Well, we’ve had a day to digest the Sarah Palin resignation and her reasons why. Looking through the blogosphere it runs the gamet from her being run from office, to a impending scandal, to preparing for a 2012 run. Mark Steyn believes she was run from office:
So Occam’s Razor leaves us with: Who needs this?
In states far from the national spotlight, politics still attracts normal people. You’re a mayor or a state senator or even the governor, but you lead a normal life. The local media are tough on you, but they know you, they live where you live, they’re tough on the real you, not on some caricature cooked up by a malign alliance of late-night comics who’d never heard of you a week earlier and media grandees supposedly on your own side who pronounce you a “cancer”.
Then suddenly you get the call from Washington. You know it’ll mean Secret Service, and speechwriters, and minders vetting your wardrobe. But nobody said it would mean a mainstream network comedy host doing statutory rape gags about your 14-year old daughter. You’ve got a special-needs kid and a son in Iraq and a daughter who’s given you your first grandchild in less than ideal circumstances. That would be enough for most of us. But the special-needs kid and the daughter and most everyone else you love are a national joke, and the PC enforcers are entirely cool with it.
Most of those who sneer at Sarah Palin have no desire to live her life. But why not try to – what’s the word? – “empathize”? If you like Wasilla and hunting and snowmachining and moose stew and politics, is the last worth giving up everything else in the hopes that one day David Letterman and Maureen Dowd might decide Trig and Bristol and the rest are sufficiently non-risible to enable you to prosper in their world? And, putting aside the odds, would you really like to be the person you’d have to turn into under that scenario?
National office will dwindle down to the unhealthily singleminded (Clinton, Obama), the timeserving emirs of Incumbistan (Biden, McCain) and dynastic heirs (Bush). Our loss.
And his thoughts definitely have merit. But reading her speech yesterday leaves me with a different outlook. I do not have enough information to say that she is going for the 2012 election but I do believe, with what we know now, that she is resigning so she can bring about true change in this country. Read the rest of this entry »
“Todd to FNC: Sarah to concentrate on doing things for Alaska and the country she can’t do as governor.”
UPDATE
She brings up the slams against Trig as being a reason her kids wanted her to do something. “It’s been in the works for awhile.” Said that her trips to visit the troops was a factor.
Nice finish. “Don’t explain - your friends don’t need it, and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.”
Not sure I get it. She could be planning to spend 2010 campaigning for true conservatives for 2010, forcing the party back to its roots and then onto 2012. Or she could be tired of the lawsuits and crap she takes from the media and the left.
Not much to add to this audio of John Ziegler interviewing Mike Allen of Politico. He absolutely demolishes the man for calling Palin a “circus act” AND making unsubstantiated assertions.
David Letterman finally apologizes….albeit a crappy one that has this ridiculous line:
It’s not your fault that it was misunderstood, it’s my fault. That it was misunderstood.
Yup, big misunderstanding. As Jeri says in the below video, “honest officer, I didn’t know she wasn’t 18!”
Here is the whole thing:
All right, here - I’ve been thinking about this situation with Governor Palin and her family now for about a week - it was a week ago tonight, and maybe you know about it, maybe you don’t know about it. But there was a joke that I told, and I thought I was telling it about the older daughter being at Yankee Stadium. And it was kind of a coarse joke. There’s no getting around it, but I never thought it was anybody other than the older daughter, and before the show, I checked to make sure in fact that she is of legal age, 18. Yeah. But the joke really, in and of itself, can’t be defended. The next day, people are outraged. They’re angry at me because they said, ‘How could you make a lousy joke like that about the 14-year-old girl who was at the ball game?’ And I had, honestly, no idea that the 14-year-old girl, I had no idea that anybody was at the ball game except the Governor and I was told at the time she was there with Rudy Giuliani…And I really should have made the joke about Rudy…” (audience applauds) “But I didn’t, and now people are getting angry and they’re saying, ‘Well, how can you say something like that about a 14-year-old girl, and does that make you feel good to make those horrible jokes about a kid who’s completely innocent, minding her own business,’ and, turns out, she was at the ball game. I had no idea she was there. So she’s now at the ball game and people think that I made the joke about her. And, but still, I’m wondering, ‘Well, what can I do to help people understand that I would never make a joke like this?’ I’ve never made jokes like this as long as we’ve been on the air, 30 long years, and you can’t really be doing jokes like that. And I understand, of course, why people are upset. I would be upset myself. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m busy traveling but wanted to give a heads up to this terrific post by Ric Locke at Protein Wisdom on why the left are completely bats*** crazy angry over Sarah Palin:
Stereotype: Womyn® are good Progressive Democrats. Reality: Sarah Palin is a Republican.
