My Open Letter to Sarah Palin

I just got done reading Lee Stranahan’s excellent open letter to President Obama on healthcare, and I felt inspired.  I’ve read lots of “open letter” posts over the years, and I think I’m ready to do one of my own, really put my own spin on it.

So, here it is, my Open Letter to Sarah Palin:

Dear Governor Palin,

Greta, the 90’s Are on the Phone, They Want Their Catchphrase Back

This argument between Greta Van Susteren and Greg Jarrett is getting a lot of play, even prompting an apology from Greta.  The tiff itself is rather pedestrian, although Jarrett’s slow-burn reactions are amusing.  Never mind Van Susteren’s weird relationship with the Palins, what really stood out for me was Greta’s OJ-era patois: (h/t Hot Air)

Kudos to Jarrett for not instructing Greta to contact “the hand’s” publicist for a statement, or informing her that Homey refuses to participate in shenanigans.  Hey, it’s all good.

Sarah Palin’s Resignation and the Moderate Reaper Theory

I touched on this yesterday, but I wanted to take a deeper look into the idea that Sarah Palin’s shocking resignation might be connected with the recent scandals involving Senator John Ensign and Governor Mark Sanford.

The common thread, besides the timing, is that all three examples involve very conservative Republican Presidential hopefuls, all voluntarily self-destructing.  Ensign and Sanford each, in turn, announced an affair at a press conference.  Palin committed political sepukku for no discernable reason.

The Moderate Reaper Theory holds that, in each case, some behind-the-scenes player issued a “You do it, or I do it” ultimatum as a way of clearing the 2012 field for more moderate candidates, and a more moderate Republican Party.

In Palin’s case, it needn’t be something salacious.  Perhaps Wednesday’s email leak was a warning shot, a signal that all bets were off with regard to internal emails.  We’ve all written scores of private emails that would sound really bad in public.

What really cracks me up are the people who are still cluelessly wondering what this resignation might do to her chances in 2012.  Yeah, and what are all those flames going to do for the Hindenburgh’s chances?

The identity of the Moderate Reaper is another matter.  Where Palin is concerned, much of the pressure has come from former McCain staffers.  John McCain, however, doesn’t stand to gain much directly from Palin’s exit.  Voters were becoming concerned about McCain’s age during the 2008 campaign.  By 2012, this would only get worse.  He would, however, be an excellent pick for VP, especially for a younger candidate like Bobby Jindal.

Former McCain staffers, you should note, are also future somebody else staffers.

So, who’s left?  The list of moderate Republican Presidential hopefuls is a short one.  Mitt Romney springs immediately to mind, and he and Palin did mix it up not long ago.  The amount of time and money Romney spent on a lost cause in ’08 indicate that he really, really wants the Presidency, and has a hard time feeling the fork.

Not only that, ever since I came up with this theory, I keep hearing “Who Let the Dogs Out?” on the radio.  Coincidence? You tell me.

Of course, the complete implosion of 3 conservative GOP Presidential hopefuls within 2 weeks of each other could also be a coincidence.  Or, it could be the work of moderates who want to drag their party, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century.

Troopergate Dem Filed Intent to Run 2 Days Before Sarah Palin’s Resignation

Even though it undercuts my Moderate Reaper Theory, and I’m not convinced of a causal link, one of my tweeps pointed out something too intriguing to ignore.

It seems that Alaska State Senator Hollis French, the driving force behind the “Troopergate” investigation, sensed something in the air before the Palin resignation storm hit: (From ADN)

Democratic state Sen. Hollis French filed an intent to run for governor Wednesday. But French said it’s just a technicality and doesn’t mean he will run for sure next year. “It’s just simply a preliminary step towards making a final decision but also keeping the dialogue going … continuing the conversation I’ve been having with a lot of people about what sort of governor they want to have in the next election,” he said.

As I said before, it is intriguing, especially in light of the way French soft-pedals the news.  It could be a coincidence, or it could be that French got wind of the resignation, which Palin says had been brewing for some time.

It’s also remotely possible that French pulled a string on Sarah Palin’s exit.  One thing we’ve all learned from Sarah Palin’s time on the stage is that Alaska state politics is a nasty game.  Perhaps, in the course of digging into the Troopergate scandal, French shook something loose, and tucked it away for future use.

We’ll have to see what happens next, but I don’t like the French Theory nearly as much as the Moderate Reaper.  It’s just not as sexy.

On a side note, am I the only one who thinks of Run DMC when I hear the name Hollis French?

4th of July Pool Report – The Obama Family’s Backyard Bash

The Obama Family’s Backyard Bash

Shortly after 7 p.m., the president spoke for about 7 or 8 minutes. He thanked
American servicemen and women for the job they do for the country, and paid
special attention to the recent handover of security in Iraq’s cities. “Because
of what you did,” he said, “a sovereign and united Iraq has taken control of its
own destiny.” Obama cautioned that there would be more violence ahead, which,
he said, is why U.S. forces were still needed there, but he again made the point
that Iraq “is in the hands of its own people.”

Obama spoke, from a written text, at a podium set up on the State Floor balcony
of the South Portico. His wife and daughters were at his side. Arrayed behind
them were 21 servicemen and one woman, selected by their own branches of the
Armed Forces and praised by the president as “heroes.”

Obama took note of the special significance that July Fourth has for one member
of his family, daughter Malia, who turned 11 today (and sported a bright
American flag face-painting on her right cheek). Malia “is just thrilled that
you are all here,” her father said. “When she was young, I used to say that all
these fireworks were for her. I’m not sure she buys that” any more. (The girls
were on prominent display at the family-friendly event. At one point, the First
Lady gently picked up Sasha’s hand to encourage her to wave; after his remarks,
Obama kissed the birthday girl on the head).

Obama compared his party to similar bashes in “backyards . . . all across
America” and saluted what it means to be an American and the extraordinary
effort it took to create the country 233 years ago. See the transcript.

As the Marine Band (which heralded Obama’s arrival with a series of tunes,
including Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever”) cued up its medley of service
anthems, a man in the crowd shouted, “You’re the man, Mr. President.” That
brought a smile from Obama and a big round of applause and cheers from the
audience.

After the Marine musicians marched off, Obama and the First Lady descended the
steps and worked a rope line for almost 20 minutes, carefully skipping over your
pool and ignoring shouted attempts at questions.

The first Obama White House backyard Fourth celebration was quite a party,
particularly if you were a kid. There were games (volleyball, mini-basketball,
facepainting), an Uncle Sam on stilts and festive party decorations (a big
American flag made out of balloons; pinwheels, stuck in the grassy centerpieces,
which twirled in a mild, light breeze under an overcast sky). In addition to
invited members of all branches of the military, some of whom bore physical
scars of their service, there were also senior members of the administration,
selected members of the news media, and their guests on hand.

Faces spotted at random in the crowd included AG Eric Holder, White House
adviser Valerie Jarrett, press secretary Robert Gibbs (gamboling with his son on
the big West Wing play set), social secretary Desiree Rogers, Obama chums Martin
Nesbitt and Dr. Eric Whitaker, and Mike Allen of Politico.

The All-American menu included hot dogs, hamburgers, watermelon, potato salad,
corn on the cob, garden salad with walnuts and cheese, ice cream, lemonade, Coke
and Pepsi products, Sam Adams Light and Stoudts American Pale Ale (with a big
American flag on the label) from the Adamstown, PA microbrewery.

The USO show, which followed after your pool was escorted out, featured the Foo
Fighters, Michelle Branch and Jimmy Fallon. That part of the evening was
strictly closed press. However, the White House streamed live video of the show
on the White House website.