Your morning jolt: Upsteam or downstream for Palin?

The nation is still puzzled by the decision by Sarah Palin, conservative America’s Sweetheart, to abandon the governorship of Alaska and set out for new, uncharted waters.

Presumably upstream.

In fact, we have been so focused on Palin’s Great Leap Forward that Minnesota’s odd decision to send a comedian to Washington seems like an old joke.

And Mark Sanford’s resolve to join his family in Florida for a weekend of fireworks — presumably outside the home — has been shoved aside, in favor of Palin’s latest Twitter:

“Grateful Todd left fishing grnds to join me this wkend; but now he’s back slaying salmon & working the kids @ the site; anxious to join ‘em!” the soon-to-be ex-governor tweeted on Sunday.

Palin also sent out a helpful link to a Los Angeles Times piece that quoted the local FBI spokesman as saying that the Alaskan governor isn’t the topic of any investigation:

“There is absolutely no truth to those rumors that we’re investigating her or getting ready to indict her,” Special Agent Eric Gonzalez said in a phone interview Saturday. “It’s just not true.” He added that there was “no wiggle room” in his comments for any kind of inquiry.

The Monday morning assessments have already begun. In Atlanta, radio host Neal Boortz is not impressed:

Certainly Sarah Palin didn’t resign her seat as Alaska’s governor to pursue a higher political office. Now she has the patina of a quitter and is no longer a viable candidate.

The Fix political blog at the Washington Post assumes otherwise, and has pronounced Republican Mike Huckabee as the biggest loser in the episode:

With Palin now looking more and more like a 2012 candidate, there is no obvious slot in the field for the former Arkansas governor. Huckabee and Palin share a base among social conservatives, but she is the more beloved figure among that crowd and will probably gobble up all the oxygen among that wing of the party.

Over the weekend, the New York Times pointed to Palin’s decision as yet another sign of interior Republican chaos:

The announcement by the freelancing politician may be the best example yet of the striking transformation in the current Republican Party. Only a few years ago, the party was considered a model of lockstep discipline with around-the-clock message control and seamless coordination of policy and politics. But from all appearances, it has entered a period of inner confusion, verging on the dysfunctional.

But R.J. Eskow at Huffington Post, of all places, finds a strange sense in that chaos:

Of all the Postmodernist movements, Palin most closely resembles the punk-rockers of the 1970’s, especially the ones who insisted that having musical skill reflected an outmoded attachment to obsolete forms. Emotion was enough, and the dominant emotion was fury.

And Politico.com reminds us that all politics is local:

Whatever other motivations she had, by giving top Republicans in Alaska and Washington virtually no warning of her plans, Palin managed to ensure that her ally and preferred successor, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, got a significant head start on the 2010 governor’s race while the rest of the prospective Democratic and GOP candidates were left scrambling to react to her stunning decision.

Rumors that Palin would not seek reelection in 2010 have been swirling in state GOP circles for months, but few Republicans, if any, thought the governor would abruptly resign her post.

Alaska Republicans…said they were flabbergasted by her resignation. State GOP Chairman Randy Ruedrich said he was shocked by the “timing and the totality of the decision.”

One non-reaction worth nothing: Newt Gingrich tweeted this morning about the need to weed out the typos in his instant messages. But he has tapped out nary a word about Palin.

On the local front, Democrats have fielded an early candidate against state Rep. Jill Chambers. Chambers’ north Atlanta district — on paper — leans Democratic, but she has been surprisingly tough to oust.

Writes Tondee’s Tavern:

Elena Parent, an Atlanta attorney and former legislative aide for State Senator David Adelman (D-42), has joined the race to unseat State Representative Jill Chambers (R-81). 


On July 1st, Parent filed the necessary paperwork with the Georgia Ethics Commission to create a campaign committee. This will allow Parent to begin raising funds for the 2010 election campaign.

While you ponder the above, consider these items found while perusing this morning’s ajc.com:

Georgia ranks 39th among the states in spending per resident on public health.

Volunteers keep state parks running.

Adairsville Marine dies in Afghanistan.

UGA pays two frats $2.4 million to move.

With traditional pension plans axed, what’s next?

Fulton County repaying $3.2 million to HUD.

Atlanta rich in City Council hopefuls.

Atlanta’s financial woes could persist if sales tax revenues keep falling.

Tax protesters celebrate with Atlanta Tea Party.

McKinney released, returning to United States.

Some opinion:

Your Luckovich fix.

Cynthia Tucker says there’s no reason to fear detainees.

Kyle Wingfield has no time for race ‘cowards.’

Barr: Cap-and-trade’s a lot of hot air.

Georgia banks on brink of collapse? Not quite, says Joe Brannen.

No more French classes, s’il vous plait, demands Jim Motter.

From elsewhere in Georgia:

SMN: Recession hits political campaigns, too.

And beyond:

NYT: The woman behind rethinking U.S. defense.

WSJ: Ethnic clashes in western China are said to have killed scores.

WP: Marion Barry charged with stalking ex-girlfriend.

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