Palin resigning as Alaska governor

[Bubba]

She is a national figure who may run for national office and perhaps affect your life profoundly. Or not.

I guess I'll wait to cross that bridge if and when it happens.

[BroncoFan]

My vote is still for Sarah Palin! Every time she hits the news, negative or more negative tells me just how dangerous the liberals think she is. Interesting polls as we go along. I think she just picked up more supporters.

[Bandit]

My vote is still for Sarah Palin! Every time she hits the news, negative or more negative tells me just how dangerous the liberals think she is. Interesting polls as we go along. I think she just picked up more supporters.

This moderate independent thinks Palin is dangerous. If God told her going to Iraq was the right thing, what else is He going to tell her? If He told her to nuke Russia, would she do it? I myself would much rather vote for Newt, Huckabee, or Romney than her. I do think she is better than Brownback or Tiahrt though. Those guys need to go away. I think she needs more experience on the national and international stage. Obama is a bit too inexperienced as well, but at least his small amount of experience was national as a US senator. She also needs to learn to deal with negative media. Like it or not, its out there on both sides. Every now and then I tune in to Hannity or Limbaugh to get a good laugh, and boy do they dish it out. Very hateful stuff. For every one of them on the radio, there are several liberal versions on the tv. A person has to have thick skin and be confident in their knowledge and ideals to deal with it and I just don't think Palin is there yet.

[artistic-temper]

lol, just need to go away. i like that. But you have to give her credit, it's hard to hear negative stuff like that, and I'm sure she hears plenty of it. And it's hard for us to know exactly just what goes on because we ARE outsiders after all. I think she is one smart/gutsy lady.
As for Obama, I think he is a fool. And I think it's a shame. His fancy words were enough to get him into office and people are STILL wading through his honey laced speeches to adore him and swallow up what he has to say. I hope more people will really wake up and see what is going on (or not going on) and we can turn this country around. Inexperience could have proven to be a good thing, but I don't think so in this case. Palin on the other hand could really give us a run for our money. I will be interested to see what she does next for us.

[Bandit]

As for Obama, I think he is a fool. And I think it's a shame. His fancy words were enough to get him into office and people are STILL wading through his honey laced speeches to adore him and swallow up what he has to say. I hope more people will really wake up and see what is going on (or not going on) and we can turn this country around. Inexperience could have proven to be a good thing, but I don't think so in this case.

Time will tell. Fancy speeches can only take a person so far. After a while, there needs to be results. I am willing to let him have his chance since he is who the people elected. However, if in time he proves to be all talk and if his policies fail, then we can elect someone else. However, I hope that if he does happen to turn things around, that some of the naysayers will give him a chance to continue.

Forgive the football analogy, but fans of college football might see this one. Obama might be a version of Ron Prince. Prince came to KSU with his big words and fancy speeches. He had everyone believing he would put KSU back on top. Well guess what? The guy was a freaking moron as a football coach. Will the same prove to be true with Obama? For the sake of our country, I hope not.

[DC Mike]

Obama might be a version of Ron Prince.

I'm afraid that this may be an accurate analogy.

[KONQ RADIO]

This just in:

Inside the Collapse of CNN's 'The Sarah Palin Power Hour'

The Former Alaska Governor's Career as a TV Talker Showed So Much Promise. What Went Wrong?

By Simon Dumenco

Published: July 10, 2009

WASILLA, ALASKA (Feb. 18, 2010) -- Once again shocking the media establishment, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced that she was leaving her CNN talk show, "The Sarah Palin Power Hour," after just four months on the air and well short of the terms of her two-year contract. In an echo of the manner in which she announced her resignation from political office last summer, Ms. Palin spoke to a small gathering of reporters at a hastily called press conference at a moose orphanage in Outer Wasilla, a suburb of Wasilla reachable only by dog sled. With her family at her side, she stated that, "I believe I can better progress the cause of broadcasting by working outside of broadcasting."


Photo Credit: Jim Watson

Ms. Palin's surprise move rocked both the broadcasting world and the political establishment, in that her departure from CNN is already being interpreted as a move that could lay the groundwork for a 2012 presidential run. But as media commentators across the spectrum characterized her announcement as both "rambling" and "folksy," there was little in the substance of her speech that offered further clues as to her immediate plans.


"A lot of people talk the talk about quitting, and they never quit," Ms. Palin said, reading from a prepared text. "But to say you're going to quit and then you actually follow through, that's the opposite of quitting! You know, sometimes you just need to have the courage and the conviction to look the moose square in the eye, level your shotgun, and say, 'Sorry, fella, but this is what's best for America, and Alaska, and all Americans,' and then ya pull the trigger. And if you end up getting a little messy, if you get a little blood and guts on your Naughty Monkeys, well, so be it." Ms. Palin was believed to be making reference to Naughty Monkey Double Dare Pumps, the bright-red buckled shoes that she wore when Sen. John McCain announced her selection as his vice-presidential running mate in 2008. She added, "Sometimes shaking things up and not doing what the good ol' boys expect you to do -- that's what you have to do to progress your values. And anybody that knows me knows that I'm not interested in broadcasting as usual."

