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Dox47
Phoenix
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Joined: Jan 29, 2008
Age: 27
Posts: 1246
Location: Seattle Area
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 Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:03 am Post subject: Palin resigns as governor |
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The Associated Press writes:
| Quote: | WASILLA, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled the Republican party but left open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012.
Palin, 45, and her staff kept her future plans shrouded in mystery, and it was unclear if the controversial hockey mom would quietly return to private life or begin laying the foundation for a presidential bid.
Palin's spokesman, David Murrow, said the governor didn't say anything to him about this being her "political finale." He said he interpreted Palin's comment about working outside government as reflecting her current job only.
"She's looking forward to serving the public outside the governor's chair," he said.
And Pam Pryor, a spokeswoman for Palin's political action committee SarahPAC, said the group continues to accept donations on its Web site, with an uptick in funds after Palin's announcement.
The announcement caught even current and former Palin advisers by surprise. Former members of the John McCain campaign team, now dispersed across the country, traded perplexed e-mails and phone calls.
But personal pressures have been mounting — scrutiny on her family, legal bills, ethics investigations and a running, public fued with McCain's camp that has flared up again.
In a hastily arranged news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, Palin said she will formally step down July 26, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks. She said she had decided against running for re-election as Alaska's governor, and believed it was best to leave office even though she had well over a year left to her term.
"Many just accept that lame duck status, and they hit that road. They draw a paycheck. They kind of milk it. And I'm not going to put Alaskans through that," she said.
The 2008 vice presidential nominee was seen as a likely presidential contender in 2012 and had proved formidable among the party's base. But the last week brought a highly critical piece in Vanity Fair magazine, with unnamed campaign aides questioning if Palin was ever really prepared for the presidency. The backbiting continued with follow-up articles recounting the nasty infighting that plagued her failed bid. Her advisers sniped with other Republicans, underscoring the deeply divided GOP looking for its next standard bearer.
Meghan Stapleton, Palin's personal spokeswoman, shot down speculation that ranged wildly from Palin dropping out of politics altogether to eyeing runs against fellow Alaska Republicans U.S. Rep. Don Young and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Palin's comment about serving outside government refers to the present, she said.
Stapleton, however, said it's too early to say whether Palin would seek the presidency. In the meantime, the governor will continue to work "toward affecting positive change as a citizen without a title right now," she said.
"Her vision is what's best for Alaska, which translates into what's best for America," Stapleton said.
Palin's resignation, timed on the eve of the July 4 holiday when many Americans had already begun a three-day weekend, seemed designed to avoid publicity. She alluded to how she could help change the country and help military members — code that she didn't think her time on the national stage was over.
One senior Palin adviser, who spoke to the family in recent days, described the governor and her husband as tired of the constant media scrutiny. Nevertheless, the adviser was shocked to hear Palin's announcement Friday.
A longtime confidant who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, the adviser counseled the Palins that leaving government was politically unwise, but the governor was resolute.
Though the announcement touched off a flurry of speculation among Democrats and Alaska political bloggers that Palin had been drawn into one of the many criminal investigations that have upended Alaska politics in recent years, the adviser reported seeing no evidence of such an investigation and said if one is under way, then Palin has kept it to herself and it would be yet another surprise to supporters.
Jerry McBeath, a veteran political science professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, called the pending resignation a "smart move," both for Palin and the state.
But political analyst Larry Sabato, in Charlottesville, Va., said Palin's announcement left many confused. "I think it eliminates her from serious consideration for the presidency in 2012."
Palin said her family weighed heavily in her decision.
"I polled the most important people in my life, my kids, where the count was unanimous," she said. "Well, in response to asking, 'Hey, you want me to make a positive difference and fight for all our children's future from outside the governor's office?' It was four yeses and one 'Hell, yeah!" And the 'Hell, yeah' sealed it."
Palin's decision not to seek re-election was a familiar one for a potential presidential candidate. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney chose not to seek another term as he geared up for an unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has announced he won't seek another term, giving him plenty of free time ahead of a potential 2012 bid.
Palin emerged from relative obscurity nearly a year ago when she was tapped as then Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate.
She was a controversial figure from the start, with comedian Tina Fey famously imitating her elaborate updo and folksy "You betcha!" on "Saturday Night Live."
