Palin Goes Gonzo

posted by John Nichols on 07/03/2009 @ 4:47pm

Email
Print
Share
- Buzzflash
- del.icio.us
- Digg
- Facebook
- Mixx it!
- Reddit
What is this?
Take Action
Comments (98)

Subscribe Now

Maybe Sarah Palin finally realized that the people who run the Republican party just aren't that into her.

Maybe the soon-to-be-former governor of Alaska is still delusional enough to think she can convince the party bosses that she's a contender for the GOP's 2012 presidential nomination.

Maybe the 2008 Republican nominee for vice president is going to take them all on with a gonzo-style populist run against not just President Obama but the entire political establishment. And her talk about supporting change agents inside the Republican party and "outside it" suggests that she might actually be open to an independent or third-party bid.

Then again, maybe, just maybe, Palin was not thinking about much of anything Friday, when she steered off what certainly looks like the political equivalent of a cliff.

Whatever was going through the governor's head, her decision to quit as governor of Alaska -- possibly, although she's not saying, in response to a Vanity Fair article that exposed the extent to which the people who ran John McCain's 2008 president race despised her -- has moved the woman from Wasilla to a new stage of what was already a long strange trip down the campaign trail.

Wherever she is now headed, will have plenty of time to plan things after July 26, when she will formally resign and "return to private life."

Technically, the return-to-private-life line could suggest more time will be spent at the coffee shop in Wasilla -- or raising her infant child and infant grandkid.

But something about Palin's cryptic exit announcement -- which came with almost no detail at a press conference outside her lakeside home -- suggests that we have not heard the last of her.

"We know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities," said Palin, at a press conference where she criticized those who take "the quitters way out" and then announced she was quitting.

Here's the video.

Savvy viewers will note the several times in her "farewell" address where Palin mentioned "campaigning," as well as the spin she took through the standard list of conservative talking points.

It ought not be forgotten that Palin has been polling near the top of GOP lists, so she still has quite a following among the party's base voters -- who are relatively immune to bad craziness. And the free time she has just bought herself will allow her to spend even more time in "lower 48" states like New Hampshire and Iowa.

Best bet: Palin will continue campaigning.

And the soap opera that her turn on the political stage has become will grow ever more bizarre.

After all, Palin has not quite outdone another of GOP governors whose name was once on the list of potential presidential contenders, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.

Not yet, at least.

Chances are that, over the next few weeks, when she is finally forced to answer questions about her plans for the future, Palin will in fact, eclipse Sanford.

Unlike the South Carolinian, who gives every indication of being torn between two lovers, Palin is not conflicted. She is absolutely, head-over-heels in love... with herself.

Whatever her course of her campaigning, there is every reason to believe that Sarah Palin will keep one promise that she made Friday.

She said did not intend to do anything that "would just be another dose of 'politics as usual.'"

Fair enough, governor, it'll be politics as unusual from here on out.

Comments (98)

If she stays in office, she actually may have to WORK and stay in Alaska...

now she's free to spend her time eating rubber chickens in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada for 3 years.

If the DNC wants to lock Obama's re-election...they'll help her.

heheh

Posted by Mask at 07/03/2009 @ 4:53pm
If the DNC wants to lock Obama's re-election...they'll help her.

heheh

Posted by Mask at 07/03/2009 @ 4:53pm

That's the truth.

Posted by Cccomfo1 at 07/03/2009 @ 5:04pm
i think this is about money. palin would like to be criss-crossing the country right now, raking in speakers fees and campaign contributions, as a darling of the religious right. going all out for the bucks in the lower 48, however, would ensure endless & annoying criticism from the people who are supposed to be her constituents. palin knows she will never be president. walking away from your first and only term at the non-village level is hardly a resume enhancer. but she has "media presence," at least for now, as well as a following amongst the worst among us, and that can be turned into money. palin already knows that she can go home with all campaign contributions that go unspent. she'll exit the 2012 race with coffers full. she may be a flash in the pan, but there's gold in that flash, and palin knows that there's no time to lose.

Posted by jasonrhodes at 07/03/2009 @ 5:04pm
It will be funny to hear the RNC backtrack on it's experience line from last run and say she has enough experience to run against and incumbent President.

Posted by Cccomfo1 at 07/03/2009 @ 5:04pm
I gained more respect for Sarah Palin even as I watched the pundits and the MSM scratch their heads and mock her.

You on the left along with the MSM and the pundits just don't get it.

1. She hinted to all of us in the press conference about the demands of raising Trig. Most of you probably have no idea what it takes to raise a Down Syndrome Child. Gov Palin cares deeply for her child and has realized as he grows just how large a task it is to raise him.

2. She is bright enough and wise enough to realize that she doesn't have to let the Beltway and the pundits define her political contributions while allowing herself to fulfill her first obligation which is her family. And she has come to realize that some demands of family are greater than the lure of politics.

