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:
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
I’m not sure where this idea of "millions" spent on defending Mrs Palin’s alleged ethics violations comes from. Maybe Mrs Palin is thinking/planning ahead? The Anchorage Daily News says that as of July 1, 2009, the state spent $296,042 on her defense. And that figure is published by the governor’s own "Personnel Board," the one she appointed (and can fire) and the one that conducted all the investigations into the ethics charges. One article (link below) also says: "Palin herself reportedly has incurred over $600,000 in personal legal bills defending against complaints, although she won’t provide a breakdown of the expenses or what cases they were for. Palin friends and supporters set up a legal defense fund and are soliciting contributions for her legal bills." If that’s the reason people are donating money to her, I hope that they realize it.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/850854.html
Long time fan of your writing; my grandmother and mother, long time fans of your mother.
My problem with much of the online journalism pitched to women—whether here or Slate or whereever—is that it presupposes women can only think about personal issues. Politics, economics, sociology, forget it.
I hope you stick with commentary on political matters, even if you get barbed comments.
Margo said:
~ "Now before the right wing whack jobs go after me for that remark…."
~ " They are either ignorant of or unconcerned with the reality of her situation. I am particularly tired of the woman whose icon is a horse’s head. Actually the hindquarters would be more representative of her posts."
Margo, I’m truly impressed. You set a new bar for distasteful remarks.
Sinelle,
Que sera, sera.
Sibelle,
Whoops, I made a typo with your first name. Sorry. [By the way, it is a lovely name.]
Margo
Thanks I finally got it and responded. My response is floating around here somewhere.