Not as Governor of Alaska, anyway: Governor Palin announced today that she will not seek re-election and, indeed, will resign her office in the near future. Her statement is here. She isn’t retiring, but says she will continue “to make a positive difference and fight for ALL our children’s future from OUTSIDE the Governor’s office.”
Most observers assume that means she will devote full time to running for President. I guess so. Frankly, it seems bizarre to me, unless Palin calculates that in order to run she will have to spend most of her time in the lower 48, and the logistics of doing that while continuing as Governor are impossible.
That’s all I have to say. I’m curious to know what our readers think. Weigh in via comments, but remember that your comment will only appear if you include your first and last name. We’ll quote salient observations from our readers in updates to this post.
UPDATE: The comments are pouring in. Rather than try to select a few to quote from, I’d suggest you take a look if you’re interested or want to participate. To a remarkable degree, readers who have commented so far are supportive of Palin’s decision. This includes some who think she is (and should be) running for President and others who think she is just tired of constant abuse from the left. Several expect her to make a third-party run in 2012; I think that’s farfetched. Surprisingly few–surprising to me, anyway–think that by resigning she has pretty much taken herself out of the running for 2012. Some expect her to resurface soon as a television commentator. That could well be true. Anyway, as I say, the comments are interesting and I recommend checking them out. Maybe I’ll try to select a few representative ones to quote later in the day.
I understand the Democratic National Committee has put out a statement on Palin’s resignation, but I haven’t been able to find it. Does anyone have a link?
FURTHER UPDATE: At The Corner, Kathryn Lopez says that on MSNBC, they’re speculating that Palin’s resignation must be due to some impending scandal. Good grief.
MORE: Mark Steyn thinks Governor Palin’s decision was reasonable, but not–unlike many of our readers–as part of a plan to advance in national politics:
Then suddenly you get the call from Washington. You know it’ll mean Secret Service, and speechwriters, and minders vetting your wardrobe. But nobody said it would mean a mainstream network comedy host doing statutory rape gags about your 14-year old daughter. You’ve got a special-needs kid and a son in Iraq and a daughter who’s given you your first grandchild in less than ideal circumstances. That would be enough for most of us. But the special-needs kid and the daughter and most everyone else you love are a national joke, and the PC enforcers are entirely cool with it.
Most of those who sneer at Sarah Palin have no desire to live her life. But why not try to – what’s the word? – “empathize”? If you like Wasilla and hunting and snowmachining and moose stew and politics, is the last worth giving up everything else in the hopes that one day David Letterman and Maureen Dowd might decide Trig and Bristol and the rest are sufficiently non-risible to enable you to prosper in their world? And, putting aside the odds, would you really like to be the person you’d have to turn into under that scenario?
National office will dwindle down to the unhealthily singleminded (Clinton, Obama), the timeserving emirs of Incumbistan (Biden, McCain) and dynastic heirs (Bush). Our loss.
NOW FOR SOME READERS: Our readers have made way too many interesting observations to say that these are the “best” of the comments, but I tried to excerpt some that are representative of the conflicting sentiments expressed.
Jerry Magliano: I don’t believe this is about a run for President in 2012. My bet is she will work to become the glue that pulls the Tea Party movement together into a cohesive national force prior to the 2010 and 2012 elections. This is the kind of grass roots environment in which she thrives. Whether that evolves into a true third party movement remains to be seen. Being relieved of her duties as Governor, she can focus full time on this endeavor.
Lewis Kapell: Her statement makes sense to me – she seems to be saying that she can’t serve Alaska effectively as governor any longer because she has become such a lighting rod for attacks from the Left.
She wrote: “my staff and I spend most of our day dealing with THIS instead of progressing our state now.”
I think this is a really sad thing for America.
Steven Gerig: Please, Sarah, Just stay home and raise you kids! Give your family a break. The media has already rehearsed the destruction of your campaign, and they’ve become pretty good at it. A run for President will not only be a torment for you and your family, it will be a torment for all of us watching.
Christopher Edele: I think Palin is making the right decision here. As long as she stays put she will continually be on her back foot evading attacks from her political opposition in the State and across the country, no matter how petty, unwarranted, or incoherent they may be. There is no denying her support on the right is strong and I don’t see any reason why her support would dwindle by stepping down.
Linda Lindsey: I think this can be a very shrewd move on Sarah’s part, and the act of a citizen-politician. The Washington politiican will run for office in November, and then begin their Presidential campaign in January, (Hillary?) all the while having no intention of fulfilling their office. They don’t want to be without a political office, so they let the taxpayer fund their ‘day job’ while they travel the country not doing their job. … The Average Joe can see Sarah’s point of view and respect her – don’t let the public continue to pay for you to not do your job while you run.
Paul Gable: The liberal destruction machine has turned a quiet, productive state government into a circus of manufactured ethics complaints and other ridiculous distractions (in other words, Anchorage has started to resemble DC).
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