I think this development is in the best interests of Alaska. One of the things I didn't discuss in yesterday's post about Purdum's article was some hints the author had in speculating about Palin's future. Purdum felt that Palin's recent actions as governor seemed oddly detached as problems accumulated, as if she expect to leave them to a successor. He hinted that she might be eying Senator Murkowski's Senate seat, possibly to give her a national platform for seeking the 2012 Presidential nominated.
One of the reasons why I thought that Palin would not run for reelection is the fact that her approval ratings had sunk to the mid-50's, at least a third less than this time last year. Whereas she probably would have won reelection, it would have been a much closer election than one would expect, and that would have been a key setback to any national aspirations she would have.
Reportedly Sarah Palin said that she was looking to represent Alaska in a new direction. A Senate run would certainly be consistent with that, but my guess is that the race for the 2012 nomination will begin shortly after the 2010 Congressional elections. Sarah Palin would probably have to convince Alaskan voters that they aren't simply sending her to Washington to run for President over the first two hears. She could do that by taking herself out of the 2012 race. That would be a good move on her part, since defeating an incumbent President is difficult and she could target a 2016 nomination with more national experience under her belt.
What's less clear is why Sarah Palin would be resigning her position if she intends to run for Senate next year (for example, Florida Governor Charlie Crist is running for Martinez' seat). It may be simply to take a break and go on a lucrative speaking tour to pay off her legal bills from various ethics complaints.
If nothing else, I'm sure she could find something at Fox News Channel, given their slobbering love affair for all things Sarah Palin. I switched on FNC just to hear their initial reactions; at the time, they had a phone call with one of Sarah Palin's brothers whom was quite choked up. I have no doubt we are going to see the die-hard Palin faithful continue their victimization rhetoric. There is no doubt that some of the early attacks from the Angry Left was over the top--but that actually worked to Palin's favor:
Four days later, Palin's approval rating had climbed to 47 percent (+17), and by Sept. 13 it had hit 52 percent. The gap at that point between her favorable and unfavorable numbers--22 percent--was larger than either McCain's (+20) or Obama's (+13).
She went from that to net unfavorability ratings, below the previous low over the past 30 years, set by former Vice President Dan Quayle. Each Vice Presidential candidate plays the bad cop role, which tends to lower popularity ratings. But Sarah Palin and her fans need to realize the Angry Left is a small minority of American voters. She never had the Angry Left from the get-go. She lost credibility not with the social conservative base of the GOP, but with moderates and independents. Like it or not, Sarah Palin lost the middle of American voters mostly due to her own actions. The Palin conservatives should stop the ad hominem attacks on critics; Sarah Palin should accept responsibility for her own actions. She's a politician; she famously once said she had thick skin. Every other Vice Presidential nominee has had to play bad cop. You don't respect Sarah Palin by making excuses for her. Sarah Palin overcame some incredible political odds to win the 2006 gubernatorial election.
