Margo Howard | 07/05/2009 7:15 am

Margo Howard, Ann Coulter Miraculously Agree: Palin Too Big for Alaska

Editor’s Note: A longtime journalist, Margo Howard went into the family business (her mother was the fabled Ann Landers) in the 1990s as Dear Prudence. Her broad experience and understanding of human nature provide answers for the troubled — and entertainment for everyone else. Margo’s advice column, Dear Margo, appears twice a week — on Thursdays and Fridays — on wowOwow.com.

To slightly skew an e-mail that was going around a few weeks ago, let me just say that friends said the day I agreed with Ann Coulter pigs would fly. Well, swine flu … and I now find myself in agreement with Coulter . [Click here for Coulter’s post.] Sarah Palin is too big for Alaska. And you know why? She signed a book deal – reportedly for somewhere between $7,000,000 and $11,000,000. In April. I do not know how I missed this news, but I did. Maybe you did, too. In any case, no one is particularly tying this news to her resignation. I mean, wouldn’t you rather earn X millions of dollars than $175,000? The haste with which she made her announcement, however, does nothing to disabuse me of the idea that she and the Mr. might be in some legal trouble.

I think quitting for a big-bucks book deal shows a real lack of character, but a great deal of opportunism. The citizens of Alaska elected her to a term of office and she is skipping out because … well, she is too big for Alaska. People who are lame ducks seldom deal with their duckhood by resigning, so let’s scratch that one.

I do disagree with Coulter (my usual stance) on one point she makes in her post. She writes, "I thought her press conference explained it very clearly – though she couldn’t put it precisely this way without sounding vain, but it’s obvious." She "explained it clearly"? That, my dear, is a stretch. If she had explained it clearly the news outlets and the blogosphere would not be talking about how it could barely qualify as English.

Should you want to read a hilarious entry from Jim Washburn’s blog, here’s the beginning, and the link:

‘Let’s go quit!’ That was CNN’s Candy Crowley Friday night, imagining the decision process that led to Sarah Palin’s resignation, so spontaneous and unplanned did it seem. Nutty, too. It sounded like Richard Nixon if, heading into his Checkers Speech, he’d first taken the edge off by mixing Benzedrex inhalers into his rum and Cokes, the ones Dick Tuck had laced with pure Sandoz LSD, and then Nixon had gone on camera and wrestled an imaginary bear that turned into a black Satan and he’s going to keep that precious baby, no matter what anybody says, even the NBA coaches. That kind of nutty.

Click here for the rest of Jim’s blog.

Read more about: Alaska, Ann Coulter, Books, Jim Washburn, Margo Howard, News, Politics, Sarah Palin

648 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

There’s nothing like establishing a quitting track record to further your political career. "3/4th’s of a term!" is a MUCH better rallying cry compared to "Four more years!" - NOT. If she does campaign for anyone, it’s a clear signal who not to vote for. Maybe she’s expecting - a book, a child, another grandchild - who knows. She’s a tempest in a teapot. NOW can we go back to not knowing/caring who she is? She doesn’t even produce an itch worthy enough to scratch.

By B Clark on 07/05/2009 11:48 am

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People can adore or abhor her…does not matter a bit to me. But I do find it curious that the constant drumbeat of "the media is the enemy" is perpetuated by anyone who is sending out press releases and talking/giving access to the national media. There are plenty of ways to talk directly to constituents/ supporters without the supposed "filter" of CNN, NY Times, et al. Would the complaint be "they’re unfairly ignoring me" if no one paid attention?

By Toni T on 07/05/2009 11:48 am

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Wow, everyone is so riled up about Palin. Personally, she’s not worth the energy expended, unless of course the american public feels it necessary to actually elect her president.

By Trina O on 07/05/2009 11:53 am

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Why must one feel the need to "rip her apart". I am not a big fan of Palin either, but to stoop to the level that some women are on this site is just plain wrong. I just don’t see the need to be vicious. Furthermore, by continuing this type of forum you are doing exactly what she wants, keeping her name in the mix of things.

