AI
Friday, July 03, 2009 9:35:35 PM
Palin Says She Will Resign as Alaska Governor
VIDEO
Palin Announces Resignation
Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska announced Friday that she would step down by the end of the month and not seek a second term as governor.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/playlist/politics/1194811622221/index.html#1194841338826 [give it a moment, will go through to the correct video]
At a Friday news conference, Gov. Palin said, “I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is unconventional.”
Robert DeBerry/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, via Associated Press
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hugs Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell after she announced she would be stepping down as governor.
Robert DeBerry/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, via Associated Press
Multimedia
Milestones: Sarah Palin
Interactive Graphic
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/29/us/politics/20080829_PALIN_TIMELINE.html#
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JIM RUTENBERG
Published: July 3, 2009
Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska announced Friday that she was quitting her job at the end of the month, a move that shocked Republicans across the country and fueled both renewed speculation about her presidential ambitions and criticism of her political competence.
Ms. Palin’s decision, announced with her family in front of a lake at her home in Wasilla, set off widespread speculation in Republican circles that she is preparing for a run for the presidency in 2012. Ms. Palin, 45, was supposed to serve as governor through the end of 2010; on Friday, she said she would cede control of the state to the lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell, on July 25.
Ms. Palin announced the decision in an often rambling press conference, in which she invoked the words of General Douglas MacArthur and the rules of basketball, but offered few clues about her intentions. Instead, she said she had decided not to seek re-election when her term expires, and that she thought it would be unfair to her constituents to remain in office as a lame duck.
“As I thought about this announcement that I would not seek re-election, I thought about how much fun other governors have as lame ducks: They maybe travel around their state, travel to other states, maybe take their overseas international trade missions,” she said.
“I’m not going to put Alaskans through that,” she continued. “I promised efficiencies and effectiveness. That’s not how I’m wired. I’m not wired to operate under the same old politics as usual.”
Ms. Palin’s announcement marked another unusual milestone in what has been a tumultuous year since Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican, picked her as his running mate to initial acclaim by many in their party, which later turned into bitter recriminations with Mr. McCain’s advisers over her style. The unusual press conference was also the latest in a series of disruptions for the Republican Party as it has sought to find its footing in the wake of continued Democratic gains.
As questions reverberated in Republican circles about what she had intended to communicate with the statement, she posted a note on Twitter that read: “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.”
Ms. Palin is one of a number of Republican governors who are considering seeking the presidential nomination in 2012 and whose terms expire in 2010. Many Republican strategists have argued that it would be very difficult for someone to run for governor in 2010 and turn around immediately, while running a state, to run for president in 2012. Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota announced last month that when his term expires in 2010 he would not seek re-election, as he considers a presidential bid.
However, leaving office in the middle of a term is highly unusual. Ms. Palin’s decision set off a round of speculation among her critics and bloggers that another embarrassing scandal may be about to unfold. It also empowered critics in both parties who said that this episode would only serve to reinforce doubts among many Americans about her stability, political competence and fortitude.
“Good point guards don’t quit and walk off the floor if the going gets tough,” said John Weaver, a former senior strategist for Mr. McCain. “Today’s move falls further into the weirdness category; people don’t like a quitter.”
In Alaska, state Senator Hollis S. French, a Democrat who filed a letter of intent on Wednesday to run for governor, said, “The idea that ‘The going got tough so I decided to quit’ is inexcusable. That is not an Alaskan value. We celebrate the mushers who drive on through the storm despite the hardship.”
But some of her supporters argued that the announcement could actually provide her an opportunity to recover from what has been a damaging year for her. Ms. Palin has been enmeshed in continuing battles with members of both parties in Alaska’s state Legislature, and her supporters said that her decision to leave office would give her time to prepare for the 2012 race.
The sheer size of Alaska complicated her ability to take care of the most basic kind of presidential preparation work: going to Republican Party state dinners, developing a network of fund-raisers and supporters and getting educated about the issues she might face as a presidential candidate. And Ms. Palin had also taken on another responsibility, having recently signed a lucrative contract to write a book.