In the presidential race, Palin became the butt of talk-show jokes and Democratic criticism after news broke that the Republican Party had spent $150,000 or more on a designer wardrobe, accessories and hair and makeup services for her. The high-end spending spree contrasted with the down-to-earth image she sought to craft for herself and became an unwelcome issue for the McCain campaign.
She didn't leave the limelight once McCain lost the presidency. She recently led a public spat with "Late Show" host David Letterman over a joke he made about one of her daughters being "knocked up" by New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez during the governor's recent visit to New York. Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, is an unwed, teenage mother. Letterman later apologized for the joke.
Palin also complained that her 14-month-old son, Trig, who was diagnosed with Down's syndrome, had been "mocked and ridiculed by some mean-spirited adults recently." She didn't elaborate.
Fred Malek, a Republican strategist who has advised Palin over the past year, said Palin was "really unhappy with the way her life was going."
"She felt that the pressures of the job combined with her family obligations and the demands and desires to help other Republican candidates led her to decide not to run again. Once that decision was made, she realized, why not do it now and let the lieutenant governor take over and get a head start on his election," Malek said.
Palin's move also prompted speculation among bloggers and critics that the governor was facing a looming political crisis or embarrassment.
"There's got to be something below the surface that's about ready to come to the surface that quite potentially she just didn't want to deal with as governor," said Andrew Halcro, a Palin critic who lost the 2006 gubernatorial race to her.
Stapleton, Palin's spokeswoman, dismissed the rumors of damaging news on the horizon.
"No truth whatsoever. Period," she wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Just more nonsense from the same people who choose to waste state resources."
Palin has become a polarizing figure in Alaska since the national campaign, leading to multiple ethics complaints to be filed against her with the state personnel board. The complaints have ranged from accusing her of wearing the logo of her husband's sponsor at snowmobile races to illegally gaining from office with the creation of a legal defense fund.
All but two of the 15 complaints have been dismissed with no findings of wrongdoing, although one complaint led to Palin's agreement to reimburse the state about $8,100 for costs associated with trips taken with her children. The state says it has spent nearly $300,000 to investigate the complaints, and Palin says she has racked up more than $500,000 in legal fees fighting them.
Palin was first elected in 2006 on a populist platform. But her popularity has waned as she became embroiled in partisan politics following her return from the presidential campaign. Her term would have ended in 2010.
Palin expressed frustration with her current role as governor.
"I cannot stand here as your governor and allow the millions of dollars and all that time go to waste just so I can hold the title of governor," Palin said, referring to the alleged impact of multiple ethics complaints against her, most of which have been dismissed.
Palin remaining as governor is not good for Alaska, given the "political bloodsport" by her critics, Stapleton said. Stepping down is a "fighter's move," Stapleton said, essentially Palin stepping around political barriers in her way and pursuing her vision.
Palin's announcement comes after several recent blows to the Republican party. Ensign, a member of the Christian ministry Promise Keepers, stepped down from the Senate Republican leadership last month after admitting he had an affair for much of last year with a woman on his campaign staff who was married to one of his Senate aides. Ensign later disclosed he had helped the woman's husband get two jobs during the affair.
A government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, wants the Senate ethics committee and the Federal Election Commission to investigate.
Just days after news of Ensign's affair broke, Sanford admitted an affair with a woman in Argentina. Some lawmakers are now calling for his resignation. Before the admission, Sanford had been missing from the state for five days visiting his lover. He had slipped his security detail, lied to his staff about where he was and failed to transfer power to the lieutenant governor in case of a state emergency.
The party's troubles seem to have left two prominent 2012 prospects, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 2008 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, unscathed, however.
Palin has the potential to make far more money in the private sector than the $125,000 or so she has been making as governor.
Palin already had a deal with publisher HarperCollins to produce her memoirs, with publication planned for next spring. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Six-figure book deals are common for high-profile political figures.
___
Associated Press writers Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Beth Fouhy in New York and Sandy Kozel, Matt Apuzzo and Sharon Theimer in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report. |
WTF! I just can't figure Palin out, this makes even less sense than everything else she's done up to today... |
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Musashi
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Jul 02, 2009
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:38 am Post subject: |
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Getting ready for a 2012 grab for the White House.
