Sarah Palin’s reasons for leaving office in Alaska raise red flags
“I am not a quitter. I am a fighter.”
Those are words Sarah Palin used to defend her decision to resign her position as governor of Alaska. The decision comes a year and a half before her first term ends. In the interview she granted with CNN, she noted that she had taken the tougher path in making this decision.
She blamed the “political bloodsport” that had sprung up since she was picked to be a vice presidential candidate, the yin to John McCain’s yang. She said her decision was spurred on by the various ethics complaints that had been filed against her. She said that the complaints were frivolous and took away from what the great state of Alaska deserved.
CNN also quoted her personal lawyer, Thomas Van Flein, in saying she needed a break after being “on duty for two and a half years solid.” He also said that jokes made by late-night host David Letterman had helped to contribute to her decision. Apparently Palin feels that she and her family were being attacked and was just tired of it all. Darn tootin’!
I’ll admit that the media has had a field day with this former beauty queen and her incessant manner of making those who listen to her feel a little bit brighter. Or dumber for having actually listened to the woman try to come out with a coherent thought.
Her interviews with Katie Couric were great entertainment. I honestly looked at them on YouTube when I needed a laugh. The characterization presented by Saturday Night Live’s Tina Fey was really more on the mark than many were willing to admit. You betcha they were!
And now Palin is under fire again, a fire of her own making. She claims she is a fighter yet the pressure of being in the spotlight and critiques have caused her to retreat. She doesn’t like the word “retreat” and instead says she’s making a progress of sorts. The problem is the fact that it’s not simply her critics that are blown away and bothered by her decision to resign. It’s her constituents, as well.
Palin signed a contract of sorts with the voters of Alaska. When they elected her, it was with the understanding that she would serve a four-year term and do what is in their best interests. Instead, she resigns and calls the days after that announcement “exhilarating.” She planned the announcement for the eve of Independence Day as she called this her moment of freedom.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not heartbroken by the fact that Sarah Palin resigned. I’ve found some amusement in the hubbub that’s been created. What makes it even more amusing is the fact that she is not ruling out the possibility that she will run for the 2012 presidency or any other public office. She says that right now she doesn’t need a title to serve the people of the great state of Alaska or Joe Six-Pack.
This lady has got some gumption for thinking it’s OK to resign an elected post because the pressure was too much and yet still be able to hope the voters of this country will trust her in one of the most powerful positions in the world. Lady, if you thought the pressure and criticism of being Alaska’s governor was bad, what do you think about the big job. The president doesn’t simply worry about one state, he or she worries about 50. Then there’s international relations because really, we don’t want another country’s nukes aimed at our heads.
Once you step into the spotlight, whether in public office or simply as a well-known figure, you accept the fact that not everyone will like you. You will be heckled, criticized and insulted. No one is popular with everyone, not even yours truly. A danger of being a public figure is the very knowledge that someone, somewhere would love to see you crash and burn. Don’t get me wrong. The limelight is not all bad but the higher you go, the more pressure there will be.
I’d love to see a woman in the highest position in the land. When I was in high school, I was determined I would be the first female to earn that office. Well, my chances are growing slimmer but the thought of Sarah Palin as president makes me throw up a little bit.
I’m both shocked and amused by those still hoping she’ll make a run for it in 2012. But I have to ask, do we really want a president that might wake up one day and decide she needs a break?