“I think she is trying to determine how she can better get to where she’d like to be,” said Alaska House Speaker Mike Chenault, a Republican from the Kenai Peninsula. “And she figures that if she resigns, people can’t be taking so many pot-shots at her.”
William Kristol, the editor of the Weekly Standard and a supporter of Ms. Palin, said that in the end, this could turn out to be a very smart move on her part.
“Everybody I’ve talked to thinks it’s a little crazy,” he said. “But maybe not. What is she going to accomplish in the next year as governor? Every time she left the state she got criticized for neglecting her duties.”
“She’ll take a little hit for leaving the job early, no question about it,” he said. “But if she writes this book and gives speeches and travels the country and educates herself on some issues, that’s good.”
Kitty Bennett and Serge F. Kovaleski contributed reporting.
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/us/politics/04palin.html
==========
Sarah Palin's resignation as Alaska governor sets off speculation
Sarah Palin hugs Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell after she announced today she would be stepping down as governor, in Wasilla, Alaska.
Robert DeBerry
Some expect her to run for president; others believe the surprise move will finish her politically.
By Mark Z. Barabak
4:28 PM PDT, July 3, 2009
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday that she was quitting her job at the end of the month -- unleashing a torrent of speculation about her plans, motivation and the political wisdom of such a seemingly confounding decision.
Speaking from the backyard of her lakefront home in Wasilla, Alaska, Palin suggested that she would remain active in national politics.
"We know we can effect positive change outside of government," she said in making the announcement, flanked by her husband, Todd, and members of their family.
Many took that to mean a full-fledged run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, without the encumbrance of her office and the difficulty of navigating a national campaign from thousands of miles away.
But the fact that Palin, 45, will vacate the Alaska governor's office without finishing her one four-year term or bolstering her thin political resume -- which was a detriment during her 2008 vice presidential bid -- led some analysts to suggest the move would badly damage any future political aspirations.
"I always thought after the race what she needed to do was go back to Alaska and be substantive, show she's got a grasp of government and work for the good of the folks back home," said Stuart Rothenberg, an independent campaign analyst in Washington. "This seems to be the exact opposite."
Palin experienced a meteoric rise after Sen. John McCain of Arizona plucked her from relative obscurity to serve as his running mate. She was a smash hit at last summer's Republican National Convention. But her image suffered after a series of unsteady campaign appearances.
She remains a favorite of social conservatives, who traditionally have exerted strong influence over the GOP nomination. But Palin draws a visceral contempt from many Democrats, political independents and even some Republicans -- among them some McCain advisors who bared their sentiments, anonymously, in a recent unflattering article in Vanity Fair magazine.
Palin seemed to allude to those attacks at her impromptu news conference Friday. "You are naive if you don't see a full-court press from the national level picking away a good point guard," said Palin, who was famously aggressive in her days as a high school basketball star.
She spoke in that cryptic fashion throughout her appearance Friday, saying her decision to step down had been some time in the making, although she never clearly spelled out why.
"Many just accept that lame-duck status and they hit that road. They draw a paycheck. They kind of milk it. And I'm not going to put Alaskans through that," Palin said.
She said her successor, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, would be sworn in at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks later this month. He was among those stunned by her move; Parnell said he only learned of Palin's decision Wednesday evening.
"It's a gob-smacking, jaw-hit-the-ground total kind of surprise," said Ivan Moore, an independent political pollster in Anchorage who said Palin was a strong favorite to win a second term had she run next year.
As for any presidential ambitions, "I can't see how this move helps her," Moore said. "In fact, quite the opposite. I think it's terribly damaging."
Not everyone agreed.
Scott Reed, a veteran GOP strategist who is unaffiliated with any of the 2012 prospects, said that leaving the governorship would give Palin a chance to rebuild and recast her image.
"It allows her to have a brand-new day -- a fresh start -- and she can shake all those cobwebs from the last campaign and her term as governor and start over," Reed said.
mark.barabak@latimes.com
Copyright 2009 Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-palin4-2009jul04,0,6231829.story
VIDEO
Palin Announces Resignation
Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska announced Friday that she would step down by the end of the month and not seek a second term as governor.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/playlist/politics/1194811622221/index.html#1194841338826 [give it a moment, will go through to the correct video]
At a Friday news conference, Gov. Palin said, “I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is unconventional.”
