Palin steps down

billandamy

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:lol: SO how many water carriers still trust Palin would have been such a good VP? She cant even handle the pressure of being the Alaskan governor :huh: Toe the line...

Too funny...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31726640?GT1=43001

WASILLA, Alaska - Sarah Palin made a surprise announcement Friday that she will resign as governor of Alaska in a few weeks, saying she will try to "effect positive change" from outside government.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate hastily called a news conference Friday morning at her home in suburban Wasilla, giving such short notice that only a few reporters actually made it to the announcement.

She said the decision has been "in the works" for a while and comes after "prayer and consideration" and discussions with her family.


She is handing the reins over to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who will be sworn in at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks on July 26. Parnell and most of Palin's cabinet and Palin's family were at the announcement.

Palin was vague about why exactly she is stepping down rather than finish out her first term, which ends in 2010.

"We know we can effect positive change outside government at this point in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities," she said. She added that she was tired of what she described as "superficial, wasteful, political bloodsport."

Some have speculated in the past that Palin may be interested in a run for president in 2012, but she did not mention running for another office at her press conference. Sources told NBC's Andrea Mitchell that it appears Palin is out of politics for good.

No 'lame duck'
"I know when it’s time to pass the ball for victory," Palin said, adding that she didn't want to be a "lame duck" politician.

“Many just accept that 'lame duck' status and they hit the road. They draw a paycheck and they kind of milk it. I’m not going to put Alaskans through that. I promised efficiencies and effectiveness," she said.

Later, on the micro-blogging service Twitter, she promised supporters more details: "We'll soon attach info on decision to not seek re-election ... this is in Alaska's best interest, my family's happy ... it is good. Stay tuned."

Palin's decision even took Parnell by surprise. He said he was told on Wednesday evening, and was not aware that any presidential ambitions were behind the move.

Political analyst Larry Sabato, in Charlottesville, Va., said Palin's announcement left many wondering what her plans were.

"It's absolutely bizarre, and I think it eliminates her from serious consideration for the presidency in 2012," he said.

The Alaska Republican Party said it was grateful for Palin's leadership and excited about Parnell taking over.

"Gov. Palin's decision not to run for re-election means there will be a vigorous race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2010. Alaska has an impressive cadre of conservative candidates we are confident will vie for the office of governor and the party stands ready to fully support which ever conservative candidate our members choose to represent them in the general election," the party said in a statement.

State Democrats ridiculed Palin's timing.

"Sarah Palin's decision to step down as governor is a shock to Alaskans, coming at a time when leadership is needed secure a gas pipeline and address rising unemployment," said Patti Higgins, chair of the Alaska Democratic Party. "Palin's lack of commitment to her sworn obligation to serve her term to the best of her ability is a betrayal to all Alaskans."

Palin was elected Alaska's youngest and first woman governor in 2006 at age 42. She emerged from relative obscurity nearly a year ago when she was tapped as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate.

She was only the second woman to appear on a major party presidential ticket — Democrat Geraldine Ferraro was the first when she ran unsuccessfully for vice president with Walter Mondale in 1984.

'You bectha!'
Palin made headlines from the start of the campaign, with comedian Tina Fey famously imitating her elaborate hairstyle and folksy "You betcha!" on "Saturday Night Live."

Most recently, she was involved in 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's family and the ridicule they endure being in the public eye was apparently part of her decision to step down as governor. She 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.

Palin campaigned on ethics reform in the 2006 election, defeating incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary and a former two-term Democratic governor, Tony Knowles, in the general election.

She enjoyed an extended honeymoon with lawmakers and voters alike. Her popularity was in the 80 percentile range, even though that fell after the bruising, partisan presidential campaign.

GOP woes
Jerry McBeath, a veteran political science professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, called Palin's pending resignation a "smart move," both for her and the state.

"Alaska is an isolated stage from which to operate if you want to figure in American national politics. I don't know what she has in mind, some TV show or some national radio show. There are opportunities for her, I'm sure."

Story continues below ↓
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Palin's delivery of two weeks' notice rattles a Republican Party plagued with setbacks in recent weeks, including extramarital affairs disclosed by two other 2012 presidential prospects, Nevada Sen. John Ensign and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.

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.

Sanford admitted he also saw the mistress during a state-funded trip to Argentina last year. He promised to reimburse the state for part of the trip's costs. The state Commerce Department said the trip itinerary originally included only Brazil, but the governor requested economic development meetings in Argentina.

The GOP troubles seem to have left two prominent 2012 prospects, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 2008 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, unscathed, however.

© 2009 msnbc.com
 
Still has my vote and check. Would prefer her to anyone currently posturing...and its not like she could have done a lot worse that what we got.
 
