Palin Third Gov to Up and Resign in First Term

by Jonathan Singer, Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 04:05:06 AM EDT

Via Political Wire comes some remarkable news: Sarah Palin is one of just three first-term Governors since the 20th century to resign for reasons unrelated to a superseding event like a promotion, an indictment or the like.

On a hunch, I reviewed online lists of all the men and women who've been elected governor of their state since the year 1900. Pored over them for a few hours. Over 1200 politicians have taken that first-term oath of office. Some soon died in office. Many resigned to accept other positions in government, including Spiro Agnew who was "tapped" by Nixon after being the Governor of Maryland for about five minutes. On a handful of occasions, a first-termer was dragged off to the slammer or impeached. One was incapacitated by a nervous breakdown and one left just as impeachment came knocking on his door. So--how many out of over 1200 just up and quit before the end of their term?
Three: Jim McGreevy, Eliot Spitzer and Sarah Palin.

We already knew that Sarah Palin's bizarre announcement over the fourth of July weekend was largely unprecedented. But separating her out from Eliot Spitzer and Jim McGreevy, who both left amid sex scandals the national and local press would not let go of (both of which also implicated legal or ethical issues), Palin's resignation would actually appear to be the first and only instance in at least a century of a Governor leaving office during his or her first term for no particular reason at all. Impressive.

Tags: Sarah Palin (all tags)

Comments

10 Comments

Sort by

permalink

Re: Palin Third Gov to Up and Resign in First Term

You just can't get more mavericky than that.

by Skipster 2009-07-10 05:23AM | 0 recs

permalink

Re: Palin Third Gov to Up and Resign

I'll say it again ... If Palin enters the Republican Primary I will donate money to her.

If she were to win the nomination I would bet she couldn't win more than 6 states.

by RichardFlatts 2009-07-10 05:40AM | 0 recs

permalink

Re: Palin Third Gov to Up and Resign

In a GE race they would have to make Barack Obama wear assless chaps to handicap him.

by Jess81 2009-07-10 09:31AM | 0 recs

permalink

Re: Palin Third Gov to Up and Resign in First Term

Oh, she had a reason:

-----> $$$$$$ <-----

by fogiv 2009-07-10 06:26AM | 0 recs

permalink

Re: Palin Third Gov to Up and Resign in First Term

Very true... and she is going to make a lot of it.

by JDF 2009-07-10 07:00AM | 0 recs

permalink

Re: Palin Third Gov to Up and Resign in First Term

I must admit she is my second slice of cheesecake. My 4th, 5th and 6th Oreo. My Jerry Springer Marathon. Guilty pleasures all.

by JerryColorado23 2009-07-10 07:23AM | 0 recs

permalink

Peggy Noonan lol

"She went on the trail a sensation but demonstrated in the ensuing months that she was not ready to go national and in fact never would be. She was hungry, loved politics, had charm and energy, loved walking onto the stage, waving and doing the stump speech. All good. But she was not thoughtful. She was a gifted retail politician who displayed the disadvantages of being born into a point of view (in her case a form of conservatism; elsewhere and in other circumstances, it could have been a form of liberalism) and swallowing it whole: She never learned how the other sides think, or why."

"In television interviews she was out of her depth in a shallow pool. She was limited in her ability to explain and defend her positions, and sometimes in knowing them. She couldn't say what she read because she didn't read anything. She was utterly unconcerned by all this and seemed in fact rather proud of it: It was evidence of her authenticity. She experienced criticism as both partisan and cruel because she could see no truth in any of it. She wasn't thoughtful enough to know she wasn't thoughtful enough."

by DTOzone 2009-07-10 07:35AM | 0 recs

permalink

Conventional terms just can't define Palin

You have to understand, you can't use conventional terms or concepts when describing Palin.

You have to use "Freeper-think."

Palin didn't need to "resign", she had "transcended" the mundane office of Governor, simple elected office politics are below the stature she has attained.

In fact, things like "Being Elected" are no longer concepts that can contain a being such as Palin...

In 2012, she will simply BECOME President, because it's meant to be.

The Universe (which is basically center-right) will simply shift and suddenly, without all the muss and fuss of a campaign where you have to answer so called "questions" from reporters, She and Todd will appear full esconced in the WH.

In fact, it's clear to those who have the vision to see (freepers) that there is very little need for Jesus to come back, cause Palin fills the need.

Think of Reagan as Moses, and Cheney as John the Babtist, they "prepared the way" for the coming of The Sarah.

So it becomes, we live in an age of the miraculous.

Amen.

by WashStateBlue 2009-07-10 08:18AM | 0 recs

permalink

Re: Palin Third Gov to Up and Resign in First Term

Somebody does not know their history. Regarding: "...including Spiro Agnew who was "tapped" by Nixon after being the Governor of Maryland for about five minutes."
Agnew was elected Governor in the November 1966 election and inaugurated in January 1967. Nixon chose him in 1968. I should know; I was in high school and campaigned for him because the Democratic nominee was a racist. Sure were different times than now!

by chrisdarling 2009-07-10 12:16PM | 0 recs

permalink

Sarah

That's our girl!

I can't decide which scenario I want more:

a) for her to continue to implode

b) actually be the GOP 2012 nominee.

by Charles Lemos 2009-07-10 04:06PM | 0 recs