3. She realizes that while she takes a backseat in politics now, she can still be effective with her pac, blogs, twittering, and fund raising for others.

I applaud Gov Palin for her strength of character and her devotion to her family.

Posted by antisocialist at 07/03/2009 @ 5:10pm
by resigning, she is giving the finger to those who supported her and elected her to the job she is walking away from.

I'm sure Romney is breathing a sigh of relief. McCain on the other hand is not amused, as it makes his decision to put her on his ticket, an even worse blunder.

Posted by emile duBois at 07/03/2009 @ 5:18pm
If she's running for president in 2012, she just ruined any slight chance she may have had to win. This was completely irrational on her part. No reason was given and it really makes her look more incompetant than previously thought. However, this week has made political theater a contender for the oscars. We have one governor in an over the top romantic melodrama that tops Danielle Steele novels. Now we have an over the top nutty governor that tops "Girl Interrupted" about institutionalized women who basically mentally lose it. This is getting good. I'm just waiting to see what Arnie does in California. Maybe Conan will go nuts club a couple of teachers, nurses or firefighters just to get his ridiculous budget fixed.

Posted by lltrix at 07/03/2009 @ 5:19pm
Palin/Wurzelbacher 2012

Posted by bcazden at 07/03/2009 @ 5:21pm
Libs, esp. the Looney, anti-women kind, Nichols for sure, just don't get it!

I've gotta go....hope Scher shows up and be her knight in shining armor!

Posted by Happy at 07/03/2009 @ 5:22pm
Sounds good to me.

Can't wait for "Polarization Fest 2012" to begin.

Posted by schnellerheinz at 07/03/2009 @ 5:35pm
Or is it "Marginalization?" Something like that.

Posted by schnellerheinz at 07/03/2009 @ 5:38pm
Maybe she was offered a job with Exxon.

Posted by playwrtr at 07/03/2009 @ 5:39pm
Happy-I'm hearing conservatives on TV who do not get it,either and if you get it then why did you not say?

Posted by i'm nobody at 07/03/2009 @ 5:46pm
No one,except Palin,knows why she is quitting and it is rather pointless for anyone to try and spin it as if they know.None of us know if she cares deeply about her kids or anything else and only time will tell us why she quit.

Posted by i'm nobody at 07/03/2009 @ 5:50pm
1. She hinted to all of us in the press conference about the demands of raising Trig. Most of you probably have no idea what it takes to raise a Down Syndrome Child. Gov Palin cares deeply for her child and has realized as he grows just how large a task it is to raise him.

•• she didn't give a #@@%! a few months ago.

2. She is bright enough and wise enough to realize that she doesn't have to let the Beltway and the pundits define her political contributions while allowing herself to fulfill her first obligation which is her family. And she has come to realize that some demands of family are greater than the lure of politics.

•• hahahahaha, saint sara!

3. She realizes that while she takes a backseat in politics now, she can still be effective with her pac, blogs, twittering, and fund raising for others.

•• Morons For America!

I applaud Gov Palin for her strength of character and her devotion to her family.

•• clap, clap.

Posted by antisocialist at 07/03/2009 @ 5:10pm

Posted by frosty zoom at 07/03/2009 @ 6:03pm
I applaud Gov Palin for her strength of character and her devotion to her family.

Posted by antisocialist at 07/03/2009 @ 5:10pm

Or she is planning to run for President and your post is completely off. It's not like she is dropping out to become a stay at home mom. She is obviously dropping out to pursue something else. Listen to the speech. She isn't only hinting at raising Trig, she is hinting at something else. She says this decision has been planned for a long, perhaps since VP run? I think you are way off. I think she is dropping out to pursue some other career. But only time will tell.

Posted by Cccomfo1 at 07/03/2009 @ 6:15pm
Happy-I'm hearing conservatives on TV who do not get it,either and if you get it then why did you not say?

Posted by i'm nobody at 07/03/2009 @ 5:46pm

Probably because he doesn't get it and once again he is playing the "Happy I am holier than though and more intelligent card" and as usual has nothing to back it up with.

Posted by Cccomfo1 at 07/03/2009 @ 6:17pm
Ccc-Her supporters are trying to make it look like they know her when,of course,they know little about her.Happy is another such person.

Posted by i'm nobody at 07/03/2009 @ 6:21pm
Posted by frosty zoom at 07/03/2009 @ 6:03pm

Your brain is frosted....

Posted by antisocialist at 07/03/2009 @ 6:31pm
Hey Frosty,

Why don't you list all of your accomplishments here for us against those of Gov Palin and then we can understand why you have such a low opinion of her.

