The Saga of being Sarah Palin
Posted on July 16, 2009
Filed Under Guest Columnist | 1 Comment
By Erin Parker
On July 3, SarahPalin announced her resignation as governor of Alaska, throwing in the towel before her term is officially over. Among ambiguous reasons floating around the Universe of Why, the prominent one cited is the issue of insurmountable ethics cases continually rising up against her.
Figures of about $200,000 for the year of 2008 have been quoted as her total household income, whereas the charges surrounding these said cases are climbing past $500,000. So, instead of focusing on the politics of Alaska, the state is spending money combating these charges, draining both Alaskan finances and the Palin family finances.
In cases like this, you can’t win. You can’t beat them OR join them. I think this is a fact Palin has realized, and decided that shes had enough. She has five children, the youngest with severe developmental disabilities. A large family is already a hefty financial strain, but a child with Down Syndrome will require more medical attention thus needing more monetary support than normal.
Palin lives with her family in Wasilla, Alaska, a town with a population less than 10,000 people. 10,000! My university had more than twice that many students. Wasilla is a small town. And let’s face it – priorities are different in small towns compared to the cities. It is simpler. I am not saying the people are simple. I’m saying the culture of life is simpler. There aren’t as many distractions, or for that matter, conveniences. The focus tends to be more on family and home life, not keeping up with the Jones’s. So it is different for Palin than it is for me, and you, and the countless others that count themselves among metropolis dwellers.
Her job stopped being about the welfare of Alaska, and started being about how many times she could defend herself and her family against her attackers. This was not the reason she campaigned to join the Alaskan government. So, to break it down to a rudimentary level, if the original reason is no longer there, then there is no purpose for Palin to be there, either. It was not worth it to her to keep paying money her family doesnt have in order to fight something that will never desist. If she spends all her time combating ethical charges, she wont have anything left when it comes to actually governing Alaska.
Politics is like a sledgehammer that will keep beating and crushing until it kills you (figuratively speaking, of course!) or you pay enough money to drive it somewhere else. I don’t think Palin was interested in either dying, or draining funds in order to keep her head afloat. So, if she can duck out of the spotlight and continue to be active on the political front, while not sacrificing her family’s income or their sanity, then that is a much better way for her to serve.
Metaphorically speaking, Palin was thrust from elementary school to graduate school without going through the necessary steps in the middle. As governor of Alaska, she was able to keep a hold of her family and her career. She was pushed into the presidential limelight rapidly, and without any preparation for coping with the overnight exposure.
Since she was chosen to run with McCain for the presidency, the media has made it their mission to destroy her. It is virtually impossible to find any articles on Palin that show her in a favorable manner. That is to be expected, but the media has taken a harsh turn and frequently attacks her family. Her children are brought into the limelight to be criticized and demoralized publicly. This behavior has crossed many lines. The American media has a clear left of center bias. Chelsea Clintons privacy was honored. There was virtually no abuse in the press on her account. However, George W. Bushs girls were targeted constantly, as are Palins children. You can draw distinct differences from how the Republican party is targeted compared to the Democratic party.
The only way for Palin to protect her family is to remove herself from the line of fire, thus removing her children. If she is out of the public eye, they can’t hurt her children anymore.
That being said, I do not think what she has done will bode well. I believe her reasons are very valid. But with a political career comes the expectation from the citizens that no matter what, the government affairs will be the first priority. While her actions can be justified, someone still loses, and it still reflects badly on her. Will this damage any potential political career she may pursue later? Yes. In fact, I believe this is the death of her political career on any higher ground that what Alaska will give her. But she had to choose the lesser of the two evils, and in the end, she decided the happiness of whom she shared a home with was what she would focus her energy on.
About Erin
The first time I left the country I was 16 and went on a high school trip to 6 countries in Europe. That was all it took, and I was hooked. I danced across the lush green hills of Heidelberg, Germany and vowed to never stop until I died. I tend to be on the extreme side of directness, and learning the art of tact is a never-ending endeavor. Most of the time you will find me laughing or dancing. Im not afraid to admit that Ive developed into sort of a wine snob as well. Ive been accused, more than once, of being a smart ass. I spend an obscene amount of money on books, and I am one of those rare individuals who actually loves spending time with her family.
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One Response to “The Saga of being Sarah Palin”
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Hi Erin,
I stumbled across and enjoyed this article. Much to my dismay, Sarah Palin broke my heart (and millions of others’) when she chose not to run for the 2012 Presidential Nomination in late 2011.
So, your prediction that having resigned — justifiably so — from the Governorship of Alaska would be the end of her “official” political career has been proven right, so far, two and one-half years later.
With her charisma, optimism, fearlessness, and straightforward communication, she seemed to be that one last hope — that right individual at the right time and the right place, like Washington, Churchill, and Reagan.
She’ll continue to have enormous political and social clout as she did in the 2010 mid-term elections — and maybe she’ll take a shot at 2016 or beyond (if we still exist as a republic) — but never forget this: sure, the mainstream media demonized her and her family as was expected (going so far as to blame her for the tragic shooting in Tuscon one year ago today that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords) … but, more so than the Left, it was the Republican establishment that was terrified of her (as they were of Reagan) and propagated both the “quitter” and “she’s unelectable” memes.
They deserve the RINO that they will get, but the shrinking minority of courageously decent American people deserve better.
Farewell and Ciao! – Shain