Few will write anything sympathetic or understanding. Words of support will be few and far between. Critics will use this as the opportunity for a feeding frenzy. What the long term results or intent could be cannot be determined so soon, but the media’s favorite punching bag called it quits today. Sarah Palin will not seek reelection as Alaska’s governor resigning from her current term by the end of this month, July 25, 2009.
Pundits will go wild with the speculation game. Why is she really doing this? One should instantly be nervous whenever the media uses “really” in a context like this as they are always better positioned to divine the true intent better than the person under consideration or that person’s closest associates. Her supporters will be hurt and some even outraged. Soon America will know for as wide as Palin-mania spread, how deep it was.
Having completed less than two and a half years as Alaska’s governor, Sarah Palin quit the game, walked off the field, took her toys and went home. It doesn’t matter to what end and there will be much speculation on what that end might be. She forfeited the game. Her critics triumphed. She lost. It’s that simple.
Sarah Palin appeared to have some important support from prominent conservatives and Republicans including Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, and much of the conservative television and radio media. Clearly, within Washington, DC circles, support was variable.
The timing of this announcement is curious, late on a Friday afternoon before a holiday, generally a time to drop the bomb and speed out of town when the cameras aren’t running, the front line commentators are either airing reruns or have stand-in’s on their programs, and the whole Washington political operation takes a break.
We await Sarah Palin’s statements on her departure and hope her explanation allows us to take her at her word and move on. Surely, the pundit know-it-alls will tell us what she “really” intended for what that’s worth. The media lives way too much in perceived intentions and not stated reasons as if their explanation is truer than the real truth.
While Right Minded Fellow felt compelled to defend Sarah Palin against the vicious savaging she has endured from the Left Wing Media and most outrageous lunatic leftists in the Democratic party, we believe her exit as a time to say, “Goodbye and good riddance.”
Sarah Palin has her positives. It’s refreshing to see a person so clearly outside the typical mold for Washington material where grooming at Harvard, Yale, or Princeton seems to be common lineage for way too many in the highest seats of government. Her passion for the adventurous life Alaska affords instantly made her interesting. No one better showed what the truth heart of being anti-abortion is all about better than two less than perfect pregnancies so close to heart: her giving birth to a child with Downes syndrome and her daughter giving birth way too young out of wedlock. While Bristol’s and her choices look noble, the public must appreciate the Palin family has a much bigger support network with their family and economic status to make their decisions have favorable outcomes. For a woman of average middle class means and possibly little or no additional family support, giving birth under such circumstances is far more difficult.
Sarah Palin attempted to portray her leadership in Alaska as progressive, frugal, and uncompromisingly clean against corruption. Ms. Palin deserves credit for being part of a state’s effort to have a most successful energy program where oil industry production in Alaska turns into economic reward for every Alaskan.
Despite these talking points in her favor, Sarah Palin carries tremendous baggage which makes it impossible to view her as a serious presidential candidate in the future.
Nothing indicates the danger of lack of experience better than the person America put in the White House. Barack Obama’s failures in office all point to his lack of experience as part of his struggles, and while Sarah Palin at least has some executive experience going into her bid for Vice President, she is leaving the office of government WITHOUT COMPLETING A SINGLE TERM.
The world of Wasilla, Alaska is hardly main street America. Sarah Palin needs more hands on domestic experience, but how on earth can she grow in the international arena short of being appointed to a prominent cabinet position and the chance of that happening are….?
Covering Sarah Palin is one of the most frustrating assignments a political commentator can undertake. One on hand, she’s a very sympathetic figure for the way the media has hounded her and for the sick abuse she’s endured from many directions beyond the news media throughout the entertainment industry, the activists’ community, and the Democratic party. What is it about Palin that represents such a dreaded pariah is difficult to determine. She is a profoundly individualistic, unconventional, but just as profoundly traditional and conservative in ways that hurt the so-called progressives the most. She is the living example of what she preaches as her giving birth to a child she knew in advance would have Downes Syndrome and that she dealt with an underage pregnancy with her daughter, Bristol, who chose to give birth. Speaking out against abortion is one thing. Having two highly visible births in situations where the pro-choice crowd would clearly see abortion as the reasonable option is a tough example to overcome. Of course as much as the Palin experience is held up as a model for pro-choice, the Palin family has the resources of a tight knit family and finances to deal with their situations.
