I read on my FaceBook news feed that Sarah Palin gave her resignation, effective the end of the month. I read quite a few comments on hers, Mike Huckabee's, and FoxNews FB pages that carried postings about the resignation. I listened to the six or so minute clip that FOXNews played of Sarah Palin's speech today, as well as several political commentators, both liberal and conservative. I admit I don't have all the information on her choices or any knowledge about future steps. I am only going on what I have read and heard from the sources I have mentioned.
However, like many other people in the nation, I have formed an opinion on the issue. From what I understand about her reasoning she chose to resign in order to pursue other interests than just serving the people of Alaska. She chose to do this on her own time and her own dime rather than that of the people of Alaska. For conservatism, I applaud her on that fact. Since she was not going to seek reelection, that would have made her a lame duck governor, as she described just biding her time and receiving a paycheck (my paraphrase of her words). She chose not to do that, not to waste the money of the people of Alaska in that way. Instead she is giving her Lt. Gov some valuable time to prove himself, before his own reelection bid. ( I am assuming here that the Lt. Gov. of Alaska is also a Republican but am not certain of that fact. But that is besides the point). In my opinion, that makes good common sense and fiscal sense as well. I also believe that it shows her integrity
On those issues I applaud her, She is willing to step aside, removing herself from the title that would automatically get her accepted in many circles. She is willing to stand on her own merits. That says something. About 12 years ago this time, another sitting governor started his reelection campaign for the office, stating that he would not, if elected, seek the Presidential nomination 2 years into his next 4 year term. He lied, and many people in this fair state knew he was lying when he said it. I didn't believe him then, nor just about any other time he opened his mouth will serving his two terms as President. He did not resign the office of governor until just prior to his presidential terms.
She also stated that she, and again I am paraphrasing, that her family was tired of the attacks on her family by the media. And for that I agree with her, I am tired of the attacks on her family. No other politician, to my recollection, has had the probing attacks on his or her personal family, as had Sarah Palin. One Democratic strategist on FoxNews tried to liken Sarah to Hilary on this front. But seriously, they don't even come close.
I did not hear it straight out, but I did read that news commentators were criticizing her speech as "all over the place" of "disjointed". Granted I did not hear her speech in its entirety. But I did hear some of it. I can see where people could level that accusation. However, my response, to them is simply this. She was speaking without a teleprompter and probably without a professional speech writer. She was speaking as Sarah to her constituents. No it wasn't the best prepared speech in the world, but it was real Sarah. Because it wasn't teleprompted, it couldn't be read and analyzed ahead of time. Because it wasn't professionally written, it also couldn't be leaked. I think that is how she wanted it.
As far as those claiming it was political suicide, I can see why they say it would be, because it doesn't fit their mold for what a politician should do. Guess what, Sarah Palin has been breaking molds for as long as I have been aware of her. And doing it rather well, I might add. She doesn't have to conform to molds to know who she is.
It is this last point that resonates with me in my own journey. I am starting to break some molds set before me and others that I only imagined were there. Trying to discover exactly who I am, and rarely does that conform to the mold that others have for me, or even those I have for myself. In doing so, I am also learning not to make molds for other people and letting them be themselves.
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