Posted on 07/06/2009 9:29:19 AM PDT by Congressman Billybob
There are two aspects of Governor Palin's decision to resign now, which have not been competently discussed, or discussed at all, in the main stream media. One is based on the map, the other is based in American political history.
Regarding the map: I have two, immediate sources to know how long it takes, with what sort of wearing down from the journey itself, to travel to and from Alaska. One is my cousin who is a leading labor lawyer, and who went from Atlanta to Alaska frequently when the Aleska Pipeline was under construction.
The other is my son-in-law's brother who was until recently the Agent In Charge for the FBI in Alaska. His trips home were often to North Carolina. The bottom line is this. In going to Alaska, or coming from that state to the "lower 48" for any purpose, two days are lost in travel for each trip, and there is recovery time to be sharp and on your toes in addition.
Throw in the fact that at least two of the phony, and dismissed, ethics charges made against Governor Palin were based on the fact that she was "out of the state" in order to appear or speak at events in the lower 48. It is well known that Governors and Senators who habitually run for President are often absent from their states and their constituents (unless they come from Iowa or New Hampshire to begin with).
The travel restraints are far worse for Alaskans and Hawaiians than residents of any other states. The result is that no one can function in a full time government position in Alaska or Hawaii, while playing a significant, permanent role in politics in the rest of the nation.
The political history aspect refers to Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Both built their national base which gave them their respective party nominations for President by traveling the US for years on the rubber chicken circuit. They supported and raised money for hundreds of state and local candidates. They had good results doing that, much better than similar efforts by Bill Clinton, to choose a name not entirely at random.
Bottom line: I think Sarah Palin is planning a similar, grassroots effort to those of Nixon and Humprey. I think she knows that she needs to show immediate results in the 2010 elections for the House and Senate, with candidates she supports usually winning. She has to start now, rather than just wait to run for President or Vice President in 2012.
I think she recognized that it was impossible for her to be a Governor, a mother and a wife, and an active speaker in the lower 48, all at once. So, she left the least important of those three tasks in the hands of her selected Lt. Governor.
The proof of what I posit will come on 12 September, 2009, if Palin is the most important speaker at the Rally on the Mall in Washington. My analysis is correct, if she begins her speech then and there with words like these: "My fellow Americans, I come before you today not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as an American who is deeply, deeply concerned about the wrong directions this nation is taking because of failures by politicians in both of those ancient political parties...."
Congressman Billybob
This is one smart women, who is also focused and courageous. I’ll be happy to see all the pundits, left AND right, end up with egg on their face.
Brilliant observation.
“I think she recognized that it was impossible for her to be a Governor, a mother and a wife, and an active speaker in the lower 48, all at once. So, she left the least important of those three tasks in the hands of her selected Lt. Governor.”
The Great One Mark Levin had simular observations on his Friday show. There is much for her to do if she wants to be a serious contender and go up against the old Republican beltway horses. Collect pledges, Build and then congeal her base, stay involved in the lower 48, and continue to draw tens of thousands to her her speak. She can do none of this in Alaska.
The Mark Levin show from July 3rd is Worth listening to.
If McCain had won, the media would harping about a depression just around the corner. McCain’s approval ratings would be lower than Bush’s. Plus the media would be pounding on McCain to stop listening to stupid Palin’s advice and appoint Joe Lieberman as Veep. Knowing McCain, he would do exactly that to get some media praise.
These people who want to keep firing at the Republican Party need to learn how to aim!
Lets take out some of our RINO problems in the primary, to be sure, -— but, like Reagan, we need to present a POSITIVE public image.
This constant carping about how the Republicans have failed is much like Obama apologizing to the world about America.
STFU and get to work, folks!
Lead
Follow
or
Get the HELL out of the way!
As an engineer who has made his career on thinking “outside the box”, I must compliment you on your innovative and cogent analysis, FRiend.
The travel aspect is particularly interesting.
Do you know what day, exactly? The Reagan Library is fairly local to me, and I would like to go if I can.
I agree with your assessment completely: Sarah CANNOT compete in the ABCNNBCBS news cycle if she needs 18 to 30 hours to make one speech allowing itself only 2 hours in front of the public discussing policy.
Her own show on Fox or CNN? Even better. And that too cannot readily/realistically be done from Alaska.
Recovering the money from speech and fees? Can only be done in the lower 48 states.
I agree.
Sarah was being boxed in. She saw an opening and ran for daylight.
I have the feeling that Obama and Axelrod are dazed and confused.
Marked to read later
Heck, I’ve got a very famous house on Watts Bar Lake in Spring City, TN we only use two weekends a month. 5 bedrooms, 5 baths... she could use it !!! It would be my honor.
Makes more sense than reading self-fulfilling liberal tea leaves, like everyone else in the backstabbing GOP is doing.
Nixon was not running, but Reagan did run against the policies of Carter - the man in office screwing up the country. Same thing happening here. Run against the crap Obama did, BUT, present ones own platform of positives.
We keep getting these attacks on her from folks who claim to be Rep. Could it be that this is "payback" from friends of the folks that she outed for their coruption and cronyism?
Just wondering...
“[I wonder whether Hillary regrets giving up her Senate seat for the SoS seat?”
Hillary who?? ;-)
Yes, I know Nixon wasn’t running—sloppy sentence construction on my part! But agreed, the target is Obama and I think Palin knows that more clearly than most.
I've made the trip from DC to Alaska and back, and it is ROUGH, at least 9 hours in the air if you go non-stop from BWI to Anchorage, more if you layover in Minneapolis or Seattle.
Most people have absolutely no comprehension as to exactly how far away Alaska really is, or how big it is.
I’ve seen you on a thing or two you were dead wrong about.
In this case, I think you’re spot on.
Sarah Palin to Orlando to campaign for Marco Rubio: 11+ hours. (1 hour to anchorage, unknown wait time, 9.5 hours to Orlando).
A full day in the air just to make a single campaign stop. Untenable. I have been saying this for 3 days now. Nice for someone else to agree. Enough of the bashing. Obama could keep his Senate seat and just play hookie in the Senate because he was 90 minutes from Nashua and an hour from Des Moines. It is obvious why she was compelled to step down.
I think you nailed it!
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