Robert DeBerry/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, via Associated Press
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hugs Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell after she announced she would be stepping down as governor.
Robert DeBerry/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, via Associated Press
Multimedia
Milestones: Sarah Palin
Interactive Graphic
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/29/us/politics/20080829_PALIN_TIMELINE.html#
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JIM RUTENBERG
Published: July 3, 2009
Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska announced Friday that she was quitting her job at the end of the month, a move that shocked Republicans across the country and fueled both renewed speculation about her presidential ambitions and criticism of her political competence.
Ms. Palin’s decision, announced with her family in front of a lake at her home in Wasilla, set off widespread speculation in Republican circles that she is preparing for a run for the presidency in 2012. Ms. Palin, 45, was supposed to serve as governor through the end of 2010; on Friday, she said she would cede control of the state to the lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell, on July 25.
Ms. Palin announced the decision in an often rambling press conference, in which she invoked the words of General Douglas MacArthur and the rules of basketball, but offered few clues about her intentions. Instead, she said she had decided not to seek re-election when her term expires, and that she thought it would be unfair to her constituents to remain in office as a lame duck.
“As I thought about this announcement that I would not seek re-election, I thought about how much fun other governors have as lame ducks: They maybe travel around their state, travel to other states, maybe take their overseas international trade missions,” she said.
“I’m not going to put Alaskans through that,” she continued. “I promised efficiencies and effectiveness. That’s not how I’m wired. I’m not wired to operate under the same old politics as usual.”
Ms. Palin’s announcement marked another unusual milestone in what has been a tumultuous year since Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican, picked her as his running mate to initial acclaim by many in their party, which later turned into bitter recriminations with Mr. McCain’s advisers over her style. The unusual press conference was also the latest in a series of disruptions for the Republican Party as it has sought to find its footing in the wake of continued Democratic gains.
As questions reverberated in Republican circles about what she had intended to communicate with the statement, she posted a note on Twitter that read: “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.”
Ms. Palin is one of a number of Republican governors who are considering seeking the presidential nomination in 2012 and whose terms expire in 2010. Many Republican strategists have argued that it would be very difficult for someone to run for governor in 2010 and turn around immediately, while running a state, to run for president in 2012. Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota announced last month that when his term expires in 2010 he would not seek re-election, as he considers a presidential bid.
However, leaving office in the middle of a term is highly unusual. Ms. Palin’s decision set off a round of speculation among her critics and bloggers that another embarrassing scandal may be about to unfold. It also empowered critics in both parties who said that this episode would only serve to reinforce doubts among many Americans about her stability, political competence and fortitude.
“Good point guards don’t quit and walk off the floor if the going gets tough,” said John Weaver, a former senior strategist for Mr. McCain. “Today’s move falls further into the weirdness category; people don’t like a quitter.”
In Alaska, state Senator Hollis S. French, a Democrat who filed a letter of intent on Wednesday to run for governor, said, “The idea that ‘The going got tough so I decided to quit’ is inexcusable. That is not an Alaskan value. We celebrate the mushers who drive on through the storm despite the hardship.”
But some of her supporters argued that the announcement could actually provide her an opportunity to recover from what has been a damaging year for her. Ms. Palin has been enmeshed in continuing battles with members of both parties in Alaska’s state Legislature, and her supporters said that her decision to leave office would give her time to prepare for the 2012 race.
The sheer size of Alaska complicated her ability to take care of the most basic kind of presidential preparation work: going to Republican Party state dinners, developing a network of fund-raisers and supporters and getting educated about the issues she might face as a presidential candidate. And Ms. Palin had also taken on another responsibility, having recently signed a lucrative contract to write a book.
“I think she is trying to determine how she can better get to where she’d like to be,” said Alaska House Speaker Mike Chenault, a Republican from the Kenai Peninsula. “And she figures that if she resigns, people can’t be taking so many pot-shots at her.”
