” would protect her from baseless allegations.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/07/the-note-palins-goes-fishing-for-a-future-role.html

[zengonzo]

Does she comprehend what she implies? Does she even know what she's saying?

[WarrenM]

You betcha.

[rei]

http://diy.despair.com/output/poster32432184.jpg

[forgeforsaken]

Asked whether she’d be subjected to the same “political bloodsport” if she went for national office, Palin told [ABC's Kate Snow] she’s confident that the “department of law at the White House” would protect her from baseless allegations.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/07/the-note-palins-goes-fishing-for-a-future-role.html


This woman would try very hard to be a dictator.

[BlueJackalope]

This woman would try very hard to be a dictator.

I predict she will serve at least one term as the Commissioner of the WWE in the next four years

[corsair]

Oh for fuck's sake:

"No legal "bombshell" or personal scandal lies behind Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation, but off-color jokes by talk-show host David Letterman contributed to her decision to step down, Palin's attorney said Monday."


Wailed Palin, "I'm not a quitter, I'm a victim! Ooooo, booo hooo. Oh, and vote for me for President, I'm a tough, gun-slinging icon!"

Responded Letterman, "Take that, Conan! Can you say King of Late Night?"

[jerri blank]

It's kind of funny to think that a politician can be hounded out of office by a talk-show host. That's the kind of leadership we want.

David Letterman should receive the Nobel Prize or something.

[madkevin]

I predict she will serve at least one term as the Commissioner of the WWE in the next four years

I predict she'll have her own reality-TV show on TLC in one year.

[Joe M.]

Department of Law? What the f- is that?

[RepoMan]

It's an internal deparment of the Department of Palin's Brain.

Which means it's a very, very small department.

God, I actually will miss her; she makes Quayle look like a rocket scientist. She really, truly does.

[Acoustic Rob]

Department of Law? What the f- is that?

She's probably thinking about the Office of Legal Counsel, which under Bush seemed to exist to issue memos approving whatever the hell the executive branch wanted to do.

[Jazar]

That will be one of the four departments in her new world order. Department of Law, Department of Truth, Department of Love, & Department of Plenty. (or in Newspeak: Delaw, Detruth, Deplenty, Delove)

[wisefool]

http://files.getdropbox.com/u/606764/In%20Your%20office%20making%20your%20laws%20oliver %20babish.jpg

[Talisker]

God, I actually will miss her
You're assuming she's going to disappear from the national stage. I'm fully expecting regular Palin flareups in the press for at least the next decade -- she's political herpes.

[jpinard]

Maybe she's pregnant and Bristol got pregnant again as well.

[Christien Murawski]

That awesome basketball analogy diagrammed for you here (http://deadspin.com/5308468/diagramming-sarah-palins-full+court-press-metaphor).

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/2009/07/custom_1246902587359_palinpress1.JPG


-xtien

[Lum]

Department of Law? What the f- is that?

It's (breathe) the, y'know (breathe) the department that (breathe) makes the laws, y'betcha! (wink, breathe)

[strummer]

Asked whether she’d be subjected to the same “political bloodsport” if she went for national office, Palin told [ABC's Kate Snow] she’s confident that the “department of law at the White House” would protect her from baseless allegations.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/07/the-note-palins-goes-fishing-for-a-future-role.html


There is another article on the abc news site (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=8016906&page=1) with a classic follow up from the author to the above quote.


"I think on a national level, your department of law there in the White House would look at some of the things that we've been charged with and automatically throw them out," she said.

There is no "Department of Law" at the White House.

[kerzain]

Department of Law, it's like Sporting Goods dept at Sears, except with lawyers instead of jock straps, and legal documents instead of basketballs. Except in Palin's Department of Law, where there are also basketballs, but don't go asking Anderson Cooper about where to find basketball related merchandise, because he won't fucking know and he'll have to call someone over from housewares to help you and god knows you won't find what you're looking for before Palin's store closes 6 hours early and you're forced to go across the street to find what you need only to find Palin over there trying to become the new face of an advertising blitz for the highest bidder.

[BennyProfane]

Oh for fuck's sake:

"No legal "bombshell" or personal scandal lies behind Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation, but off-color jokes by talk-show host David Letterman contributed to her decision to step down, Palin's attorney said Monday."