Any rational person who has a true sense of civility must be outraged by the outrageous, vicious, slanderous abuse the media culture has heaped on Sarah Palin. Furthermore, the attempts to manipulate the legal system as a tool of intimidation and harassment against her are even more alarming subjecting her to numerous ethics probes and other investigations, groundless on their face, but still ones that gobble up resources, create splashy negative headlines, and create a huge financial strain on the Alaskan governor. Observing that the instruments of government can be turned into such powerful tools of harassment and intimidation should be disturbing to all citizens. More “serious” critics have consistently lied about Palin and subjected her to countless false attributions. Meanwhile, the left-wing blogs, columnists, and personalities like David Letterman and Bill Maher routinely trash her with vulgar, obscene, sexist, and utterly demeaning characterizations. As if the attacks on Palin herself have not been bad enough, that these same critics crossed the line to savage her family members including her children have taken the whole process to new lows. While surely public figures are open targets for just about anything, the hostile critics have clearly blazed new grounds in destroying Sarah Palin.
The overwhelmingly negative press coverage, the false accusations, the distortions, misrepresentations, and taking remarks and actions out of context make it difficult for the public to get a true read on exactly who the real Sarah Palin is. Essentially, the best one can do is attempt to ignore all the reportage and take Sarah Palin at her word. Consider her public statements, examine her official actions, and assess her conduct in interviews.
Using these standards, Sarah Palin is far from Presidential material. While she has experienced some success eliminating some waste in Alaskan government and generally has gotten off to a decent start as governor, much of her effort deserves an “incomplete” assessment. With only about two and half years in office, she’s only been governor long enough for her actions to start to demonstrate results.
The demands and needs of Alaska are far different than the lower 48 states. Alaska is by far the nation’s largest state geographically, but near the bottom in population, 47th with only North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming having fewer residents. Its industrial makeup and demographics are far different than the rest of the United States. The governor of Alaska does not deal with many of the routine issues her counterparts face on a daily basis making her experience more idiosyncratic.
Her performance in interviews revealed a shallow, ill-prepared figure attempting to put on a commanding façade but clearly lacking maturity, knowledge, experience, and substance to stand up to experienced network reporters grilling her. While one can assume that the media figures who interviewed her could be reflective of the well-established pro-left basis, that is something any Republican candidate must take as a given and be prepared. Ms. Palin was never prepared for her interviews and came across poorly as a result. There was only one question that was a true “gotcha” but probably wasn’t intended as such, Charley Gibson’s query about the “Bush Doctrine.” Outside of the Washington Beltway and national news circles, there is no “Bush Doctrine” but it is a concept frequently discussed by the talking heads and pundits as a convenient label to identify that administration’s foreign policy. She was correct to ask for clarification on what Mr. Gibson was asserting but did so in a very timid, confused manner.
Worse than Palin’s mediocre performance in her interviews was her reaction to her performance seeming to suggest she was the victim especially drawing out Katy Couric for being unreasonably tough on her.
Message to Sarah Palin, anyone running for Vice President, the second most responsible job in the government, had darned well better be able to deal with very tough questions and possess the knowledge and judgment to respond to them. If her assertions about facing biased hostile interviewers were true, a genuine legitimate candidate would be prepared to handle the situation, to turn the tables when necessary, and always project an image of composure and intellectual command. Sarah Palin failed horribly.
What Sarah Palin does well is giving good rah-rah, rally the base cheerleading speeches, the kind of razzle-dazzle that gets the audience riled up and enthusiastic about the cause. Where Sarah Palin would seem way out of her league
would to attempt to give a serious policy address or speak out where a leader’s vision and philosophy drives the address.