Posted by antisocialist at 07/03/2009 @ 6:34pm
I wonder if antisocialist would know a socialist if they saw one. Let's see the moralists are out of favour now, rush a drug addict, bill a gambling junkie, numerous "family values" republicans who cannot stop destroying their own families......

Posted by grahamneil at 07/03/2009 @ 6:48pm
antisocialist-In what way is being a quitter an accomplishment?What has Palin accomplished?Regular people accomplish far more than your average politician ever does and Palin did little in her short time as gov.

Posted by i'm nobody at 07/03/2009 @ 7:00pm
I wonder if antisocialist would know a socialist if they saw one. Let's see the moralists are out of favour now, rush a drug addict, bill a gambling junkie, numerous "family values" republicans who cannot stop destroying their own families......

Posted by grahamneil at 07/03/2009 @ 6:48pm

I've met many over the years. I've met them in China, Philippines (where they bombed the mall next to where I was staying), in Puerto Rico where they stormed the docks, in some of the unions I was in during the 70's; at college, and I could go on.

How about you, do you know anyone besides your day care babysitter?

Posted by antisocialist at 07/03/2009 @ 7:08pm
What year were you in China? and by the way I had no day care just public school.

Posted by grahamneil at 07/03/2009 @ 7:15pm
another con bites the dust.(apologies to Queen)

Posted by emile duBois at 07/03/2009 @ 7:18pm
by the way I had no day care

in France the gov't pays for daycare for every one. in England they have paid women directly when they stay home to raise the kids. some problem, different solutions.

Posted by emile duBois at 07/03/2009 @ 7:20pm
I have her new campaign slogan:

"Balin' Palin"

Posted by nelly at 07/03/2009 @ 7:32pm
Poof...another crazy R goes down the drain.

The GOP is routed, they have nothing and no one. If there was anything I could ever thank bush for, it's killing off the neo-cons in the political world.

Bachman, Sanford...who's next?...;)

Posted by rasputin195 at 07/03/2009 @ 7:42pm
I believe that Alaska has very restrictive laws concerning outside income for public officials. Now she can write (have ghostwritten) her book for millions, and become a Fox commentator. Lots of money for little work. Governing a little out-of-the way state when the money is tight, and your "philosophy" is it should be tighter is no fun for the empress with no clothes. Ethics Schmethics.

Posted by awmarch at 07/03/2009 @ 7:47pm
Nothing of the kind, gang..she's gonna wind up as a special commentator on Fox News, just like the other right-wing wack jobs, Rove and Morris. You betcha'

Posted by sunnsea at 07/03/2009 @ 7:53pm
I believe that Alaska has very restrictive laws concerning outside income for public officials. Now she can write (have ghostwritten) her book for millions, and become a Fox commentator. Lots of money for little work. Governing a little out-of-the way state when the money is tight, and your "philosophy" is it should be tighter is no fun for the empress with no clothes. Ethics Schmethics. Posted by awmarch at 07/03/2009 @ 7:47pm

I have her new campaign slogan: "Balin' Palin" Posted by nelly at 07/03/2009 @ 7:32pm

Are they referring to Gov. Palin as the cut-and-run governor on TV now? I agree with you awmarch. Financial concerns may be the primary motive. Also, jumping ship at the time of a crisis will spare her from making any politically difficulty decisions given the states' fiscal shortcomings. Now, she can focus completely on rhetoric and not have to sign off on bridges to nowhere yet give lip service to opposing govt. waste etc.

A prominent Republican strategist, Ed Rollins, who directed Ronald Reagan's election campaign, said Palin had made a serious mistake.

"She was a shooting star who dimmed in recent months and now she's crashed," he said.

Other Republicans were more critical including John Weaver, a long-time confidant of McCain.

"We've seen a lot of nutty behaviour from governors and Republican leaders in the last three months, but this one is at the top of that," Weaver told the Washington Post.

Posted by hdthoreau at 07/03/2009 @ 8:24pm
"Libs, esp. the Looney, anti-women kind, Nichols for sure, just don't get it! "

This from the person who calls the President, The Boy, and Mexicans wetbacks.

Posted by Cccomfo1 at 07/03/2009 @ 8:33pm
"We know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities," said Palin

======================================

Looks like she's going to run for Miss Universe.

Posted by polderjongetje at 07/03/2009 @ 8:47pm
"We know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities," said Palin

Yeh, maybe a lobbyist. As for scale, maybe the low kelvin

Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 07/03/2009 @ 8:59pm
Sarah is hungry. She's always been hungry. Here's her chance to cash in on her fifteen minutes. You betcha.

Posted by bobforer at 07/03/2009 @ 9:17pm
Who cares why? Let's just hope she stays on the outside effecting something at this point in time changing things also and there.

