# Palin Resigns as Gov? WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 3, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843 "2009-07-03T19:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/121 "2009-07-04T02:26:16Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > I was being sarcastic. You don’t say! :eek: Still, a purge of insufficiently pure members like Specter and Crist could help the rest of us Americans see what the party stands for more clearly. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Shot\_Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_Clock)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/122 "2009-07-04T02:28:40Z")
Not being a fan of Palin’s, I will say that I sincerely hope there is no major family crisis involved here, especially with one of her kids. If this is the case, and she gets the hell out of the spotlight (save for the occassional speaking engagments before groups already in agreement with her brand of bullshit, which I can live with- hey, she’s gotta eat!), I say leave her the hell alone. But if there is some kind of major financial or ethics scandal, you can bet your bottom dollar that cheapjack, jive-ass, hustler husband of hers has something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/123 "2009-07-04T02:31:17Z")
[CNN is reporting](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/03/palin-aide-%E2%80%98people-are-focused-on-bringing-her-down%E2%80%99/#more-59005)that the swirl of ethics complaints against her has expedited the resignation. Sounds like Steele still wants her to be a big part of the mouthpiece of the Republican party. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/124 "2009-07-04T02:33:03Z")
Just weatched her speech on CNN. It was, well, bad. She rambled andv rushed through it, and it didn’t actually make a lot of sense. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop on this one ---
**Author:** ![mike\_ahndembroak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mike\_ahndembroak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike_ahndembroak)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/125 "2009-07-04T02:34:28Z")
Maybe there’s a Palin/Joe the Plumber sex tape. Good evening ms. Palin just here to snake your pipes ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/126 "2009-07-04T02:34:57Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > I was being sarcastic. We saw what conservatism did when it reigned unchecked for six years, and barely checked for two more. The results weren’t good. People don’t want that. Bush is probably the least conservative republican to ever hold office, and you probably can’t remember Reagan given I barely can. There hasn’t been much seeing what real conservatism is like, unchecked or otherwise, in a good long time. Not within our conscious memory, for certain. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/127 "2009-07-04T02:37:08Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > I was being sarcastic. We saw what conservatism did when it reigned unchecked for six years, and barely checked for two more. The results weren’t good. People don’t want that. Yeah, becauseborrowing more money than the entire country has borrowed in the entirety of its existance is a hallmark of true conservatism. The Republican party leadership is largely corrupt and evil - that’s not inherently proof that conservatism failed. Of course, “conservatism” is a nebulous concept. Is the idea that the government shouldn’t be responsible for spending a large percentage of GDP the same as believing that Christianity should be the state religion? The poster you’re responding to is saying that Republicans should start sticking to conservative fiscal issues and fiscal responsibility and not push the social agenda so hard - the exact opposite of what the Republicans have done recently. Your criticisms of his statements are misguided. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/128 "2009-07-04T02:43:19Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Bush is probably the least conservative republican to ever hold office, and you probably can’t remember Reagan given I barely can. There hasn’t been much seeing what real conservatism is like, unchecked or otherwise, in a good long time. Not within our conscious memory, for certain. Yes, if only a True Scotsman had been President things would be different ! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/129 "2009-07-04T02:43:57Z")
Mentioned in the [Mudflats comment section](http://www.themudflats.net/2009/07/03/palin-resigns/?cp=2#comments).Comment #66 > [@](#): > > The timing. Hmmm. She says this was planned and discussed. > Todd flew back from Bristol Bay fishing LAST NIGHT. The peak of the season is July 4, with the volume of the run of salmon for the entire season, the first week of July. It’s over by July 15. > So he flew back last night, during a fishing period, an extension today and probably more fishing time expected tomorrow. Numbers show a push of fish, clearly fish are moving. If the decision was made several days ago, why would Todd have to abandon a very short fishing season to fly back? This ahs to be a major hit to their income. Also, the media was notified at the last minute and several were turned away. Seems very last minute to me. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/130 "2009-07-04T02:47:03Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Bush is probably the least conservative republican to ever hold office, and you probably can’t remember Reagan given I barely can. There hasn’t been much seeing what real conservatism is like, unchecked or otherwise, in a good long time. Not within our conscious memory, for certain. What makes you think I was talking about Reagan? And conservatives certainly seemed to love George W. Bush during the first six years of his presidency. Then there was a slow leak of people who realized he was doing a shitty job, and now miraculously all these conservatives are trumpeting how Bush wasn’t one of them. Nice try. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/131 "2009-07-04T02:47:31Z")
I will tell you what conservatism is: The same people who voted for Bush now disown his legacy because it is a failure and, as they say, everybody claims to be the father of success but failure is an orphan. Now, the same people who voted for Bush claim he was not a conservative. It may be true or not but it is meaningless. The fact is those who voted for him are responsible for the disaster. Call it whatever you want. At any rate, it is a pity about Palin because I was looking forward to more comedy when she tried running for president in 2012. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/132 "2009-07-04T02:59:02Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Yes, if only a True Scotsman had been President things would be different ! This isn’t a true scotsman fallacy. What’s the evidence that the Bush administration held economically conservative beliefs or attempted to enact economically conservative policy? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/133 "2009-07-04T03:00:10Z")
