CNN:Karl Rove, conservatives "perplexed" by Sarah Palin's resignation

[Winehole23]

Conservatives taken aback by Palin's decision to resign




Astounding. Risky. Quitter. And that's what fellow conservatives had to say Sunday about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her decision to step down with 18 months left in her term.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday that she will step down this month.





Democrats left it to Republican and conservative voices to assess what Friday's unexpected announcement by Palin means for her and a possible run for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. For example, Vice President Joe Biden called it a personal decision, offering no analysis of why she did it.


By contrast, those on the political right acknowledged that they didn't know what to make of it.


Karl Rove, the "architect" of George W. Bush's successful presidential campaigns, said the resignation left many of Palin's fellow Republicans "a little perplexed."


"It's a risky strategy," Rove told "Fox News Sunday."


"Astounding," was the pronouncement by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and conservative columnist George Will said Palin was declaring herself a quitter.


Palin, who was Sen. John McCain's vice presidential candidate in the 2008 election, said she already knew she would not seek a second term and decided against being a lame duck governor for the next 18 months.


She also complained that too much time and too many taxpayer dollars were going toward fighting ethics investigations and that the mainstream media were continuing with unfair attacks on her and her family.


Some analysts believe that Palin will seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and that her resignation is intended to free her to prepare.
Rove, whom Bush dubbed "the Architect" for managing his successful presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004, said stepping down now won't lessen the media spotlight on Palin. In fact, he said, leaving the governor's office takes away her platform for controlling her agenda and message."The media, if she wants to run for president, is going to be following her for the next 3½ years," said Rove, who called the move unclear and therefore a potentially harmful strategy for a politician. "Effective strategies in politics are ones that are so clear and obvious that people can grasp. ... It's not clear what she's doing and why."


Grassley told the CBS program "Face the Nation" that he had "no insight into why she did it."


"I would think, if you want to run for president -- and I'm not sure that's got anything to do with what she's doing -- that the forum of a governorship would be a better forum than just being a private citizen," the veteran senator said.


Will told the ABC program "This Week" that he had "no idea why she did this."


"The one that rings most hollow is, she doesn't want to put Alaska through the terror of [her] being a lame-duck governor," Will said. "If she is just weary of it, one can understand that. Still, she made a contract with [voters] to serve out her term. And she said, in her own words, she now is a quitter."


Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska criticized Palin's decision as abandoning the state's voters. Palin defeated Murkowski's father the gubernatorial election in 2006.


But Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, also on the Fox program, said Sunday that Murkowski's statement disappointed him because it failed to recognize all that Palin has accomplished in her 2½ years in office.


"She doesn't need a le to effect change and bring some hope to people who need it," said Parnell, a Republican who stands to become governor when Palin steps down this month.


Palin had no public appearances Sunday, but she encouraged her followers via Twitter to ignore the pundits.


"Critics are spinning, so hang in there as they feed false info on the right decision made as I enter last yr in office to not run again," her Twitter message said.


In an Independence Day message to supporters, Palin said she was leaving office for a "higher calling."


"How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country," Palin said in a statement attributed to her on her Facebook page. "And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make. But every American understands what it takes to make a decision because it's right for all, including your family."


Palin said her administration had "accomplished more during this one term than most governors do in two."


"We have accomplished so much, and there's much more to do, but my family and I determined after prayerful consideration that sacrificing my le helps Alaska most," she said. "And once I decided not to run for re-election, my decision was that much easier. I've never been one to waste time or resources."


Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, noted that Palin will remain in the media spotlight regardless of whether she is governor.


"The challenge that she's going to have is that there will be people who will say, 'Look, if they chased you out of this, it won't get any easier at other levels,' " Huckabee said. "It could be a brilliant strategy. The point is, we don't know."


Huckabee called a presidential campaign "brutal" and said a Republican primary will ratchet up the pressure on Palin.

"When your opponents within your own team spend millions of dollars to redefine you, it's very, very difficult," Huckabee said

[Winehole23]

"I think it hurts," Rove told host Chris Wallace. "When you're a sitting governor, you have the tactical advantage if you're thinking about running for president of turning down a lot of things with an excuse that people will accept. 'I've got a job to do as governor.' She's now removed that. Now the expectations are going to be she's going to be fully available, she's going to be able to come to the lower 48, and she's going to be able to do whatever people ask her to do. And that's going to be a problem. It raises the expectations.

[Winehole23]

John Weaver, a former strategist for the McCain campaign said “If this is her launching pad for 2012, it's a curious move. Policy is politics, and she has no real accomplishments as governor" according to the AP.

[Winehole23]

Daily Kos -- based on nothing, as clear as I can tell -- has suggested that Palin may be mulling a run as a third party candidate.

[Winehole23]

If she does, GOP presidential hopes are dead in the water for 2012.

[ploto]

Her ramblings on facebook and twitter make no more sense than her press conference. Is it about family or is it about country? And for what higher calling is she resigning? It is not like she was asked to be a Supreme Court Justice or a Cabinet member. Her interviews and statements all still read like someone who threw together a bunch of buzz words.