YOU BETCHA!!
Kind of scary don't you think?
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"Truth is one, paths are many" |
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atari2600a
Deinonychus
Joined: Apr 26, 2008
Age: 18
Posts: 383
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:55 am Post subject: |
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| Did she put the Alaska governorship on eBaY? |
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Musashi
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Jul 02, 2009
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 4:41 am Post subject: |
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Well, this is interesting.
| Quote: | Did an embezzlement scandal force Sarah Palin to resign?
Max Blumental reports on The Daily Beast that Sarah Palin may have quit her job today because she was trying to avert a major, yet-to-be-disclosed corruption scandal. The gist of the rumor is that an Alaska building company called Spenard Building Supplies (SBS) was awarded a contract by Palin to build a hockey arena in Wasilla, AK, and in return, SBS helped construct Palin’s home:
Many political observers in Alaska are fixated on rumors that federal investigators have been seizing paperwork from SBS in recent months, searching for evidence that Palin and her husband Todd steered lucrative contracts to the well-connected company in exchange for gifts like the construction of their home on pristine Lake Lucille in 2002. The home was built just two months before Palin began campaigning for governor, a job which would have provided her enhanced power to grant building contracts in the wide open state.
SBS has close ties to the Palins. The company has not only sponsored Todd Palin’s snowmobile team, according to the Village Voice’s Wayne Barrett, it hired Sarah Palin to do a statewide television commercial in 2004.
Though Todd Palin told Fox News he built his Lake Lucille home with the help of a few “buddies,” according to Barrett’s report, public records revealed that SBS supplied the materials for the house. While serving as mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin blocked an initiative that would have required the public filing of building permits—thus momentarily preventing the revelation of such suspicious information.
Just months before Palin left city hall to campaign for governor, she awarded a contract to SBS to help build the $13 million Wasilla Sports Complex. The most expensive building project in Wasilla history, the complex cost the city an addition $1.3 million in legal fees and threw it into severe long-term debt. For SBS, however, the bloated and bungled project was a cash cow.
Alaska bloggers have reported in recent weeks that “a long simmering embezzelment/IRS scandal is still being looked at by the feds.” In her press conference today, Palin asked the public to “trust me with this decision and know that it is no more politics as usual.” But she also bemoaned “political operatives” who have “descended on Alaska” to investigate “all sorts of frivolous ethics violations.” Palin said this “politics of personal destruction” was one of the key motivating factors behind her decision today.
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androol
Snowy Owl
Joined: Apr 25, 2009
Age: 23
Posts: 141
Location: Vancouver, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 5:25 am Post subject: |
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I think to prepare for another presidential election, she needs to take some very drastic actions in the next couple of years.
I'm sure she will appear more frequently in front of the media attempting to change her image from a clown to a real politician. But I still doubt she will get rid of her public clown image.
Last edited by androol on Sat Jul 04, 2009 7:33 am; edited 1 time in total |
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DemonAbyss10
Snowy Owl
Joined: Aug 24, 2007
Age: 21
Posts: 141
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 7:06 am Post subject: |
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she more or less reminds me of... oh whats the term.... not clown... more like....
anal dwelling butt monkey
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Is the self-proclaimed metalhead king. |
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Musashi
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Jul 02, 2009
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:05 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | she more or less reminds me of... oh whats the term.... not clown... more like....
anal dwelling butt monkey
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Let's not insult the butt monkeys. 
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"Truth is one, paths are many" |
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richie
Ye Olde Bookwyrme
Joined: Jan 10, 2007
Age: 51
Posts: 17784
Location: Lake Whoop-Dee-Doo, Pennsylvania
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Brusilov
Deinonychus
Joined: Mar 31, 2009
Age: 24
Posts: 330
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:42 am Post subject: |
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I wouldn't mind a Palin presidency, but unfortuantely she has ZERO chance of ever becoming president. She was a magnet for petty controversy as an obscure governor and was perceived by pretty much any moderate as a joke VP candidate. She was chosen as VP candidate as a desperate ploy to steal the female vote, but that backfired when it became clear how unsuitable she really was to be anything more than the governor of a small, backwater state. The problem was that she was/is just too much of a target for all sorts of trifling controversy, from her wardrobe account to her daughter's pregnancy and the like.