> [@elelle](#): > > Yep, and that’s the crux of this biscuit: that her need of getting out of the limelight, however couched in terms of for the Greater Good of Alaskaaaa, boils down to her abandoning the responsibility she took in attaining office. By abandoning that office, she costs the state more in reassigning power and function. I don’t see how that can possibly serve her in going for higher office, unless they really think people are stupid. Let me toss this idea into the conversation. Recent Repbulican history (and perhaps Democrats, too) is for candidates to be at their most popular when first elected, and for that popularity to erode as they spend time actually doing things in office. By quitting now, Palin has the next three years to run on pure rhetoric with no need for actual, measurable results. Barack Obama’s campaign was hailed for masterfully marshalling resources, and deploying them; fighting hardest where he could most effectively secure delegates toward the nomination. Palin may have her eye on a new type of campaign. > [@elelle](#): > > It can be played that when the going gets Tough, Sarah quits…how can she not see that, the one status card she has is as Governor. So, either a lot of swell money from somewhere with Grand Expectations, or,a whole lot of mess coming down soon. > [@Claire\_Beauchamp](#): > > [ul][li]The other thing that wouldn’t surprise me is if she does indeed plan to run for pres in '12 and wants to get started now. CW is that quitting your elected post little more than halfway through your term is a bad move if you’re planning on running for a higher office years later. I could believe that she doesn’t see that, and, again, thinks she’s being mavericky.[/li][/ul] Quitting may be against the conventional wisdom, but has it ever been tried? When people tout the benefits of “experience” it’s an abstract concept. But time in office means a real record that people can look back on. Rush LImbaugh has been behind a microphone for years because he doesn’t have to do anything. George W. Bush was forced to make real decisions, and look where it got him. Palin’s rhetoric is so inflated and abstract that maybe she realized that she can’t possibly live up to it during her remaining term. She may think she has a better shot to resign and spin it (too many possibilities to list) than to be seen as a mere mortal governor of Alaska. A dyed-in-the-wool Republican would probably find confirmation of this in Obama’s election; he can’t be popular because of his record, it must be in spite of it. The only question is, would Palin believe this about herself? The various profiles make it sound as though she has a very high opinion of her abilities. Would she believe that her actual performance in office would inevitably be a letdown? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/134 "2009-07-04T03:01:26Z")
I’m just baffled that she would resign. I can understand not running for reelection, as she clearly wants to clear the decks for a White House run in 2012, but she hasn’t even served a single full term as governor. The only possible advantage to resigning that I can see (and it’s a weak one) is that, if she’s turning her attention fully to the presidential campaign (too damned early IMHO), she can’t be accused of neglecting the state’s business. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/135 "2009-07-04T03:03:51Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > This isn’t a true scotsman fallacy. What’s the evidence that the Bush administration held economically conservative beliefs or attempted to enact economically conservative policy? Conservatism is the system of beliefs held by conservatives, not what you personally define to be conservative. **Captain Carrot** said it well : > [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > And conservatives certainly seemed to love George W. Bush during the first six years of his presidency. Then there was a slow leak of people who realized he was doing a shitty job, and now miraculously all these conservatives are trumpeting how Bush wasn’t one of them. Nice try. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/136 "2009-07-04T03:04:32Z")
OK, so the Republicans are completely floored by the Sanford thing, and along comes . . . whatever Palin is about to face. It really doesn’t have to be that big for them to panic and try to get it quashed, or at least reduced in the public eye. They can’t take any more black eyes, especially from the person they tried to send to DC. She goes on and on in her speech about getting outside the politics as usual and fighting for Alaska from the outside. This is the only time in her speech that she shows some form of self-respect. The rest is decidedly shamed and terrified. Someone said “frantic” above and I agree, she’s desperate. My bet is, she called the GOP leadership to say she’d need support and possibly legal aid on an upcoming issue. (Doesn’t matter what.) She was floored to find out that they wanted her to play dead. Someone offered her a lucrative lobbyist job if she would resign before the scandal hit. I further predict that said job will last no more than a year, and they will drop her like a hot potato after that. She’ll prove “ineffectual” in her new position and be quietly fired. We won’t hear any more from her on the political front. There is absolutely no chance at all of her running in 2012. Actually, an infinitisimal chance that, like McCain, she’ll be the only person willing to take the position since the it’ll be impossible for a Republican to win. I also predict that the Palin clan will be living in a trailer and sharing shifts at the Dairy Queen by 2015. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/137 "2009-07-04T03:11:28Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Conservatism is the system of beliefs held by conservatives, not what you personally define to be conservative. **Captain Carrot** said it well : If certain southern democrats came to power and started enacting some racist legislation, then clearly since democrat=liberal=progressive, racism would be a progressive policy! And if you tried to deny it, you’d clearly be using no true scotsman. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/138 "2009-07-04T03:14:13Z")
Say, Sarah Palin isn’t originally from Argentina, is she? (Did the words “soul mate” come up during her speech?) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/139 "2009-07-04T03:19:15Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > If certain southern democrats came to power and started enacting some racist legislation, then clearly since democrat=liberal=progressive, racism would be a progressive policy! And if you tried to deny it, you’d clearly be using no true scotsman. Oh, please. Some racist southern Democrat represents an aberration; Bush and his cronies represent the Republican norm. That’s why he had so much support for so long; your hypothetical racist Democratic President would be under siege by his own party, not considered a God-sent champion like Bush was. Bush and friends represent the true face of modern American conservatism; bigotry, arrogance, corruption, incompetence, ignorance, religious fanaticism, militarism and all it’s other vices. You don’t like it, try to change it; don’t pretend he didn’t represent the very people who loved him so much. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843/140 "2009-07-04T03:21:27Z")
Fox loves her. She can stay there and spurt propaganda until she gets old and ugly. Unless she gets in deep legal trouble. Walking away during her term is absolutely wrong. Very few thought she was qualified for VP. How does quitting during her term qualify her for an even bigger position? It was a stupid idea. She can give speeches to republican stink tanks and make a bunch of money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-resigns-as-gov-wtf/501843.md?page=8)