She's blaming it on Letterman?

Glad about this, though:

"Thomas Van Flein, Palin's personal lawyer, said no surprises await. The governor needed a break after being "on duty now for two and a half years solid," he said."

Hey, I understand. She served more than 50% of her term. My god, that's exemplary. Who would ever expect more?

Of course the ultimate irony here is that, in fact, she DIDN'T stay on duty for two and a half years solid. In fact, she pissed off to the Republican dance for several months of that. She can't even count accurately, and apparently neither can her lawyer.

[jpinard]

Give me a freaking break. She's trying to make herself out to be a damn martyr. "I quit to save Alaska from frivolous ethics charge costs". http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=111091&catid=14

[Joe M.]

No, I think she quit because that's what she's always done:


Sarah Palin did have a job in between being mayor of Wasilla and Alaska Governor: she was chair of Frank Murkowski's Oil and Gas Commission. How long was she on this Commission? Less than a year... until she quit in January 2004 with a big public huff (leaving the Commission in the lurch with only one member), saying "the experience was taking the 'oomph' out of her passion for government service and she decided to quit rather than becoming bitter."

And that diagram deal a page back is lol

[Calistas]

What confuses me more is just wha on earth does this Department Of Law do when it "throws out" a "baseless accusation"? Does it issue a royal proclomation saying "liar, liar, pants on fire"? Does it eject difficult journalists from the country? I really wonder what she honestly thinks this fictional body would do?

[Oghier]

I don't care why she quit. Making money on the rubber-chicken circuit, freeing time to run for president or retiring to protect her daughters. Her intent is anyone's guess. The key is that she now has no chance of becoming the republican nominee. Whatever tiny chance she may have had at the white house is gone.

Phew.

[Talisker]

What confuses me more is just wha on earth does this Department Of Law do when it "throws out" a "baseless accusation"? Does it issue a royal proclomation saying "liar, liar, pants on fire"? Does it eject difficult journalists from the country? I really wonder what she honestly thinks this fictional body would do?
Probably something along the lines of what the Alaska Department of Law (http://www.law.state.ak.us/department/about.html) does for Alaska.

[kerzain]

Probably something along the lines of what the Alaska Department of Law (http://www.law.state.ak.us/department/about.html) does for Alaska.She wants to be a world leader and can't see past her own state. I guess Russia is blocking her view of Whitehouse procedures.

[Jose Liz]

I don't think it's a huge deal that she said "Dept of Law" instead of "Office of Legal Counsel"

She's said enough obviously dumb things to not harp on that too much

[Talisker]

...except the Alaska Department of Law is headed up by the Attorney General. IE, it's analogous to the Justice Dept, not the office of legal counsel.

[WildElf]

And while we guffaw at this buffoon, Republicans still love her. 7 in 10 say they still favor her, and this move they "see her more favorably." (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-07-07-palin-poll_N.htm)

"Republicans by 71%-27% say they'd be likely to vote for her if she ran for president in 2012"

The GOP really is full of crazies.

[kerzain]

They re-elected Bush didn't they? Don't under estimate the GOP.

[Erlend Grefsrud]

Awesome.

One of your elected civil servants just up and ragequit over a televised flamewar. It's politics 2.0!

Edit: After reading the two-page post-quit groanageddon, I have to ask about one thing: I keep looking up these people you refer to that I don't have a relationship to, like Dan Quayle or Rush Limbaugh, and the more I read about these people, the more I get the impression that being a Republican isn't so much about standing for a cause, for a particular world view or any values. It seems like the creed of the Republicans is to believe, entirely, everything that pops into their heads. It's a like the Republican platform attracts people who simply want to believe that every single train of thought that passes through their subjectivity is somehow beamed to their brains by a higher being that guides them according to an ineffable plan that makes subjectivity into objectivity and goddamn you can't contradict common sense you pinko commie faggot!

Does this hold any merit?

[Ben Sones]

I don't think it's a huge deal that she said "Dept of Law" instead of "Office of Legal Counsel"

But it is a huge deal that she thinks that the Office of Legal Counsel protects the president from lawsuits and ethics investigations.

