The Truth About Sarah Palin’s Resignation
by John ZieglerWith all that’s been said about Governor Sarah Palin’s supposedly “shocking” announcement that she was resigning from office, you might think that everything that needs to be said about this has already been reported. However, as I proved in my documentary which “stars” Palin, when it comes to the most unfairly vilified personality of our time, it is more the rule than the exception that the true story about her gets totally lost in the media translation.
Her resignation has been a classic example.
First, let’s make it clear that, despite what MSNBC has implied on numerous occasions, I am NOT Governor Palin’s spokesperson, and I was not in on any official discussions about her decision to leave office (or any other of her decisions for that matter). However, I was not at all stunned by her decision.
In fact, I had been predicting on my radio show and off (more boldly off the air because I didn’t have any direct inside knowledge and was concerned that someone “connected” to Palin making such a prediction might spark news coverage of the possibility) that something like this was going to happen. In retrospect, the only thing that should really be “shocking” about her decision is that the very same news media that’s targeted her reputation for assassination for most of the last year, was also so completely incompetent that they didn’t see the incredibly obvious signs that Palin was about to make a dramatic change in her career direction.
My first inkling of this reality came when I screened “Media Malpractice” in Anchorage in May. There were rampant rumors there that something was up and it was obvious to me that the pressure she and her administration were under was far greater than anyone in the “lower 48″ (including someone like myself who was following events closely) could possibly comprehend. When I left Alaska I started to wonder how in the world anyone in her position could even hope to get anything done, or why, under the conditions she was facing, anyone would even bother trying. But I had come to see Sarah Palin as something of a “Superwoman” who was not bound by the limitations of mere mortal mothers of five and I figured maybe I was just being too pessimistic.
However, when I started my new Los Angeles radio show and Palin graciously agreed to be my first guest, I did make sure to ask her point blank whether she ever considered walking away from public office because of the attacks on her family and the dastardly attempts to destroy her ability to do her job. Her response at the time startled me with its honesty (she’s the only national politician with whom I have ever had that experience). Looking back, I strongly believe her answer is important to providing the full context as to how and why she made this decision, as well as how she views her future. You can hear the remarkable interchange here:
–
Now, I guess I can understand how the mainstream news media would miss/ignore something that happens on a conservative radio show (we all know that that “news” isn’t really “news” if it originates on conservative talk radio), but it has been truly startling that this sound bite has, to my knowledge, still not been played by even one news program even though it was made publicly available in the immediate aftermath of her resignation when the cable “news” channels were desperate for any content on this issue as well as any context for understanding what she did. In this case, I flat out blame the ineptitude rampant in today’s “news” organizations which was greatly exacerbated by the realities of a holiday weekend.
The clip proves to me that the decision was (just as Palin said) in the works for months, which is an extremely important fact because it goes to her credibility as well as eliminating many of the bogus theories as to why she decided to step down (sudden scandal, the Vanity Fair hit piece, Letterman flap, etc.). But in case that isn’t enough proof for you, how then would you explain what happened three days later when Matt Lauer asked her on the “Today Show” about 2012? Palin very clearly said, “I don’t need a title to effect change,” a statement that slid right past Lauer and every other apparently deaf member of the news media.
But those weren’t the only breadcrumbs Palin left in the weeks leading up to her “Independence Day.” I found it particularly amusing that when Palin said in one of her post-resignation interviews that “If I die politically, I die, so be it,” this was breathlessly reported as Palin admitting her resignation had hurt her chances of ever being President (as if she was too stupid to know that obvious reality when she made the decision). What the ignorant/lazy media hoards failed to realize is that Palin had made almost the exact same statement in a public speech in the weeks leading up to her resignation.
In short, Palin’s resignation has been misreported and misperceived because of the horrendously biased and incomplete coverage of her over the past ten months. It’s not just that a completely phony narrative has been created by the media which makes it easy for people to think of her as stupid, incompetent, overly ambitious, diva-like, nutty and capable of massive lies (the LA Times and NY Times published rumors she faked the pregnancy of her down syndrome child!!). If possible, it is actually even worse than all of that.
Even if they were capable of seeing through the obviously grotesquely flawed media created caricature of her, the vast majority of the public simply doesn’t have enough information to connect all the dots themselves and put her move into its proper context. (I must state here that while in a rational world this should have been taken care of by the news media, Palin and her people should have realized this was not going to be the case and made more of an effort to lay the educational foundation for the resignation to be properly interpreted.)
For instance, how in the world can anyone fully understand why Palin took this action unless they know this is not the first time she’s done something like this? How many people are aware that in 2004 (almost exactly the same amount of time before her election as Governor as there is now before the 2012 primaries) Palin put her political career in jeopardy and resigned out of principle from a cushy government job as the chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission? My guess is very, very few.
I’m sure most members of the news media know nothing about this basic and relevant fact from Palin’s background because I’ve done my own “poll.” Every time a media inquiry to discuss Palin’s resignation came my way I made a point of asking the reporter if they knew about this episode. So far I have yet to find even one who had a clue, and this sample includes a writer from The New York Times!!
As maddening as this kind of incompetence is, the most insane element of the reaction to Palin’s resignation is the complete inability of the vast majority of the press — and at least some of the public — to even comprehend the possibility that she just might be telling the truth about how and why she came to this decision.
