Sarah Palin has finally admitted what most of us have guessed for months – she’s not going to run for president in 2012. While some pundits have been clinging to the idea that the controversial political figure might throw her hat in the ring, even the debate on the subject has felt forced and improbable. Palin didn’t even make it through her term as Governor of Alaska – how was she going to handle a four year presidential term?
Besides, Palin makes a lot more money as a free agent. Not that she’s listing that as her reason for not running, of course. Palin’s explanation?
“I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office — from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency,” Palin wrote in her official announcement on Wednesday night, posted to her Facebook account.
She then went on Fox News to talk over the decision with her fellow contributors to the channel. She apologized to her disappointed fans on, On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, ”I apologize to those whom are disappointed in this decision. I’ve been hearing from them in the last couple of hours. But I believe that they, when they take a step back, will understand why the decision was made and understand that, really, you don’t need a title to make a difference in this country. I think that I’m proof of that.”
But, according to recent polls, there aren’t a whole lot of people out there who are disappointed not to see a Palin in 2012 campaign. Seventy-two percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents surveyed by McClatchy-Marist in September said they didn’t want Palin to run. Just twenty-four percent wanted to vote Palin in 2012. Several other polls showed the same results. What do you think? Should Palin have run for president?