[Jazar]

Does this hold any merit?

I'd say so. Who needs reason when you have GOD on your side?

[WarrenM]

Yeah, basically the answer to any question posed to a Republican is : Jesus said so.

[RepoMan]

The GOP is also getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller. Palin is helping a lot, actually - by giving the "you pinko commie faggots just don't get what a great Amurrican she is" bloc a focal point, she makes that bloc more cohesive and harder for any other GOP politicians to work around. Net effect: moderates dump the GOP and go to the Dems, which we saw happening with Obama's election. My prediction is that 2012 is a Dem landslide, and 2016 is solid Dem as well, because this GOP insanity ain't going away anytime soon.

Unless, that is, Limbaugh, Palin, and Coulter are doing a panel on Fox News when the entire broadcasting center gets hit by a large meteor. That would definitely free things up for the GOP moderates.

[Jag]

http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/8/L/2/palin-facebook-page.jpg

[Jose Liz]

...except the Alaska Department of Law is headed up by the Attorney General. IE, it's analogous to the Justice Dept, not the office of legal counsel.


The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) assists the Attorney General of the United States in his function as legal adviser to the President and all the executive branch agencies. (Hence the appellation "the president's law firm.")

Pretty sure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_legal_counsel) that's what she was referring to. Arguably, it's not absolutely correct given the varied responsibilities of this office, Justice Dept, and President's Counsel but I don't think it's that big of a deal. Although, I don't want to rain on your parade. Carry on.

[Houngan]

Bristol Palin wrote:

Mom, I've narrowed it down to 2 names:
1)Twix
2)Spatula
Which one do you like better?



So. Fucking. Funny.

H.

[Jazar]

I had to laugh at Bill Clinton's pic.

[Andrew Mayer]

Pretty sure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_legal_counsel) that's what she was referring to. Arguably, it's not absolutely correct given the varied responsibilities of this office, Justice Dept, and President's Counsel but I don't think it's that big of a deal. Although, I don't want to rain on your parade. Carry on.

The problem with your attempts to add contex,t is that what she was clearly referring to a "vague thing she kinda knew about that supports whatever it is she wants to believe." And she's done that numerous times.

The fact that you think that it's okay for a potential leader of country to not understand the basic structure of the organization she ran for VP of only make you look more like a fool. Or a corporate CEO, I guess.

[Shadarr]

The simple explanation is that Palin talks without thinking and might very well be pathological. Here's a list of lies (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/07/the-odd-lies-of-sarah-palin-a-roundup.html) she's told publicly that were easily verified. All politicians lie, but she does it incredibly badly.

[unbongwah]

I think JL's point is that of all the many many dumb things to emerge from Sarah Palin's mouth, this barely registers on the Sarah Palin Stupid-o-Meter.

Unless he really is defending her, in which case, never mind.

[Anders Hallin]

I think a greater problem with her comment:

“I don’t think it will be the day after day after day of ethics violation charges that are frivolous, that are ridiculous. I think on a national level your department of law there in the White House would look at this, the things we have been charged with, and automatically throw them out, not make somebody hire their own personal attorney to get out there and fight.”
is that she seems to be assuming that if she just got a higher position of power, allegations against her could be "automatically" thrown out. It doesn't so much betray a misunderstanding about the various offices in the White House, but a fundamental misunderstanding of the branches of government.

[Saiban]

I think a greater problem with her comment:

is that she seems to be assuming that if she just got a higher position of power, allegations against her could be "automatically" thrown out. It doesn't so much betray a misunderstanding about the various offices in the White House, but a fundamental misunderstanding of the branches of government.

Or not. What have Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Bush been charged with, so far?

[Jose Liz]

I think JL's point is that of all the many many dumb things to emerge from Sarah Palin's mouth, this barely registers on the Sarah Palin Stupid-o-Meter.

This is correct

[Glenn]

Alaska actually calls its Office of Attorney General the Department of Law. Given that, it's a minor slip of the tongue, and not the massively retarded wild guess it otherwise sounds like.

[Andrew Mayer]

Alaska actually calls its Office of Attorney General the Department of Law. Given that, it's a minor slip of the tongue, and not the massively retarded wild guess it otherwise sounds like.

