9-1-08
WOW!! McCain Picks
Great VP - Sarah Palin
There
are many great reasons McCain's picking Sarah Palin his VP is fantastic. But
first before I go into why I like her I want to discuss how I think her ex-
brother in law mess should be handled. Sarah's ex- brother in law problem probably
boils down to jealousy. There are many people who can't stand success .First,
expect every reporter and private detective from Kelly to Moscow to be on their
way to Alaska to interview anyone who has the slightest information on this
subject. Don't rule out Little George's snoops being in on the checking out
the facts as well. Remember Little George and the bad guys have jumped to Obama.
What snoops hate more than anything is to have their picture taken. So as this
reporter and that muck raker nose around Alaska have pictures taken of them
and put the pictures out for the public to see. Snoops love to catch people
in a lie and then they make the lie the issue more than the original situation.
Expect the Karl Rove influence to be looking for sexual dirt. Rove always, always
smears with sexual innuendos. In my opinion there is very high tech snoop equipment
like satellites with the capability to listen to conversations so analyzing
where the dirt is coming is important. As snoops make the issue what they can
find by talking to every boyfriend and every everyone, the counter program is
get proof of the extremes and methods used by reporters and private eyes to
gather their information.
What I love about Sarah
Palin is she has more experience and a better background and history than Barack
Obama. If one were to make a timeline of the events in both Barack and Sarah's
lives, Sarah's is healthier and more American than Obama's. The more people
scream that Sarah lacks this that or the other, Sarah's revelations point out
Obama's shortcomings. Sarah Palin is truly an amazing pick. She knows more about
the oil business that Obama or Biden every thought about knowing. It is going
to take me a while to put my thoughts together on this subject, Sarah Palin
for VP, in words. Sarah Palin is like the spirit of Texas on steroids. She will
do fine. It is my guess a major Obama weakness is that he does not understand
the importance of state's rights in the development of the USA. I noticed Ms.
Palin plays the flute. Playing a musical instrument seems to help the brain
function smoothly. I wonder if Sarah is good at math?
If
I were John McCain would I have picked Sarah Palin? It would have taken a genius
to slow me down to the point of listening to pros and cons of Sarah Palin. I
am such a know it all there is a chance I would have missed her. An amazing
fact is the jump Sarah made from small town Mayor to Governor of Alaska, and
this may be the key to understanding why Sarah is McCain's VP. Of course I am
partial to Aquarians. When one is operating during the energy of one's Sun Sign,
one is living in the time of their best energy, and McCain is living in his
Sun energy, Virgo, now, and he picked Sarah in Virgo. For example, Aquarians
do their best work during the month of Aquarius. Sarah can expect the question
that Wolf Blitzer gave Gov. Sanford, Aren't you and McCain just an extension
of comrade Little George? Reporters will hone in on the Creationist theory and
her double Baptism. Why preachers go on an ego trip to Baptize after a person
has already been Baptized is beyond me. I have always heard you are supposed
to be Baptized one measly time. I heard a preacher say that life begins after
Baptism, which knocks the heck out of the pro life argument although I tune
out hot button issues.
AARP
has an article this month which lists three interesting aspects of the brain
as we get older. According to it, as we age our ability to judge character improves.
The AARP article is at the house I am fixing up so it will be a day or two before
I get the other two good characteristics of the mind as we age. As I recall,
the AARP article asserts that as we age our mind mellows and the right and left
brain function more as a unit and the mind operates better.
August 13, 2008 I bought
a house and I am consumed with fixing it up. My friend who lives nearby has
all the TV channels and I hope she will let me and I can find time to watch
the Republican Convention. People who read me closely know I feel God has big
plans for me. If and how my big special life materializes remains a complete
mystery. This new to me house is right near an airport so I guess if called
I could commute to DC. Also I feel an extreme need to try and bring on line
during my lifetime biologically produced Hydrogen energy, and of course our
banking system which is owned by the Rothschilds and Rockefellers and other
rich guys must be extracted from them. There is no doubt in my mind that Randy
Crow cannot do for himself what Randy has said God has in store for me. It has
got to be the work of God. God started me on this road and if it is meant to
be He will finish it. What I am talking about is the Bible Book of Revelations
coming to pass. It seems to me Book of Revelations final fight against evil
is right now. Clearly Russia and Iran are not the bad countries
and victims, and the real bad guys are Neocons and the guys who own our banking
system. This is all very exciting. At long last things may be coming down the
pike. How do John McCain and Sarah Palin fit into this is a puzzle? Obama and
Joe Biden seem to be the bad guys' choice to replace Little George. What if
McCain and Palin win? Will McCain nuke Russia and Iran? I hate war and I will
never go along with nuking. Do and how do I fit in with McCain's activities?
Of course I could be wrong. Maybe I have bumped my head and I have lived in
a Beautiful Mind. Maybe God is not going to raise me up. Maybe my Divine Designed
life is exactly where I am, commenting on the world situation via my computer
set up in a very lovely rural setting.