This will evidently come as a complete shock to nearly every member of the media elite, but not everyone in public life is a manipulative and cynical liar, and not every person who has a shot at being President must live their lives to pursue that end no matter the costs to the public good, their family and their personal sanity. The Sarah Palin I know is at least one person in that position who is sufficiently well-grounded and secure enough in themselves and their values to not succumb to this illness of hyper-ambition. She is more than capable of putting something else above her own selfish, short-term political self-interest. You would think that a just society might reward that kind of person and not crucify them, but it has been long since clear that we don’t live in that kind of place.
The bottom line is that Sarah Palin resigned simply because she was no longer allowed to do her job in a way that benefited her state and family. She saw that if she stayed on as Governor it would cost the state millions of dollars in wasted time and resources and doom it to gridlock. She knew that it would also continue to cost her family hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend against false and maliciously filed ethics complaints. And she had simply had enough of her children being fodder for inappropriate public attacks.
That’s it. Those are the facts and I’m positive there’s nothing else. There is ABSOLUTELY no hidden scandal (or as CNN’s hack Rick Sanchez “reported,” an unplanned pregnancy) and this was NOT a poorly executed ploy to ignite a 2012 Presidential run. Sarah Palin simply came to the “remarkable” conclusion that stepping down was the right thing to do for the greater good. How sad is it that so many in media (including a whole lot of “conservatives”) can’t even begin to see this obvious reality.
I know that whatever I say is discounted because I created a film largely about Sarah Palin, and I have made it clear that I have personal admiration for her (I guess I would be more credible if I was a liberal who didn’t know anything about her), but I have never been more confident in any public declaration I have ever made. The media-created perception of this woman is the most corruptly inaccurate I’ve ever seen, and their attacks on her and her family are the most outrageous and dangerous I’ve ever been aware of.
Every single American, regardless of their politics, should be frightened by what’s happened to Sarah Palin. I truly believe that if they knew just how false the impression of her is they’ve been spoon fed for the sake of ratings, political agenda and, as she herself said, “blood sport,” there would be an uprising.
There’s a lot of blame to go around for how and why this has been allowed to happen, but I want to make special mention of some my conservative media “friends” (that is just an expression, I don’t really have many friends in the media) who have once again revealed just how weak, shortsighted and willing to sell out they really are. Regardless of what you think of Sarah Palin, every single conservative who attacks her by buying into media-created falsehoods so they can curry favor with the media elite should be seen as traitors to the movement. You have been duped and used as cover for a public lynching.
The latest to fall into this trap is CPAC’s Chairman David Keene who ripped Palin (mimicking a false claim put forward by several prominent conservative commentators) for “whining” about press coverage and declared her unfit for a Presidential run. Could someone PLEASE show me just ONE legitimate example (no one making the claim has even bothered to try) of where Palin has “whined” about something that has been said about her publicly?! Are these people saying you can’t set the record straight about lies? Are you not supposed to fight back against illegitimate attacks? Gee, that strategy worked so well for President Bush. And these are the so called leaders of the movement? No wonder we are where we are.
Along the same lines, I have been astonished that a majority of conservative media members have completely skipped over an incredibly important phase in the process of accepting that Palin is not likely to be elected President in 2012…
Outrage.
Are we really so numb that we jump right from shock to acceptance and even criticism of the victim without bothering to express outrage over the crime itself?!! Have conservatives really become that wussified? Can you imagine how the left/media would react if one of their stars had been taken out in such a vicious and unprecedentedly inappropriate manner??! Michael Jackson’s funeral might have even been preempted!
For all the left’s many flaws, you have to give them this, they play for keeps. They understand this is a war. If the apparent destruction of Sarah Palin doesn’t make conservatives wake up and realize that they’re bringing butter knives to gun fights and must start protecting their warriors, there simply won’t be anyone left standing to carry the flag.
As for what the future holds for Sarah Palin, I honestly don’t know (and I don’t think she does either). My personal belief is, barring a catastrophe, that the only person with the potential to beat Obama in 2012 is Tiger Woods, but he’ll be doing more important things. I told Palin after my first interview with her that I hoped she held her fire until 2016 when the Messiah was no longer a factor and the media narrative would be all about her comeback. I still believe that scenario is more than viable.
I do know that what we’ve learned about Sarah Palin over the past ten months has proven that she’s a remarkable person. It just saddens me that the real story has not been told. I wish we lived in a country where character like this was rewarded or that we even deserved a leader like her. Unfortunately, I fear we do not.
However, I take solace in the knowledge that Sarah Palin disagrees with me on this point, and that she doesn’t need her ultimate reward to include living in the White House.
