Palin’s motives for resigning are unclear, but the effects aren’t
Post by Matthew Albright —
Despite non-stop coverage of Michael Jackson’s death, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is still managing to make headlines.
Unfortunately for her, those headlines are far from complimentary.
Palin, who was the surprise pick for John McCain’s vice presidential nominee in the 2008 election, announced recently that she will resign her post as governor.
Her announcement is sending shockwaves through the political community and is causing even Republican figures to scratch their heads.
Palin is saying that her decision is a result of ethics complaints (which she maintains are false) and national attention resulting from her family drama, which she claims are limiting her ability to fulfill her duties.
National response to the announcement is almost universally negative, ranging from bewilderment to outright scorn.
While even conservative figures on the national stage, such as Karl Rove, are calling the move a “risky strategy,” Palin is facing scathing criticism from those within her state.
“A lot of us were pretty disappointed in the concept that she can't finish out a governor's term,” said Rep. Les Gara, an Alaskan Democrat.
Gara is one of the most vocal in a series of Alaskan politicians who believe Palin’s decision to resign amounts to nothing short of abandonment.
Palin and her spokespeople are doing nothing to help the case. They seem to be grappling for any excuse they can find. Palin and her associates have attributed her resignation to everything from ethics violations (still maintaing they’re false) to jokes made by comedian David Letterman about her daughters. Her lawyer has even had the gall to say Palin needed a break after “two and a half years solid,” of work.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but governors are supposed to work a bit longer than that.
Palin’s announcement is especially offensive considering she is widely considered a front-runner for the Republican nomination for president in 2012. She has openly acknowledged that she plans to continue in public service on a national level.
In other words, Palin actually quit her job — thus violating the trust of her entire state — largely so that she could focus her efforts on national political prestige.
Louisianans are no stranger to governors that have national ambitions that sometimes conflict with their duties — Governor Jindal has similar presidential prospects — but fortunately we haven’t had to deal with something like this.
Our Governor has the decency to at least pretend he still cares about his state.