It's part of her entire "I don't give a shit" attitude.

[Ben Sones]

Alaska actually calls its Office of Attorney General the Department of Law. Given that, it's a minor slip of the tongue, and not the massively retarded wild guess it otherwise sounds like.

Well, again, the massively retarded part is where she thinks that the attorney general is responsible for fending off ethics investigations against the president, when in fact the opposite is true.

[Mark Asher]

Yeah, it was just a bad answer. She could have totally shrugged off that question, but instead she found a screwy answer that makes her look foolish. She's not very quick on her feet.

[Houngan]

She's not very quick on her feet.

As opposed to on her back AMIRITE?

H.

[barstein]

Salon: The GOP operatives who championed her should be charged with endangering the country (http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2009/07/10/palin/index.html).


...
Rarely is anyone in Washington, from politicians to operatives to journalists, held accountable for the damage they inflict on the body politic. Those who banged the drum for disastrous war flit from one editorial page to the next; those who insisted on ruinous deregulation return as economic advisors to the president. The men who told us that Sarah Palin should be next in line of succession to the presidency may quarrel among themselves now, but they will all be back with yet more stupid advice -- and we can only blame ourselves if we listen.
...

[Lorini]

I would 100% agree with that. Is this woman able to perform any job except a 'job'?? Maybe she can hook up with Sanford or Spitzer or something and they'll take care of her. I just don't know what I would do if somehow she got elected as anybody who had any sort of policy making ability where I live.

So this is what the GOP has come to??

[Murbella]

I would 100% agree with that. Is this woman able to perform any job except a 'job'?? Maybe she can hook up with Sanford or Spitzer or something and they'll take care of her. I just don't know what I would do if somehow she got elected as anybody who had any sort of policy making ability where I live.

So this is what the GOP has come to??
Well, she did an excellent job torpedoing McCain's campaign and she didn't even quit half way.

[Tyjenks]

I would 100% agree with that. Is this woman able to perform any job except a 'job'?? Maybe she can hook up with Sanford or Spitzer or something and they'll take care of her. I just don't know what I would do if somehow she got elected as anybody who had any sort of policy making ability where I live.

So this is what the GOP has come to??
How on Earth did she ever become a "player" in the GOP party after her sad performance all over the country during the campaign!?!?! The party, like Hollywood to some extent, must now simply latch onto to anyone with name recognition. The Republicans then ride them until they are wrung out and washed up or they miraculously squeeze them into office somewhere.

If Palin gets credit for anything, it is that she realized her political career was shite and she needed to make some money and pay off debt before the party cast her aside in the next few years.

[Matthew Gallant]

Palin's first whistlestop on the road to 2012 was appearing on an Alaskan talk radio show called "Firearm Friday" along with fellow guest Ted Nugent.

She's really building a coalition, there.

[RepoMan]

Dude, she totally is. Don't misunderestimate her. (Yes, it was used already in this thread.) Nate on fivethirtyeight.com had, as usual, a great couple of articles about her, and somewhere else I read that NO ONE in the GOP can whip up an excited crowd now like she can. She's the Obama of the hardcore red-state crowd, and while she may be unelectable at the national level, she's now got Clout and she wants to sling it. It's going to be disastrous for the GOP nationally, but it'll be damn fun for us elitist libruls to watch.

[Lum]

From a story quoted approvingly (http://tammybruce.com/2009/07/palin-hints-at-independent-conservative-movement.html) on Palin's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin/) (yes, I friended her, because why not!)


Enter now Sarah Palin with very encouraging comments that lead one to believe that she is indeed planning to do what she must: build an independent conservative movement and take this nation back from the liberals which now control both parties.

Take that, Limbaugh and Hannity, you liberals.

[Lum]

Also, I'm only 3 connections removed from Palin on LinkedIn!

http://www.linkedin.com/in/governorsarahpalin

She's probably going to need to change that URL.

[Tom Chick]

Enter now Sarah Palin with very encouraging comments that lead one to believe that she is indeed planning to do what she must: build an independent conservative movement and take this nation back from the liberals which now control both parties.