Sarah Palin is smart on a facts and figures level on issues she has mastered. On the big picture, her political philosophy and ability to address values and beliefs, she shows an alarming lack of reflection and nuance. She could surely recite quotes from the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, or the Ten Commandments, but she’d fail miserably personalizing them, extending them, reflecting on them, or attempt to articulate any nuances or shades of gray. It’s a “by gosh, kinda-sorta, why-doncha, didja, you betcha” rhetorical universe for the Alaskan governor.
Sarah Palin has been correct to speak out against her critics, but she has never really seized the high moral ground while never allowing herself to stoop to her opponent’s level of viciousness, she has not been able to present herself as a person worthy of high levels of respect. All too often, her defenses sound more like, “Wah, they’re picking on me because I’m a girl!!!” Rather than quickly responding to those who abuse her and move on, she gets way too involved and appears way too personally rattled to show the real meddle of leadership. She fails to command the kind of respect to rise above and dismiss her critics for the trivial, mean spirits they truly are.
Sarah Palin is a failure on her own merits or lack there of not for what her critics made her out to be. She lives in a world of convenient talking points, pitches, and slogans, lots of rah-rah with an astounding lack of intellectual curiosity or depth of knowledge. Given how she’s never been able to rise above her limitations and show even the smallest degree of statesmanship, her exit should ultimately be welcomed by all those who see the mission of destroying the Obama administration’s march toward socialism, greater government involvement in every facet of American life, and massive spending and taxation matters of extreme urgency.
It’s time to close the book on Sarah Palin as a national figure in the Republican party. She does not appear to be the kind of person who will go quietly. The Democratic party and left wing media will do all they can to make her the personification of the utter chaos they wish to portray their opponents as being hopelessly tangled rendered ineffective to exert any kind of legitimate opposition to Obama-Nation.
Leaders will emerge. Right now, it’s a process of elimination, and Sarah Palin is eliminated. Should she be bowing out with the hopes of devoting her time toward being the national face of the Republican party, she’s doomed. Her resignation after less than 2 ½ years as governor will freeze in time her absolute inexperience. Chalking up experience as an effective governor was her best way to develop a more mature public persona. She threw that away.
There are far too many urgent issues that must be met head-on to spend too much time accounting for the latest installment in Sarah Palin’s on-going soap opera.
Good bye and good riddance.
Pundits will go wild with the speculation game. Why is she really doing this? One should instantly be nervous whenever the media uses “really” in a context like this as they are always better positioned to divine the true intent better than the person under consideration or that person’s closest associates. Her supporters will be hurt and some even outraged. Soon America will know for as wide as Palin-mania spread, how deep it was.
Having completed less than two and a half years as Alaska’s governor, Sarah Palin quit the game, walked off the field, took her toys and went home. It doesn’t matter to what end and there will be much speculation on what that end might be. She forfeited the game. Her critics triumphed. She lost. It’s that simple.
Sarah Palin appeared to have some important support from prominent conservatives and Republicans including Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, and much of the conservative television and radio media. Clearly, within Washington, DC circles, support was variable.
The timing of this announcement is curious, late on a Friday afternoon before a holiday, generally a time to drop the bomb and speed out of town when the cameras aren’t running, the front line commentators are either airing reruns or have stand-in’s on their programs, and the whole Washington political operation takes a break.
We await Sarah Palin’s statements on her departure and hope her explanation allows us to take her at her word and move on. Surely, the pundit know-it-alls will tell us what she “really” intended for what that’s worth. The media lives way too much in perceived intentions and not stated reasons as if their explanation is truer than the real truth.
While Right Minded Fellow felt compelled to defend Sarah Palin against the vicious savaging she has endured from the Left Wing Media and most outrageous lunatic leftists in the Democratic party, we believe her exit as a time to say, “Goodbye and good riddance.”
Sarah Palin has her positives. It’s refreshing to see a person so clearly outside the typical mold for Washington material where grooming at Harvard, Yale, or Princeton seems to be common lineage for way too many in the highest seats of government. Her passion for the adventurous life Alaska affords instantly made her interesting. No one better showed what the truth heart of being anti-abortion is all about better than two less than perfect pregnancies so close to heart: her giving birth to a child with Downes syndrome and her daughter giving birth way too young out of wedlock. While Bristol’s and her choices look noble, the public must appreciate the Palin family has a much bigger support network with their family and economic status to make their decisions have favorable outcomes. For a woman of average middle class means and possibly little or no additional family support, giving birth under such circumstances is far more difficult.
