Standing up for what's right - Governor Palin's announcement

I think a lesson can be learned from the recent announcement that Governor Sarah Palin will leave her post as governor at the end of July. By stepping down, she is telling the world that she is not going to stand for vicious personal attacks against her and her family. Whether you agree with her political views or not, this woman has been attacked more times in the past 11 months than any other politician (male or female) in recent memory. If she brings her kids out on the campaign trail, she is attacked by male commentators. She’s a Republican woman who chose to have both a career and a family, so she is attacked by female commentators. Late-night pundits attack her looks calling her “sluty” (try calling Michelle Obama or any liberal woman that and see where it gets you). During the election, the National Organization for Women (NOW) was nowhere to be found while she was viciously attacked by the mainstream media. We now know that the so-called National Organization for Women only support liberal women, conservative women are on your own.

Eight months after the election, former McCain staffers who can’t see the horrible campaign they ran as they gear up for the next election, seem to want to instead blame her for their loss. I’m appalled at the former McCain staffers who have come out since the election attacking her. You want someone to blame for McCain’s loss then look at the top of the ticket. Sen. McCain, whose family is truly dedicated to their country, was not the Conservative Republicans needed in 2008. The Governor fought back and said “it’s mean-spirited, it’s immature and it’s unprofessional.” If the McCain staffers can’t accept the fact that they lost because the top of the ticket wasn’t what we (Conservative Republicans wanted), that’s fine, but to attack a woman who was asked by the top seed to serve is going beyond petty. I would like to remind these same staffers that most people who voted Republican were voting for Governor Palin.

Since returning home, the Governor has been plagued with repeated ethics inquires causing her to run up $500,000 in legal fees. She even stated that “I cannot stand here as your governor and allow the millions of dollars and all that time to go to waste just so I can hold the title of governor.” A clear shot to those who have made a new career out of investigating her. It is clear that she loves her country and her state and will put the best interest of Alaska ahead of her own. Her enemies have and will continue to look for anything that might help prevent her from running for office in the future.

Even now, 8 months after the election, former McCain staffers are at it again. McCain “campaign enforcer” Steve Schmidt spent time with Todd Purdum of Vanity Fair discussing how ill-suited Sarah Palin was for VP. Other sources decided to remain unnamed but accused the governor of suffering “post-partum depression” and that she wouldn’t listen to her advisors. What remains to be seen is are these same staffers gearing up for a position with one of the remaining 2012 candidates such as former Gov. Mitt Romney (MA), Gov. Tim Pawlenty (MN), or Gov. Haley Barbour (MS). They know Governor Palin remains extremely popular with the Conservative base and want to take her down. On a side note, all this sniping within the GOP has got to stop.

I choose to take from this announcement that she like many Republican women have had enough of the attacks on her administration, her character, her looks and her family. Will she run for higher office, I don’t know. Deciding not to run for a second term is understandable since it would leave her less than 2 years to run for president. To step down now does give her enemies more fuel for the fire. For instance, the Democratic National Committee, who said this on the day of her announcement “Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can’t handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down. Either way - her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today.”

It is sad to see a well loved, successful politician fall to the pressure of the media who hate her so much. What mother wouldn’t be appalled at the attacks on her children? From her 18 year old daughter who had a baby out of wedlock to her 14 month old son with Down syndrome who was recently “mocked and ridiculed by some mean-spirited adults” would leave anyone with a bad taste in their mouth.

For those of us who despise our new president and what he is doing to this great country, 2012 is too far away (40 months to be exact). Only time will tell if she is stepping down to run in 2012.