Why Sarah Wanted Out
Speculation abounds as to the cause-and-effect of the resignation of Alaska Governor and 2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin:
The presidential fund-raising process "starts earlier and earlier with each election cycle," said Marc Hetherington, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University
"You're not going to find big donors in Alaska," Hetherington said. "She has to convince the people in Washington, D.C., the heavy-hitting fundraisers, that she's ready to do the job."
But like many others, he was unsure Friday whether Palin's decision was made to prepare for higher office, or to remove herself and her family from the intense national spotlight."It's hard to know at this point," Hetherington said.
While it would be nice to believe that Sarah Palin is leaving the Alaska Governorship to run for the Presidency, it would make far more sense for her to finish her term and then announce, as there would be little to keep her from raising money while in office-especially in a climate where her absence from the State would be expected if the people of Alaska had the implicit knowledge that she is going to run for President. It does seem that when she resigns officially at the end of the month, it will signal Governor Palin's exit from active politics.
While I strongly believe that Sarah Palin should not have resigned, I also agree with her that the normal rules of civility which the press applies to political candidates have not been applied to her or her family. Traditionally, these unwritten rules have stipulated that the children of political figures are off-limits, and general references to a person's family are to be kept in good humor and decent taste. Sarah Palin is everything that her critics hate-she is a beautiful, intelligent, successful woman who happens to be very conservative. Open fire.
As often as I criticise the President in this space, and have even been critical of his wife as she sometimes merits it, I would never dream of bringing his daughters into the equation. Not only do those young ladies have the right to grow up in peace, but when they do they deserve to be able to make their own choices and commit whatever mistakes they are going to make without our scrutiny. They are not politicians unless they choose to be.
These standards of decency didn't apply to the Palin family. Bristol Palin's former boyfriend was paraded around on the morning talkshows in what was clearly on attempt to get revenge on his ex-girlfriend, but which the press ate up like free twinkies. Had Sarah Palin been a liberal Democrat, Bristol Palin's breakup would have been a non-story. Michelle Obama would not have had jokes told on late-night television about looking like a "slutty flight attendant," or about her teenage daughter being raped by an All-Star baseball player.
After the first 50 or so ethics complaints were dismissed, most people would have packed it in. Sarah Palin was costing the State of Alaska good money so that she might be defended against falsehoods. It is reasonable to assume that she had quite enough of what the press was putting her and her family through, and that she was not prepared for it. Should she have been? No man and no liberal would have been given the character assassination that Sarah Palin has had to endure.
No, Palin should not have resigned-but she may believe that her family deserves better than what they are enduring through no fault of their own.
While I strongly believe that Sarah Palin should not have resigned, I also agree with her that the normal rules of civility which the press applies to political candidates have not been applied to her or her family. Traditionally, these unwritten rules have stipulated that the children of political figures are off-limits, and general references to a person's family are to be kept in good humor and decent taste. Sarah Palin is everything that her critics hate-she is a beautiful, intelligent, successful woman who happens to be very conservative. Open fire.
As often as I criticise the President in this space, and have even been critical of his wife as she sometimes merits it, I would never dream of bringing his daughters into the equation. Not only do those young ladies have the right to grow up in peace, but when they do they deserve to be able to make their own choices and commit whatever mistakes they are going to make without our scrutiny. They are not politicians unless they choose to be.
These standards of decency didn't apply to the Palin family. Bristol Palin's former boyfriend was paraded around on the morning talkshows in what was clearly on attempt to get revenge on his ex-girlfriend, but which the press ate up like free twinkies. Had Sarah Palin been a liberal Democrat, Bristol Palin's breakup would have been a non-story. Michelle Obama would not have had jokes told on late-night television about looking like a "slutty flight attendant," or about her teenage daughter being raped by an All-Star baseball player.
After the first 50 or so ethics complaints were dismissed, most people would have packed it in. Sarah Palin was costing the State of Alaska good money so that she might be defended against falsehoods. It is reasonable to assume that she had quite enough of what the press was putting her and her family through, and that she was not prepared for it. Should she have been? No man and no liberal would have been given the character assassination that Sarah Palin has had to endure.
No, Palin should not have resigned-but she may believe that her family deserves better than what they are enduring through no fault of their own.
Labels: Conservatism, Federal politics, Republican Party
posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 7:00 AM
4 Comments:
One thing to consider David is that it may have been more honorable for Palin to resign than continue in office. In his last year as Governor before running for President, Mitt Romney spent 212 days out of State, which would made him a Governor in Name Only.
Dave,
I think you miss the point on the issue of Palin's children. She was the one that trotted them out to every campaign event. She was the one that used them as campaign props. Every speech and event utilized some variation of "Track is in the military; Trig is a special needs child, etc., etc., etc." She brought her children out to sing the national anthem at hockey games. She trotted out Levi to prove that her daughter was not just some knocked-up slut, but in fact had marriage plans.
She was the one that put them in the public eye when she thought it would help her get elected. I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't know that putting them out there like that would not make them fodder for all sorts of people. Bush, Clinton and Obama all tried to keep their children out of the campaigns and, for the most part, the media respected their wishes to not talk about the children. Palin didn't and it's hard to take her complaints seriously now.
David,
Sarah Palin is not a victim - she's an idiot and a quitter. She used her family (childern included) as political props. She put them out there in the line of fire. What happened was her fault. Poor, poor Sarah ... horse feathers.
Onhly a 'conservative' would draw this kind of hostility? Uh, ... excuse me, but CLINTON? Remember what was done to that family? The Chelsea jokes? The constant examination of rumor, innuendo, ehtics compliants and even accustions of murder?
Please!
The Katie Curic interviews exposed her idiocy and her resignation last Friday exposed her cowardice in the face of duty, her duty to the people of Alaska. She cut and ran.
Sara Palin is, to put it simply, UNFIT. The fact that she was once considered fit for VP by conservatives is testimony to the conservative ability to deny reality while simultaneously clinging to ideology.
Your post is nothing but the conservative pradigm of
A.) ADMIT NOTHNG i.e.:
Sara Palin is an idiot
B.) DENY EVERYTHING i.e.:
Sara Palin is a quitter and, thus, shown herself to be unfit for National elective office.
C.) BLAME SOMEONE/SOMETHING ELSE i.e.
The media, the liberals, the ... oh hell, forces of darkness if that will work. Anything or anyone besides Sara, herself.
Give it up David, she's toast for anything besides conservative media talking head pundit/propagandist.
She was always a joke. We got the punchline long ago, you still haven't figured out it was joke.
SteveMule
Sarah Palin - "The Alaska Quitbull"
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