The Palin Mega-Scandal That Never Was (Or Is Yet to Be)

Bill Flanigen | July 24, 2009

The smart money earlier this month—or at least a fair portion of it—was on the prediction that some slam-dunk scandal about to hit the news would explain Sarah Palin's bizarre announcement that she'll be resigning as Governor of Alaska. The prediction made sense, though a lot of its appeal came from pure Palinfreude. Even writers who didn't endorse it still gave it airplay.

Thus far, though, that prediction has fallen flat. A few new ethics complaints have surfaced since she announced her resignation: allegations about per diems taken under inappropriate circumstances and unsubmitted gift disclosure forms. But for someone with Palin's history, this sort of stuff is small cheese. None of it is more damaging than the half-dozen scandals that she weathered during her governorship and vice-presidential candidacy.

As Palin prepares to leave office this weekend, the question remains: Is the other pump yet to drop? Or was the psychic force of the blogosphere not enough to manufacture another good reason to kick around Sarah Palin? (I'll hedge my bets and avoid giving an answer. It's Friday afternoon, prime time for attempts to bury bad news. Knowing my luck, the mega-scandal will hit in the next two hours.)

Two weeks ago, Reason's Peter Suderman gave three plausible (and scandal-free) explanations for Palin's behavior: Her ambition, her incoherence, and her paranoia.

Cathy Young wrote about Palin and the future of American conservatism here.

Comments

|7.24.09 @ 5:26PM|#

I can has fake pregnancy evidenz?

|7.24.09 @ 5:29PM|#

None of it is more damaging than the half-dozen scandals that she weathered during her governorship and vice-presidential candidacy.

None of which seemed to be particularly true, for what that matters. This statement seems like saying that Obama's comments on Skip Gates isn't more damaging that the "scandal" about his birth certificate that he weathered during his candidacy.

She beat a corrupt incumbent of her own party in a primary. If she actually stays out of politics (and sure, I doubt that) then I'd still end up ranking her ahead of the vast majority of politicians. Not that she's that great; I just don't see the big deal.

Cliché Bandit|7.24.09 @ 5:45PM|#

OUT OF CONTEXT RANT FOLLOWS:

Why the fuck is there no Brickbat today. They are called "DAILY" Brickbats. Not "Aggregate and back date Bats". Not "I am too lazy to post one bats". I NEED THEM TO SURVIVE!!!!

THIS RANT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BUY AN UNDERPERFORMING INTERN.

NO SOUP FOR YOU!

TallDave|7.24.09 @ 5:50PM|#

I'm still holding out hope she was born in Kenya.

|7.24.09 @ 5:51PM|#

Mr. Bandit,

I don't handle the Brickbats, sorry.

|7.24.09 @ 6:03PM|#

i never drank the palin flavored kook-aid, but i never had any real issues with her either. sure she was a shitty veep candidate to go along with the GOP's shitty also ran pres. candidate.
i'm still not quite sure why the leftobots were sent into such a frothing rage over her.

24AheadDotCom|7.24.09 @ 6:07PM|#

Cute: two comments backing up the Beltway establishment's habit of just making things up. If you want to live in a society where the truth is whatever the media says it is, then try North Korea. Those who want to clean up the MSM should help me push my angle on the Obama birth certificate issue.

I'm not saying he was born in Kenya, and I'm not getting into the N.B.C. issue. All I'm saying is that he hasn't definitively proven where he was born, and that the MSM - and sub-MSM hacks like Weigel - have made a habit of lying about this issue. That includes several people in effect accusing HI officials of breaking the law.

If you don't understand why it's important to push my angle on this issue, pick up an old copy of Pravda.

Cliché Bandit|7.24.09 @ 6:19PM|#

My apologies Mr. Flannigan. My ire was directed at interns in general as they are easy targets (it is cliché to abuse interns). Nothing personal. I like your work. I do need my Brickbats though.

Group Hug!

P.S. If we are group hugging then TAO and Epi need to get in here...been a prickly day.

Xeones|7.24.09 @ 6:33PM|#

Shut the fuck up, LoneWacko. Your "angle" on the Obama's birth certificate is retarded.

Xeones|7.24.09 @ 6:34PM|#

Back on topic, all i have to say about Palin is i wish more executives -- hell, more politicians, period -- would follow her example.

|7.24.09 @ 6:39PM|#

X, erin andrews for pres?

|7.24.09 @ 6:43PM|#

One of the ethic complaints against Palin was submitted by some African American because Palin didn't have the government celebrate Juneteeth. I thought that was pretty ridiculous for an ethic complaint.

Clarkspoon|7.24.09 @ 7:03PM|#

Why did anyone expect a mega-scandal? It isn't like all of our libertarian-leaning Republican politicians have Argentinian mistresses or lent their name to racist newsletters.

|7.24.09 @ 7:45PM|#

Growing up in Chicago, I am absolutely flabbergasted that their exists a high level National politician as squeaky clean as Palin apparently is.

My representatives were:

Dan Rostenkowski, Republican who Beat Rostenkowski as Danny was heading to jail, Rod Blagojevich and Rahm Emmanuel.

Palin looks ridiculously incorruptible in comparison.

I really don't know what to make of her. It seems to me both the reflexive love and the reflexive hate are both misplaced. But there is something underlying that it is a little unusual about her. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad.

ev|7.24.09 @ 7:53PM|#

"Palinfreude" is clever and sounds good but would actually mean "Palinjoy." I guess that can work on some level.