Aw, rats, I was hoping she would continue to sabotage the Republican Party. :(

-Tom

[Hans Lauring]

Won't she still be doing that by pulling the crazy-vote, who might have voted for the lesser of two evils, away?

And Lum will befirend Sarah Palin on FB and not me. That wounds deeply.

[kerzain]

If Joseph Smith and L. Ron Hubbard can create a sizable following, so can Palin.

[strummer]

Won't she still be doing that by pulling the crazy-vote, who might have voted for the lesser of two evils, away?


I would go further and say she would only pull the right-wing crazy-vote. I can't imagine many of the former Nader, Sharpton, LaRouche or Kucinich voters would sway her way, regardless of the evils the big two may possess.

[Hans Lauring]

I would go further and say she would only pull the right-wing crazy-vote. I can't imagine many of the former Nader, Sharpton, LaRouche or Kucinich voters would sway her way, regardless of the evils the big two may possess.

Oh, I was only considering the crazy right wing part of the Republicans - I don't see those to the left of the Democrats or the truly liberatarian and what other fringes you guys have going for the batshitinsanoparty of Palin.

[Ben Sones]

Yeah, she is basically proposing that she become the Nader of the right--unelectable, but a spoiler for the Republicans in close elections. You go, girl!

[Lorini]

Yeah, she is basically proposing that she become the Nader of the right--unelectable, but a spoiler for the Republicans in close elections. You go, girl!


Hmm, I think spoiler is too strong of a word. Nader did indeed have a real effect on the 2000 elections, to the point of arguably causing Gore to lose. Palin is not going to cause any given Republican candidate to lose because they aren't going to win anyway the way they are going. So she'll get the attention she craves and the party overall really isn't hurt. Win win!

[strummer]

Oh, I was only considering the crazy right wing part of the Republicans - I don't see those to the left of the Democrats or the truly liberatarian and what other fringes you guys have going for the batshitinsanoparty of Palin.


Gotcha.

Tom, I'm surprised you don't see this a continuing to sabotage the Republican party. If she does continue to be active it national politics, even (or, perhaps, especially) as a part of an independent conservative movement, it would be nothing but detrimental to the Republican party by further driving a wedge between voters and candidates depending on how right of center they are.

[Ben Sones]

If you take the long view, it could end up being good for the party if she takes all the crazy with her and leaves a saner, more moderate GOP behind.

[strummer]

If you take the long view, it could end up being good for the party if she takes all the crazy with her and leaves a saner, more moderate GOP behind.

Agreed. But the party as a whole would have to be willing to go in that direction, the people in that direction would have to be willing to (re-)identify with the party and, in the meantime, there would be some very lean years. It may be a very long view.

[bago]

It would be good for everyone if the proudly ignorant rural types (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wroj0FLvzs&feature=player_embedded) split off to follow Palin and we had an intellectual opposition party.

[Andrew Mayer]

I believe the political strategy at work here would be known as "crawling up your own ass".

[Tom Chick]

Tom, I'm surprised you don't see this a continuing to sabotage the Republican party. If she does continue to be active it national politics, even (or, perhaps, especially) as a part of an independent conservative movement, it would be nothing but detrimental to the Republican party by further driving a wedge between voters and candidates depending on how right of center they are.

True enough. But if she becomes an independent, the unrepentant and politically irrelevant right will leave the Republicans to their own devices, letting them get on with the business of rebuilding the party. Karl Rove and the Bush Administration catered to those idiots for over a decade, wooing neocons, isolationists, Fundamentalists, gun nuts, ignorant rednecks, and various other worst-case red staters. The party should have to deal with these people. But if Sarah Palin leaves, she'll be like the Pied Piper, conveniently drawing them from the Republican Party.

-Tom

[Andrew Mayer]

I, for one, wouldn't mind a Republican party based on an actual agenda that goes beyond "Fuck you liberals!" and/or "Give the corporations all your money, peons!"

[Mark Asher]

True enough. But if she becomes an independent, the unrepentant and politically irrelevant right will leave the Republicans to their own devices, letting them get on with the business of rebuilding the party. Karl Rove and the Bush Administration catered to those idiots for over a decade, wooing neocons, isolationists, Fundamentalists, gun nuts, ignorant rednecks, and various other worst-case red staters. The party should have to deal with these people. But if Sarah Palin leaves, she'll be like the Pied Piper, conveniently drawing them from the Republican Party.