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897 Comments
Great post, John. This fleshes out the interview you did on O'Reilly the other night. Loved Media Malpractice and the way you make the news readers over at MSNBC look so dumb
John, great article…… I must say that I am not at all shocked that she stepped down. First off she was thrust into the national spotlight this past year running with John McCain…. then all of the HUBUB over her daughter being pregnant…. big deal… then the BS over the Huffpo BS about her son…. and the list goes on all the way until the Letterman BS…… and we are surprised she stepped down.. the left/ or the MEDIA have raked her over the coles….. and it continues now with her stepping down. I commend her for everything she has had to deal with and her decision…. I know she has something planned and it will be better for here and her family……
"They understand this is a war. If the apparent destruction of Sarah Palin doesn’t make conservatives wake up and realize that they’re bringing butter knives to gun fights and must start protecting their warriors, there simply won’t be anyone left standing to carry the flag. "
That is why Hussein Obama is the Usurper POTUS we now have
John love what you wrote about Sara but I gotta say when you talk like that about The One you give him too much power. I don't know why Conservatives or at least some do this. Look at Rasmussen who is the best pollster out there and look at the negatives outweighing the positives when it comes to Obama. We can't allow ourselves become victims of the leftwing fascist strategy of inevitablity. He can be beaten and he must be. We don't have a choice. I'd rather go down swinging than live on my knees. When you see more and more people coming to realize how foolish they were its heatening. Obama is a one term President. All we need to do is pursue him with vigor and make sure everyone understand the ramifications of his plans. We have the opportunity and we have teh running backs. Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, and those are names right off teh top of my head.
By withdrawing from her post of Governor, Sarah Palin has just become the most powerful politician in the country. Barack Obama was the most powerful politician in the country from election day to his inauguration. Now he is merely an incumbent President, laden with all the responsibilities of the office. Sarah Palin is freed from the responsibilities of her office and is now free to do what she wants. Campaign for other candidates, raise money, become the unofficial head of the conservative movement in this country. We are in a pre-revolutionary situation in America, and the rules have changed. These days, it is better to be out of office than in.
All TRUE & WAY Overdue!
Now tatoo it on the tongues of our media "friends" who claim to represent us conservatives. As Paul Harvey would have said- "and now you know the rest of the story"!
interesting take-
and we suspect much truth to it as well…
I agree with everything John said except one thing. It is the one thing that all the conservative pundits are missing. We are no longer a two party system. While we have some GOP heroes, there are not enough because the rest have succumbed to the one-party rule, central government planning, excepting the governing elites from the rules and regulations they bestow on the innocent masses. It's a shame, but it's over for this once great nation.
Thank you for your radio show, the interview of mike allen was so revealing (July 1).
Lola, it's something an old Lefty professor told me, "Perception is reality." While the negative numbers are there, it's mostly against his policies, not against the POTUS himself. To many, the media has given him a percieved glow and voila… what problem?
I don't trust Perry or Romney. They don't have the backbone or threat potential that Sarah does. The media saw her strength and gang r@ped her for it.
*MissQuinn*
Mr Ziegler is a passionate and eloquent spokeman for his cause…
There is little doubt that the polarizing Palin is defying all of the experts- Karl Rove amazingly included- and is every bit the movement conservative Ronaldo Maximus was. The pressure- and the expectations- are extremely high, as high as we have ever seen for any politician. She is human, and we all have feet of clay, so missteps and faux pas are expected. Obama has committed many- the MSM will not report it, or will spin it off for him-
but Sarah will be held to a much higher standard…
She has her work cut out for her. But she has clearly proven by her actions and deeds that she is a much finer human being than her legion of critics- and that's what drives them so crazy. We wish her good luck and Godspeed…
Hmmmm can we say astroturfing Quinn? Nice try. But Rassmussen is the best pollster around. Most accurate. He had it right last election and Obummer is sliding. Sorry to burst your bubble. But Obummer's numbers in this category are looking like Jima Carters. As for Perry and Romney? Unless you want to resurrect a 65 year old Ronald Reagan go ahead. But you aren't Jesus and we don't have time to whine. Well maybe you do but I know I don't. We let this one get away. We can't afford to let the next one get away. But hey go and kick a tire and be sad. Thats what losers do.
Thank you Mr. Ziegler for your thoughtful commentary. I can name a multitude of issues where I disagree with BO without having to resort to personal attacks. One is hard pressed to find the same for Governor Palin. Like many others, I have been waiting for the Republicans to speak clearly and exemplify conservatism. Sooo many have fallen short and/or lost their way. Governor Palin keeps proving to me over and over that she has that true conservative heart that we have not seen since Ronald Reagan. I do not care how much I am criticized for it, I will continue to speak up in support of Governor Palin. If she chooses to remain a private citizen only, I respect that decision. My hope is that she remains in public life and leads the way back to a prosperous America, for the people, by the people.
For what it's worth, I think you misunderstood where Miss Quinn is coming from
She did misunderstand. I'm not a big fan of the current POTUS. I just don't think Perry and Romney are the candidates we need.
*MissQuinn*
I am totally committed to getting Obama out of office in 2012. If Sarah isn't running that year, then she should be ready to not run until 2020 when the GOP president leaves.
Uh huh. Sure. But ignore teh fact you dissed Rasmussens numbers. Look your attitude is teh rason why we lost last year. We had a bs candidate followed by the well its inevitable, by people like you. Obummer's negatives are not 3 by the way Quinn they are at 8 this morning. But gee he is so popular. And I believe those numbers are based on him and not his policys.
I agree with your comments, and it would be nice to have a republican house as well…. to be able to turn the tide of progressive ventures that have been set in place!~
Sarah Palin's resignation just pointed up, again, how unhinged her detractors are. Like every other person who respects her, I've been having the same argument over and over and over as people who never liked her, and always rabidly attacked her, and who can't stop talking about her 8 months after she and McCain lost, took this event and ran with it.