BlueBook|7.24.09 @ 8:36PM|#

Am I the only one who thinks it would be totally hawt if Palin had an Argentinean mistress? Or perhaps an Inuit mistress?

|7.24.09 @ 8:51PM|#

It seems to me both the reflexive love and the reflexive hate are both misplaced

With me, it is a reflexive hard on every time I see her in those glasses.

|7.24.09 @ 9:07PM|#

"Two weeks ago, Reason's Peter Suderman gave three plausible (and scandal-free) explanations for Palin's behavior: Her ambition, her incoherence, and her paranoia."

Gee I wonder which one Suderman chose? Oh I know its Suderman so it was a combination of two and three.

|7.24.09 @ 11:37PM|#

Here is the trouble with Palin. She trots her kids out all over the country liked trained puppies, then complains when someone notices that one of them is 17 and pregnant.
She blames the media for Troopergate, an affair that was a problem long before McCain met her.
She blames bloggers for most of her problems, yet they were mostly Alaskans who were concerned about her going national with her background in hiring high school friends who were totally unqualified for their jobs. Then, if someone happened to disagree with her, they were let go. Do you know how many people have left her inner circle in the past year? She doesn't listen to anybody.
She blamed everyone not of 'real America" for her defeat last fall, when in fact it was her histrionics on the trail that turned people off. Calling someone a terrorist and worse and encouraging the crowds' "Kill Him!" cries did not make me believe she could deal with people of any persuasion who weren't just like her.
She blamed McCain's handlers for any misstep SHE made along the way. Nothing is ever her fault, and frankly, I had enough of that arrogance from Bush.
The woman is not quitting to be with her kids...not Sarah. She will hit the airways, and be in our faces for the next year, then decide to run for President. After she is soundly put in her place by the Republican candidates, MAYBE she'll go home at last.

Jim Treacher|7.25.09 @ 1:32AM|#

Why in the world would she be paranoid?

Art-P.O.G.|7.25.09 @ 1:38AM|#

Why in the world would she be paranoid?

The dread marihuana.

Art-P.O.G.|7.25.09 @ 1:45AM|#

On a serious note, Voros McCracken raises several insightful points.

|7.25.09 @ 7:04AM|#

i never drank the palin flavored kook-aid

Which flavor? That she's the Savior of the Republican Party's Values or that she's a hopelessly stupid backwards hick?

|7.25.09 @ 10:20AM|#

The opposite of love is not hate..it's indifference....the press has never been indifferent about Palin...they;ve genrally expressed their undying hatred for her as mostly leftwing media should...which is no surprise. But I see their attacks almost like those of a gilted boyfried...never being able to get over the girl that dumped him ..and becomes a deranged psycho, stalker. The press wishes they had a woman like Palin to follow in Obama;s footsteps...only she;d believe in abortion, big government, and would probably be rumored to have Roman style orgies at her house.

Mad Max|7.25.09 @ 2:04PM|#

'put in her place'

SEXIST!

Mike Laursen|7.25.09 @ 3:35PM|#

Or was the psychic force of the blogosphere not enough to manufacture another good reason to kick around Sarah Palin?

Hell, it's not that hard to make up a good rumor. Mark Sanford really jetted off to Alaska. Argentina was a smokescreen for the Appalachian Trail smokescreen. There, not so hard.

Trig Palin|7.25.09 @ 4:25PM|#

Mom! Grandma! Half-sister Bristol!Dad! Grandpa!

Mike Laursen|7.25.09 @ 5:42PM|#

JL, there are two problems with your analysis. One, Palin has been more laughing stock than object of hate, and, two, she's been way too active a participant in making herself into a laughing stock for you to paint her as a victim of the press.

Mike Laursen|7.25.09 @ 5:45PM|#

Am I the only one who thinks it would be totally hawt if Palin had an Argentinean mistress? Or perhaps an Inuit mistress?

Could be "hawt" if Palin didn't talk too much.

Sarah Palin|7.25.09 @ 7:58PM|#

I'm recalibrating my priorities. Stay tuned for further teachable moments.

John Markley|7.26.09 @ 12:01AM|#

Susan,

"She trots her kids out all over the country liked trained puppies, then complains when someone notices that one of them is 17 and pregnant."

This is at least as stupid and disingenuous as all the conservatives who claimed that their constant harping on Obama's middle name being "Hussein" had noting to do with racial or religious bigotry. There is a meaningful difference between "noticing" that a teenage girl is pregnant and carrying on about what a dirty whore she must be.

hand|7.26.09 @ 2:01AM|#

i, uh, think sarah palin is great, and i'd be happy to vote for her again in 2012.

there's some times when the little-L libertarian really conflicts with the big-L-- i guess this is one of those times ;)

Aristotle|7.26.09 @ 10:13AM|#

The opposite of love is not hate

Fail.

the innominate one|7.26.09 @ 6:38PM|#

There is a meaningful difference between "noticing" that a teenage girl is pregnant and carrying on about what a dirty whore she must be.

Who did the latter?

|7.27.09 @ 8:21AM|#

I guess the smart money was not so smart in this case.

Have there been other places where the smart money been wrong lately? Or should we still trust the smart money?

Zeb|7.27.09 @ 9:33AM|#

LoneDickhead, ever try moving to North Korea? Not easy.

|7.27.09 @ 10:55AM|#

Libertarians have some nerve calling anyone else "paranoid."

|7.27.09 @ 11:53AM|#

There is a meaningful difference between "noticing" that a teenage girl is pregnant and carrying on about what a dirty whore she must be.

Who did the latter?

David Letterman?

At least, assuming that his crack about Palin's daughter banging A-Rod really was directed at Bristol and not her 14 year old sister.

Chris R|7.27.09 @ 5:57PM|#

Goodbye for now Ms Palin,

Being a Republican, I think she is very qualified to speak for the Republicans, however she is sorely unqualified to run our country.

I still the she is hot in a milfy way.