The Atlantic - Latest Comments in Strange Days

Re: Strange Days

StevenAttewell — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:55:35 -0000

Mitt Romney was a one-term governor who basically slandered his own state for the last year of his administration while he was running for president.

Pawlenty is a two-termer who turned down a third run.

Re: Strange Days

furpurrson — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:34:47 -0000

The woman has the affect, social maturity (or lack thereof), and intellect of a high-school cheerleader. That she managed to get herself elected governor in the first place doesn't say much about the citizens of Alaska ... but quitting on a job she's no longer enjoying and/or has made a hash of is just what I'd expect from a teenager - or maybe someone even younger: "I'm not having fun anymore, so I'm gonna take my toys an' go."

Don't let the door hit you in the curvy little butt on the way out, Sarah.

Re: Strange Days

klg19 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:12:40 -0000

Heh. But no. Not a shame at all.

Re: Strange Days

lebecka — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:24:50 -0000

I worry more about her incoherent rambling. There were not 2 sentences here that made sense together.

Re: Strange Days

sean — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:55:06 -0000

Yikes - that's a scary thought...if you consider the Chairman, or Chairwoman's job it Raise Money from the Base (check), Rally the Base (check), and get Republicans support in elections, she might do well. She is the pied piper of Wingnuttia.

Re: Strange Days

Marcos El Malo — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:19:14 -0000

Kristol seems to think this is a good idea. He's saying she's "crazy . . . like a fox".

As far as her supporters go . . . she's lost some, but the ones that remain are as fervent as ever (or even more so). Many are claiming this is a genius move that will free her up for the 2012 race. They're also busy attacking those supporters that are expressing disappointment. Check the blogs.

Re: Strange Days

Miles Ellison — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:59:02 -0000

Maybe she's living on reds, vitamin c, and cocaine. All I can say is ain't it a shame.

Re: Strange Days

Sean B. — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:43:48 -0000

To bastardize the Grateful Dead: What a short, strange trip it's been.

Re: Strange Days

rikyrah — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:16:09 -0000

folks don't front. you didn't understand her rambling nonsense anymore than I did.

she was incoherent even for her.

Re: Strange Days

Miles Ellison — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:44:53 -0000

Well, there is a track record here. Her husband was a secessionist, after all.

Re: Strange Days

tinisoli — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:51:33 -0000

I wonder how her loyal salt-of-the-earth followers will feel when they realize that she is equating diligence, responsibility, employment, and commitment with weakness and apathy.

The only way this decision allows her a future in office is if she can talk the GOP into becoming an explicitly anti-government party rather than the wink-wink version. She could then say, "I'm so committed to tearing down the government, I gave up my job as governor of Alaska! Mitt Romney served his full term, so that must mean he LIKES government!"

Re: Strange Days

Tadatsune — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:00:57 -0000

She's toast. That's the end, she'll never be able to hold office again.

I haven't the slightest idea what is going on in her head (though from the press conference the answer seems to be "crazy").

Re: Strange Days

kekemen — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:55:12 -0000

I love the misspelling of "Caeser." Haha YES.

Re: Strange Days

JAD1973 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:40:47 -0000

Y'know, I'm still doubting this theory, but maybe she DID go hiking in Appalachia after all!

Naaaaaaah...

Re: Strange Days

JAD1973 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:38:09 -0000

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah...

Re: Strange Days

Katherine — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:35:46 -0000

Could it be that Sully was right all along about Trig???

*blink* That's physiologically impossible. Bristol was already pregnant with Tripp when Trig was born.

Re: Strange Days

Katherine — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:30:03 -0000

Hard to understand this. I don't think it's usual at all for a governor to leave before their term expires unless political controversy forces them out; the simple decision not to run again shouldn't be enough to do it. And this is very rushed - just a little over 3 weeks notice.

There's a statement from someone on NBC that she isn't planning on running for Pres in 2012 (and this would hardly help if she was - from my point of view it makes her look irresponsible).

Speculations:

1. The constant media circus, particularly surrounding her family, was just to much for her and she decided she doesn't want to deal with it any more.

2. She's realized that her national image with anyone outside the staunch Republican base has crashed and burned, that as such any Presidential ambitions are toast, and she's decided in light of that it's just not worth it to keep going.

3. The statement about no further ambitions in dissembling to get people off her back, and she'll "change her mind" and decide to run for President sometime in 2011.

4. There's something going on with her family or personal life we don't know about. (If it was a political thing, we'd know already.)

Re: Strange Days

ST — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:15:56 -0000

And yes, she was VERY nervous. Her normal speech pattern is odd, but not that disjointed. She was fronting.

Re: Strange Days

ST — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:06:09 -0000

It's GOT to be a pretty major scandal (because as was said above, she's plowed through plenty smaller scandals), and I cannot wait.

If she had any ambitions for national office, this kills them. She can't run for anything of any responsibility in future without being tatooed with accusations that she'd quit when she got bored or when people said mean things to her. And mainstream people will not vote for that. You cannot be the first female president with that on your record. It's just a no-go.

The only plausible non-scandal thing it could be would be if she's decided she just wants to make money, and screw the difficulties of being the governor of Alaska for the next two years. But again, she's so young. Why not fill out her term, even if the economy causes some trauma? She can just rail against deficit spending and whatnot and be a regular right-wing asshole -- a poor economy for the remainder of her term wouldn't affect the love for her on the right one iota. She's SO young - why cut off, forever, her chances for national office, even if she does want to make a lot of money right now? Two years is nothing on her lifetime political horizon.

It's a BIG scandal.

Re: Strange Days

Tinare — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:40:41 -0000

Okay, so she's quitting because staying in office would be like quitting???

I smell a whopper of a scandal coming.

Re: Strange Days

Dredd — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:43:22 -0000

In the long run we are all riders on the storm, and in the short run we must all become immune to the toxins in power as we ride.

Happy 4th fellow riders.

Re: Strange Days

wendy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:35:22 -0000

The one way this could work out well for her:

If she's going to get Michael Steele's job.

Re: Strange Days

CitizenE — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:29:17 -0000

Sullivan, expert on all things Palin, culled this quote from her remarks:

"Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up," but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out. And a problem in our country today is apathy. It would be apathetic to just hunker down and "go with the flow."

We can surmise then that it was the product of too much being loomed upon by the Eye of Vladimir Putin.

The Palin (Lame Duchess) Amendment: every political office holder should resign a year and a half before their term ends to avoid becoming "apathetic to just hunker down and 'go with the flow.'"

That way the American electorate can be assured that about 1/3 of their elected office holders will not have been actually elected by them; perhaps the Iranians will adopt this policy.

Re: Strange Days

Persia — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:27:31 -0000

The little starbursts have disappeared!

Re: Strange Days

Upsidedownpoint — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:25:17 -0000

I hope she runs in 2012 on an independent party ticket.

That way, the GOP candidate will be screwed and Obama will destroy.

She is epic fail personified.

I think she's leaving because of money.