Palin’s Parting Shot
From Janie Lauder of the NYTimes Caucus Blog:
It’s official. Sarah Palin stepped down as governor of Alaska on Sunday, without dropping one hint about her future. Instead, she used her farewell address “to exercise my freedom of speech,” as she put it. [...]
She cited accomplishments of her abbreviated administration, condemned big government and warned Alaskans against relying on Washington money for state development: ”Be wary of accepting government largess. It doesn’t come free.”
She reiterated her feeling that staying in office for the remaining 17 months of her term would be unproductive, “politics as usual” and said she believes she can serve the state without the title of governor.
CNN:
“Now people who know me, they know how much I love this state … I feel it is my duty to avoid the unproductive, typical, politics-as-usual, lame-duck session in one’s last year in office,” Palin said, just moments before Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell was sworn in as governor.
“With this decision, now I will be able to fight even harder for you, for what is right and for the truth,” Palin continued. “And I have never felt you need a title to do that.”
Palin devoted much of her last address to a rundown of her accomplishments as governor, including winning legislative approval for a massive natural gas pipeline. She said she governed “with fiscal restraint.”
“What I promised, we accomplished,” she told the mostly supportive crowd. [...]
She also warned against “anti-hunting, anti-Second Amendment circuses from Hollywood” that use “delicate, tiny celebrity starlets” to push their cause.
“Hollywood needs to know — we eat, therefore, we hunt,” Palin told a cheering crowd.
ADN:
She leaves office today with her political future clouded by ethics probes, mounting legal bills and dwindling popularity. A new Washington Post-ABC poll puts her national favorability rating at 40 percent, with 53 percent giving her an unfavorable rating.
She was interrupted repeatedly by applause. Her crowds still love her. Now she’s free to spend her time with them.
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3 Responses to “Palin’s Parting Shot”
The “lame duck” argument is the main thing I don't really get. It suggests that George Washington, Ronald Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt, etc., should really have just quit early so they didn't become lame ducks. I mean what conservative wanted Reagan to hang around when Bush I could have taken over? (Almost all, of course, in case sarcasm isn't obvious.)
I guess if she had just talked about harassment of her family and whatever other things bugged her, she thought she would be labeled as someone who couldn't take it? So she added this lamed duck thing… Who knows.
In listening to her speech, I tried very hard to find a clear message in her run on sentences. It was simply so much incoherent babble.
I did pick out, “God Helps those whom help themselves”, though. Yes, that’s quite telling is it not?
The one thing I really agree with her on is that her kids should have been off-limit to the media and to her opponents. Sadly, they are considered fair game.