Liberal Values Defending Liberty and Enlightened Thought

When former half-term governor Sarah Palin stepped down this seemed like a questionable political strategy. There was speculation that the real reason she stepped down, beyond being in a job she was not qualified for, was to cash in. If so, her plan has worked. ABC News reports:

Since leaving office at the end of July 2009, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee has brought in at least 100 times her old salary – a haul now estimated at more than $12 million — through television and book deals and a heavy schedule of speaking appearances worth five and six figures.

That conservative estimate is based on publicly available records and news accounts. The actual number is probably much higher, but is hard to quantify because Palin does not publicize her earnings. She reputedly got a $7 million deal for her first book, with the bulk of that money due after her resignation as governor, and will earn about $250,000 per episode, according to the web site The Daily Beast, for each of eight episodes of a reality show about Alaska for the The Learning Channel. She has managed to keep a lid on reliable figures for her earnings from a multi-year contract with Fox News and a second book deal with HarperCollins.

I am very happy to see that these ventures have been a success for her, and I hope that she continues to find similar ways to make money, as long as this keeps her out of public office. The only downside is that we no longer have her keeping an eye on Russia.