More from TIME Palin Cover Story
In their analysis of Palin, TIME's David von Drehle and Jay Newton-Small write: “Palin's unconventional step speaks to an ingrained frontier skepticism of authority—even one's own. Given the plunging credibility of institutions and élites, that's a mood that fits the Palin brand. Résumés ain't what they used to be; they count only with people who trust credentials—a declining breed....The leaders of congressional committees and executive agencies have decades of experience—at wallowing in red ink, mismanaging economic bubbles and botching covert intelligence. If ever there has been a time to gamble on a flimsy résumé, ever a time for the ultimate outsider, this might be it.”
TIME'S NANCY GIBBS ON SARAH PALIN: “IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT PALIN NEVER SAID SHE WAS LEAVING OFFICE TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH HER CHILDREN”—Gibbs writes, “the idea that ambitious women reach a certain point in their professional lives only to be hauled homeward by some innate maternal imperative has a cultural life all its own.... When a very prominent woman takes on a commitment—say, as governor of a state, whose voters are supposed to be the ones who decide if she's no longer able to be effective—and then walks away, a shudder goes through every venue where women fight to assert their rights and affirm their commitment.... Thus, it's important to note that Palin never said she was leaving office to spend more time with her children....But there's another relevant model as well: lots of women who make a detour aren't looking to have more time for Gymboree; they're doing it because they want to start their own business, make their own rules, be their own boss—and this seems more Sarah's tune. Palin's brand is maverick, and her mode is moxie.”
