Palin vs. Palin
| Sun Jul. 12, 2009 10:12 PM PDT
The New York Times takes a look at Sarah Palin's post-campaign life up in Alaska:
Almost as soon as she returned home, the once-popular governor was isolated from an increasingly critical Legislature. Lawmakers who had supported her signature effort to develop a natural gas pipeline turned into uncooperative critics.
.... Her growing list of detractors quickly signaled that they were not impressed with her celebrity status. “We had business to do,” said State Representative Nancy Dahlstrom, a Republican who had worked on Ms. Palin’s 2006 race for governor. “It’s not all about adoration.”
....Democrats who had been crucial to her governing coalition now saw her as a foe. Republican leaders who had previously lost fights with her smelled weakness. An abortion bill she supported requiring parental consent stalled, the Legislature rejected her choice for attorney general and lawmakers became skeptical of the natural gas pipeline effort.
There was a lot more than just this, of course. Among other things, there were money issues, personal issues, organizational issues, and an almost pathological inability to avoid a feud no matter how small or trivial. But the fact that she found it almost impossible to govern Alaska after she returned obviously played a big role in Palin's decision to quit too.
Which got me to thinking: when was the last time someone ran for national office, lost, and then had to go back to being governor? Answer: in the past 50 years it's happened only once, to Michael Dukakis after he lost in 1988. And as you may recall, things didn't go swimmingly for Dukakis either when he returned to the statehouse — despite the fact that he was an experienced governor, didn't have any money problems, didn't participate in endless personal feuding, didn't try to position himself for another run four years later, didn't have tabloid magazines staked out in front of his house 24/7, was famously well organized, and had no problem discussing issues intelligently when called upon to do so.
In other words, maybe returning to run a state after participating in a brutal presidential campaign is just a tough assignment for anyone in today's media-saturated environment. But Sarah Palin never figured that out, and if the Times is to be believed she refused to listen to anyone who tried to tell her. As always, Sarah Palin's worst enemy was — Sarah Palin.
UPDATE: More here from the LA Times: "What is remarkable is the contempt Palin has engendered within her own party and the fact that so many of her GOP detractors are willing, even eager, to express it publicly."
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Comments
Too much insight and empathy
Submitted by Steve Sailer (not verified) on Sun Jul. 12, 2009 11:23 PM PDT.
Dear Kevin:
As shown by your Robert McNamara post, you are developing too much sympathetic insight into people in the news for your own good. Readers want blind hatred, not wisdom and understanding.
Steve
If you were in Alaska
Submitted by B on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 4:13 AM PDT.
If you were in Alaska wouldn't you want her to quit? When the crazy vet with the barbie doll heads hanging from his neck fails to flip you (and your children) off, do you give him grief for being a quitter or do you consider yourself lucky.
The miniseries has moved on to the next act. I wish Alaska luck with their next inept and corrupt politician.
And who says Alaska has control over the gas pipeline. That's a massive federal project that's been discussed for decades and the money and the vast majority of the hurdles lie at the federal level. I can imagine it as a stimulus act item but it will take as much work as health care.
If anyone is still reading this....
Submitted by rhinoman (not verified) on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 4:29 AM PDT.
I lived in Massachusetts when Dukakis came back after his presidential run. The level or respect accorded him was awfully low, people felt he had gotten in way over his head, that presidential politics was far out of his league (sound familiar?). MA at the time was in a heated budget battle, people were furious over gov't spending and there was a massive public battle over what to cut to balance the budget - and Dukakis' first public statement was that we'll just raise taxes to cover the entire budget shortfall, which is what any Right Thinking Person would do (I remember this VERY well). You could almost hear the sound of John Sasso beating his head against the wall. The net result of all this was John Silber getting the Democratic nomination for governor, and Republican Bill Weld winning the seat.
So, actually, it's not that different - a Not Ready For Prime Time candidate fails spectacularly, and goes home to a hostile reception, which they handle incompetently. At least Palin had the brains to quit.
