I didn’t pay attention to much that was happening in the world over the 4th of July weekend. But I did become aware the Alaska governor Sarah Palin, yes, the one that ran alongside John McCain, announced that she would be stepping down effective July 26th. It’s a perplexing move politically. After all, she’s only been governor for two-and-half years.
As I’ve noted recently (and much to the disappointment of the Huckabee and Romney commentators on this site as of late), Ms. Palin remains popular among certain segments of the Republican Party. She’s certainly the most well known, and while her unfavorables are in the 40’s, she remains (or, maybe I should say, remained) an early frontrunner for the 2012 Republican nomination.
Then came word that Vanity Fair had put together a scathing piece on her. Republican consultants began circiling the wagons, much to the delight of Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. And then came the speech. I didn’t see it live, but at best it left people scratching their heads. What is this woman doing? And, more importantly, why is she doing it?
Ross Douthat of The New York Times writes,
It’s been tarnished by Palin herself, obviously. With her missteps, scandals, dreadful interviews and self-pitying monologues, she’s botched an essential democratic role — the ordinary citizen who takes on the elites, the up-by-your-bootstraps role embodied by politicians from Andrew Jackson down to Harry Truman.
Mr. Douthat’s column is worth reading in its entirety because he offers an apology for Ms. Palin and a rebuttal to the way the media treated her. He declares her role on the McCain campaign was that of “Mrs. Spirow Agnew,” and he notes that had it worked out differently she would have been the perfect foil for Mr. Obama.
All of that is far-fetched, of course. It’s doesn’t take a McCain campaign insider (although there are many) to tell you that Ms. Palin’s efforts on the trail, while inspiring to millions, did little to help strengthen what was perceived to be an intellectually light ticket. Coming on the heels of George W. Bush (not to mention Mr. McCain’s prior health concerns) it’s no wonder the media was enamored with Mr. Obama’s credentials, and so quick to question Ms. Palin’s.
If Ms. Palin believes that stepping down from office will provide more opportunity to build a profile that will enable her to run successfully for president in 2012 then I can’t wait to see what happens. Adam Nagourney, Mr. Douthat’s colleague at the Times, suggested that she may be modeling her comeback after Richard Nixon, who divorced him self from political life after being defeated for governor of California in 1962. He returned, of course, in 1968, to win the Republican Party nomination and the presidency.
That, too, seems far-fetched. Reports today indicate that Ms. Palin faced mounting legal bills over an ethics investigation that has consumed the last several months of her term. She’s already secured a book deal worth millions, and the speaking circuit should provide more than enough to cover the costs.
Regardless of motive, Ms. Palin will continue to perplex political pundits and politicians alike. While she seems quite incapable of staging a successful political comeback anything’s possible. So I guess we’ll wait and see. Until then, I’ll be following her on Twitter.