Posted by SoPhoebe at 07/03/2009 @ 9:27pm
Don't write her off too soon. Keep in mind that W was not significantly more "qualified" for the presidency that Palin, and the neocons might well settle on her as the only candidate with star power and no very particular ideas of her own lodged in her brain. In a couple of years she'll learn how not to sound like a complete idiot in interviews, and she won't grant interviews to challenging reporters (and how many more of those are there anyway?). On the other hand, many will be disappointed by her failure to continue to stand as our first line of defense against the Russian bear. Not to mention cowardice on the front line in the face of the North Korean threat.

Posted by MZIMMERMAN at 07/03/2009 @ 9:45pm
Let's not make more of this than it is. She will not be around by 2012.

Posted by missionunaccomplished at 07/03/2009 @ 10:01pm
North Korea... that's right next to Canada, right?

Cheap shot, I admit

Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 07/03/2009 @ 10:04pm
Hey Frosty,

Why don't you list all of your accomplishments here for us against those of Gov Palin and then we can understand why you have such a low opinion of her.

Posted by antisocialist at 07/03/2009 @ 6:34pm

well,

i read magazines and newspapers!

i can see the u.s. from my backyard!

i can organize my thoughts into sentences!

Posted by frosty zoom at 07/03/2009 @ 10:21pm
"Well, you know, first, Fannie and Freddie, different because quasi-government agencies there where government had to step in because the adverse impacts all across our nation, especially with homeowners, is just too impacting. We had to step in there. I do not like the idea, though, of taxpayers being used to bail out these corporations. Today, with AIG, important call there, though, because of the construction bonds and the insurance carrier duties of AIG. But, first and foremost, taxpayers cannot be looked to as the bailout, as the solution to the problems on Wall Street."

hmmmmm......

Posted by frosty zoom at 07/03/2009 @ 10:31pm
"I am in my prime"

10 dollar word for the day: petrification

Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 07/03/2009 @ 10:34pm
Posted by antisocialist at 07/03/2009 @ 5:10pm

All reasons to not run for VP, but she set aside her family for glory and cash.

You continue to live in a world of delusion, whatever your peeps do is fine regardless of how odd their behavior.

I predict a very large skeleton of Palins making is being kept in Trigs closet, away from the prying eyes of Katie Couric and other hard hitting journalists.

funny stuff above folks. Keep it coming! We can't make stuff up like this and Sanford, but we can sure go with it!!!

and all the while we will read how we "just don't get it."

Posted by crabwalk at 07/03/2009 @ 11:28pm
"Well, you know, first, Fannie and Freddie, different because quasi-government agencies there where government had to step in because the adverse impacts all across our nation, especially with homeowners, is just too impacting. We had to step in there. I do not like the idea, though, of taxpayers being used to bail out these corporations. Today, with AIG, important call there, though, because of the construction bonds and the insurance carrier duties of AIG. But, first and foremost, taxpayers cannot be looked to as the bailout, as the solution to the problems on Wall Street."

I don't get it.

Posted by crabwalk at 07/03/2009 @ 11:29pm
"This decision has been in the works for a while. It comes after a great deal of prayer and deliberation."

She said when she put the decision to her family, the vote was four "yes"es and one 'Hell yeah.' She mentions the family's reaction to the mockery of Trig.

She said her decision was "fortified during her visit to the troops in Kosovo."

"It hurts to make this choice, but I've given my reasons. I'm reminded of a sign on my parents' refrigerator, 'Don't explain; your friends don't need it, and your enemies won't believe you anyway.'"

Must have been talking about the professional "Jerks" peopling the national liberal (Demoncrat) media and little jacksnipes like the nation editors!

Posted by BigPasture at 07/03/2009 @ 11:32pm
the professional "Jerks" peopling the national liberal (Demoncrat) media

Dude, you better hope the machine delivering your prostate treatment is working (and i will work 30 hours straight and scream at the logistics screwups and bad network connections and stay on site until you are treated) before you call a people a jerk

Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 07/03/2009 @ 11:44pm
big pasture-Calling the other side names is the typical reaction that we are seeing from Palin supporters.You are a good bunch of Christians who can think of nothing intelligent to say about this.This,of course,has nothing to do with the other side,but I guess calling them names can show what good and loving Christians she and her supporters are.

Posted by i'm nobody at 07/04/2009 @ 12:03am
Thank God you're here

Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 07/04/2009 @ 12:07am
I called someone a dope, but hell, I'm frequently a dope myself... I try not to be a jerk, tho'

Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 07/04/2009 @ 12:20am
Posted by i'm nobody at 07/04/2009 @ 12:03am | ignore this person | warn this person

"Palin Goes Gonzo

Maybe the soon-to-be-former governor of Alaska is still delusional enough

Maybe the 2008 Republican nominee for vice president is going to take them all on with a gonzo-style populist run against not just President Obama but the entire political establishment

Then again, maybe, just maybe, Palin was not thinking about much of anything Friday

the woman from Wasilla to a new stage of what was already a long strange trip down the campaign trail.

