Sarah Palin Blogs

News over the past couple of weeks has certainly been centered on the shocking death of Michael Jackson and the heartbreaking loss of Farah Fawcett. To keep politics in the mix, Alaska governor Sarah Palin abruptly decided to resign from office at the end of the month.

This was far from expected news as the announcement took the Republican party by surprise. With this move, it opens up the possibility for the 45 year-old Palin to potentially run for the White House in 2012. However, this is certainly not guaranteed as her and her staff has decided to keep the future as a mystery.

Palin’s spokesman has said nothing about this being the end of her political career. He went on to say that she is excited to begin “serving the public outside the governor’s chair. Whether she will begin preparation for a presidential bid or would rather calm down for a while is still unclear.

In the news conference from her home in Wasilla, Sarah Palin announced that she would step down July 26 and would be preceded by Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell. Although it came as a bit of a shocker, she believes this is best decision for her despite having two years left to her term.

With talk about the 2012 presidential election already a loom, Palin has been the target of recent critical discussion. It has been questioned in Vanity Fair magazine whether or not she was ever prepared for the presidency. It did not lighten up there either with follow-up articles highlighting the infighting that certainly loomed over her and weighed on her failed bid.

Although it seems at the moment that Sarah Palin does not want to drop politics altogether, it is far too early to say whether or not you will be seeing her attempting to be the first woman president of the United States.

Ultimately, her decision to step down is in the best interest of Alaska. She said she does not want to collect the paychecks and walk through the next two years. She would rather have someone that will do the best job possible in Alaska.

A veteran political science professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Jerry McBeath, believes this is smart on Palin’s move. While Alaska is no less a part of the U.S. as any other state, it does have its isolation. McBeath believes there are some tremendous opportunities that await Palin in the future.

On the other end of the spectrum, political analyst Larry Sabato seemed perplexed by the announcement. He said “it’s absolutely bizarre” and “it eliminates her from serious consideration for the presidency in 2012.”

Although it is difficult to understand exactly the reasoning behind the decision, Palin did make it clear that family was a big reason for the announcement. She went on to say that her kids had an enormous impact on the decision.

It was not more than a year ago that Sarah Palin was some small name in politics that very few recognized. After becoming the running mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain not more than a year ago, she emerged into the public’s eye and has remained as a controversial figure from the beginning.

She was constantly poked fun at and became a target for talk-show jokes and Democratic criticism. Although many believed she would fade out of the spotlight following McCain’s loss for presidency, she has remained in the forefront of politic talk.

From the pressure of the job to the position it was putting her family in, as stated the decision was largely for her kids. As soon as she had made the decision she felt there was no better time than now to make the announcement to step down.

It has been a solid career for her since first being elected in 2006. However, her popularity has certainly tapered since the presidential campaign and all of the rumors and speculation that surrounded her.

Despite this, her future does look promising as there are a number of different opportunities she can pursue. Many have the potential to make her far more than the $125,000 she has been making as governor of Alaska.

She already had a deal with publisher HarperCollins to produce memoirs of hers and there is the potential for large earnings from book deals. Anyone with a stature like Palin’s has the opportunity to produce best-selling books that can produce millions in sales.

The question on everyone’s mind today is whether or not she will begin preparing for a run at the 2012 election. While some believe it gives her time to think and begin preparing, others feel it has ultimately eliminated her from the realm of possibility for the election. For now, it is far too early to tell what the future holds for Sarah Palin.