It amazes me how ignorant her detractors are. Most of them don't know about the FOIA/ethics complaints. Most of them don't know that she's $500K in debt, or that she has been spending most of her days responding to FOIA/ethics complaints or testifying in court, or that the state has been spending tons of money on these same things. And none of them know that in every single case she has been found innocent of wrongdoing.
I'm not surprised, because I happened to catch Anderson Cooper on CNN (completely by accident) "covering" this story. They opened with "Palin says she's resigning to stop the series of 'frivolous' ethics complaints against her. But are they really frivolous? We'll find out". They quickly brushed over the fact that yes, she was found innocent of any ethics violations, and that the 'serious complaints' were about stupid things like wearing a snowmobile jacket at a government function, so they could lead and close with the woman filing all these spurious complaints saying "I challenge her and what does she do? She QUITS!!" They have to contribute to that BS line – she's a quitter! She's a quitter!
Nobody has any outrage at this left-winger wasting state resources on a personal vendetta. Nobody cares that the media can't get the story right. It's all Palin's fault. All the time. It's just a pathetic indicator of how ignorant and hateful our society has become.
Could someone please tell me what the hell is up with intentional mis-speeling of the word "the"? e.g "teh"? Is there somesignificance I'm missing? I've seen this done for months and have not figured it out. Anyone care to enlighten me?
Could someone please tell me what the hell is up with intentional mis-spelling of the word "the"? e.g "teh"? Is there some significance I'm missing? I've seen this done for months and have not figured it out. Anyone care to enlighten me?
Are you that desperate for someone to go to war with that you're gonna beat up on your own? MY attitude? Lady, you don't know me well enough to say anything about my attitude, so I recommend you back up off that tangent right now.
They're at 8. . .and the MEDIA will downplay that…and to whom does the average American listen? The media is trying to prop their boy up. Eventually they'll stop propping him up and let him fall on his own – Helen Thomas already has, thankfully. That's a big one, but that's not everyone.
As far as I'm concerned, Romney and Perry are BS candidates as well. Neither have the strong conservatism we seek if we were to be honest with ourselves.
*MissQuinn*
I am concerned that whatever running backs we conservatives have will be unable to truly show their stuff. I am convinvced we got McCain because of a combination of A) cross-over Democrat voters in open primaries and B) a dis-honest media advocating their squishy (at least when it comes to Republicans) favorite.
What will happen with no Democratic primary to distract cross-overs? They could so grossly influence the primaries that we have end up with someone who makes McCain look like Mark Levin. I believe that if any Republican that is even remotely moedrate will get fawning treatment of the media (during the primaries, at least) and will win the nomination in a walk.
To have a chance, I believe we really need to either get behind and present one solid conservative candidate or close the primaries.
Hi John – Great article. ..
also, I greatly enjoyed Palin's radio interview excerpt with you -especially when she says that she will not be told to "sit down and shut up, " because this statement rings so true. This is exactly what the politicians and the pundits — from the conservative mainstream to the liberal mainstream are telling her — sit down and shut up!
Palin (God bless her) threatens the power structure in Washington DC, and in the media. "Conservatives" as well as Liberal/Progressives.
They don't object to Palin's content — they object to the fact that Palin IS GENUINE – and their phony power clutching stands in stark relief when held up against her.
Very, very instructive. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." (actually, "Ms Palin Goes to Washington")
I hope Palin never "sits down and shuts up." And, I hope that you don't either!
"Patty" from "A Tangled Web"
Interesting…
If Sarah is one of the few politicians in a major public office with honest and integrity,
and
If this honesty and integrity turns the left rabid
and
If this loathing of what Sarah represents succeeds in the political "destruction" of Sarah Palin,
then
The left really have nothing left to fear from the right in the near-term, maybe for a very long time.
Perhaps whether we like or dislike *Sarah* due to her political marketability shouldn't be the major reason she is supported. Perhaps it is more important to stand up for what she (or anyone else like her) represents, and for her personal attributes that are undeniably essential in a public servant. Perhaps conservatives are undirected, defensive, and are wandering the political landscape because we focus on the wrong attributes for a leader. I can find politicians who are physically attractive, charismatic, articulate speech makers, have years of experience, or have lots of polling power, etc. However, unless we elect people (not politicians) to office who have honesty, integrity, and a desire to serve vs. being served as their fundamental skill-set, well, we should not be surprised at the political implosion on the right, let alone a moral degeneration and erosion of the US of A.
Sarah and Jesus are the two biggest quitters in History! God bless 'em!
Imagine if Jesus fought instead of accepting his fate to die on the cross! Boy, that would have been a big MISTAKE and his father would have been pissed!
Sarah may be the new Jesus . .. . just sayin' . ..
7. teh 337 up, 194 down
Deliberate typo error of "The". used in online gaming discussion
Redknob am teh ghey
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=te...
Is there any reason to believe that Palin won't embrace and accept a run as the head of a new conservative political party in 2012 ro 2016? She's not a Republican, in today's definition as evidenced by the McCain's, Steele's, etc. They are limousine liberals, posing as Republicans. Lets hope that she can energize a new movement to take back America.
