Sarah Palin confuses me.
Palin stated in her resignation speech on Friday, July 3rd that, “People who know me know that that besides faith and family, nothing’s more important to me than our beloved Alaska.” She went on to list an impressive array of accomplishments her administration has achieved during her short stint as Governor of Alaska. You may be asking a similar question: If she loves Alaska so much, and if she has been such an effective Governor, why is she resigning?
The media.
“But you don’t hear much of the good stuff in the press anymore, do you?” asks Palin in her speech. She claims that time spent defending herself against media attacks “hasn’t been cheap – the State has wasted THOUSANDS of hours of YOUR time and shelled out some two million of YOUR dollars to respond to ‘opposition research’ – that’s money NOT going to fund teachers or troopers – or safe roads.”
She claims to be the victim of the media, but the media is largely responsible for her fame. The more she claims the morally superior status of victim, the more attention the media gives her. It seems as though Palin and the media have a mutually beneficial relationship. Palin needs the media because the media keeps her relevant. The media loves Palin, because, let’s just admit it, she makes for good television.
This leads me to question Palin’s sincerity when she claims the role of victim.
Was it necessary that the State defend Palin against the media? Of course not. That wasn’t the media’s fault. The wasted hours and two million dollars spent to respond do “opposition research” (whatever that means) is Palin’s responsibility. Maybe the most responsible thing she could have done was to resign. It seems as though she couldn’t handle the heat, so she got out of the kitchen.
Near the end of her speech, Palin quoted some wisdom posted on her parents’ refrigerator door, “Don’t explain: your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe you anyway.” I don’t think of myself as an enemy of Palin, but I have a hard time believing her explanation. It seems too convenient and self-deceptive.
Do you believe that the nasty media has driven Palin out of her beloved Alaska?
