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American History's Biggest Quitters
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Has anyone left the political stage as abruptly—without apparent scandal or ambition for higher office—as Sarah Palin? The Daily Beast’s Benjamin Sarlin talked to historians about some famous political dropouts.
Among many charges laid out against her critics in recent days, Gov. Sarah Palin went after the media for employing a double standard in speculating about the reasons for her surprise departure. In a statement on her Facebook page, Palin wrote that “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 is there anyone else who has resigned under similar circumstances? Politicians leave office all the time due to scandal, health reasons, cabinet appointments, or election to higher office. According to historians who talked to The Daily Beast, however, major figures who dropped out in the middle of their term with a Palinesque air of mystery are hard to come by.
Calls to the governor's office for clarification as to which politicians she was referring to in her Facebook note went unreturned, but several historians said that Palin's resignation appeared to be largely without parallel.
“To be honest I can't think of any [examples],” Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, told The Daily Beast in an email. “In general, Americans don't like people who quit and they really don't like people who quit for no reason. So the bar is high for a politician to do something like this.”
One elected official who stepped down early that Zelizer and others mentioned as at least a vague point of comparison is former Sen. Bob Dole, who resigned in June 1996 to focus on the presidential campaign. But Dole was explicit about his intentions. Moreover, he was 73 years old and had some 27 years in the Senate to fall back on; Palin is barely halfway through her first term as governor.
After that, the pickings are slim and involve officials far less famous than the ubiquitous Palin. Steve Gillon, a professor of history at the University of Oklahoma, told The Daily Beast that the best comparison he could come up with was his current boss, former Sen. David Boren, who left office in the middle of his term in 1994 to become president of the University of Oklahoma.
“I am sure there are other politicians who, like Palin, simply walked away from the job. But I can't think of any,” Gillon said in an email. “In the past, politicians who were either weary of public battles or greedy for more money could simply 'check out' for the remainder of their term and hold the title but do little work. Today, getting elected requires so much time and effort most people drop out before the election, not after.”
Historian Ken Ackerman, author of Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield, said that the closest recent examples he could come up with were former Sen. Trent Lott and former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, both of whom resigned shortly after the Democrats took power in 2007.
In Lott's case, it was widely speculated at the time that his sudden resignation, which came less than a year into his new term as senator, was in response to new ethics laws that would have made it more difficult for him to take work as a lobbyist. "While Lott denied it was the reason for his departure, he founded a lobbying firm with former Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana the next year.
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Let's not forget Newt Gingrich and Bob Livingston. Clinton might have been the cheater, but these two were the ones to lose their credibility, and therefore preferred to quit.
Clinton was IMPEACHED! Only one other president in the history of the United States was impeached. Clinton didn't have the balls to resign either. Remember the red-faced tapes? Remember the definition of the word "is"?
And what exactly did all that amount to anyway? Tons of tax dollars spent to look under the hood of a President's personal sex life (good, bad or indifferent). There are plenty of men guilty of far more on both sides of the aisle but it's never really an issue when they are GOP. In my opinion, I just dont want to hear about it. It has nothing to do with anyone but the people involved.
FYI -- Andrew Johnson (Lincon's Southern VP) was impeached for fireing a cabinet officer without Congressional approval. It was a power grab by the legislative who did not like Johnson's politics. The same thing happened wth Clinton.
Clinton lied under oath and as the chief law enforcement officer of this land. he lied to the American people plainly and directly. I suppose we can tolerate police chiefs lying under oath too? How about district attorneys? They all work for law enforcement. Perhaps CSI officers? At what point is lying under oath okay in the law enforcement profession? I'm unclear on the point, hopefully someone can help.
At least she wasn't wearing her bear skin during her quick exit speech.
Of course she hasn't denied the speculation that she is pregnant, of course she hasn't confirmed it. I guess time will tell if she don't.
Uhhhhm, she's not 'dropping out', she's being 'paid off'. There is a difference, you know.
smells like a lot of dead fish here, going with the flow.
I do not think she would quit because she was pregnant. However, I think she would if one of her daughters were.
Obama was elected to a 6 year term as US Senator. After about 18 months into his term, he began running for President and stopped being a US Senator for all intents and purposes. Is it better or worse than what Governor Palin is doing, whether she runs or not?