It should be noted that those of us who saw what Bush went through these last 4 years can tell you that the job approval ratings can eventually catch up to affect Obama's personal approval. BTW, you notice that Bush hardly ever had a "personal approval rating" poll done on him? Just thought I'd mention that.
As to John's thoughts on Sarah's resignation: I wonder if he's considered that Sarah may already have financial and political backers.
I like her tremendously as a person. She has a great personality and has all the right values and worldview. But as a politician she has a lot of homework to do if she wants to beat Obama in 2012. And she's got to learn how to handle the hostile media. That is par for the course if you're a GOP candidate. When a liberal hack like Katie Couric tries to corner you, you have to know how to handle her. Palin didn't how to brush her off the way a more experience politician would. At this point, she's not ready. But she's got some time. I hope she doesn't waste it.
The "woman" who challenged her would be known, in another time, as a "busybody". Now we glorify these bloggers who insinuate, repeat gossip and try to destroy people with just slightly false complaints and information. The "woman" who challenged her should be shunned in society for her unethical and frivolous actions.
My greatest fear about the Palin resignation is that it will be take by the left as a sign that the politics of personal destruction work.
Honestly I think we need to fight back in ways that I would not ever discuss in public.
As I always say, "Conservatives think Liberals are wrong. Liberals believe Conservatives are pure evil."
Many Liberals see Conservatives as THE biggest threat to the nation and the world who MUST be silenced, defeated, and made completely irrelevant. Conservatives just think Liberals are a bit nutty, while the real enemies fly planes into skyscrapers.
I have long stated that she is a threat to the left in general and to some on the right. She is a force to be reckoned with. The way I know they are scared is how they are still trying to tear her down. If she were a nut job like Biden or Kuchinich, the MSM wouldn't pay her a second thought. Instead, they know that she has real potential and they are scared.
It has been said that we needed a Jimmy Carter to get a Ronald Reagan. I don't know if she is truly a Reagan, but she is at least real. She lives what she preaches. She commands a national stage.
You surrender that quickly, eh MikeH? Ever consider that YOU might be a part of the problem, along with certain other conservatives who give their enemies all the room in the world to maneuver but insist that Sarah be strangled with a virtue noose?
Dennis Miller put it really well — "One of the things I love about Sarah Palin is that she really bugs a lot of people for whom I have no respect."
I am right there with you. I believe that Sarah Palin will be the nominee, but if she's not then I'll support whoever is. At this point I don't care if it's Mitt Romney. Give me a Republican and get the Democrats out of my life.
* There is no truth, only competing agendas.
* All Western (and especially American) claims to moral superiority over Communism/Fascism/Islam are vitiated by the West’s history of racism and colonialism.
* There are no objective standards by which we may judge one culture to be better than another. Anyone who claims that there are such standards is an evil oppressor.
* The prosperity of the West is built on ruthless exploitation of the Third World; therefore Westerners actually deserve to be impoverished and miserable.
* Crime is the fault of society, not the individual criminal. Poor criminals are entitled to what they take. Submitting to criminal predation is more virtuous than resisting it.
* The poor are victims. Criminals are victims. And only victims are virtuous. Therefore only the poor and criminals are virtuous. (Rich people can borrow some virtue by identifying with poor people and criminals.)
* For a virtuous person, violence and war are never justified. It is always better to be a victim than to fight, or even to defend oneself. But ‘oppressed’ people are allowed to use violence anyway; they are merely reflecting the evil of their oppressors.
* When confronted with terror, the only moral course for a Westerner is to apologize for past sins, understand the terrorist’s point of view, and make concessions.
What is this, you ask?
This is the agenda of the USSR's dezinformatsiya program, the key beliefs they sought to spread throughout Western society. The goal was not to convert us into communists, it was to trick us into turning our society over to "useful idiots" who would, in pursuing this suicidal ideology, render us unwilling and unable to survive as a sovereign nation. Those of the Democrat Party have become just the useful idiots Lenin envisioned, and though they may fight us, ultimate defeat would not come from them but instead from external enemies far more pragmatic about their ruthlessness.
Palin has destroyed her political career by favoring celebrity over serving her Alaka constituents. She was not ready for national political office. Ziegler can spin the "Sarah as victim" card all he wants. Shame on the American public for thinking Sarah Palin has what it takes to deal with hard domestic and international issues.
I was on Twitter when the news broke the other day about Gov. Palin. Within 3-5 minutes the attacks started heavily. Left and right. I calmly got off Twitter, closed down my laptop and decided that as long as this resignation was being dissected that I wouldn't even bother to join the fray. Thanks John for that very thoughtful and thought-provoking piece. This is a good way to end the story until the Governor makes her next move. Pray it will be so, I think I might lose my mind if someone mentions this or Michael Jackson again this month.
Make no mistake, she will run in 2012. This is her time and she knows it. John, you seem to oblivious to the fact that President Obama is on a down hill slide that gets steeper by the day. In four years, he will be as vulnerable to defeat as Jimmy Carter. I believe the forming landscape of 2012 is a perfect opportunity for her to run and win, and I believe she recognizes this as well. If she works her a** off for the next three years, supporting other candidates, amassing a circle of trusted advisors and studying, studying, studying, I believe she will do it.
Nice article.
See today's Wall Street Journal on SP:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12470026117980783...
Sure, she'll win — and then she'll quit after six weeks because people are mean to her and the job isn't fun anymore.