And the soap opera that her turn on the political stage has become will grow ever more bizarre.

has quite a following among the party's base voters -- who are relatively immune to bad craziness"

---------------------------------------

Paul Begala CNN;

Sarah Palin makes Mark Foley, the congressman who sent filthy emails to pages look almost normal. She makes David Vitter, the senator who was hanging out with hookers, look almost boring. She makes Larry Craig, caught hitting on a cop in a men's room, look almost stable. She makes John Ensign, the senator who was having an affair with a staffer, look almost humdrum (and compared to the rest of the GOP whack-jobs, he is). And she makes Mark Sanford, the governor with the Latin lover, look positively predictable.

--------------------

Perhaps its that nonstop negative media blitz that stifles "cristian charity" and forgiveness? Or just maybe Jerks and Jacksnipes that treat Blagdonovich with so much charity compared to theri treatment of Palin?????

Posted by BigPasture at 07/04/2009 @ 12:42am
Within a year, the family will have moved from Alaska to somewhere in the lower 48. She'll tell everyone it's to save Alaskans from all the political strife that follows her everywhere. Cuase she obviously cares SO MUCH for the Alaskans that she's seeing out her first term comple...wait a minute, no she's not.

Perhaps, now that she's no longer governor, she'll no longer wish to talk about herself all the time.

Wait a minute...now she'll have MORE time to talk about herself...

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!

Well (breathe), then maybe the media won't cover her every statement (breathe) like it's the second coming....

Wait a minute, the media is all owned by the clowns who LIKE her and think she would be good for America...

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!

Sigh.

The Republican Brothers and Barnum and Palin Circus will never end!!!!!

Posted by Stephen_Carver1 at 07/04/2009 @ 12:52am
what the hell was that crazy woman babbling about???

what? what the hell?

has she been shacking up with MARK SANFORD???

Posted by ibbleblibble at 07/04/2009 @ 01:00am
I don't get it.

Posted by crabwalk at 07/03/2009

that's ms. palin at her finest.

Posted by frosty zoom at 07/04/2009 @ 01:17am
Wow, Sarah really is INSANE.

Posted by Communard115 at 07/04/2009 @ 03:10am
Listen, folks .. It's a jungle out there for any womin trying to advance in any field .. I admire any womin who may be attempting to achieve something in any field. I admire Gov. Palin for things she has already achieved.

I refuse to join the media's and the populists' "gang rape" of individuals who are different from them and their expectations. What about acceptance of difference? Are you a truly progressive person? Are you so easily duped by the major media? How arrogant is it for any one of us to presume we know what lurks behind the political curtain of America, an empire. Perhaps Gov. Palin is not our problem .. who knows ..

Posted by bilbabagge at 07/04/2009 @ 03:16am
so is this "cut and run" or "stay the course?" Thinking Alaskans want to know. If she intends to be a SAH mom, she can't be haulin everyone around the US for 3 years.

Posted by methane_cloud at 07/04/2009 @ 04:33am
When the 5 republicook judges appointed bush/cheney in 2000, they sealed the fate of their party for decades to come. They successfully destroyed the republicook party. It is nearly dead. Noone trusts them, as they should never have decades ago. It was and will always be a party of liars, criminals and cowards who do nothing for the average American. reagan, bush, both were uneducated idiots who never were qualified to take the office and now it has finally hit home. America was so sick of them, the crimes they committed, that they elected a 2 year, black Senator with a Muslim dad to become the US president. Wake the hell up you scum bag republicans. It is over! You fucking lost BIG!!!!

Posted by Tiger2Lover at 07/04/2009 @ 05:19am
The bottom line is... Sarah is HOT, and wow is she hot.. But what a crazy bitch she is... Just say NO to republicooks.

Posted by Tiger2Lover at 07/04/2009 @ 05:21am
She's crazy,cute, keen for bucks, unburdend by ethics ... just fine for Fox, whence she can sell her '12 endorsement to the highest GOP bidder.

IOW, a good GOPer.

Posted by sloper at 07/04/2009 @ 06:28am
i think she got tired of hearing about ethics rules and campaign finance laws that made it impossible to truly cash in. she was probably endlessly peppering her geeky aide with questions about how to get around those laws. "but what if i set up a charity that people could contribute to, could todd and i spend the money then?" no, sarah, he'd patiently explain, and go on to recite verbatim sections of alaska and u.s. law. growing increasingly exasperated, she finally blurted out, "well what if i was just nothing, not a governor, not a candidate, not anything?" well, sarah, the aide patiently explained, at that point you could become a cash vacuum cleaner. "well why the hell didn't you tell me that in the first place?" she shrieked, her face twisted into a most unattractive contortion of raw greed. and with that, she strode outside to make her announcement.