Better. If President Obama would not have won the election, he would have returned to the Senate. Ex-Gov Palin isn't returning to any and isn't finishing a job she started. He found his higher calling, she doesn't have one.
The point of the essay is that there are few, if any, examples of someone walking away from office without some easily defined (or understood) reason. Obama had a reason; we can only presume Palin did as well but we don't know, exactly, what her reason is.
Good point. She might be running or she might have had enough hit jobs on her and, more importantly, her family. Either way, I did agree with her on a lot of issues, (national defense, energy, smaller government).
Why drag Obama into this thread? He didn't resign as senator. He still voted in the Senate and kept current on all issues through his staff when he was not in D.C. On the other hand, Palin has quit in the middle of a term -- and in the middle of her commitment to those who voted for her -- to go to nothing in particular. It is NOT a parallel to bring into the dialog politicians who were hired into another position (Cabinet, a university) vs. her abandoning her job for no discernible reason.
Palin QUIT. She was not a "lame-duck" governor. That's what happens at the end of a second term. She had decided not to run for re-election because success would be dicey, at best. That doesn't mean she couldn't have been effective for the remaining year and-a-half until November 2010.
Well what about your boy McCain. He still was in the senate. Alot of senators do both. Your basis is showing.
How many times did Sarah mention, 'Oil, Gas and National Security' in her rambling appearance on Friday?
A few weeks ago Palin was in Central Texas when she slammed Letterman.
Does anyone recall this?
Did anyone in the media ask why she was in Central Texas- a few weeks ago?
Central Texas?
Why is no one in the msm picking this up?
In her rambling appearance on Friday- did anyone pay attention to her speech?
Some of Palin's rambling points:
*Gatekeeper of the Nation
*Oil and Gas
*God gave us energy
*Humbling responsibility- Alaska for National Security
*No more politics as usual
*Developed responsibly to develop their resources - oil and gas
*Petroleum development office
*Drilling for Oil and Gas
*58 to 1 victory protecting Alaskans to flow to the lower 48 - pro private sector project
A few weeks ago she made her decision to quit- In a few more weeks - she will be connecting to K Street in DC or in the proximity of K Street
National Security- oil and gas!
Central Texas? A majority of governors are behind Obama's Energy Plan- 34 or 36-She was not one of them.
The train is leaving the station- enter Lobbyist Palin.
You are right about the blather in her resignation address. (No press present to ask pesky questions about her speech or her plans.)
Don't forget Palin also visited soldiers in Kosovo recently. What was that about? What she has done outside of AK and where she has gone has been pretty random, except for her stint at the anti-abortion dinner in Indiana. That was predictable.
This is a case of desertion, in which she merely follows in the footsteps of George Bush.
I heard Michael Carey, former editorial page editor for Alaska Daily News, on NPR today. What he had to say was not pretty -- ranging from the inappropriate "cynical" choice of an unpreprared V.P. by McCain through to Palin's divisive and combative style when she returned to AK after the campaign. He mentioned her failure to engage in governance and her lack of curiosity about her job, social issues and how to manage her team. In any event it was very interesting to hear him speak because he has followed her career from up there, not down here.
Carey said that her main contribution will be her celebrity status as an Alaskan, not any track record as governor. Listen to him for yourself: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106322053
For Gods sake, let her have a shot at becoming the head of the Republican party and its spokesperson.
It would be a huge benefit for the Democratic party.
She is perceived as inexperienced, unpredictable, uninformed, and rather flakey by an overwhelming majority of Americans.
Not one major Republican persona has endorsed her for any such "lower 48" image as the hope of 2012, least of all John McCain.
Shes running away from her troubles in Alaska, not facing them.
Dems are not afraid of her. In fact, we all flock around her to hear what this new silly and exaggerated diatribe she is going to spew.
In fact, she is perceived as a fool and a joke.
Do you think she can hire some new people to help her become a respected statesperson, a serious and knowledgeable thinker, or a tireless worker for someone other than herself?
I think not.
I do think she will enjoy a significant income boost as a paid speaker.
And thats the point. Her income.
To all of you Palin-haters!
Shes incompentant, stupid, and doomed to fail no matter what she does.
So why are you so worked up over her? Why all the ink on TDB? Why all this press coverage if she is just a ditzy, slut?
mmmmmmmm.................
opedanderson,
Read "The Empress and Her New Clothes".