Stereotype: Only Democrats give power to Womyn® Reality: Sarah Palin is not just a Governor, she’s Governor of a State where the Governor has real power.
Stereotype: All manly men are part of Teh Patriarchy, dedicated to preventing Womyn® from achievement and deeply resentful of anything resembling a subordinate position. Reality: Todd Palin is a manly man with a manly occupation; nevertheless he seems quite cheerful and accepting that his wife’s occupation is much higher on the social scale than his.
Stereotype: Good Progressive Womyn® are supposed to abort their babies to prevent career difficulties, especially if they might have medical problems. Reality: Sarah Palin has several (three?) children, the latest of which has Down’s Syndrome, and seems perfectly capable of handling her duties as Governor despite any child-care difficulties.
Stereotype:Patriarchal manly men don’t participate in child-rearing; they force the Womyn® in their lives to do it all, which is why Progressive Womyn® have to avoid childbearing if possible. Reality: Todd Palin apparently participates wholeheartedly in child-rearing. Read the rest of this entry »
To add to Aye’s post here is the video of Letterman’s “apology”
Yeah, he actually meant to “joke” about the 18 year old Bristol having sex with a baseball player rather then 14 year old Willow bring raped (statutory). Makes sense right? Seeing as how Bristol was NOT at the game he referenced but Willow was.
Give me a break.
His exact words:
One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game, during the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.
Nope, no confusing that one no matter how much he lies in an attempt to squirm out of this pickle. Read the rest of this entry »
To go along with the recent playboy article that Skye reported on which the writer wrote about the various conservative woman he would like to rape…Oh, I mean “hate f***”…comes David Letterman’s recent Top 10 list. He recounted “The Top Ten Highlights Of Sarah Palin’s Trip To New York” and placed this one as number 2:
2. Bought makeup from Bloomingdale’s to update her “slutty flight attendant” look
Gov. Sarah Palin recently visited Auburn, New York, to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alaska statehood. That city’s Founders Day event honored William Seward who played an important role in the purchase of Alaska while he served as secretary of state.
During her visit she visited different historical and not so historical sites and met the residents of Auburn: (h/t to Conservative 4 Palin)
Bistro One got a very last-minute reservation request Thursday. But this was one they wanted to make room for.
Former vice-presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin participated in a breakfast event Friday morning at the Auburn restaurant. The event, which was attended by area supporters, kicked off a day of activities for the Republican governor at various local businesses, parks and organizations.
Her tour of the area precedes today’s first-ever Founders Day, which celebrates local history. During the Auburn festival, Palin will take part in a parade, speak at the city hall and attend a fundraiser luncheon at the Seward House.
~~~
One of about 40 in attendance at the breakfast was state Assemblyman Gary Finch. Finch said Palin gave a nonpolitical talk, and she expressed gratitude to the local community for inviting her.
Finch said that Palin, who brought her husband, Todd, daughter, Willow, her sister and nephew along, made sure to speak individually with each person at the event.
“She certainly conveyed to everyone that she is very glad to be here,” said Finch, who will also participate in Saturday’s festivities.
How the “news” media would report the same facts of the Obama Administration if it was the Palin Administration.
The always brilliant Victor Davis Hanson scored again with his May 15th column at National Review online: President Palin’s First 100 Days. Here’s a teaser:
LET THEM EAT MOOSE“Ted Stevens may have gotten off,” wrote Bob Herbert in the New York Times, “but he taught our Sarah something first — like using $100-a-pound beef for her state dinners. And what’s this $50 mil for her inauguration gala? Since when do you fly in your favorite pizza-maker from across the country on our dime? Or send the presidential 747 for a spin over the Big Apple for a third-of-a-million-dollar joyride? Does Palin think she’s still in Alaska and has to have everything flown in from the South 48 by jumbo jet?”
WASILLA CHIC Also in the Times, Gail Collins weighed in on the already-tired yokelism of the new commander in chief. “What we’re getting is Wasilla chic. That’s what we’re getting. She arrives in the Oval Office, and first thing sends back Blair’s gift of the Churchill bust as if it’s a once-worn Penney’s outfit. Then she gives the Brits some unwatchable DVDs as a booby prize — as if she idled the old Yukon and ran into Target’s sale aisle. Did Sarah send Bristol into Wal-Mart back in Anchorage for that ‘engraved’ iPod for the queen? And what’s this don’t-bow-to-the-queen stuff, but curtsy for a Saudi sheik? Maybe that explains why she brags to Stephanopoulos about her ‘Muslim faith.’ So far, the best things going for her are Todd’s biceps.”
In a sense, it’s a love story. The heartthrob is the Kennedyesque young senator from Illinois, with the supporting cast composed of the many media suitors who came a-courtin’.