By Diana Buchalski on 07/05/2009 12:25 pm

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I agree. If we allow her track record to speak for her, and reflect it in the real numbers (the state she governs has a population half the size of the city of San Diego), eventually people will put down their bumper stickers and catch phrases and realize she is not the best person to represent this country on a national level.

By Anne McElvain on 07/05/2009 1:29 pm

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Then again, San Diego has a population greater than that of Vice-President Biden’s home state of Delaware which ranks 46th in population to Alaska’s 48th ranking.

By Marilyn Rick on 07/05/2009 4:19 pm

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Which MIGHT have been relevant if Biden had been basing his credentials on being governor of that state, as Palin had been using her very short term as governor as an attempt to demonstrate her administrative skill set. This, and being mayor of a village of 7,000 people for a number of years. Just on a workload and numbers basis, and the lack of any advanced education or travel experience, her resume was almost as thin as any other smalltown soccer mom, with no real national experience of any kind. Her track record clearly demonstrates that while she can be very popular, she does not have the experience or education to back that up. That’s all I’m saying.

By Anne McElvain on 07/06/2009 4:58 pm

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i so hope that sarah palin remains in the public eye for many years to come. she provides such wonderful material for ironic comedy. also, she’s better than botox - my eyebrows are lifted 2 cm. every time i hear her quoted. palin for president in 2012…we need the laughs!!!

By elizabeth griesauer on 07/05/2009 12:43 pm

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I believe Margo’s response was to Sarah Palin’s ethics and use of language. I don’t believe envy plays a part. I do detect some snobbish tendency in her response.

While I agree with Ann Coulter from time to time, I sense an over-arching distain in her critiques of those she disagrees with. It’s wholly un-lady like (I wish to refer to a lady in a way that reflects a gentle person and not someone constrained by points of view that precede feminism). I yearn for a time when the standard of discussion will be raised.

Sarah Palin should speak in shorter sentences and more plainly. It would be a more apt delivery for her and would most probably serve to put her ideas across more distinctly. She is savvy, she is ambitious but she is not always clear. She doesn’t need to use a forty dollar word to get an idea across nor does she need to string together too many five dollar words. Speak the truth plain and simple. This would serve her and most importantly it would serve her public. If people don’t understand you it is your burden to make yourself more clear. It is not theirs to listen better.

By Kirsten Clarkson on 07/05/2009 12:54 pm

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she made perfect sense to me—perhaps the prez could learn a thing or two from her—speak more clearly—and stop saying one thing and doing another—or maybe he should resign before his policies destroy what’s left of our great country…

By under stimulated on 07/05/2009 2:41 pm

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Under Stimulated — You ‘over" stimulated me with your Presidential Resignation idea!

By Lady Gator on 07/06/2009 2:24 pm

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From the moment she gave her GOP VP-candidate acceptance speech I knew Sarah Palin was an immature narcissist. She reeked of the desire for celebrity and she spent the campaign avoiding substantive topics (about which she knew virtually nothing) and culling adoration from her far right base. Now, Sarah, the wingnuttiest of all wingnuts, has shot herself in the foot by bailing out on the only job she has and, once again, seeking sleazy notoriety by resorting to name-calling and accusations. I watched her incoherent resignation "speech" wondering what the heck her point was, other than that she is a quitter who gets out when it’s too hot in the kitchen.There she stood in her back yard- a self-indulgent whiner, having the gall to complain about the media and bloggers when it was she who wasted most of her media coverage inventing slanderous allegations against the Democratic candidate. Sarah Palin is an insult to all women who have worked for equality and respect. I hope that she has not set the efforts of American women to hold high public office back a hundred years.

By Maurine H on 07/05/2009 2:04 pm

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Another ridiculous article from the so called "intelligent thinkers" on the left. Whatever Sarah’s reasons for stepping down, (and I’m sure there were many) whether it be the unfair allegations that prevented her from doing her job or the nurturing of her beautiful family—it was noble.

"I cannot stand here as your governor and allow the millions of dollars and all that time go to waste just so I can hold the title of governor," Palin said.