High office is for adults, not spoiled children.
I'm not so sure that the Leftist mindset isn't evil. No, they're not flying airplanes into buildings, but their soft or inept policies often make those attempts easier. Leftists are the "enemies within," that our "leaders" are supposed to be on guard against.
If it's destructive to our nation and culture, you'll find it's the Left who supports it.
If you prefer, we can call it depravity instead of evil. Same difference.
I hope she runs in 2012. She has no chance of winning. When a conservative is investigated they are being singled out. When the other side is being investigated it is some how justified.
Ziegler and his documentary have done nothing. Zeigler how did you rally outside the Letterman show turn out? A crowd of what looked to be about 10-20 people. What a joke.
When you as a politician come out and promote abstinence only programs to the public. The first person you should be able to get on board is your own daughter. Nobody would have cared if her daughter was pregnant if it were not for her conservative values. Practice what you preach.
I hope she runs in 2012. She has no chance of winning. When a conservative is investigated they are being singled out. When the other side is being investigated it is some how justified.
Ziegler and his documentary have done nothing. Zeigler how did your rally outside the Letterman show turn out? A crowd of what looked to be about 10-20 people. What a joke.
When you as a politician come out and promote abstinence only programs to the public. The first person you should be able to get on board is your own daughter. Nobody would have cared if her daughter was pregnant if it were not for her conservative values. Practice what you preach.
Excellent article, John.
Thank you.
Continued success, best of health. Keep up the good work, the good fight and forever keep your passion.
[...] a great deal about the media war on Sarah Palin (his Media Malpractice DVD is excellent) has a great post at Big Hollywood today containing a clip from his radio show in which Sarah Palin clearly [...]
I've been amazed by the pundits, left and right, that have said "we'll have to wait and see why she stepped down".. excuse me, she told you. This was a brilliant step because it wasn't the scripted, political consultant move we have been dumbed down to in this country. Leaders don't consult pollsters and prognosticators when they make important choices.
I predict the opposite.
By 2012 you Americans will be so sick of the Obama crazy, tens of thousands of dead Americans through terrorist attacks, unprecedented unemployment levels, historic inflation rates, anyone but Obama will look good.
As opposed to a junior senator with absolutely no executive experience and never held a real job in his life. Yeah, good choice there…..
You know what they call the person that graduates last in their class in med school?
Do I have to wait until 2012 to be sick of it?
I lack the full details to say whether Governor Palin's decision to resign is politically brilliant or a blunder; I do believe she has done so because it was the right thing to do for her family and the State of Alaska.
The business of the state will go on under a Lieutenant Governor who is sympatico with her political goals, and who is free of the vituperative personal attacks which she now draws for the simple reason that she still breathes.
The gutter level—wait; that's an insult to gutters. The SEWER level attacks directed at her family will now have even less pretence of legitimacy now that she's a private citizen; they may now even be subject to being sued.
She is now freer to travel and draw sizable fees for public appearances, lending her status to conservative candidates nationwide in 2010.
Sometimes just doing the right thing is the most brilliant political move of all.
"The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you."
— Dwight Eisenhower
"Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men."
— George Patton
Liberty loving people WILL follow Sarah, because she has the moral courage that has been lacking in all our so-called leaders in WA for so very long!! We need her voice & her courage to do the right thing! Noone else is standing up and giving voice to the true fears and concerns of the American people.
Whether she runs for office in 2012, 2016, or never…she just may be the ONE person that can finally get the pundits, politicians, and elites in WA to hear & understand what we, as Americans, have been trying to tell them for many years! It IS NOT about their wants,needs, or beliefs! It is about THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!!!!
Great article John,
I see big things happening for Sarah Palin, she can be the new leader of the Conservative party! I love how she sticks her finger in the eye of the elites. If she is good enough for Ann Coulter and Camille Paglia she is great for me. As Paglia says, she speaks in rhythms, like a jazz musician. She is so refreshing, and beautiful to boot,
I t95% of the Hive's criiticism of Palin can be translated simply as: "She dares oppose Il Dufe and threaten liberal fascism? This witch must be stopped!"
Well I'll say this for Palin, she did one thing I never thought I'd see in my lifetime.
She made that lightweight Katie Couric look like a journalist.
That's about it.
FYI:Palin doesn't scare or infuriate people like me, she makes us laugh.
She's a quitter, a whiner and a fake.
I kind of liked definition 3
The Battalions are ready, the Infantry is in place…let us begin the War of ALL Wars. With our Commander In Chief Sarah Palin leading the charge. This is a fight to the DEATH!!!!! Because if we lose????? We're doomed. So GODSPEED to America and the FIGHTING CONS!!!!!
well done, Squires…
We are, too, familiar with the Red disinformation program to be advanced by his 'useful idiots' (goodness- there is no lack of them, is there?)
The main thing is to exploit the kindness of freedom loving people everywhere by saying freedom is slavery and slavery to the state is the ultimate freedom… and they are indeed having some success.
However, thanks to folk like you we can still win this thing- and feel more confident every day…
So was your mother.
more of an unstoppable force than anything else- and we'll see what you all have to say when she is raising hundreds of millions of dollars for conservative candidates…
For the last 20 years, the GOP has been the party of petulance, resentment, victimhood-seeking and liberal-hating. Sarah Palin is the epitome of all those qualities, thus the cult adulation she gets from conservatives and our nutty conservative MSM. She represents everything they want to be — the drama queen, the bully who acts like the injured party, the madonna figure who gets lusted after.
