If you haven’t heard yet, Sarah Palin resigned. Some people were on vacation and enjoying fireworks when that went down.
Politico’s Jonathan Martin examines why Palin could have made the move.
The performance, by these lights, adds credence to the claims of some associates that Palin – burned by the intense scrutiny on her and the crossfire that swirls around her – is so fed up that she’s ready to get out of elective politics. Even if it’s only the small stage of Alaska politics she hopes to escape, skeptics say Friday’s events also diminished and perhaps even demolished what was left of her viability as a 2012 presidential candidate.
But her defenders believed an unorthodox move, even if risky, has a clear logic and may only further increase her standing with conservatives who don’t care what establishment figures in or out of the GOP think. Leaving the governor’s office at the end of this month leaves her free to travel the country, command large speaking fees, and begin the process of rallying her devotees without pesky home-state opponents criticizing every move.
As pundits weigh Palin’s chances of running for President in 2012, a recent poll suggested that evangelicals have been some of her strongest fans. But as Steve Waldman wonders, what happens if Palin faces Mike Huckabee?
