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Jul 3 2009, 5:27 pm by Matthew Cooper

Three Theories of Palin's Resignation

Sarah Palin's stunning announcement that she'd not only decline to seek reelection as Alaska's Governor in 2010 but that she'd resign her term later this month caught everyone by surprise. After all, can you think of another presidential candidate who resigned their office to seek the presidency? Jimmy Carter and Mitt Romney had left their governorships when they sought the White House. Bill Clinton remained as Arkansas governor when he sought the presidency. George McClellan was fired by Lincoln before he ran for the presidency in 1864. The last person I can think of who left government service to run for the presidency was Dwight Eisenhower who gave up his NATO command in the Spring of 1952 and garnered the GOP presidendtial nomination a couple of months later. That's far different from cutting out of elective office 18 months before you're scheduled to leave.

Okay, so why would Palin do this on a Friday before a holday, traditionally a day for dumping bad news? A couple of theories:

1. She has more bad news to report. There's something going on with her family again. There's more to come with the state's finance. Whatever. There's no good reason for her to suddenly up and quit the governorship, her one claim on elective experience.

2. She wants the money. Palin is probably turning down tons of lucrative speaking offers, corporate boards and others ways of getting righ while she bides her time waiting for the presidency. Maybe she just cant say no to the money any longer?

3. She's totally impulsive. Assuming this wasn't a well calculated, move maybe she's just being utterly impulsive. She got sick of the job, sick of dealing with declining revenue, sick of having to stay close to Juneau and Wasilla when she really wants to be in Manchester and Des Moines.

I can't explain why Palin who abandon the people of Alaska before she finishes her first term as governor. But I suspect not that many Alaskans will be complaining.

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» Palin's Friday Strategy from ProfessorBainbridge.com
Matthew Cooper makes a good (if somewhat obvious) point: Sarah Palin's stunning announcement that she'd not only decline to seek reelection as Alaska's Governor in 2010 but that she'd resign her term later this month caught everyone by surprise. After ... [Read More]

Tracked on July 4, 2009 12:31 AM

Comments (22)

Andy in Texas

Josh Marshall seems certain there's a scandal about to break; he's shown to have a good sense of these things. But I think the "impulsive" explanation is just as likely, myself.

But regardless of why, she's done running for elective office. It would be hard enough to, at some point in 2011, explain away a new scandal, but harder still to explain why it's not a problem that she walked away from her office when the goin' got tough.

Not that I think Governor Palin has the introspection or perspective to understand that.

Andy S.

Can anyone site a previous example of Palin making "a well calculated move" politically? Seems like her meteoric rise in national politics can be chalked up to an improbable series of lucky breaks, not any special political acumen on her part. When the full story of her resignation comes out, I'm sure we'll all be underwhelmed by her rationale.

DRW

Didn't Bob Dole resign from the Senate in the midst of his campaign in 1996?

Andy in Texas (Replying to: DRW)

He did, in June, roughly five months before election day. But he was the defacto nominee by then, after having started out with an early lead in the primaries. Palin, by comparison, is almost three-and-a-half years out from the 2012 general.

What Dole did actually makes sense -- it allowed him to focus fully on the campaign, and allowed Kansans to have a full-time senator. Palin's move today, in terms of setting herself up for 2012, er, not so much.

maroci (Replying to: Andy in Texas)

Yeah. And Dole had a slightly fatter resume than 2.5 years as governor of the most backwater of backwater states.

Stan B

My theory is that she resigned just to make the media workWKEND.

mchk

You are an enemy to our language.

Sarah Palin's stunning announcement that she'd not only decline to seek reelection as Alaska's Governor in 2010 but that she'd resign her term later this month caught everyone by surprise. After all, can you think of another presidential candidate who resigned their office to seek the presidency? Jimmy Carter and Mitt Romney had left their governorships when they sought the White House. Bill Clinton remained as Arkansas governor when he sought the presidency. George McClellan was fired by Lincoln before he ran for the presidency in 1864. The last person I can think of who left government service to run for the presidency was Dwight Eisenhower who gave up his NATO command in the Spring of 1952 and garnered the GOP presidential nomination a couple of months later. That's far different from cutting out of elective office 18 months before you're scheduled to leave.

Okay, so why would Palin do this on a Friday before a holiday, traditionally a day for dumping bad news? A couple of theories:

1. She has more bad news to report. There's something going on with her family again. There's more to come with the state's finance. Whatever. There's no good reason for her to suddenly up and quit the governorship, her one claim on elective experience.

2. She wants the money. Palin is probably turning down tons of lucrative speaking offers, corporate boards and others ways of getting rich while she bides her time waiting for the presidency. Maybe she just can't say no to the money any longer?

