Sarah Palin's Lame Duck Resignation Logic Eliminates a 2012 Run for President
By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
While it's probably too much to hope that Sarah Palin (or, really, most politicians) be governed by rules of logic and/or intellectual honesty, the lame duck Alaska governor's resignation reasoning (such as it was) all but eliminated a future presidential run for herself.
The conventional definition of "lame duck" politician is, according to William Safire's Political Dictionary, "an officeholder whose power is diminished because he is soon to leave office as a result of defeat or statutory limitation." Note the word "soon." Granted that Sarah Palin is proudly not a conventional politician, but in her speech Friday, she redefined "lame duck" as being a pol whose power is diminished because they are going to leave office ... at some time (in her case the regular departure date would be something like 18 months in the future).
As Hot Air's Ed Morrissey noted, "Using this logic, Palin should never have run for the first term unless she was willing to run for the second, and not run for either if she wasn't willing (or legally able) to run for a third." And you can take that logic one step further: No president should run for a second term because they would instantly be a powerless lame duck, subjecting the country to four years of utter fecklessness. And if a president is then not going to run for a second term, they automatically become a lame duck as soon as they take office in their first term ... so they should not seek the presidency at all.
One other note on the "lame duck" issue—what a terrific insult to the 35 other governors operating under term limits. As several commentators have pointed out, the options available to pols not seeking re-election are broader than either quitting or mailing it in. "No mention of a third option: using your freedom from crude electoral politics to make hard choices and earn the best possible results for your state," TNR's Michael Crowley, for one, writes. Agreed.
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Tags: Sarah Palin
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Reader Comments
Palin a Quitter?
HEY, C'MON, PALIN A QUITTER! THEY ALL DO IT! (SO TO SPEAK). COLEEN C WAS EXACTLY RIGHT, PALIN WAS QUITE CLEAR ABOUT HER REASONS FOR QUITTING GOV SHIP. SHE'S ALSO BEEN CRITICIZED FOR HER PRE-RESIGNATION SPEECH AS RAMBLING AND DISJOINTED. WELL, NOT REALLY.SHE STATED THREE THINGS--1)SHE EXPLAINED HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOV; 2)EXPLAINED HER POSSIBLE FUTURE PLANS AND 3)TURNED THE OFFICE OVER TO SEAN PARNELL, AND SUMMARIZED HER HOPES FOR AK AND US. OF COURSE SHE PROBABLY USED MORE WORDS THAN I WOULD HAVE UNDER THE SAME TRYING CONDITIONS. BUT A LOT OF THIS CRITICISM IS SO MUCH SLIPPING AND SLIDDING IN THE STUFF FOUND IN THE FLOOR OF THE CHICAGO STOCKYARDS, MOSTLY BY THOSE WHO VOTED FOR CHICAGO EAST. BUT THERE IS NO DOUBT PALIN IS A POLARIZING FIGURE. BUT IS THAT SO WRONG?
Palin a Quitter?
HEY, C'MON, PALIN A QUITTER! THEY ALL DO IT! (SO TO SPEAK). COLEEN C WAS EXACTLY RIGHT, PALIN WAS QUITE CLEAR ABOUT HER REASONS FOR QUITTING GOV SHIP. SHE'S ALSO BEEN CRITICIZED FOR HER PRE-RESIGNATION SPEECH AS RAMBLING AND DISJOINTED. WELL, NOT REALLY.SHE STATED THREE THINGS--1)SHE EXPLAINED HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOV; 2)EXPLAINED HER POSSIBLE FUTURE PLANS AND 3)TURNED THE OFFICE OVER TO SEAN PARNELL, AND SUMMARIZED HER HOPES FOR AK AND US. OF COURSE SHE PROBABLY USED MORE WORDS THAN I WOULD HAVE UNDER THE SAME TRYING CONDITIONS. BUT A LOT OF THIS CRITICISM IS SO MUCH SLIPPING AND SLIDDING IN THE STUFF FOUND IN THE FLOOR OF THE CHICAGO STOCKYARDS, MOSTLY BY THOSE WHO VOTED FOR CHICAGO EAST. BUT THERE IS NO DOUBT PALIN IS A POLARIZING FIGURE. BUT IS THAT SO WRONG?
Palin in a leadership role for Republicans
I think that Palin has a good chance to be tapped on the shoulder to take a leadership role in her party. To that end, dropping out of the governorship early is wise. There is one key factor that so many of the leading Republicans has which she needs to add to her resume.
I figure 1 year to have the tawdry affair, a weepy public apology, 1 year out of the spotlight and she will be ready to start campaigning for the 2012 election.
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