Posted by jasonrhodes at 07/04/2009 @ 09:30am
I don't get it.

Posted by crabwalk at 07/03/2009

that's ms. palin at her finest.

Posted by frosty zoom at 07/04/2009 @ 01:17am

Sorry, it was a bad late night joke.

Kind of like McCains pick for VP.

Watching the cons try to spin this is belly laughing fun!!! I like BP's little list of GOP Superstars! Self destructive hubris comes home to roost.

Posted by crabwalk at 07/04/2009 @ 09:30am
How dare the liberal media be mean to Ensign, Vitter, Craig, Foley, Sanford and now Palin!!

Don't libs know that these people have core values? They have been placed on Earth to guide us in gOd's Path. They are Chosen.

Shame on the media for pointing out the blatant hypocrisy and double standards blessed by the Lord.

Posted by crabwalk at 07/04/2009 @ 09:34am
"Maybe Sarah Palin finally realized that the people who run the Republican party just aren't that into her. "

AIG, Goldman, UBS, Wachovia and The Family?

Dobson and Co are going to have to find a new shiny bauble.

Posted by crabwalk at 07/04/2009 @ 09:35am
Doncha know, in the GOP Lookingglass Wonderland, quitting is success, failure is success, war is peace, and facts are stubborn things. Just what Fox is looking for to get ratings and catapult the party propaganda. Another provocateur in a skirt. Maybe that "journalism degree" will finally pay off for Sarah.

Posted by proudlib at 07/04/2009 @ 09:45am
big pasture-What was done to Palin is no different than what you and others do to Obama.That's life in politics and a pitbull with lipstick can handle that.Of course,the pitbull could just be a poodle in disguise.Your hypocrisy in this is typical and your pathetic excuse for name calling was just that.A pathetic excuse.

Posted by i'm nobody at 07/04/2009 @ 10:52am
From Wikipedia REPUBLICAN - Pronunciation: \ri-ˈpə-bli-kən\ Noun - 1. An extinct species similar to Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon, and Piltdown Man, that was unable to compete with human beings because of their inability to evolve (they didn't subscribe to Darwin's evolution theory) 2. A person of diminished moral capacity, typically irrational, with delusions of reality. Adjective - Having the characteristics of incompetence, unpleasantness, sliminess, foul smelling, .........

Posted by Freewheelin_Franklin at 07/04/2009 @ 11:00am
Posted by antisocialist at 07/03/2009 @ 5:10pm

Last word....I can't believe that Larry is naive enough to believe that this is "all about Trig"...

or naive to believe that WE'll believe that.

Posted by Mask at 07/04/2009 @ 11:22am
Posted by proudlib at 07/04/2009 @ 09:45am | ignore this person | warn this person

down is up.

The cons are playing to the audience and staff of Fox. trouble is, that's only 20% of the electorate. and counting.

Palin can join Newt and Rush and all the other hateful losers.

2010 will be another bloodletting for the cons.

Posted by emile duBois at 07/04/2009 @ 12:12pm
I heard Palin described as a basketball star by Fox. she played in high school I believe, and she was no star.

how about the lovely Williams sisters, and especially Serena, but I digress

Posted by emile duBois at 07/04/2009 @ 12:14pm
some knuckleheads are comparing the quitter speech of Palin to the defeat speech Nixon gave.

Nixon by that time had been a congressman, a senator, a two term vice president and presidential nominee, as well as having served his country in uniform. he never quit any of those jobs.

Posted by emile duBois at 07/04/2009 @ 12:22pm
FLASH ... this just in .. Sarah's earth-quaking retreat announcement not coincidentally follows only by days MJ's unannounced departure for Everland ... given their many physical similarities, she hopes to make gazillions doing his act, his dance steps, his songs ... while moonlighting on Fox TV as one of many political expert analysts. Tina Fey has her work cut out. All should reap fortunes. The great American dream come true, win-win all around.

Lucky US.

Posted by sloper at 07/04/2009 @ 1:22pm
Palin has faced numerous ethics investigations, between the conduct of herself and her husband. Something from those is probably about to hit the fan -- found a cool site; Balkingpoints ; incredible satellite view of earth

Posted by reg373 at 07/04/2009 @ 3:22pm
Well it could be she is leaving politics altogether. That would make sense. With no success in sight it would be better to leave while she has something left to market. At some point the realization has to hit home that she doesn't have the background, the education or real experience needed and the fan support stops dead at a brick wall

Then again if she is into making a run, leaving office with tough times ahead means she can't drop any lower in job approval. Don't want to tarnish that image.

Posted by Blasthoff at 07/04/2009 @ 3:31pm
What year were you in China? and by the way I had no day care just public school.