There’s Chris and his thrilled leg. Oh-so-serious Anderson and his plaint about distractions vs. real issues. The TV reporter who declares a Rev. Jeremiah Wright-free zone so the candidate will feel more comfortable. The swooning ladies of The View. And the superest, specialist guest star of them all: Oprah!
The documentary - Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted - is part tragedy and part romantic comedy, as the above-named suitors and others trip all over themselves making excuses for their guy.
Filmmaker and Philly-area native John Ziegler isn’t the only one who noticed the media’s infatuation with Barack Obama. A Rasmussen poll released on Election Day showed that 51 percent of voters thought reporters tried to help Obama win. But Ziegler was on to the issue long before Nov. 4. The filmmaker’s “crystallizing moment” was the coverage of Obama’s pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and his racially inflammatory sermons.
“That showed how ridiculously in the tank the media were going to be for Barack Obama,” Ziegler says. “It was just a flat-out joke.”
Ahhhh, you know it’s that time of year again. Kim Il Jong’s birthday is around the corner, political change in Washington DC, the Groundhog’s seen his shadow, and North Korea’s got to do some sabre rattling/mettle testing. Yes boys and girls, it’s time to show everyone that North Korea is a threat to the United States…
North Korea is preparing to test fire a long range missile capable of striking the United States, according to media reports in South Korea and Japan this morning.
The Yonhap News Agency in Seoul quoted South Korean officials who described satellite image showing a long cylindrical object being transported on a train through the North Korean countryside. The sinister object has been identified as a Taepodong-2, an intercontinental missile with a range of more than 4000 miles, capable of crossing the Pacific and striking targets in Hawaii or Alaska.
Capable of hitting Alaska huh? What do those people know about foreign affairs? North Korean missiles aimed at your cities, Russian bombers buzzing the mountains, Russian ships and subs off the coast…Alaskans are oblivious to it all.
Sarah Palin has started her own PAC, modeled after Hillary’s HillPac. Front page says:
Dedicated to building America’s future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation.
SarahPAC believes America’s best days are ahead. Our country, founded on conservative principles and the fight for freedom, must confront the challenges of the 21st century with integrity, innovation, and determination.
SarahPAC believes energy independence is a cornerstone of the economic security and progress that every American family wants and deserves.
SarahPAC believes the Republican Party is at the threshold of an historic renaissance that will build a better future for all. Health care, education, and reform of government are among our key goals. Join us today!
I’m a little late to this one but better late then never. At least one liberal gets it. Here is Camille Paglia from two days ago:
As I have repeatedly said in this column, I have never had the slightest problem in understanding Sarah Palin’s meaning at any time. On the contrary, I have positively enjoyed her fresh, natural, rapid delivery with its syncopated stops and slides — a fabulous example of which was the way (in her recent interview with John Ziegler) that she used a soft, swooping satiric undertone to zing Katie Couric’s dippy narcissism and to assert her own outrage as a “mama grizzly” at libels against her family.
Ideology-driven attacks on Palin became clotted liberal clichés within 24 hours of her introduction as John McCain’s running mate. What a bunch of tittering lemmings the urban elite have become in this country. From Couric’s vicious manipulations of video clips to Cavett’s bourgeois platitudes, the preemptive strike on Palin as a potential presidential candidate has grossly misfired. Whatever legitimate objections may be raised to Palin on political grounds (explored, for example, by David Talbot in Salon) have been lost in the amoral overkill that has defamed a self-made woman of concrete achievement in the public realm.
And let me take this opportunity to say that of all the innumerable print and broadcast journalists who have interviewed me in the U.S. and abroad since I arrived on the scene nearly 20 years ago, Katie Couric was definitively the stupidest. As a guest on NBC’s “Today” show during my 1992 book tour, I was astounded by Couric’s small, humorless, agenda-ridden mind, still registered in that pinched, tinny monotone that makes me rush across the room to change stations whenever her banal mini-editorials blare out at 5 p.m. on the CBS radio network. And of course I would never spoil my dinner by tuning into Couric’s TV evening news show. That sallow, wizened, drum-tight, cosmetic mummification look is not an appetite enhancer outside of Manhattan or L.A. There’s many a moose in Alaska with greater charm and pizazz.
I disagree with much Ms. Paglia believes in and writes about but you have to appreciate the absolute intellectual honesty that emits from her fingers. Oh, and completely destroying the ever frivolous Katie Couric is a big plus in my book.
Basically it comes down to Camille Paglia believing that out of all the journalists she has EVER had interview here Katite Couric was “definitively the stupidest.”
Gov. Sarah Palin recently visited Auburn, New York, to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alaska statehood. That city’s Founders Day event honored William Seward who played an important role in the purchase of Alaska while he served as secretary of state.