The Blogosphere and Sarah Palin
Submitted by norbizness (not verified) on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 6:02 AM PDT.
This dysfunctional, symbiotic relationship is only matched by SportsCenter and Brett Favre.
What Steve (above)
Submitted by Marc R (not verified) on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 7:27 AM PDT.
What Steve (above) said.
Your tempered and mature attitude really stands out in the blogosphere. Bravo.
Dukakis vs. Palin
Submitted by Steve (not verified) on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 7:27 AM PDT.
I'm not convinced the comparison is apt.
One significant difference which might have led to Dukakis's problems in Massachusetts is that he had to be away from the state for probably the better part of a year or so, campaigning first in the primaries then in the general election.
Governor Palin was plucked from relative obscurity late in the game, just days before the Republican National Convention, meaning that she was away from her state a considerably shorrter period of time.
In any event, I tend to agree with norbizness, that "[t]his dysfunctional, symbiotic relationship is only matched by SportsCenter and Brett Favre", although I'd tend to match it more with the fascination by the mass media and the late Michael Jackson.
Enuff awreddy.
Specifically, Palin's
Submitted by Trippp on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 8:42 AM PDT.
Specifically, Palin's biggest fault is that she believes her own PR.
She has retreated to her rabid core group of supporters who adore her, which is fine, I guess, but she can't (or won't) see that while this group seems huge to her it is at most 16% of the population, and I don't know anyone who can get elected with just 16% of the vote.
Her rabid supporters are such aholes ("Liberals hate Palin," "the media hates Palin," "You other 84% are all elitist snobs") they alienate the rest of us even more.
Over the weekend Pawlenty stressed the GOP has to get away from its image of being the party of angry old men. While Palin is not an angry old man, her supporters are just as obnoxious and turn people off just as much.
Tripp
Palin entered the
Submitted by alan (not verified) on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 9:15 AM PDT.
Palin entered the governorship in the first place as anti- the Republican establishment, so, with Ted Stevens case dismissed, they're out for revenge.
It's the crony-establishment that slammed a door on her.
Mojo doesn't have the smarts
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 10:58 AM PDT.
Mojo doesn't have the smarts or integrity to be critical of the lying, theiving moron in the White House so they keep having to rehash the public ridicule of the soon-to-be former governor of Alaska.
Progressive? Hardly.
that's quite an argument;
Submitted by dorkus54 (not verified) on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 12:25 PM PDT.
that's quite an argument; well-documented and supported by evidence.
Whom are you speaking of?
Submitted by oldcpu on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 1:50 PM PDT.
Bush and Cheney are no longer in office! FYI-Palin is a uneducated, silly, air headed twit. I hope you reps have her on the presidential ticket in 2012! Please!
YES!
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 1:55 PM PDT.
YES! The lying, thieving morons who used to occupy the White House, who are without smarts or integrity, need to be further criticized. The American Public, as well as Mojo, needs to see to the protection of the Constitution of these United States of America by demanding further investigation into the war crimes of the Bush/Cheney White House as well as their illegal domestic spying operations and many other crimes against the People and the Constitution of the United States. This is imperative the health of our Union, and should be a bi-partisan matter. Hold the Obama administration accountable for their collective oaths to defend the Constitution as now more than ever it needs it. If Obama won't do it now we must find someone in 2112 who will. There is no statute of limitations on murder.
Palin and "real America"
Submitted by Trigg (not verified) on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 12:24 PM PDT.
I have one question for Sarah Palin.
Where is "real America"?
You think she actually
Submitted by Drunk with Lust (not verified) on Mon Jul. 13, 2009 7:00 PM PDT.
You think she actually believes that clap-trap? SP, like any grifter worth her/his position, is nothing more than glib in pursuit of acquisition. In the outgoing Gov's case, (political) titles. & before that, dimes on the hardwood, sashes in beauty-pageants. SP thinks "stuff" makes the person... & that's hardly a value associated with "plucky", "thrifty", Middle America. Palin's a con, alright, all that said, but not conservative -- she's a confidence (wo)man.
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