Sarah Palin attempted to portray her leadership in Alaska as progressive, frugal, and uncompromisingly clean against corruption. Ms. Palin deserves credit for being part of a state’s effort to have a most successful energy program where oil industry production in Alaska turns into economic reward for every Alaskan.
Despite these talking points in her favor, Sarah Palin carries tremendous baggage which makes it impossible to view her as a serious presidential candidate in the future.
Nothing indicates the danger of lack of experience better than the person America put in the White House. Barack Obama’s failures in office all point to his lack of experience as part of his struggles, and while Sarah Palin at least has some executive experience going into her bid for Vice President, she is leaving the office of government WITHOUT COMPLETING A SINGLE TERM.
The world of Wasilla, Alaska is hardly main street America. Sarah Palin needs more hands on domestic experience, but how on earth can she grow in the international arena short of being appointed to a prominent cabinet position and the chance of that happening are….?
Covering Sarah Palin is one of the most frustrating assignments a political commentator can undertake. One on hand, she’s a very sympathetic figure for the way the media has hounded her and for the sick abuse she’s endured from many directions beyond the news media throughout the entertainment industry, the activists’ community, and the Democratic party. What is it about Palin that represents such a dreaded pariah is difficult to determine. She is a profoundly individualistic, unconventional, but just as profoundly traditional and conservative in ways that hurt the so-called progressives the most. She is the living example of what she preaches as her giving birth to a child she knew in advance would have Downes Syndrome and that she dealt with an underage pregnancy with her daughter, Bristol, who chose to give birth. Speaking out against abortion is one thing. Having two highly visible births in situations where the pro-choice crowd would clearly see abortion as the reasonable option is a tough example to overcome. Of course as much as the Palin experience is held up as a model for pro-choice, the Palin family has the resources of a tight knit family and finances to deal with their situations.
Any rational person who has a true sense of civility must be outraged by the outrageous, vicious, slanderous abuse the media culture has heaped on Sarah Palin. Furthermore, the attempts to manipulate the legal system as a tool of intimidation and harassment against her are even more alarming subjecting her to numerous ethics probes and other investigations, groundless on their face, but still ones that gobble up resources, create splashy negative headlines, and create a huge financial strain on the Alaskan governor. Observing that the instruments of government can be turned into such powerful tools of harassment and intimidation should be disturbing to all citizens. More “serious” critics have consistently lied about Palin and subjected her to countless false attributions. Meanwhile, the left-wing blogs, columnists, and personalities like David Letterman and Bill Maher routinely trash her with vulgar, obscene, sexist, and utterly demeaning characterizations. As if the attacks on Palin herself have not been bad enough, that these same critics crossed the line to savage her family members including her children have taken the whole process to new lows. While surely public figures are open targets for just about anything, the hostile critics have clearly blazed new grounds in destroying Sarah Palin.
The overwhelmingly negative press coverage, the false accusations, the distortions, misrepresentations, and taking remarks and actions out of context make it difficult for the public to get a true read on exactly who the real Sarah Palin is. Essentially, the best one can do is attempt to ignore all the reportage and take Sarah Palin at her word. Consider her public statements, examine her official actions, and assess her conduct in interviews.
Using these standards, Sarah Palin is far from Presidential material. While she has experienced some success eliminating some waste in Alaskan government and generally has gotten off to a decent start as governor, much of her effort deserves an “incomplete” assessment. With only about two and half years in office, she’s only been governor long enough for her actions to start to demonstrate results.
The demands and needs of Alaska are far different than the lower 48 states. Alaska is by far the nation’s largest state geographically, but near the bottom in population, 47th with only North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming having fewer residents. Its industrial makeup and demographics are far different than the rest of the United States. The governor of Alaska does not deal with many of the routine issues her counterparts face on a daily basis making her experience more idiosyncratic.