She thinks she is wearing the cloak of statesperson, of respected and able politician, and a contender of serious national office. She is anything but.
She makes a spectacle of herself. She is a one-woman farce. She is a walking soap-opera.
People see right through her.
It is as simple as that.
But if she is what you say she is then you have nothing to get upset about. But you and lots of others here at TDB are clearly worked up over this woman.
My point being. If she is such a ditz, stupid, irrelevant woman, then why the rage? You should have nothing to worry about.
But you do. Don't you.......?
ope,
Maybe you're missing my point.
I dont hate Sarah Palin!
She doesn't upset me!
I'm not worried about her becoming anything "dangerous"!!
Shes a walking reality show!
We watch her and remark on her because of the clownish entertainment she is!!
I tried to make the point in the fable "The Emperors New Clothes".
She is a fractured fairy tale!!
(Watch the re-runs of Tina Fey)!!
Do you get it?!!
You said it. Ditzy, nuts, wackadoodle. All apply to her. She has a problem. It is she thinks she will be the greatest president in the world (In her mind). I tell you I worry that she will have a room for the witch doctor praying over her. She didn't take gods message that he didn't want her to be in the WH. She keeps saying that god will open the door. Hell every night I prayed god would nail the doors so she couldn't get out any door. She is unstable. She is a quitter.
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the reason so many people, including myself, are concerned about this moron is that ten years ago, another like non-minded individual, inarticulate and unprepared, entered national politics and became the president for two terms, creating a complete disaster for us, economically, morally, internationally and most heartbreakingly of all, divided this once great nation into a bunch of race baiting and ill informed people. There is, unfortunately, much to be concerned about. Remember that only a few months ago, the entire Republican party lined up behind grumpy nasty John McCain and his mad dog Sarah. They all lined up and voted for her (but for a few really smart and admirable people). If she builds a ground swell with every small fringe group of lunatics, and there are many in this country, including secessionists, religious nut jobs and racists, her party will march behind her.
"Why all this press coverage if she is just a ditzy, slut?"
No one has said that about Palin except you. Most of this thread is about her incompetence -- and the 'fear' that she who will not go away...politically. That's where the ink comes from. If Palin stayed in Wasilla and hugged those family values she's so fond of, raised her kids better and spent all her time helping Todd as a commercial fisherman, we'd stop writing about her. BUT that's not how narcissists behave.
She'll be b-a-a-a-c-k.
Let's see Clinton lied about an affair. How trival that the republicans hated Clinton from the time he came in office. They were after him during the campaign. Remember the landgate (forgot what it was called), the republicans tried to prosecute him and in the end they had nothing. Clinton was criticized more than any other politician at the time. Sarah couldn't have taken what Clinton had been through. Now look all these family values political and that is including Sarah who supposedly cheated on her husband. Please she isn't perfect. I just read last night that there is another ethics issue coming down the line. The complaint is made by a conservative who wants her to pay back money to the state for living in her own home. Take the rose colored glasses off. She will do nothing for this country. She is a freakin nutjob.
Sarah Palin doesn't want to do her homework. She can't be bothered by the gritty day in day out hard work it takes to learn how to lead. She wants it NOW and to hell with waiting.
She has two huge problems. One problem John McCain created and the other she did.
She's a LOSER and a QUITTER.
I can't see her being president anytime soon.
The bottom line in her resignation is simple: she decided to put Alaska ahead of any future political ambition she might have. Alaska's bill is 2 million, Gov. Palin's bill is $600.000.
Another ethics complaint was filed yesterday. 15 complaints filed, 15 dismissed. Resigning means putting Alaska first. Reminds me of " Country First"
About that heat/kitchen thing. Sarah see Hilliary.
oh please. it's a script right out of an 80's hollywood movie. she's rebranding herself by 1) distancing from alaska and 2) playing "hard to get". it's a sophomoric tactic and the way we've bought into it is a sad statement about the intelligence of our adult population. both dems and repubs. these are scary times indeed when a predatory social narcissist like sarah palin can capture the attention and following she has.
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You won't have "Dick Nixon to kick around anymore." But we did.
Sarah Palin: When the going gets tough the tough get going !! ;)
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