-Tom

So you think you might have a Republican party that would be a bit more moderate and not so rigid on things like gay rights and abortion? I could actually see a party like that wooing a lot of the independent voters.

[Roy Ziegler]

Governor, sign my ti-err...baby!

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/07/13/us/13palin.xlarge1.jpg

[WarrenM]

"This here is how the Mayans would please their gods, dontcha know."

[Cubit]

Pat Buchanan is one cold-hearted bastard:


Well, first, with regard to Levi, I think First Dude up there in Alaska, Todd Palin, ought to take Levi down to the creek and hold his head underwater until the thrashing stops.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/13/pat-buchanan-todd-palin-o_n_230441.html

[kerzain]

Old senile people are so funny, those jokers can get away with the darndest things.

Someone should take Pat Buchanan down to the creek so he can wash his adult diaper. Is he even relevant any more?

[unbongwah]

But if Sarah Palin leaves, she'll be like the Pied Piper, conveniently drawing them from the Republican Party.
And how is that a bad thing? I'm all for the GOP purging itself of the xenophobes, the race-baiters, the homophobes, the neocons, the crazy-ass fundies, and the just plain stoopid so it can reform itself into a sensible right-of-center party rather than the off-the-rails batshit-inanity of the last couple of decades.

I'm still a liberal-y kinda guy, so I doubt I would sign on with said hypothetical new-n-improved GOP. But I also recognize the Democrats frequently suck at their jobs; they need an intelligent opposition party to play off of.

[bago]

And how is that a bad thing? I'm all for the GOP purging itself of the xenophobes, the race-baiters, the homophobes, the neocons, the crazy-ass fundies, and the just plain stoopid so it can reform itself into a sensible right-of-center party rather than the off-the-rails batshit-inanity of the last couple of decades.

I'm still a liberal-y kinda guy, so I doubt I would sign on with said hypothetical new-n-improved GOP. But I also recognize the Democrats frequently suck at their jobs; they need an intelligent opposition party to play off of.

Seriously. We came disturbingly close to having a woman who had witchcraft (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwkb9_zB2Pg) thrown out of her being close to nuclear weapons.

[Slainte Mhath]

I agree with Tom, she's basically the pied-piper of crazy, and would leave behind a leaner, stronger more agile Republican Party should she syphon off the Conservative Christians and other inflexible far-right members that the Bush Adminstration spent years shoehorning into the GOP. That would be a "very bad thing" for Democrats.

I'd go a step further even, and theorize that the GOP isn't as shell-shocked and hapless as we're being led to believe. That in our Obama-induced eupohoria we've failed to recognize that the GOP has a plan to rebuild, and it's unfolding as we speak.

[ReptileHouse]

And how is that a bad thing? I'm all for the GOP purging itself of the xenophobes, the race-baiters, the homophobes, the neocons, the crazy-ass fundies, and the just plain stoopid so it can reform itself into a sensible right-of-center party rather than the off-the-rails batshit-inanity of the last couple of decades.

I'm still a liberal-y kinda guy, so I doubt I would sign on with said hypothetical new-n-improved GOP. But I also recognize the Democrats frequently suck at their jobs; they need an intelligent opposition party to play off of.

While I agree that the GOP would be a healthier party in that scenario, it does bring back the original problem that there's unlikely to be a sufficient appeal of that platform to make them electable. In the post-Goldwater days, the GOP recognized that and dealt with it by broadening their platform to include social conservatism to create a voting bloc sufficient to win elections. I don't have any reason to believe that the underlying issue has gone away.

An alternative would be for the GOP to move to a much more moderate conservative position and attempt to pick up lots of blue dog democrats and such. That'll be a tough road for the leadership.

[Murbella]

I'm no expert on the Republican party, but isn't the Conservative Christian group a large portion of the Republican leaning voting block and don't they have probably the highest turnout of nearly any group? Even with them, republicans were only more or less even with democrats pre obama, if they lost such a big number, it would make things even worse for them and the only way they could possibly recover would be to go closer to the center. Of course while going closer to the center would pick up more independents, it would also make them lose even more of their hardcore base...