Posted by grahamneil at 07/03/2009 @ 7:15pm

1992, 1993, 2000

Posted by antisocialist at 07/04/2009 @ 4:09pm
Palin is a joke. 95% of the country went on wikipdeia the second they heard she was the GOP VP nominee to find out who this women is. Second, and far more importantly, calling this woman "gonzo" is an extraordinary disservice to the Doctor of Gonzo, a true professional of journalism, Hunter Stockton Thompson. Unless, of course, gonzo is referring to the cinematography in the porno "Nailin' Palin".

Posted by al-ganja at 07/04/2009 @ 7:22pm
The phenomenon of Sarah Palin is much like the mysterious public acceptance of George W. Bush.

They are revered and supported by a form of idolatry.

The words from their mouths pander to the lower elevations of human thought by reducing the discourse to false indignation and the quoting of dubious facts, or no facts at all, just substandard conjecture.

Why Palin was so offended when Couric asked her what books she read was the axial moment of the campaign. It was a point where she expressed no interest in the facts and further clarified her hazy grasp of policy at any level. And then there was the talk about 'Real Americans'. McCarthyism on toast, just waiting for the butter.

If it can be said that someone "just doesn't get it" after processing these revelatory instances, then I am one of them.

Posted by ficheye at 07/04/2009 @ 8:28pm
Well, she certainly doesn't have the best strategists in the world... (See photo op stationed in front of a turkey slaughtering troth during rendering.)

But...What would be better for her, getting voted out or quitting the govornership? I would think quitting.

Although...Maybe she just figured out that after Dubya, the market for dunces is way down.

Posted by koroviev at 07/05/2009 @ 01:46am
This is the key point....

SARAH PALIN IS A VICTIM!

A victim of liberal media.

There is no other explanation.

So says unbiased FOX, which has Turd Blossom, Rev Chuckleby and the AK Lt. Gov on as interpreters . Unbiased news, that's what we look for from FOX.

Posted by crabwalk at 07/05/2009 @ 08:21am
"And a problem in our country today is apathy," she said on Friday as she announced that she would resign as governor of Alaska at the end of the month. "It would be apathetic to just hunker down and ‘go with the flow.' Nah, only dead fish ‘go with the flow.' No. Productive, fulfilled people determine where to put their efforts, choosing to wisely utilize precious time ... to BUILD UP."

I don't get it.

Quitting because she isn't a quitter?

Posted by crabwalk at 07/05/2009 @ 08:31am
Palin can't stand even 1/8 of what Hillary endured.

And the neo-cons whine and cry about how hard the "liberal media" is on Palin.

Posted by crabwalk at 07/05/2009 @ 08:37am
I don't care why Diva Palin is leaving. Let her go (into the twilight)--and we can all applaud her move! On a broader level, one can only say, here we go again--another bizarre behavior and fall from grace of another stalwart of the conservative right wing of the Republican Party! The Vanity Fair expose was probably the last straw that broke the Carmel's back. Or, as some suggest (only rumors at this stage), a looming criminal investigation--hence the speed at which she quit. Clearly, she wasn't able or prepared to take the heat of politics of the new, more intrusive communication era. Overall, her unsettling presence at the national stage might have made it very clear to her that her climb to national office would have been very steep indeed. I am more concerned about what Gov. Palin ultimately would have represented, judging from the last Presidential campaign: unending cultural war and division, hypocrisy and dishonesty, race baiting and hatred, religious activism and arrogant self-righteousness, shallow thinking and narrow vision wrapped in emotive but highlt divisive generalizations, and more. On that score, I enthusiastically say, good ridden! Bye bye, Governor. Nice try!

Posted by drsam8 at 07/05/2009 @ 12:20pm
Hope Steele or anyone less caustic than a Palin floats to the top of the RepubliCon turd puddle in '10 and '12.

Posted by winyahn at 07/05/2009 @ 1:45pm
The best way to interpret this move is recent, past behavior: post-election addiction to any media outlet that would give her any face time anywhere. Whether she's right or wrong, she's making this move with more face time as the ultimate goal. And unless there's some Fox-type media option, not a lead idea considering her limitations, she's angling for some new political opportunity.

Posted by winyahn at 07/05/2009 @ 1:55pm
meant - not a bad idea

Posted by winyahn at 07/05/2009 @ 1:56pm
Can someone who speaks Palinese please translate her speech into English, because I didn't understand a word of it.