[DMX7]

Daily Kos -- based on nothing, as clear as I can tell -- has suggested that Palin may be mulling a run as a third party candidate.

She may run as a third party candidate? What party is that? The Alaska Hillbilly Party?

[Winehole23]

I doubt she will, DMX.

[BlackSwordsMan]

went crazy

[DMX7]

I doubt she will, DMX.

It would be so great if she did. She would absolutely end the Republican Party.

[whottt]

I could see her splitting off from the Republican Party, it's not like they've been supportive of her. Furthermore she also might feel that the Republican Party itself is against giving her the nomination.

And the glaringly obvious thing is that if she is giving up her Governor's salary she's obviously planning on making her income elsewhere.


Ron Paul makes a fortune off just running for President...


I totally agree with her decision if she says the Republicans...they are pretty much ing clueless and and mired in whining ing and infighting. These same guys ing now are the ones that started ing right before the election...they basically serve the Democratic Party if they do that.

And the obvious thing is, whether she splits or not, the Republicans have virtually no chance of winning if they run Jindal, she is likely to garne a huge PCT of Republican votes whether she's a Republican or not.

[Wild Cobra]

I could see her splitting off from the Republican Party, it's not like they've been supportive of her. Furthermore she also might feel that the Republican Party itself is against giving her the nomination.

And the glaringly obvious thing is that if she is giving up her Governor's salary she's obviously planning on making her income elsewhere.


Ron Paul makes a fortune off just running for President...


I totally agree with her decision if she says the Republicans...they are pretty much ing clueless and and mired in whining ing and infighting. These same guys ing now are the ones that started ing right before the election...they basically serve the Democratic Party if they do that.

And the obvious thing is, whether she splits or not, the Republicans have virtually no chance of winning if they run Jindal, she is likely to garne a huge PCT of Republican votes whether she's a Republican or not.

She would really put the Cons ution Party on the map if she joined them.

[angrydude]

The problem with Palin loving conservatives is for some reason they see her as a leader.

She's not. They only like her because they relate to her.

[whottt]

The problem with Palin loving conservatives is for some reason they see her as a leader.

She's not.

She was a PG named barracuda that won a state championship..

Which is like 10 times anything Obama has on his leadership record.

They only like her because they relate to her.

Which is pretty much the most powerful political attraction there is.

[DMX7]

The problem with Palin loving conservatives is for some reason they see her as a leader.

She's not. They only like her because they relate to her.

This reminds me of Bush. Conservatives loved him because they thought he was the kind of guy they would like to "have a beer" with. That's doesn't make you a leader capable of making big decisions.

[jman3000]

This reminds me of Bush. Conservatives loved him because they thought he was the kind of guy they would like to "have a beer" with. That's doesn't make you a leader capable of making big decisions.

Except conservatives were fairly united under Bush's first election.

Palin would be such a bad candidate that half would like her and the other half wouldn't.

I want her to run. If nothing more than to see how the other Republican candidates handle her. Do they continue to coddle her like they have been doing and allow her to win the nomination... or do they attack her like they would anybody else and bring her down.

[ElNono]

Except conservatives were fairly united under Bush's first election.

Palin would be such a bad candidate that half would like her and the other half wouldn't.

I want her to run. If nothing more than to see how the other Republican candidates handle her. Do they continue to coddle her like they have been doing and allow her to win the nomination... or do they attack her like they would anybody else and bring her down.

She wouldn't survive the primaries. That's my guess.
Let's see if she runs and what happens.

[LnGrrrR]

She was a PG named barracuda that won a state championship..

Which is like 10 times anything Obama has on his leadership record.

Except, you know, running a campaign that gets you elected president.

[SonOfAGun]

oh wellllllz

I guess I'll have to look for hope in some place other than politics now. Darn

[angrydude]

let me rephrase: she has no appeal to anyone as a leader except to the conservatives who relate to her.

That's hardly a formula for national political success.

[Winehole23]

She would really put the Cons ution Party on the map if she joined them.

Yeah. She'd be their Ross Perot.

[Winehole23]

Team Obama can start popping the 2012 champagne if Palin declares a third party run.

[whottt]

Except, you know, running a campaign that gets you elected president.

Oh well, she's never run for President yet and she's run as many campaigns to be elected as Obama had prior to becoming President. Actually more I think.

The PG thing is still more impressive.

10X.

And getting elected President has nothing to do with leadership.

[whottt]

Anyway I know how important that Rove endorsement was going to be to the board libs when making their decision who to vote for in 2012...I see we're probably lost 10-12 of you now. .

[Extra Stout]

The best way to demonstrate leadership is by not leading, by determining "You know, I don't want to lead anymore," and just quitting. That shows decisive action. It takes real integrity to quit, and that is integrity America needs.

Or, maybe it just takes looking around and saying, "My administration is such a train wreck and a distraction that everyone would be better off if I just left." But you know, America needs that train wreck, needs that distraction, in the White House, leading America by not leading.

Palin 2012 -- The Integrity to Quit, the Courage not to Lead