Governor Sarah Palin Could Make Herself Senator Sarah Palin

Shortly after the jury in the corruption trial of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens found him guilty, John McCain called on Stevens to step down from the Senate seat he's held for decades.  Then, Sarah Palin did the same thing.  And I wondered why they'd even be concerning themselves, since they've got some other things to think about right now.

After all, since Stevens is up for re-election next Tuesday, the odds are probably pretty good that Alaska voters would decide not to vote for a convicted criminal and might vote for his Democratic opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.

For better or worse, I've always been someone who tries to figure out why people do what they do -- what motivates them, what's the flip side of the coin they're showing?

In this case, it didn't take me long to come up with this possible scenario -- Palin and the GOP see the writing on the wall for the McCain/Palin ticket, so what if they could get Palin into the Senate with her maverick-y pal, McCain?

Far-fetched?  I'm not so sure.

Alaska is VERY Republican and they do love them some Ted Stevens, even if he was skirting some of the ethics reporting rules.  So, it's entirely possible that Stevens, even being found guilty, could win re-election next week.

But if the pressure from the GOP gets too great, he might step down after he wins re-election.  If that happens, it's not entirely clear what the protocol is, since Alaska has changed it a few times over the last 15 years.  But here's a scenario that could happen ...

If Stevens steps down after he's re-elected, then it would probably be up to the Governor of Alaska (yes, Sarah Palin) to appoint an interim Senator until a special election could be held.  Alaska law calls for such an appointment to be of the same political party as the person who's stepped down -- if Stevens wins, a Republican.

SOooo ... in theory, Palin could appoint herself to the position of interim Senator until a special election could be held, though by holding the seat even for a short term, Palin would be the incumbent.

A stretch?  Possibly.  But why else would McCain and Palin come out so vocally in their position that Stevens should step down?  After all, he could take a page out of Palin's play book and ignore the outcome and pretend that the jury found him not guilty!

I admit, there are a lot of 'what ifs' in this scene that I've just painted.  And maybe Palin doesn't have the chutzpah to pull something like that, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

We already know that Palin has been called a maverick and a rogue and a diva, and we all know how divas hate it when they're not in the spotlight.

It's not exactly Lady Macbeth, but there are come Machiavellian undertones.  I don't know about you, but I'm thinking a little donation to the Begich campaign might be in order.

When she's not here, you can find Joanne over at her place, PunditMom, hoping she can survive until November 4.

Comments

[Scheherazade Khan]

Please tell me this is a pre-Halloween prank...as described by Christopher Hitchens, (not me) she is a "proud, boastful, ignoramus...) Doesn't that sound like someone who would fancy themselves senatorial material?

[cynematic]

Surely there must be some arcane rule against double-dipping that would prevent this horror?

I'd be just as sickened if she appointed First Dude to be Acting Senator. Though, since he's cc'd on gubernatorial emails, he seems to have been a shadow governor anyway--what's to stop him from being stand-in Senator?

/eyeroll

[WebmistressEMC]

I'm sure Todd Palin would rather be Generalissimo Palin, Emperor of Alaska. "Senator Palin" would be a few rungs below his aspirations. Now, the distaff "Senator Palin", that's another thing. Being in Washington DC would give her another avenue (pardon the pun) to totter around on those Ferragamo pumps and in those pricey couture suits for a couple of years while she waits for 2012 to roll around.

(so....who's going to take care of Trig while they seek their higher offices?)

[bill]

I think you can take that as a given. Having danced on the national stage, she has no desire to return to the tundra.

[judy haley (coffeejitters)]

Speaking as a former Alaskan, I really don't think this call for Stevens to step down was all that notable. Supporting Stevens at this point would have been campaign suicide. The only reason Stevens has been consistently re-elected is the fact that he wields so much power, more so than any junior legislator would wield. Alaskans don't really love Stevens, they just don't want to let go of the one person who has any chance of bringing home the pork. And who doesn't want more pork?

Palin is bad news, but I don't think they're really thinking they can get her into congress in this manner. Although I'd be shocked if we didn't see her run against Begich in the future.

[Jozet]

"...who's going to take care of Trig while they seek their higher offices?"

As Democrats, are we not beyond this yet? If this is a question that Momocrats supports - and I'm assuming it is since no one else is speaking out against it - then I need every woman here who works outside the home to answer for their own children's welfare since, evidently, daycare or nannies do not fall under the definition of adequate and non-negligent "care". So, it's SAHM or nothing?

[PunditMom]

Jozet, I, for one, don't support the idea that all moms should be SAHM's. I would like to think we're beyond asking that question ... maybe in a couple of generations we'll be there.

[Texas Dem]

I think the point being made is if BOTH parents are in demanding political positions, the child might be shortchanged. Raising a Downs Syndrome child is a bit different, it can be a lot more demanding of your time, as one of my best friends can attest to. Nobody is saying that "First Dude" can't be the one staying home, tho!

[Texas Dem]

Anyway, this is not a woman for whom the truth holds much value. Sarah Palin tries to pass herself off as an "average Joe", but I don’t know of any “Joe Sixpacks” or “Joe the Plumbers” that live in houses worth half a million dollars! I looked up her property tax records, not all that hard to do, and her house value is $552,100.00, roughly 10 times what mine is worth! I work two jobs and almost lost my house this year. I am also a single mom making around $30,000, on two jobs. I do not see how she can compare herself to the millions of “regular Joes” out there; she has absolutely no understanding of what it is to live poor. I know real estate values in Alaska are probably a bit higher, but even at that, this is one expensive house! Not exactly someone who needs the RNC to buy clothes for her.

For that matter, John McCain, when defending the decision to buy those clothes for her, made the statement that she and her husband live “frugally.” Okay, further investigation into their property tax records show that they have at least partial ownership in 4 other pieces of property, one that appears to have a cabin on it worth $55,400.00 (worth my house), and 3 other pieces of real estate worth $18,000.00, $17,300.00, and $12,000.00 respectively, for a combined total of $102, 700.00. These are not people living frugally. Living frugally is living in a house you can barely afford, that needs repairs you can’t possibly afford to make, and eating a lot of Ramen. I seriously doubt that Sarah Palin has ever had to make do like that. I know the other candidates also live in expensive houses, but she is the one trying to sell herself as the “folksy, regular Joe kind of soccer mom” which she clearly is not. And exactly why is it okay for us to send billions of dollars in aid to foreign countries every year, but anytime someone wants to help the people in this country, it is “socialism”? By her own argument, would that not make her plan to funnel taxpayer money to families with special needs kids “socialism?”

Anyway, these property records are public information. Check them out for yourself. Go to www.matsugov.us, click on Property and Maps, click on pull-down My Property, and do an Owner Search for “Palin”. It’s all right there. Three of them will pull us with Palin, but show as “Richter, Scott” and “Richter Investments,” their names are on there too.

[notamomadad]

I believe she might do this if Stevens wins and then steps down. She would probably claim that she could do more for "Alaska" if she could use her "popularity" in DC rather than Juneau. If she's nothing else, she's ambitious to a fault, and what better way to remain in the public spotlight and gain a "real" record on the issues than as a senator. She would be perfectly positioned for 2012 (so we might have THAT to look forward to...argh).