WI: Sarah Palin Did Not Resign

What if Sarah Palin did not resign the governorship of Alaska in 2009, instead carry out her term until 2010? She would then have had the prospect of reelection. Had she won, her second term would have lasted until 2014. The governor of Alaska is allowed only one consecutive term, but is also permitted multiple non-consecutive terms thereafter. She would also be in a stronger position of winning the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 or 2016.
 
Maybe she wasn't leading in the Republican nomination polls by a neck since 2013's end and has improved a lot from that failure that was to be John McCain's running mate in 2008.
 
Last edited:
OOC: This is a DBWI.

IC: Maybe she wasn't leading in the Republican nomination polls by a neck since 2013's end and has improved a lot from that failure that was to be John McCain's running mate in 2008.
Actually it's a WI. Sarah Palin did resign in 2009, as odd as that may sound.

To answer the OP she probably doesn't do much. Nobody outside of conservative circles liked her by that point, and her career in higher office was dead.
 
I think the main problem with Sarah Palin winning a nomination as President under the scenario you outlined above was a lot of senior Republicans would have had an opportunity to meet her, plus the wholesome family thing was likely to wear a bit thin. Then of course there were the scandals about abuse of power whilst Governor...and an ability to gaffe like Dan Quayle on acid.

Outside of the Tea Party I don't think most senior republicans would have been interested in her being encouraged to run.
 
Actually it's a WI. Sarah Palin did resign in 2009, as odd as that may sound.

And the Palin camp and Conservative media tried to somehow doublethink it into being something valiant and her not quitting.

To answer the OP she probably doesn't do much. Nobody outside of conservative circles liked her by that point, and her career in higher office was dead.

All it takes is the Conservative circles to get far. Alaska is a very Conservative state, and people who supported Palin could sweep her into the nomination. It's just she doesn't seem to want it more than she wants the attention. Being president is less fun than running for president. There's no responsibility and all the glory and money if you look like you're running.
 

jahenders

Banned
I think it keeps her somewhat more viable in the P/VP race. Her resigning to campaign full-time hurt her credibility and made her more vulnerable to a media anxious to take pot shots.

Remaining in elected office might also constrain her comments somewhat, keeping her from some mis-steps.

In general, though they still likely lose, she emerges from the election with considerably more respect than most give her IOTL.

What if Sarah Palin did not resign the governorship of Alaska in 2009, instead carry out her term until 2010? She would then have had the prospect of reelection. Had she won, her second term would have lasted until 2014. The governor of Alaska is allowed only one consecutive term, but is also permitted multiple non-consecutive terms thereafter. She would also be in a stronger position of winning the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 or 2016.
 
once Palin resigned that ended any hope for future elective office.

ironically going for immediate t.v. deals, etc. has probably cost her money over the longer term.

had she finished her term as governor, picked a couple of issues to push after leaving office.

she would probably have a full schedule of lucrative speaking fees, would guess that's probably not the case now outside a very limited market.
 
Last edited:

TinyTartar

Banned
I always kind of wondered why she did resign. Maybe she just did not hold ambitions for higher office, or maybe she just did not want to deal with the barrage of mockery and hate, or maybe she had some kind of family thing going on.

Of course, there was no way she was going to achieve higher office anyways.
 
I always kind of wondered why she did resign. Maybe she just did not hold ambitions for higher office, or maybe she just did not want to deal with the barrage of mockery and hate, or maybe she had some kind of family thing going on.

Of course, there was no way she was going to achieve higher office anyways.

There's some validity to the fact that Palin was being flooded with ethics violations and couldn't afford to fight them on her government salary. I don't know if it warranted resignation, but she wasn't exactly lying when she said she was becoming burdened by the huge onslaught of complaints.
 
There's some validity to the fact that Palin was being flooded with ethics violations and couldn't afford to fight them on her government salary. I don't know if it warranted resignation, but she wasn't exactly lying when she said she was becoming burdened by the huge onslaught of complaints.

It's probably a mix of the ethics violations ("Actually it's about ethics in state government"...) and the fact that, having had a taste of the national spotlight, it's probably really hard to go back to Alaska and actually govern. Why bother running an out-of-the-way state (while you're being inundated with lawsuits and hearings) when you can get paid six figures to say platitudes for half an hour?
 
She would have slightly more credibility, if only just. Her resigning basically flushed what little reputation as a politician she had down the toilet, getting her branded the one thing no politician should - as someone who quits the moment things get tough.
 
After she resigned, her chances of getting the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 or 2016 were zero. Had she not resigned, her chances of getting the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 or 2016 would still be zero.
 
There's some validity to the fact that Palin was being flooded with ethics violations and couldn't afford to fight them on her government salary. I don't know if it warranted resignation, but she wasn't exactly lying when she said she was becoming burdened by the huge onslaught of complaints.

My understanding is that the Palin's were slowly going bankrupt due to legal costs from false ethics charges. Todd Palin had gone back to work on the North Slope to supplement her salary. But that couldn't keep up. The Palin's needed cash quick, and resigning was the only way to stop the bleeding.


Governor Palin was essentially forced from office by her political enemies abusing the ethics process.
 
My understanding is that the Palin's were slowly going bankrupt due to legal costs from false ethics charges. Todd Palin had gone back to work on the North Slope to supplement her salary. But that couldn't keep up. The Palin's needed cash quick, and resigning was the only way to stop the bleeding.

Governor Palin was essentially forced from office by her political enemies abusing the ethics process.

That is unfortunate. I don't particularly like Palin or her politics. But I also don't like character assassination, gotcha-reporting or judging people based on what they say. I would rather judge people by what they do, especially politicians.

Academic qualifications are not high to be a politician, any politician even President (whether they should be is another story). She could be as dumb as a door nail and as long as she wasn't easily manipulated by others and followed the will of the people, I would have no problem with her. George W. Bush's problem wasn't that he was a frat boy or a C-student, but that he was too easily influenced by the wrong people at exactly the wrong time in a crisis.

If you look at the Republican field right now, Jeb Bush, Christie and so on... I think Palin would have had a chance as long as she had a vision and represented the people's (conservatives) will. Saying Palin is too "stupid" doesn't wash because conservatives value morals, ethics and character over intellect. She could even have used all the ethics charges as a springboard by playing the victim. And if she went bankrupt, so what? She could use that too. She would be a true blue conservative and you would have...

...Hillary vs Palin.

large_snl-palin-clinton.jpg


Corporate Executive VS Soccer Mom

The real reason she doesn't have a chance isn't because of 2008 or "too stupid" but because she is bad at politics. Why does she have all those ethics charges? She made too many mortal political enemies aka doesn't know politics. Winning the General is a different story, but with the right dice she could have been the nominee in 2016.
 
Top