Still has my vote and check. Would prefer her to anyone currently posturing...and its not like she could have done a lot worse that what we got.

:lol: o-tay.
 
Guess she's not tough enough to deal with personality politics. Oh well.
 
Don't see anything in her announcement that denotes that she felt like she couldn't handle the stress. Looks like she is possibly clearing the decks to spend full time on the national stage campaigning for the next presidency. Seems like she inferred that in her her statement. Operating remotely from Alaska since the November election has proven to be problematic for her to advance her platform across the country. And Alaska can do no more for her now - actually continued news items at the state political level may work against her. Might be a better strategy to step out of the muck and let her foes in the state turn to other issues. I find this very interesting - the Republican party needs some new plays in the playbook as it is starting from way back at its own goal line. Who knows, she may take this one for a long gain down the field. Time will tell if her strategy plays out - but I don't think her ultimate label will be "quitter" as some will predictably proclaim at this juncture.
 
My opinion is she cannot be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. She would have no chance. Her negative effect on McCain's campaign was significant. I believe that the chatter about her running in 2012 is mostly driven by the media that would love to see her run because she makes great copy, and because she would lose.
 
:lol: SO how many water carriers still trust Palin would have been such a good VP? She cant even handle the pressure of being the Alaskan governor :huh: Toe the line...

Don't count her out. I did not notice a teleprompter when shen was speaking. The words she spoke yesterday were her words not those written by somone else and read well by a certain president we know. The Dems are afraid of her, that is why they make fun of her and attempted to bankrupt her through the court system. She did aThey will not be able to sue her for deriliction of duty when she leaves the state. It was funny Obama could take 2.5 years off from Congress and no one sued him- a bad presitent has been started. She did a smart thing, now they will have to work harder to find something to sue her over. It is a sad state of affairs in this country when candidates areare selected by the court system.

Don;t forget the court sysytem will prove we have the best government money can buy. And remember someone is using your money to buy that government.
 
Sorry, the DEMS welcome her. The REBPUS are scared of her. She's not even a FULL term Gov now. Great resume shes got eh? Cant wait untill 2012
 
Sorry, the DEMS welcome her. The REBPUS are scared of her. She's not even a FULL term Gov now. Great resume shes got eh? Cant wait untill 2012

I think it's Bush's fault. It also his fault your Maptech radar array doesn't work with a Raymarine chartplotter.
 
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You can knock Obama on the experience front, and the fact that he only used his US senate seat as a campaign platform for his Presidential bid. But Palin quitting a governer's position this far out from the 2012 Presidential primaries makes no logical sense. Saying that being in Alaska was hampering her campaign is essentially saying that her position as a state governer had no bearing on her campaign.

Reading the various websites, there are rumours that there is some significant scandal about to break.

- - - - -

Well, hopefully the Republicans can stop focusing on this person and a real conservative leader can emerge.
 
Looks like she's getting ready to get to work preparing fro something.

I like a candidate that scares the opposition into a frenzy the way that she does. When the personal attacks fly with the ferver and frequency of the ones that we see aimed at her you can tell that the opposition is quickly running out of ammo.

Mccain lost his own campaign (before it even started) and he pulled Palin in too late to salvage it. He had no chance.

This is going to get good...
 
“Latest rumor in the entertainment industry is that Sarah Palin may be getting her own TV show. Experts say it will be perfect for TV viewers who find Paula Abdul too coherent.” – Conan O’Brien
 
The water carriers will defend this dolt until the end. Ill reserve judgement on Obama until after 4 years since he has a lot on his plate, but it is blatantly obvious this woman is not a serious candidate for any kind of position of power.

Ill put here in writing that in a year from now, she will be a talk show host or something else similar to that.
 
I am not sure why you are waiting 4 years to judge the current president. Our budget deficit just broke a trillion dollars. That is enough to judge for me!
 
I am not sure why you are waiting 4 years to judge the current president. Our budget deficit just broke a trillion dollars. That is enough to judge for me!

Yes, and there was NEVER a huge deficit before Obama. :huh:

Its funny, we have had 8 yrs of Bush, and 6 months of Obama. Yet, it is all Obama's fault. Im no Obama supporter, but really, this was a long time in the making. Im not even saying it is Bush's fault, although for 8 years he could have done something tangible.

I blame the ENTIRE government, from top to bottom, every political party, and our idiotic citizens who loved to spend more than they earned or had available to them.

This is NOT the fault of any one person, nor can it possibly be fixed by just one person. It is a national problem for every politician AND citizen to fix.

Anything other than that is political rhetoric that continues to divide and hurt our economy and way of life.
 

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