3. She's totally impulsive. Assuming this wasn't a well calculated move, maybe she's just being utterly impulsive. She got sick of the job, sick of dealing with declining revenue, sick of having to stay close to Juneau and Wasilla when she really wants to be in Manchester and Des Moines.

I can't explain why Palin would abandon the people of Alaska before she finishes her first term as governor. But I suspect not that many Alaskans will be complaining.

Stan B (Replying to: mchk)

Christ. It's an early weekend for journos; let's see how your writing is after having a few drinks.

Cuejake (Replying to: Stan B)

Matthew Cooper is a scum-sucking shitbag hysteria-chasing hack, hardly a "journalist." Only in the post-Nixonian D.C. media establishment could he be considered anything approaching such. Fortunately, his time (and Ambinder's) is rapidly, mercifully, drawing to a close.

jntlspirit

I think people mistake Sarah Palin's strengths. It is not too early for her to start campaigning for Senator of Alaska. Think about it. The midterm elections are just around the corner and can not get here fast enough. Someone needs to speak up for our Constitution and who better than this brave woman.

maroci (Replying to: jntlspirit)

What color is the sky on the planet you're currently orbitting?

msully

Look, I'm not going to defend Sarah Palin's resigning her Governorship to run for President, if that's what she is doing. And I'm not going to argue that there is little precedent to resign from one elected post to run for another.

But how many sitting politicians forgo most of their duties to spend a year or more running for a different position? Tons of them.

Romney treated his governorship of MA as something to do in between running around the rest of the country getting his face in front of conservative opinion makers and making jokes about the liberals back home.

McCain, Clinton, Obama, all spent spent a LOT of time trying to become President, while they were being paid to represent the constituency that elected them.

I don't see how resigning one post to run for another is any worse than ignoring your responsibilities of the current post to run for another. At least with the former, there is still a full timer performing the elected role.

Marcos El Malo (Replying to: msully)

If that was her reason, then why didn't she say so, instead of saying that she was doing it for the children and to save Alaska taxpayers money. Governing is haaaarrrrd!

Snowman

Ohhhh, the crazies have started arriving.

Anyway...

She's toast. Bailing out as a Freshman governor with 18 months to go is nuts. Whether it's scandal or uncontrolled impulsiveness (and her shopping sprees and serial lying tend to indicate the latter), she's made a huge mistake.

Rhoda

It's obvious she's running scared and running blind here. My question is does it have to ties to the McCain-Palin campaign and the war that's been declared there; or if it's an Alaska centric story on why she's quit on her state.

One thing is for sure; Republicans better light some candles for Mitt Romney and Haley Barbour.

HLM

I think she has recently been informed that she is the target of an investigation into the house that she and Todd occupy in Wasilla, AK. It was built by the same contractor that constructed the hockey arena in that town. This is going to be a big one, and I think by the time it's over she and Todd are going to be doing time for it.

smilly124 (Replying to: HLM)

I got this from lesjones.com:

Palin press release (PDF) challenges rumors concerning the Wasilla sports complex, announces intent to pursue court action against defamation. Excerpt below:

The additional claim of “proof” of wrongdoing is the allegation that the Palins purchased building materials from Spenard Builders Supply—and that this company may have provided supplies for the Sports Complex. Prior to the construction of Lowe’s and Home Depot within the last few years in Wasilla, Spenard Builders Supply was the primary building supply company in Wasilla. It can hardly come as a surprise that it would sell materials to small homeowners or that it would also bid to supply commercial contracts. One would be hard pressed to find a home, cabin or outbuilding in the Mat-Su Valley in which Spenard Builders Supply did not sell at least some of the materials.

furpurrson

Does it even need to be said that someone who would "impulsively" decide to quit her term with a year and a half to go is not fit to be President, much less govern on any other level? Palin may think she has a future in national politics, but that's just further proof of how delusional she is. Oh, her lunatic "base" will continue to bolster her, but the few sane people left in the GOP now have no more excuses for even imagining that she's a credible candidate.

sir_oliver (Replying to: furpurrson)

He, he. Just like I can already hear the explanation for Pres Palin's actions: It's not her fault, she just impulsively pressed the red button!

maroci

A fourth theory: her problem with whatever substance she was strung out on during that press conference is severe enough that her family did an intervention.

ricklylee66

Interesting article. Well part of the blame can be put on her daughter.

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It's hard to take anyone face value these days, especially those that are constantly getting media attention. I would like to believe what she said on tv but I just can't. There is something fishy about this. Order Checks Online