Her performance in interviews revealed a shallow, ill-prepared figure attempting to put on a commanding façade but clearly lacking maturity, knowledge, experience, and substance to stand up to experienced network reporters grilling her. While one can assume that the media figures who interviewed her could be reflective of the well-established pro-left basis, that is something any Republican candidate must take as a given and be prepared. Ms. Palin was never prepared for her interviews and came across poorly as a result. There was only one question that was a true “gotcha” but probably wasn’t intended as such, Charley Gibson’s query about the “Bush Doctrine.” Outside of the Washington Beltway and national news circles, there is no “Bush Doctrine” but it is a concept frequently discussed by the talking heads and pundits as a convenient label to identify that administration’s foreign policy. She was correct to ask for clarification on what Mr. Gibson was asserting but did so in a very timid, confused manner.
Worse than Palin’s mediocre performance in her interviews was her reaction to her performance seeming to suggest she was the victim especially drawing out Katy Couric for being unreasonably tough on her.
Message to Sarah Palin, anyone running for Vice President, the second most responsible job in the government, had darned well better be able to deal with very tough questions and possess the knowledge and judgment to respond to them. If her assertions about facing biased hostile interviewers were true, a genuine legitimate candidate would be prepared to handle the situation, to turn the tables when necessary, and always project an image of composure and intellectual command. Sarah Palin failed horribly.
What Sarah Palin does well is giving good rah-rah, rally the base cheerleading speeches, the kind of razzle-dazzle that gets the audience riled up and enthusiastic about the cause. Where Sarah Palin would seem way out of her league
would to attempt to give a serious policy address or speak out where a leader’s vision and philosophy drives the address.
Sarah Palin is smart on a facts and figures level on issues she has mastered. On the big picture, her political philosophy and ability to address values and beliefs, she shows an alarming lack of reflection and nuance. She could surely recite quotes from the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, or the Ten Commandments, but she’d fail miserably personalizing them, extending them, reflecting on them, or attempt to articulate any nuances or shades of gray. It’s a “by gosh, kinda-sorta, why-doncha, didja, you betcha” rhetorical universe for the Alaskan governor.
Sarah Palin has been correct to speak out against her critics, but she has never really seized the high moral ground while never allowing herself to stoop to her opponent’s level of viciousness, she has not been able to present herself as a person worthy of high levels of respect. All too often, her defenses sound more like, “Wah, they’re picking on me because I’m a girl!!!” Rather than quickly responding to those who abuse her and move on, she gets way too involved and appears way too personally rattled to show the real meddle of leadership. She fails to command the kind of respect to rise above and dismiss her critics for the trivial, mean spirits they truly are.
Sarah Palin is a failure on her own merits or lack there of not for what her critics made her out to be. She lives in a world of convenient talking points, pitches, and slogans, lots of rah-rah with an astounding lack of intellectual curiosity or depth of knowledge. Given how she’s never been able to rise above her limitations and show even the smallest degree of statesmanship, her exit should ultimately be welcomed by all those who see the mission of destroying the Obama administration’s march toward socialism, greater government involvement in every facet of American life, and massive spending and taxation matters of extreme urgency.
It’s time to close the book on Sarah Palin as a national figure in the Republican party. She does not appear to be the kind of person who will go quietly. The Democratic party and left wing media will do all they can to make her the personification of the utter chaos they wish to portray their opponents as being hopelessly tangled rendered ineffective to exert any kind of legitimate opposition to Obama-Nation.
Leaders will emerge. Right now, it’s a process of elimination, and Sarah Palin is eliminated. Should she be bowing out with the hopes of devoting her time toward being the national face of the Republican party, she’s doomed. Her resignation after less than 2 ½ years as governor will freeze in time her absolute inexperience. Chalking up experience as an effective governor was her best way to develop a more mature public persona. She threw that away.
There are far too many urgent issues that must be met head-on to spend too much time accounting for the latest installment in Sarah Palin’s on-going soap opera.
Good bye and good riddance.
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