William Kristol, the editor of the Weekly Standard and a supporter of Ms. Palin, said that in the end, this could turn out to be a very smart move on her part.
“Everybody I’ve talked to thinks it’s a little crazy,” he said. “But maybe not. What is she going to accomplish in the next year as governor? Every time she left the state she got criticized for neglecting her duties.”
“She’ll take a little hit for leaving the job early, no question about it,” he said. “But if she writes this book and gives speeches and travels the country and educates herself on some issues, that’s good.”
Kitty Bennett and Serge F. Kovaleski contributed reporting.
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/us/politics/04palin.html
==========
Sarah Palin's resignation as Alaska governor sets off speculation
Sarah Palin hugs Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell after she announced today she would be stepping down as governor, in Wasilla, Alaska.
Robert DeBerry
Some expect her to run for president; others believe the surprise move will finish her politically.
By Mark Z. Barabak
4:28 PM PDT, July 3, 2009
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday that she was quitting her job at the end of the month -- unleashing a torrent of speculation about her plans, motivation and the political wisdom of such a seemingly confounding decision.
Speaking from the backyard of her lakefront home in Wasilla, Alaska, Palin suggested that she would remain active in national politics.
"We know we can effect positive change outside of government," she said in making the announcement, flanked by her husband, Todd, and members of their family.
Many took that to mean a full-fledged run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, without the encumbrance of her office and the difficulty of navigating a national campaign from thousands of miles away.
But the fact that Palin, 45, will vacate the Alaska governor's office without finishing her one four-year term or bolstering her thin political resume -- which was a detriment during her 2008 vice presidential bid -- led some analysts to suggest the move would badly damage any future political aspirations.
"I always thought after the race what she needed to do was go back to Alaska and be substantive, show she's got a grasp of government and work for the good of the folks back home," said Stuart Rothenberg, an independent campaign analyst in Washington. "This seems to be the exact opposite."
Palin experienced a meteoric rise after Sen. John McCain of Arizona plucked her from relative obscurity to serve as his running mate. She was a smash hit at last summer's Republican National Convention. But her image suffered after a series of unsteady campaign appearances.
She remains a favorite of social conservatives, who traditionally have exerted strong influence over the GOP nomination. But Palin draws a visceral contempt from many Democrats, political independents and even some Republicans -- among them some McCain advisors who bared their sentiments, anonymously, in a recent unflattering article in Vanity Fair magazine.
Palin seemed to allude to those attacks at her impromptu news conference Friday. "You are naive if you don't see a full-court press from the national level picking away a good point guard," said Palin, who was famously aggressive in her days as a high school basketball star.
She spoke in that cryptic fashion throughout her appearance Friday, saying her decision to step down had been some time in the making, although she never clearly spelled out why.
"Many just accept that lame-duck status and they hit that road. They draw a paycheck. They kind of milk it. And I'm not going to put Alaskans through that," Palin said.
She said her successor, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, would be sworn in at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks later this month. He was among those stunned by her move; Parnell said he only learned of Palin's decision Wednesday evening.
"It's a gob-smacking, jaw-hit-the-ground total kind of surprise," said Ivan Moore, an independent political pollster in Anchorage who said Palin was a strong favorite to win a second term had she run next year.
As for any presidential ambitions, "I can't see how this move helps her," Moore said. "In fact, quite the opposite. I think it's terribly damaging."
Not everyone agreed.
Scott Reed, a veteran GOP strategist who is unaffiliated with any of the 2012 prospects, said that leaving the governorship would give Palin a chance to rebuild and recast her image.
"It allows her to have a brand-new day -- a fresh start -- and she can shake all those cobwebs from the last campaign and her term as governor and start over," Reed said.
mark.barabak@latimes.com
Copyright 2009 Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-palin4-2009jul04,0,6231829.story
Greensburg, KS - 5/4/07
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
from John Philpot Curran, Speech
upon the Right of Election, 1790
F6
Discover What Traders Are Watching
Explore small cap ideas before they hit the headlines.