Sarah could run in 2012, but it would be one of the most lopsided electoral defeats in American History. In fact, whatever Republican runs has no chance aganst King Barry and will really just be a sacrificial lamb. Palin would be crushed worse than Alton B. Parker was crushed in 1904. I could still see the Republican party virtually conceding the 2012 election and throwing Palin up there, while holding their serious candidates back for 2016, when they might actually have a chance against Obama's heir apparent.
I would just love a Palin presidency, however. She is a wonderful lady. |
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phil777
Phoenix
Joined: May 21, 2008
Age: 23
Posts: 2207
Location: Montreal, Québec
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Didn't i hear that she wanted to "cure" autism too? <.< That was one of the things floating around her. |
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Michjo
Phoenix
Joined: Mar 05, 2009
Age: 25
Posts: 1020
Location: Oxford, UK
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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| I wouldn't be surprised if she is quitting to try and hide a dirty secret, politicians don't give up power for any other reason. |
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CRD
Phoenix
Joined: Jun 07, 2009
Age: 32
Posts: 615
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Wow I did not see this coming. I wonder what wil come out in the next few weeks I've got that whole 2nd shoe droping feeling |
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Brusilov
Deinonychus
Joined: Mar 31, 2009
Age: 24
Posts: 330
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | I wouldn't be surprised if she is quitting to try and hide a dirty secret, politicians don't give up power for any other reason. |
I still think it is a little early for her to be resigning to prepare for a presidential run. She seems to be kind of a magnet for small-scale dirt. |
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Obres
Deinonychus
Joined: Jul 14, 2007
Posts: 360
Location: NYC
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:34 am Post subject: |
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| Brusilov wrote: | I wouldn't mind a Palin presidency, but unfortuantely she has ZERO chance of ever becoming president. She was a magnet for petty controversy as an obscure governor and was perceived by pretty much any moderate as a joke VP candidate. She was chosen as VP candidate as a desperate ploy to steal the female vote, but that backfired when it became clear how unsuitable she really was to be anything more than the governor of a small, backwater state. The problem was that she was/is just too much of a target for all sorts of trifling controversy, from her wardrobe account to her daughter's pregnancy and the like.
Sarah could run in 2012, but it would be one of the most lopsided electoral defeats in American History. In fact, whatever Republican runs has no chance aganst King Barry and will really just be a sacrificial lamb. Palin would be crushed worse than Alton B. Parker was crushed in 1904. I could still see the Republican party virtually conceding the 2012 election and throwing Palin up there, while holding their serious candidates back for 2016, when they might actually have a chance against Obama's heir apparent.
I would just love a Palin presidency, however. She is a wonderful lady. |
You readily admit she's unqualified for "anything more than the governor of a small, backwater state" but you want her to be president? Am I missing something or did we learn nothing from Bush? |
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Tim_Tex
Bunnies!!!
Joined: Jul 03, 2004
Age: 29
Posts: 30820
Location: To Be Determined
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:48 am Post subject: |
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| Brusilov wrote: | I wouldn't mind a Palin presidency, but unfortuantely she has ZERO chance of ever becoming president. She was a magnet for petty controversy as an obscure governor and was perceived by pretty much any moderate as a joke VP candidate. She was chosen as VP candidate as a desperate ploy to steal the female vote, but that backfired when it became clear how unsuitable she really was to be anything more than the governor of a small, backwater state. The problem was that she was/is just too much of a target for all sorts of trifling controversy, from her wardrobe account to her daughter's pregnancy and the like.
Sarah could run in 2012, but it would be one of the most lopsided electoral defeats in American History. In fact, whatever Republican runs has no chance aganst King Barry and will really just be a sacrificial lamb. Palin would be crushed worse than Alton B. Parker was crushed in 1904. I could still see the Republican party virtually conceding the 2012 election and throwing Palin up there, while holding their serious candidates back for 2016, when they might actually have a chance against Obama's heir apparent.
I would just love a Palin presidency, however. She is a wonderful lady. |
We've had two presidents from Vermont, and a vice president from Wyoming. Both states are more backwater than Alaska.
And one of the Vermont presidents, Chester A. Arthur, may have actually been born in Canada. |
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