Given her tumultuous tenure as a chat-show host, Ms. Palin's talk of defying broadcasting conventions had particular resonance. Her departure from Alaska's governorship prompted something of a bidding war between cable-news networks last summer. Early front-runner Fox News was ultimately beat out by CNN, which reportedly saw hiring the rising star of the conservative political scene as a way to broaden its appeal and poach viewers from its bitter rival. At the time, an unnamed CNN executive familiar with the negotiations told the Washington Post that "we backed up the Brink's truck and threw in a Neiman Marcus gift card."

Almost immediately, though, CNN officials appeared to be having second thoughts about their new hire. Leaks to the press about the apparently exorbitant costs of creating a broadcasting franchise for Ms. Palin roiled the network in the months before the debut, on Alaska Day, Oct. 18, of "The Sarah Palin Power Hour," with millions reportedly being spent on building new studios, complete with town-hall-style amphitheaters, in both Wasilla and Washington, D.C.

The program drew unwelcome headlines when one of its early guests, Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria, was chased off the set by a studio audience chanting "Terrorist!" and "Kill him!" And, in what came to be known as Coopergate, VF.com, the website of Vanity Fair, published excerpts of e-mails that Ms. Palin's husband Todd sent to various network executives. Mr. Palin apparently sought the removal of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. "We have reason to believe that he's a socialist," Mr. Palin wrote of Mr. Cooper in one e-mail addressed to Jeffrey L. Bewkes, Chairman and CEO of Time Warner, the parent company of CNN.

Ms. Palin also apparently sought to use her new status as a TV power broker -- her program debuted to astronomical ratings -- to affect programming decisions. In one widely reported incident, Ms. Palin called Eileen O'Neill, president of cable network TLC, demanding that she cancel "Hot Wired With Levi Johnston," a home-improvement show starring the frequently shirtless apprentice-electrician former boyfriend of daughter Bristol. Johnston, the father of Ms. Palin's grandson, Tripp, has an icy relationship with the Palin family. Ms. O'Neill is said to have patiently explained to Ms. Palin that TLC is not owned by CNN or Time Warner, but by Discovery Communications of Silver Spring, Md., prompting Ms. Palin to say, "I don't care, I still want it fixed."

Ms. Palin's record early ratings quickly came down to Earth, and her program was hardly a hit with critics. Virginia Heffernan of The New York Times called it "a bastard mix of 'The 700 Club' and 'The Deadliest Catch,'" while Robert Bianco of USA Today called it "the TV-watching equivalent of waterboarding." Still, CNN was reportedly using the "The Sarah Palin Power Hour" to draw additional business from marquee cable-news advertisers including Snuggie and ExtenZe.

At press time, CNN officials were unavailable for comment, though one executive, reached at what he characterized as "an emergency, um, offsite meeting" held at the Stone Rose Lounge, a popular drinking spot overlooking Central Park in the Time Warner Center, said of Ms. Palin's departure, "Oh, it's totally, totally OK. No harm done!" He declined to speak on the record but maintained that "We intend to release Sarah from her contract and wish her the best as she progresses with the progressing of her values. And stuff. Or whatever."

~ ~ ~
Simon Dumenco is the "Media Guy" media columnist for Advertising Age. You can follow him on Twitter @simondumenco

Copyright © 1992-2009 Crain Communications | Privacy Statement | Contact Us

[sunshine]

i absolutely agree that at this point Newt, Huckabee, and Romney are out in front of Sarah Palin in experience and knowledge. she does have a lot of catching up to. that does not mean she can't, if she has that desire.

on the religion issue, many presidents have made comments on the importance of God in their lives for comfort and guidance, especially while leading the country. so i see no reason to take her to task on being up front about how important her God is to her in her daily life. many people seek guidance from prayer daily.

and, i see nothing wrong with the obama/prince analogy. think it was spot on in some respects.

[TexKan]

That is some funny shit!!! Whether ya like her or not - that's pretty funny!


I see an attorney letter comming to Simon Demenco

[Highwayman]

Time will tell. Fancy speeches can only take a person so far. After a while, there needs to be results. I am willing to let him have his chance since he is who the people elected. However, if in time he proves to be all talk and if his policies fail, then we can elect someone else. However, I hope that if he does happen to turn things around, that some of the naysayers will give him a chance to continue.

Forgive the football analogy, but fans of college football might see this one. Obama might be a version of Ron Prince. Prince came to KSU with his big words and fancy speeches. He had everyone believing he would put KSU back on top. Well guess what? The guy was a freaking moron as a football coach. Will the same prove to be true with Obama? For the sake of our country, I hope not.

I would hope not too, but his stimulus package is already a failure.

Obama said pass the stimulus and unemployment won’t go over 8%. It’s at 9.5% and by his own admission going to 10%. That’s worst than his projection of what would happen if they did nothing. Biden said they misread the indicators. That’s an admission of failure on their part.

He promised to not raise taxes on folks making under $200,000. He’s already broke that promise.

He promised transparency in that legislation would be posted for five days so we could see it before he signed it. He’s already broken that promise too.

And the list goes on.