The Sarah Show, Now in its Final Season

Wild comments thread you've got going over there. Most folks there seem to think Palin's move was sheer genius, look like.

Count me in the "she's committed political suicide" column. Been an exciting ride, though, regardless of where one sat in the boat.

I'm not convinced Palin's political playhouse is in its final season (assuming the circumstances around her sudden resignation don’t include cancer or some new scandal). I am convinced that she will run for president in 2012.

Upon hearing the news first reaction was:

"Oh, I see.... She's going to do what she does best.... Go to "meet and greets", look pretty and gain support. Of course she’s tired of the constant hounding from her detractors, but Palin has only cared about herself and if she doesn’t like something, then she’ll do away with it. This decision is perfect for her because she won't be making controversial policies as governor which potentially will get her in trouble when she chooses to run for prez in 2012."

If she does become a political pundit then she can criticize Obama all she wants. The best part of being a political pundit is that she never has to be right. She can just amass a following, like Limbaugh.

This also fits her image... During the 2008 prez race she liked the fact that she (and McCain) were mavericks.... This move reinforces that image. Furthermore she's now a civilian, an outsider (call her Citizen Palin)…. When Citizen Palin runs for prez she’s counting on that the "outsider" approach will make her even more appealing. Plus she will claim her experience as mayor and as governor. In a couple years' time not many people will care that she resigned her governorship halfway through her first term... Palin will have a new image which will make her resignation seem like the logical thing to have done and will only hone her outsider creds.

My guess is she'll do something to get her as much money as possible. This will allow her some independence on the eventual presidential campaign trail.

My gut feeling is that this is bad, very bad for her opponents. We would have all been better off had Palin stayed on as governor, continued to make her mistakes and continue to fall in popularity. Now whatever goes wrong in Alaska won’t be her fault, since she is no longer governor (when her resignation becomes official later this month). As an elected official each decision she made would have faced criticism from someone.

If Citizen Palin says something controversial and her detractors make a comment, her supporters just have to say, "Palin's not an elected official. What does it matter what she does or say?" Much like Limbaugh's supporters now claim that he is just an entertainer and doesn't hold any real power.

Palin has gotten a taste of power and wants to be president more than anything. She’s a fighter and will continue to be a fighter for what she wants. She IS tired of the criticism she receives and I agree that if she can’t take criticism from Dems and the media then how will she be able to stand up to our foreign enemies, or as president? But Palin wants what she wants and could care less what others think of her decision and what it might say about her ability to stand up to enemies (whom she includes Dems). In a couple years' time whatever criticism she is now receiving will mostly be forgotten.

Stockboy -- even if all that were true, this is not: "In a couple years' time not many people will care that she resigned her governorship halfway through her first term"

Or at least... it may be that many will have forgotten, but there isn't a snowball's chance in you-know-where that the ads won't hit the 'quitter' / 'won't be able to handle the pressure' theme incessantly. Yes, we live in an ADHD kinda world with a very short news cycle, but the political attack ads have pretty much written themselves.

Sarah has been commiting political suicide since the day she was announced everytime she opened her mouth. Yes she has rabid supporters but she has even more who think she's not up to the task. And then there is here life that looks like a trailer park reality show.

Jazz wrote: “...So Long and Thanks for all the Fisheries.”

A little Douglas Adams logic at the close of your comment was comfortably, smilingly apropos Jazz... Thank you.

And happy 4th to everyone (left, right, and center) here at TMV. Hope you're all out celebrating your (and your political opposites) independence in your own particular / peculiar way(s). I certainly am!
Steve

i, too, wanted to congratulate jazz on the great doug adams reference.

as to "nobody will care a couple of years from now" idea, on another moderate voice thread about going sarah (my new phrase for "going galt"), someone mentioned how, if she becomes president, bin laden will be able to beat her just by making a couple of videos making fun of her kids.

now, i'm not suggesting that's true. but i am suggesting that logic will sound great on some anti-palin campaign spots, if it should come to that.

this most recent move of hers, combined w/her resignation from the mayor of wasilla's office and from the oil and gas ethics commission, shows her to be a quitter.

and you know what they say who about never wins...

Polimom, about people forgetting that Palin resigned halfway through her first term.... Yes you have a point. Perhaps a better way of framing it might be this: Today most people find Palin's resignation to be political suicide. However in a couple years her supporters and many others will come to view this as a logical step in her career and will be able to overlook the nonsense of it and support her.

It really is surprising at how much support Palin enjoys, and she is able to talk her way out of her many, many mistakes.

So yes, I see your point that there will be attack ads, but Palin and her supporters will use them to her benefit, claiming to be a victim, claiming to be an outsider, or claiming that her opponents are afraid of her (or all three). Perhaps my phrase "not many people" should be changed. Perhaps a more accurate statement is, "In a couple years' time the current controversy over her resignation will be one of many controversies that in and of itself won't mean a hill of beans. It will just be one bean in that hill of controversies."

Thanks.

Stockboy -- yes, I see what you mean. And yes, I absolutely agree that her supporters (at the very least) will come to view her bizarre resignation as a logical step. The strangest things I read all weekend were on the "Palin4Prez" kinda sites. They're already hitting the "what a brilliant strategic move!" theme pretty hard.

Surreal.

I love your hill of beans analogy, btw, and there are definitely some people who will see this latest... um.... oddity, as exactly that: an insignificant bump. This, though, is a mighty large bean. It could turn out more akin to a very large straw on a weak-kneed camel. I, for one, certainly hope so.

I would offer a third path which neither Stockboy or Polimom are currently following. All of these theories go up in flames if it turns out that the feds actually have their teeth into something with SBS construction. If they built the Palins' house for them on the taxpayers' dime, those two are looking at jail time and even Fox wouldn't give her a talk show after that, to say nothing of anyone taking her seriously as a candidate or mover and shaker in the political arena.

Jazz -- I saw those stories coming out and wondered about them. My first reaction (and even my second) is nah. OTOH, the letter from her attorney is totally bizarre in the larger picture being painted.
Link to Politico story

Polimom: your analogy... great! LOL!

Jazz, you are right, in my thoughts on Palin's bizarre behavior I'm not taking into account sandal or illness as reasons. As far as the Alaska's FBI's statement about no investigations into Palin, and her attorney's letter.... I agree with Polimom that it is totally bizarre....