I always thought that was the reason a crazy like Palin could get on the ticket. Hey, look she is a WOMAN, but don't worry religious right because she is one of you too!

[Miramon]

Well, I can see how the ferocity and unpleasantness of politics and celebrity status might come as a shock to someone who hasn't experienced it before; it's just that it's hard to imagine it coming as a surprise to Palin, at this late date.

As an aside, while I adhere to no ideology, I suppose I tend to support liberal positions more frequently than conservative ones on many issues. But I really hate machine politics, so if the Republican party was largely sane I would be happy to vote for a Republican governor here in Massachusetts, where the Democrats are basically a corrupt and immovable bloc. But since the GOP is largely insane, I can't do that.

[Lorini]

I think she thinks she's modern day royalty, ruling by divine right and therefore she should not be subjected to criticism by mere mortals.

[Doug Erickson]

i get the opposite feeling; that's she's just a dumb narcissistic opportunist who has for better or for worse become an emblem of what the shallow evangelical set wants in their leaders: attractive, folksy, fiercely anti-abortion, fiercely "family values", intellectually incurious, and most importantly loudly shares their sense of cultural and political martyrdom.

[unbongwah]

An alternative would be for the GOP to move to a much more moderate conservative position and attempt to pick up lots of blue dog democrats and such.

Of course while going closer to the center would pick up more independents, it would also make them lose even more of their hardcore base...
That's more or less my thinking: jettison the Far Right, shift back towards the center, woo back independents and conservative Democrats. Some fusion of Goldwater and Reagan conservatism. Unfortunately, the current GOP power-brokers don't strike me as agents of reform. I almost pity Michael Steele (if he didn't keep coming across like an ass).

[Tom Chick]

And how is that a bad thing? I'm all for the GOP purging itself of the xenophobes, the race-baiters, the homophobes, the neocons, the crazy-ass fundies, and the just plain stoopid so it can reform itself into a sensible right-of-center party rather than the off-the-rails batshit-inanity of the last couple of decades.

Your point is entirely fair and probably the healthiest thing for the nation in the long run. But as an erstwhile Republican, I'm really resentful of the way the party abused its position of power during the Bush Administration. I feel like they need to take responsibility for what they've done -- and be held accountable for it -- rather than letting Sarah Palin conveniently bleed them of their fringe elements.

In other words, those fuckers made their bed. Them them lie in it for a while.

-Tom

[unbongwah]

Hey, I'm certainly in favor of the Bush Administration suffering the consequences - legal and otherwise - for their bad decisions and (probably) illegal actions. [I respect Obama's desire to let sleeping dogs lie for the sake of political expediency, but I seriously want to see Holder pwn some bitches.] But they aren't the entirety of the GOP; and punishing the party for the misdeeds of its leadership is a cutting-your-nose-to-spite-your-face response. The GOP is afflicted with a cancer - time to chemo it out. A healthy uncrazy GOP is best for the country.

[wahoo]

That's more or less my thinking: jettison the Far Right, shift back towards the center, woo back independents and conservative Democrats. Some fusion of Goldwater and Reagan conservatism. Unfortunately, the current GOP power-brokers don't strike me as agents of reform. I almost pity Michael Steele (if he didn't keep coming across like an ass).

R's problem has always been that they enacted their core agenda that brought conservatives into power. Communism is dead, the middle class pays peanuts in income taxes(and should really pay more income tax), welfare reformed and the nation has shifted some to the right.

I think education/breaking the teacher's unions would have been their best weapon and Bush started them down the right road. But they derailed themselves and gave up on being the small govt party for being the big spenders for our priority/corruption party.

A small govt party will never really succeed b/c the interests of a group that benefits from a govt policy will almost always trump the interest in a small govt overall. It's one of the many conundrums of public policy. When you have such a large democracy then the benefit for eliminating a worthless program, tax, subsidy etc is too small for the public to care, but those who benefit from the program will have an enormous interest in continuing it.

Basically, I see the R's having a tough time to get back into power running on a balanced budget/small govt platform.

[bago]

Those that want to be governed least hate government most.