Palin’s family and the ridicule they endure being in the public eye was part of her decision. She complained that her 14-month-old son, Trig, who was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome, had been "mocked and ridiculed by some mean-spirited adults recently." She didn’t elaborate.

Huffing Post is throbbing with Governor Palin news. Her speech was called "rambling." I think it was well laid out and delivered in something the Huffers aren’t used to, a heartfelt manner.

She is one of the most powerfully influential woman this nation has ever been graced with. It takes a SELFLESS person to put their people first over their own pocketbooks, desires or agenda. Something liberals find hard to comprehend. Go figure…

By under stimulated on 07/05/2009 2:30 pm

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"She complained that her 14-month-old son, Trig, who was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome, had been "mocked and ridiculed by some mean-spirited adults recently." She didn’t elaborate"

Awwwwww… how lovely and touching. Makes me teary eyed. Palin didn’t elaborate because that is a big lie. There is no evidence anywhere that supports that any credible news organization came anywhere close to saying that.

Sarah loves the stage and loves playing the victim on that stage. She has limited intelligence and is apparently quite proud of that. Her resignation speech is nothing but a sophomoric rambling string of nouns and adjectives that seemed to just pop into her head. It was nothing more than jibberish. If that appealed to you, you may want to have your hearing checked .

Sarah Palin is not fit to kiss the feet of really powerful women in government and in business: Angela Merkel, Helen Clark, Wu Yi, , Dora Bakoyannis, Nancy McKinstry, Susan Berresford, Kathleen Black, Dawn Hudson, Gail Berman, Indra Nooyi, Margaret Whitman…. and there are hundreds more who make Palin look like 20 watt bulb she is.

You go figure….

By Maggie W on 07/05/2009 3:24 pm

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I’m sorry—but you’re the only one that looks dim at the moment..Sarah Palin is a beautiful and intelligent woman and a force to be reckoned with—but you seem to have your blinders on. Let me share a little article with you that I found interesting…

July 04, 2009
PALIN, CLOWARD, PIVEN, AND KAFKA
Tom Suhadolnik

What happened to Sarah Palin is a political game changer on the national level. It also may be a preview of what every American may face in a few years.

The 18 ethics charges filed since she rose to prominence in Republican circles might be the first time the left has successfully used the Cloward-Piven Strategy to stop an individual politician on the national level.

For those who do not know, the strategy was developed in the late 1960s by two sociologists at Columbia. In a nutshell it seeks to "hasten the fall of capitalism by overloading the government bureaucracy with a flood of impossible demands, thus pushing society into crisis and economic collapse".

It was implemented in NYC where activists on the left lobbied for new social programs then worked to fill the rosters. By the early 1970s there was one person on welfare for every two working in NYC. This nearly resulted in NYC declaring bankruptcy in 1975, averted only by a federal emergency loan.

In the case of Sarah Palin, political opponents overloaded her with a flood of complaints and consequent legal fees, thus pushing her toward a personal financial crisis and her exit from the public arena. Like NYC she may come back, but the rules of the game have changed.

Some of the complaints her legal team responded to were simply absurd.

Complaint alleging interference in a job hiring was filed under the name of Edna Birch, a busybody character on the British soap opera Emmerdale. Palin’s attorney, Thomas Van Flein, said no one by that name could be found living in Alaska and the filer refused to use a real name, so the complaint was dismissed Feb. 20.

Forget about the fairness or irrationality of this complaint. The mere fact that she had to engage an attorney to respond to it means anyone with a computer, printer and a few stamps can force a politician to incur thousands of dollars in legal fees. And while these sort of Kafkaesque tribunals have normally been reserved for prominent Americans, we might all get to participate in the future.

TARP, the Stimulus Bill, GM/Chrysler Bailout, Cap & Trade and Healthcare reform will create hundreds of new bureaucratic tribunals and czars with the power to investigate and punish those who are found to be non-compliant. You don’t need to hire a lawyer to trigger an investigative process; you just need to file a complaint.

Whether it’s a politically motivated effort or just the rant of a schizophrenic neighbor we all might get to experience this sort of madness in the future.