You know that "LEAVE BRITTANY ALONE!" YouTube clip? The little pansy sobbing there looks calm and rational compared to Palin cultists. Her latest "munchausen by CableNewsProxy" trick is to complain about all the media coverage her family gets, after she invites the media to come along on her family vacation. Me, if I were sick of all the media coverage of my family, I can't imagine inviting the media along on our vacation. But then, I'm not a chronic liar off on a yet another phony sympathy jag, with a legion of cult followers who will lap it up.
Naturally, the Palinbots will now declare than I'm terrified of Sarah Palin, and that I hate her because of some personality defect I possess. That's how cultists react when anyone criticizes their DearLeader. Me, I just carve another notch in the handle whenever that happens, since it shows I've driven yet another Palinbot into babbling nonsense. I mean, using Palinbot logic, I can "prove" that all Palinbots are terrified that Al Franken is about to destroy them, are insanely jealous of Al Franken's success and good looks, and they all hate Al Franken to an unhinged extent because Al Franken never had an abortion, unlike the Palinbots (even the men) who get pregnant just so they can have more abortions.
Thank God that America still has someone like Palin who values the principles that have made this country great, and who refuses to be intimidated. Her resignation makes perfect sense to me.
As governor, Palin provided worthless hatemongers with an easy target for their false smear tactics which imposed enormous burdens on Alaska (as well as Palin and her family) with the constant effort required to defend against those baseless attacks. Those gestapo tactics which rely on relentless vicious attacks wholly unrelated to any valid substantive connern, and with the sole goal of personal destruction, belong in some tinpot dictator-run cesspool of a country, not in America.
(to be continued . . .)
An American-American
As governor, Palin had one hand tied behind her back so that she could not fully defend herself and take the battle right back at her detractors. After all, she did have a real day job to do for Alaskans, and she obviously took her responsiblities in that job very seriously. Her resignation is a win-win for her and Alaska since she will accomplish goals that benefit both her state and her country — exposing and defeating the craven idiots who have done their best to trash values that made the American experience so unique and great.
(to be continued . . .)
An American-American
Remind me to never consult you on any medical problems…Doctor. If your that ignorant and can't decipher fact from fiction(state run media BS) and that this woman is brighter and MORE intelligent than your prez hussien, than I can only guess your not very wise. Therefore questioning your medical competency.
I look forward to voting for Palin in 2012. And I will very much enjoy watching the presidential debates for that election when Palin totally decimates whoever the demwits offer up to succeed Obama, who will have been rendered impotent as a potential candidate by then as the result of his failed socialist agenda to "fundamentally" change America. As polls already show, only six months into his 48 month term, Obama's decline is already well on its way.
Heck, at the rate Obama is going, he may even be the first unimpeached president to achieve no more than single-digit support in a national poll. And for sure he'll provide years and years worth of blame for the mess he's creating.
An American-American
you are a frankenbot then. good luck with that in the next 6 years. Your job may be the toughest in the annals of blog-trollery, save perhaps that of a biden-bot.
sucks to be you.
People say her resignation will be used by her opponents to show she is unfit for office. But they used the simple fact that she is a mother to say she is unfit for office. The attacks will never stop no matter what she does. (unless she becomes a Socialist)
thanks for the link. I always enjoy John Fund's articles. It would be interesting to note how many other states have similar transparency laws since this could become a disturbing political tool. While technically, that would be true of both sides, it seems the left is more into politics of destruction.
What questions we should be asking is why don't the Pundits (including Karl Rove) understand her actions?
Plain and simple English, as used by the American People, is not spoken in the beltway.
July 3rd was Palin's Independence day. Her words are true and clear to anyone who actually listens to her.
Whether she runs for President or not, she has set her self free. Free from being stuck in Alaska. Free from having to charge to the Alaska people more money to combat the frivolous ethics violations. Free fromhaving to play in a small court while elsewhere is the real battle.
She didn't have to go for the Governorship. She went for it because she wanted to change things from the top down.
I personally feel that she has not done any harm to her "political career". People who like her, still like her. People who don't, won't at this stage. The Beltway Pundits will never like her, because she doesn't have the required resume, nor does she speak in Punditese.
Weaknesses? Her perceived weaknesses are from the Punditry, not from the American People.
Yes, *very* Clintonian.
Look here people. SHE WILL RUN!!! (2012) Don't worry. This is a WARRIOR! She left the Gov job because it's the RIGHT thing to do. Now she is a FORCE to be reckoned with. She will DESTROY all of the left and there radical, left wing, anti-life, anti-American agenda. This Lady is FIERCE! She is going to take those nammby pammby P******IES and rip them to shred. Starting with prez hussien. This not your average woman. This is a woman that has meaning in life. She has been clearly sent by the Good Lord to defend Life, Liberty and Justice. And is just what she will do. She is the slayer of the Anti-Christ. And we all know who the Anti-Christ is?????? PALIN/JINDALl 2012!!!
You lost me at "nutty conservative MSM".
