What is Palin Up To?

Sarah Palin's latest turn really caught everyone by surprise. The Alaska Governor, 2008 McCain running mate and social conservative darling shocked us all on the third by announcing she would resign as Governor by the end of the month. Her rambling, disjointed and often self-contradictory statement of explanation left most observers scratching their heads. You can watch a video of her statement here.

So what is she up to this time? I don't think she's setting up a run for 2012. How could she convince voters she is serious about governing when she quits a little more than halfway through a stint as governor of a state? Does anyone think the presidency is a less onerous position? Even Karl Rove feels this disqualifies her for national office. Palin's bizarre words that she is serving the state of Alaska in an unconventional way like a basketball point guard passing off to a teammate is true but laughable as a justification of her own worth. Why is passing off to the lieutenant governor better for the state? The obvious answer is that she is not up to the job. And why does she decry those who "take the quitter's way out" and then quit, herself? To think that this half-wit would have been a 72-year-old's heartbeat away from the leadership of the free world is pretty chilling stuff.

Neither does it seem she is getting out of national politics. Palin said in her resignation annnouncement that she will be serving the conservative cause in a new way, freed from the restrictions she's lately been under. She pointed a finger at the standard "liberal media elite" as the scapegoat for her problems and has said since it's "really sad" the national media doesn't get that her latest move is "all about country," along with other threadbare cliches and non sequitors of the type her vice presidential campaign speeches were full of.

Instead, it appears she is getting ready to cash in on her notoriety financially. Palin's appeal to the hard right is all about her image; it was never about any accomplishments, much less a command of the issues. She is a hockey mom with a Down's Syndrome child who "knows how to field dress a moose." Exactly what that has to do with fixing the financial industry or stemming nuclear proliferation is anybody's guess. But that was never the point. Right wing identity politics is about a personal narrative, not about administrative competence or cogent thinking. A sense of victimization is often an important component of that identity, and Palin now wraps herself in that mantle. Those meanies drove her from office.

Look to the example of Rush Limbaugh. The man is seen as an extremist or a buffoon by most. He will never get elected to national office. But his hard core of 20 million "ditto head" listeners make him a wealthy and influential person on the American scene. So it can be for Sarah Palin. She is reputed to have a book deal in the works. She will be able to command $40,000 an appearance on the speaking circuit. She will be in demand to help far-right candidates in the Deep South and extremely conservative districts across the country. She wants to cash in while she is still a hot commodity and before the realities of the problems of governance or the many ethical probes launched against her possibly start finding paydirt. The people of Alaska are the farthest thing from her mind. They'll probably be a lot better off with Sean Parnell in the Governor's chair anyway. The guy is a politician with 16 years of state government experience, much of it dealing with budget issues. That's got to be an improvement over the circus sideshow they've had in Juneau lately.