Sarah Palin did today what she does best: catch everybody off guard and shoot from the outside. This ball swished through the net.
Gov. Palin inspires and heartens me. She is no politician. She is an elected official, a public servant, and I believe, a woman whose heart belongs to her family, her God, and her country, and she will always serve and do what’s best for what she holds dear in her heart.
I don’t know Sarah Palin, and would never presume to second-guess her motives for resigning her position as governor. I listened to what she said today, and like everybody else, have my own opinions about “what it all means.”
“I have given my reasons candidly and truthfully…”
I think she told us what it means. “But I have given my reasons… no more “politics as usual” and I am taking my fight for what’s right – for Alaska – in a new direction.”
Gov. Palin also said, “If I have learned one thing: life is about choices!
“And one chooses how to react to circumstances. You can choose to engage in things that tear down, or build up. I choose to work very hard on a path for fruitfulness and productivity. I choose not to tear down and waste precious time; but to build up this state and our country, and her industrious, generous, patriotic, free people!”
These are not the words of a quitter. “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. And a problem in our country today is apathy. It would be apathetic to just hunker down and “go with the flow”.
“Nah, only dead fish ‘go with the flow’.”
Palin puts her family first. “…this decision comes after much consideration, and finally polling the most important people in my life – my children (where the count was unanimous… well, in response to asking: “Want me to make a positive difference and fight for ALL our children’s future from outside the Governor’s office?” It was four “yes’s” and one “hell yeah!” The “hell yeah” sealed it – and someday I’ll talk about the details of that… I think much of it had to do with the kids seeing their baby brother Trig mocked by some pretty mean-spirited adults recently.”
I believe that Sarah Palin, who puts her family first, knows she needs to get her family out of the massive $500,000 debt they’ve incurred fighting the malicious and frivolous ethics attacks, all of which have been dismissed. She can do this with speaking engagements alone. She couldn’t do this from the governor’s office, and, the attacks would only continue. With eighteen months left in her term, her family could be over $1,000,000 in debt by the time her term finished.
I take her at her word that she intends to support and fight for other conservative Americans who seek public office. She can freely do this on her own schedule without feeling that she is neglecting her duties as governor.
I take her at her word that she believes that as long as she remains governor, the time- and money-wasting attacks will continue. I think she believes that to continue in her role of governor at this point does more harm to her beloved state of Alaska than good. “I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is unconventional and not so comfortable.”
She can begin her own preparations for her presidential run in 2012. I think she will run because I take her at her word. “…we know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time, on another scale, and actually make a difference for our priorities – and so we will, for Alaskans and for Americans.”
“My choice is to take a stand and effect change…”
And the question she asked her children, “Want me to make a positive difference and fight for ALL our children’s future from outside the Governor’s office?”, is the true give-away for me. (emphasis mine)
Sarah Palin is a woman with a mission, and I will do as much as I can to help her accomplish it.
“In the words of General MacArthur, ‘We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.’”
Right behind you, Sarah.
{ 18 comments }
I haven’t had a chance to see/read her speech until now. I’d have to agree, it does sound like she may make a run for the White House. And if the dems lose seats in senate next year, 2012 could be very interesting!
Your point about the $500K debt is a good one. She has seen what the political attacks have done to her family, not only emotionally, but financially and that jeopardizes her children’s future. I am not so sure that she will run for public office, i.e. the Presidency in 2o12. Rather I see that she will become the leading spokesperson for the Conservative movement in this country, much like Ronald Reagan did in the 1960s and 70s. They have a reversal of roles. Mr. Reagan took his spokesman role to the California Governor’s mansion and then to the White House. Sarah Palin has had the Alaska Governor’s office to provide her with a platform from which she can now speak in answer to the left wing agenda that is doing untold damage to the American economy and way of life. I for one would be happy to spend $100 or so to hear Sarah Palin speak in her own behalf or for a true Conservative candidate. She has weighed her options and is doing what is best for her state, her family, but least of all herself. She is a true American Patriot.
As a part time Alaska resident, where I am now, and a libertarian I have strongly supported Palin but no more. You run for and are elected to a four year term, you serve the four year term. She quit. Something became too hard for her to put up with or perhaps she started seeing her national ambitions as being compromised or hindered by her governorship. So she quit. This is just unacceptable behavior in my view and implies a willingness to do the same thing in whatever her next office might be, except now it strikes me as highly unlikely there will be a next office. Better we found out now though. Good bye, Sarah; we hardly knew you.
Ron,
Thanks for coming by and leaving a comment. I have to disagree with you though, in calling her a quitter. Yes, she was elected to serve four years. However, now, due to the fear that the left has of her, she must spend Alaskan taxpayer dollars and time fighting frivolous and untrue ethics charges. I think she has made the unusual and as she put it, “uncomfortable” decision to spare the state any more waste, and step aside. She knows that her Lt. Gov. is capable and of like mind with her own goals for Alaska. She believes she is leaving the state in good hands, and that what she is doing, while it might not be what she wants, is what’s is best for the state.
If I had a job that I had agreed to do for four years, but two years into my term, my presence there caused disruption and waste of money for my employer, I hope I would have the courage and good sense to step down, for the good of my employer. That’s not quitting, that’s called making a sacrifice.