There are four signs that one has lost their grip on reality:
1. They believe in some conspiracy about the Jews.
2. They believe in some conspiracy about international control of money.
3. They believe in some conspiracy about Shakespeare.
4. They believe that the mainstream media coverage favors the conservative point of view.
Congrats on #4. Now, please work on your conspiracies about the other 3.
Beat me to it…
The Oil Taint is back! With offerings of stupidity and shallowness! All hail the Taint!
The Oily Taint is back! With offerings of stupidity and shallowness! All hail the Taint!
If resigning was a blunder and her polical career is over, then liberals might want to start proving it by not talking about her for, say, 5 minutes.
a coroner?
She already knows how to handle the Hostile Media. Why do you think she has them jumping on planes to get an interview from her?
I am outraged, too! And as Billy Mays (bless him) used to say, "I'm not yelling. I'm projecting." Your kind of projection is the kind of interview and radio I like not to mention your appreciation for a patriot. Please keep setting the record straight and reconsider no more TV appearances.
LOL….no, sadly they are called "Doctor".
There are dummies in every field…..
If Sarah Palin's announcement of her resignation had been even slightly coherent, no tortured "explanations" like this would be necessary. But the reactions–above–of the True Believers–are enormously entertaining, as in fact is the entire Palin soap opera.
What tortured "explanations"?
Please explain yourself.
Sarah did and continues to practice what she preached. She was, and still is married to the same person each and every time she got pregnant and brought each one to this world and into a loving family and did not murder any of them withing the womb for her "convenience". One with cogent thought processes fails to see the hipocrisy there.
Sarah did and continues to practice what she preached. She was, and still is married to the same person each and every time she got pregnant and brought each one to this world and into a loving family and did not murder any of them within the womb for her "convenience". One with cogent thought processes fails to see the hipocrisy there.
she is serving her constituents by letting the Lt Governor take over and get Alaska's business done rather that fight expensive frivolities such as these ethics complaints…
Dibs on holding Letterman.
I concur with the posters above commenting on the Wuss Party (formerly the Republicans). The stage was set by GWB who functioned as a schmoo for eight years and let the Left go at him like whack a mole without defending himself.
This time in our history reminds me more and more of the time preceding the War Between the States (nothing Civil about THAT war) — In 1852, there were two parties: Whig and Democrat. In 1856, the Whigs were dissolving (sort of like the GOP seems to be doing now) and a nascent Republican Party got a few votes. By 1860, the Whigs were gone, the Dems were split, there was a fourth party of two Southern States who wanted to stay in the Union and Abraham Lincoln (GOP) was elected.
Indeed! Doing the right thing. Something those of power and prestige seem to have long forgotten.
Those who live in Mansions and high rise penthouses should take notice of what someone who lives like the rest of us is truly capable of.
your whole premise is flawed….no one thinks she's a villain, just incompetent. The incompetency was recognized by the majority of us who didn't drink the red kool aid and proven by her QUITTING. Don't really care if you see an apple and call it a turnip, the rest of us see what is in front of our faces. And this is why the republican party is irrlevent today and will be until you stop insisting that you know what's right and everyone else is wrong. You were rejected nationally in almost every election. In this country elections still count, even when the Supreme Court hands it to your side. So why not use that to learn from instead of standing on your own flawed logic. Your record is flawed. Time to change tunes. Don't fool yourselves into thinking anyone's but you is going to vote for her. If she comes back onto the national stage after QUITTING she will have an even ruder awakening than this year.
The girly liberal men and manly liberal women have been scared shirtless since her name was announced. They still are. Lenin would be prould of the way these people are going out of their way to destroy her. This coming from the touch-feely, compassionate people of the left.
Now you're asking too much. A liberal to explain themselves. Good luck!
The point I was making was that she doesn't have to run herself. She can inspire others to run, at all levels of public service, and not for carreerist reasons. George Washington refused the crown, and thereby insured the United States would remain a republic. What we need is a new generation of citizen politicians dedicated to small government and free enterprise, and not just to belly up to the public trough.
Second.
But he has great abs…..that makes him qualified to lead, right???
to bad HIS mother wasn't pro-choice.
There should be outrage, indeed.
I don't blame her for just saying "Screw all of this!" She will do fine in everything she does after this. For now, the two main things she has to worry about are her family and the outrageous legal fees she still needs to pay. Speeches, presentations, whatever she does in the future will help her take care of her debts and her family. If she keeps hoarding the gold, she will have nothing to worry about for the rest of her life, and neither will her children, especially Trig – who should have been left the heck alone.
Why endure the vultures and ravenous beasts of DC and the MSM when the company of good human beings will do? Their actions against her are cruel and evil.
I wish her ad her family the best of luck.
But for us, the message is clear. Get OUTRAGED. I want to hear it. I want to see it. Do SOMETHING, people! Send a message to all of those vultures that We will not take their cruelty and evil anymore.
Amen to that
Remarkably accomplished in her own right, devoted to her large, beautiful family, Alaskan outdoorswoman extraordinaire, dedicated and proud Christian, beautiful inside and out.. then there's Michelle Obama. The Media engaged in Malpractice in their transparent attempt to destroy this wonderful conservative, Sarah Palin, perhaps to appease the First Lady MO (or King Kongess, no offense to the real Kong), who is none of the above. Okay, maybe she's devoted to the fam..lucky them.
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