Posted by pizzmoe at 07/05/2009 @ 3:54pm
i may have a solution to all of our sarah palin problems (you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't have a sarah palin problem). cast palin in a television show as herself, playing the right-wing governor of a fictitious american state. this state is not alaska, mind you. oh no. this state is chock full of americans of the most unamerican kind. gays, blacks, environmental activists, and the godawful liberal media - personified, of course, by a katie couric knockoff character. each week, our hero does battle with all of these threats to our freedom, and more. the great thing is that the show could bring all of america together. properly written, sarah could simultaneously appear to some audiences as hero, and to others as fool, while many might even see a bit of themselves in her tortured, awkward mediocrity. as a special bonus, there could be staged controversy on the show itself, and sarah palin-as-sarah palin-in-real-life could comment on the writers' treatment of sarah palin-as-sarah palin-on-the-show. the question could be raised as to whether the writers themselves were unamerican, and each season could feature a different version of sarah palin herself standing up for sarah palin the actress - threatening to walk off the show, actually walking off the show, exposing the writers for the liberals that they are, turning the tables on the writers by heroically restaging an entire scene in her favor when technological difficulties force a live shooting, a la tootsie. you get the idea. we get all the sarah we want. she'd be harmless. it would be fun. i can see sarah now, challenging america from her weekly prime time slot, like stallone in rocky 4. "if youze can change, weze can change - we all can change!" americans and unamericans alike.

Posted by jasonrhodes at 07/05/2009 @ 7:11pm
Posted by jasonrhodes at 07/05/2009 @ 7:11pm

Clever, creative. I enjoyed your post.

Posted by winyahn at 07/05/2009 @ 7:51pm
"Can someone who speaks Palinese please translate her speech into English, because I didn't understand a word of it.

Posted by pizzmoe at 07/05/2009 @ 3:54pm | ignore this person | warn this person"

No Problem-- "Palin want a payday."

For all her surreal blather Palin is simply striking while the webhits are hot. Look for a multimillion dollar contract on Fox and similar cash cow endeavors.

Posted by Truffledog at 07/05/2009 @ 9:36pm
Posted by jasonrhodes at 07/05/2009 @ 7:11pm

Hmmm...sort of an "All in the Family" for the new millenia. I like it!

Posted by Stephen_Carver1 at 07/05/2009 @ 11:44pm
Sarah Palin is simply sexy as hell! I know that I am a liberal, but she is smokin' hot and most men think so as well. Sure, she is a bitch from hell and I would not trust her NOT to eat me if she got hungry after the plane crash, but wow is she sexy!! In a sick, bitch, evil woman way of course!!! hehehehehe

Posted by Tiger2Lover at 07/06/2009 @ 02:55am
Look for a multimillion dollar contract on Fox and similar cash cow endeavors.

Posted by Truffledog at 07/05/2009 @ 9:36pm

Palin as "expert pundit"?

LMAO!!

Posted by crabwalk at 07/06/2009 @ 06:18am
Somehow, John, I can't help thinking that if her "populism", as you call it, her dillusional attempt to take on the political establishment, that she's a woman, a fighter, et al would all be wonderful characteristics if only she thought like Hillary or San Fran Nan, eh John?

John?

Posted by CHIP THORNTON at 07/06/2009 @ 07:58am
Posted by jasonrhodes at 07/05/2009 @ 7:11pm

This is good. Sarah At the Well of Souls.

It has to be better than "Tokyo Gore Police"

Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 07/06/2009 @ 10:06am
dillusional

Aromatherapy?

Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 07/06/2009 @ 10:44am
Posted by CHIP THORNTON at 07/06/2009 @ 07:58am

How about if she showed the ability to think clearly at all? Have you read her staement? Even George Will had to agree that she was incoherent.

Posted by crabwalk at 07/06/2009 @ 12:14pm
CHERMAK!

Where are you, dude? This blog needs your input!

Are you still sporting a 'PALIN 2012' bumper sticker?

Have you applied for the speechwriter job yet?

Have you ever been to Alaska?

Wasilla?

I agree with many of the posts here that one of her biggest problems is the inability to form straightforward sentences. Her statements seem to wander across the tundra, so to speak. If she had someone help her with that she could be truly formidable. But she likes to play 'Bride of Chucky' just a little too much.

Going to Alaska this summer. It's a great place. I'm sure looking forward to hearing about her from some of my conservative pals.

Posted by ficheye at 07/06/2009 @ 4:20pm
She was pitch perfect in front of the red meat herd at the Republicon Convention. She could easily do this sort of fake-spontaneity thing on Fox TV, where the show's 50% practiced / scripted and the other 50% is edited into pitch perfect polish sheen. She has great TV looks. The hottie librarian thing to boot. Work on the wink a bit. Rupert or the Clear Channel secret owners (literally, it's a PRIVATE equity group) have probably got something cooking.

Posted by winyahn at 07/06/2009 @ 7:43pm
It is, or should be, clear by now to anyone with at least an upper two digit IQ (left or right), that all Palin has to offer is limited to rhetoric and presence on stage.

The question that remains is how can this be best utilized for herself and/or the GOP.

Posted by Blasthoff at 07/07/2009 @ 06:04am