I do thank you for your comment, and please comment anytime.
Pup
Karen,
Thanks for the comment. Appreciate it. You might be right; she may see that she can best serve by speaking only, without trying to hold public office. It is similar to Reagan, though I think he served as governor, ran for president unsuccessfully, refused the vice-presidency in the same campaign, then began his writing, speaking, and radio program. Then, ran successfully in 1980. This could be her period of writing and speaking, culminating in her run in 2012.
Thanks again for coming by!
Great post Pup, and I think I agree with your comments wholeheartedly. I too picked up on the part about the cost to Alaskans to defend herself from the attacks. I think that bothered her greatly. I think she took away the target, by stepping down. Oh, she’ll still be talked about no matter what she does, but the taxpayers will no longer have to spend money in her defense. I think that’s important to her.
I’m still not sure what to make of Sarah’s resignation. Both you, CP, and Ron make good points. We’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out. I hope Sarah knows what she’s doing.
I think we’ll just have to wait and see where Palin decides to take all this. However, if I were in her shoes, I might have made the same decision. I’m not sure how much is accomplished by her holding on to her job, and if she had won the election she would no longer be governor anyway, so all the talk about her being a quitter is kind of ridiculous. She has to do what is right for her and her family. As I’m not sure all of this controversy was healthy for the state of Alaska either, it does not hurt the state if a capable lieutenant governor takes charge. I wish her the best whatever she decides.
Kathy,
Yes, you and I see it exactly the same way. I think she loved being the governor of Alaska, because she had great plans and goals to help all Alaskans prosper. I don’t think she wanted to stop being governor, but felt it was the higher road for the sake of her state. And for her family.
Thanks!
Personally I think the article writer ‘takes everything at her word’ way too much. Regardless of what you think of her as a family woman, she’s also a politician and will spin things to make the best of it.
And maybe call me a cynic – I can’t imagine this conversation with her children having taken place. “Hey kids, want me to make a positive difference and fight for ALL our children’s future from outside the Governor’s office?” “hell yeah”? no one speaks like that in a common conversation, so right there that’s a piece of fiction.
Seane-Anna,
Thanks for coming by and for the comment. I can’t wait to see what she will do next. She seems to be a woman who would pray about a decision like this, and then do what she believes God wants her to do.
I still don’t think she’s a quitter, and don’t believe she thinks of her decision as “quitting.”
Thanks again!
Wanpeurei,
Thanks for your comment! I continue to believe that she believes she is acting in the best interests of her state and her family. Making a sacrifice, not quitting something.
The upcoming months will be most interesting. She also said something about visiting the troops, and how that had a lot to do with her decision. I wonder if the soldiers encouraged her to run for president. But, the future will be interesting for sure.
Hey Jack,
I appreciate your comment and coming by here. But, uhh, as for “no one speaks like that in a common conversation”–I’m not sure what you mean. Do you think that the wording of the question is contrived? Is it the “hell yeah” that doesn’t seem real to you? Genuinely don’t know what you mean. It didn’t sound strange to me at all, hit no false note, I guess maybe we talk this way around my house, and that’s why it didn’t strike me as “not real.”
Please elaborate if you would. It sounds to me like you don’t think anyone talks like this. But you surely haven’t heard everyone in the country talk to their families. Perhaps you don’t hear people talk like this in your circle and think that no one else does. But some of us do.
Thanks again for the comment.
Beth,
A word about why I didn’t approve your comment to appear here. Simply writing “you guys are a bunch of nuts” is unproductive and useless. I require more than that, and if you care to come back by and tell us why you think this, you are more than welcome.
I realize that liberals often just use name-calling for their “comment” and present no cogent arguments for their own POV, but you must do better than that here. I call it “discussion” and try my utmost to keep it civil and polite.
Again, my invitation to return and elaborate on your opinion is not a joke. Please do.
Pup
On your last comment Pup, I totally concur, that was a great call…Thanks for keeping it clean and relevant. Calling someone names is another Alinsky tactic to…change the subject…and get anger incited, thereby changing the subject. I will have to look up article to see what # it is.
Ok, I found it…it is Rule #5: Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It’s hard to counterattack ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.
Nothing ever changes. Sheesh, I guess there will always be haters.
One more thing…Pup, where is your search box?..I could have sworn that you listed Alinsky’s rules on your blog at one time, but with no way to search, I am clueless….
Kathy,
Thanks! And thanks too for pointing out that I didn’t have a search box. I do now, and tested it, and it seems to work. Appreciate that!
The discussions here and elsewhere have been interesting. All in all it seems to me if she had quit and simply said “here’s why” and it had been a believable reason then it would be easier for me to believe it was a proper step. But that’s not what she did and all the obfuscation related to lame duckery and so forth was typical political dissembling. So we are left with wondering the real reason because she refused to state the real one(s) in a believable fashion.
All in all she took a very atypical action but “explained” it in the tired verbal mush of politicians everywhere and everywhen. This contradicts her own image and gets her included in the infinitely long list of lying and deceitful politicians (and sorry for the redundancy). Recovery is likely to be difficult – if she wants to recover. If she just had had enough of the circus for now and forever then good luck to her and good fishing.
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