Congratulations, you just rolled a zero

[sigma7]

Sarah Palin out as governor? I admit I hadn't paid the closest attention to politics in the last week, but...huh?

Unrelated (I think), via midnightvoyager, epic paladin is epic.

Comments

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

*blink* *blink* Assuming this isn't a hoax (which I'm going to be checking up on very shortly), how is it you heard this before me?

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Hm, interesting. The article says she's stepping down, but the video just says she's not running again. Big difference there.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

...I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Republicans suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced....

...Nah, I'm just obsessive-compulsive re: the news some days. But remind me to tell you the Columbine story some day.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

ADN's reporting it too. Hm. Wonder if they're just nabbing it off MSNBC or if they were actually present...hopefully the latter.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

I was getting both for a while, too, and yeah, that's a huge difference, but what I'm seeing now seems to be splitting 70-30 for "resigning" and not "not running again." Not an insignificant difference.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

And we can't rule out either, given the corners that the MSM has cut lately.

I'm still not seeing a consensus, though. Odd.

And maybe this is just the view from the middle of the contiguous 48, but I hadn't noticed any profound difficulties she'd faced back home recently (aside from the Letterman sound and fury). Is this just setting up shop for '12, or is there something else at play here?

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's kind of the question. I mean, if she were setting up shop for '12, just not running again would likely be enough. So why quit? Some of my friends are saying they think she's had a change of heart and is trying to patch things up with her family, but everything I've seen from her makes me think she wouldn't do that unless there were some political gain to be had. Maybe it's unfair of me...

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Oh, and for the record, my future mother-in-law just called to ask if we'd heard anything in the rumor mill. She figures there's some big scandal about to break that Palin's not going to be able to keep a lid on this time. We'll see...

[blemt.livejournal.com]

She's got a ton of money to be made in book deals and speaking right now. If she's positioning for 2012, that money is going to be vital. It's also money that would cause potential conflict issues depending on how Alaska deals with fundraising.

So calculated move to position for a future run.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Considering the level of scrutiny and derision she and her family have been subjected to, I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, I know every step she makes now is taken with one eye toward 2012 and the field has already started jockeying for position, but I don't think that was the sole (or probably even primary) reason here.

Then again, maybe I'm being too nice.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Hrm. Curiouser and curiouser.

That said, the inevitable GOP governors' support group should fill up without any worries.

(And I'm hearing the same thing, now, that there's something bubbling up soon. I have no idea what it is or where it's coming from, but it's definitely intriguing. I like being surprised.)

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Hee. I wouldn't give too much credence to the rumours - given the endless drama-queen trainwreck that she's maintained for the past year-plus, it's inevitable that rumors would start to percolate. For the same reason, however, I won't be *too* surprised if something comes to light. Her comments about politics having become a wasteful blood sport could well be hinting that she'd like to be left alone, but that could just as easily come from her and her family having been the subject of intense scrutiny for the last while - that'll wear on anyone, eventually.

[vulpisfoxfire.livejournal.com]

I don't care at all about Miss 'I can see Russia from here!'.

But the Paladin...wow, that's just beautiful--Epic Fail rolling all the way through the other side to be the most Epic of Win.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that's the best move for her to take for a 2012 run, though -- a 30-month term? If she runs, I don't think she makes it into 2012 as a candidate -- I think the Republicans take her out of the running handily. (Granted, at the moment there are few legitimate candidates for the Republican nomination, but there'll be plenty of opportunities for personalities to make themselves known between now and then -- I just think bailing now puts Palin at a distinct disadvantage against GOP brethren.)

There are three other possibilities I see at work here: money, escape and 2016. I wouldn't be surprised if a certain media network made her a very lucrative offer that would allow her to increase her national visibility, and maybe she thinks 2012 is still viable -- I think it was until this afternoon, but it wouldn't be the first time we disagreed. Maybe a senate bid is in her future. But secondly, as roseneko pointed out (and which I'm hearing rumblings of as well), it could be a defensive move, as there may be something behind the curtain we're not privy to yet. Possible, but the least likely of the three. I would put the most faith in 2016 -- she's young, and she's not going off the political stage any time soon. Seven years is plenty of time to reinvent herself, not necessarily as an Alaskan governor, but within a greater framework of American conservative politics. It's a long game and politics can be an impatient sport, but even if she's not shrewd enough to take the deep view (I'm not saying she's not, necessarily), certainly someone in her inner circle is.

Or it could be some unholy combination of factors here. I dunno. It's a move that doesn't make a lot of short-term sense, and that just...fascinates me.

[blemt.livejournal.com]

I preface by saying I shall not be voting Sarah Palin in 2012. :) Just to get that out of the way.

I think right now she's non-viable if she stays in Alaska. The state is simply too remote to create a real base for future movement. The thing I'm looking at- recent international trips to Iraq. My gut says she's trying to adjust and position. There may be new scandal. Not being governor allows her to dodge more effectively. She's out on her terms.

Conventional politics are not going to get the Republican Party back into power. The party is a mess right now with no clear leadership. The people who can dodge the scandal and refocus the radical base have the current edge.

What will be interesting is if the moderates like Powell, McCain, etc can pull the party towards the center. That's when things get dangerous for the Democrats. Obama isn't making fans out of moderates like me. There's still a strong moderate core in America that straddles the Dem/Repub line. *shrug* It's gonna be interesting. :)

[teal-cuttlefish.livejournal.com]

I live in Denver, so I'd be very interested in that story myself.

[kansel01.livejournal.com]

the paladin link is rolling a 404 now. stupid 4chan

[vulpisfoxfire.livejournal.com]

*checks* Crap, it is. I knew I should have saved the image itself it rather than just bookmarking it. Did anyone grab a copy?

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Yup -- 4chan links 404 faster than any other place on the Internet, so I made sure there was a copy for posterity -- just reposted.

[samson-of-5.livejournal.com]

I sure as heck aint voting for someone who is so eager to give up a position of leadership given to her as a trust just for the bigger prize. Either this woman has slipped off the deep end, which wouldnt surprise me, or she really is quitting for family, and the GOP and press is blowing smoke out of its butt saying she's prime for 2012. Which wouldnt surprise me either, except it wouldnt be smoke they'd be blowing...
It's like watching ostriches sticking their head in the sand. Or lemmings off a cliff.