I just went to Huffingtonpost.com
and saw the many anti Sarah Palin articles. What I hate most about Huffingtonpost.com
is they work to take the vote from the voter and give it to them by intimidating
candidates to withdraw from candidacy. This is pure communism. Let the voters
decide. Why are they belittling Sarah Palin? Fear. Huffingtonpost.com want their
man Obama to turn this country into a bigger communi$t country and fear Palin
will screw their communi$t plans up. Huffingtonpost.com is a total and complete
illegal political entity. It has no limits on what it does and no oversight.
If anything comes out of the 2008 presidential campaign I bet entities like
Huffingtonpost.com will come under regulation by the FEC. Huffingtonpost.com
is using propaganda to take the vote from the voter and give it to them. If
Palin is so bad then why bad mouth her. Won't the voters see it and vote for
their Obama? Obama got where he is by Howard Dean throwing the nomination to
him. Huffingtonpost.com wants a throw presidency. Huffingtonpost.com does not
want the voter to decide who governs us.
Sarah Palin Nailed
Her Republican convention Speech, but
still McCain and Palin probably
will lose in November. True, McCain picking Palin may be the stroke of genius
of the century. True, Palin is as well or better prepared to lead the country
than Obama. But the bad guys are behind Obama and it is basically impossible
to beat the bad guys. Palin said something like Obama is soft of war, and that's
exactly the image of Obama the bad guys' want touted. Obama has clearly told
us he is a war monger. Notice Obama has stopped saying his nuke Iran mess. The
bad guys picked Obama because they have stuff on him and Obama will start or
continue WWIII which comrade Little George will probably start before he leaves
Office. McCain and Palin painting Obama as weak on war is music to the ears
of the Obama campaign. McCain is type cast as McSame and a war monger. I and
80 % of the world know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Sept. 11 did not happen
the way the 911 Commission said it happened. The bad guys manipulated the Iraq
war for their agenda to conquer the world. So any way you cut it the Iraq war
is wrong. The Caspian Sea oil is and belongs to Russia and to think otherwise
is to dance the bad guy jig and guarantees WWIII. The USA stating the Caspian
Sea oil is up for grabs is about the same as Russia saying the Alaska North
Slope is still their. Now when Russia claims the Alaskan North Slope is theirs
then I will say I'm against Russia, not before. This world must look for excuses
to get along, not find reasons to engage in war. You can go to the bank knowing
Rove is still vetting Palin and Rove and his kind are still looking for sexual
smut on Palin, her husband, or anyone who is remotely connected to her. I haven't
seen any pictures of those who are revealing anti Palin smut. Why is it mandatory
to take pictures of those who are out to nullify Palin? Because the smut mongers
know that when people see their picture and realize they have knocked off the
International scene their candidate they have a chance of being ice picked to
death. These guys and dolls enjoy destroying the careers of others but they
do not like the thought of death. I am on a McCain e-mail list, something like
North Carolinians for McCain, which is good. It is my guess McCain hates war
as much or more than me and the more war haters like me associated with McCain
the more this message gets out. One of my hot buttons is for candidates to say
bin Laden is alive, when logic dictates bin Laden is as dead as a door nail.
Palin was smart when she pointed out than Islamic extremists attacked Saudi
Arabia. Just read sexual smut on Sarah. The sexual slant of the campaign shows
Rove has jumped to Obama, Rove is alive and well, and the dirty campaign is
Obama's making. The better Palin does, the more the Obama engages in dirty politics
campaign. the Obama campaign played dirty politics in the primary againbst Hillary
and they are playing dirty politics against McCain and Palin. That's all they
have. McCain must realize his $ 84 million gives him independence from the bad
guys, which the bad guys may have forgotten to take into consideration.
Because of the turn in the
campaign, McCain picking Palin puts McCain in the race, probably guarantees
an Israeli New Year's present to the world, the nuking of Iran. Israel is the
pawn of Jacob Rothschild, and the Rothschilds were obviously responsible for
the Holocaust and the Rothschilds want Israel blamed for WWIII so an angry world
will demand Jewish people are Holocausted again, and the Rothschilds again will
end up with the money of Holocausted Jewish people.
I'm busy, busy, busy. Got to go,
go, go. McCain and Palin are giving me hope that America and be put back in
America.
Sarah Palin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sarah Palin
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11th Governor of Alaska
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 4, 2006
Lieutenant Sean Parnell
Preceded by Frank Murkowski
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chairperson, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
In office
2003 – 2004
Preceded by Camille Oechsli Taylor
Succeeded by John K. Norman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska
In office
1996 – 2002
Preceded by John Stein
Succeeded by Dianne M. Keller
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
City Council Member, Wasilla, Alaska
In office
1992 – 1996
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Born February 11, 1964 (1964-02-11) (age 44)
Sandpoint, Idaho, United States
Political party Republican
Spouse Todd Palin (since 1988)
Children Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Trig
Residence Wasilla, Alaska
Alma mater University of Idaho
Profession Politician
Religion Christian (non-denominational)[1][2]
Signature
Location of Wasilla, Alaska
Sarah Louise Heath Palin (pronunciation:pay'-lynn, IPA: /'pe?l?n/; born February
11, 1964) is the current governor of the U.S. state of Alaska and the presumptive
Republican vice presidential nominee for the 2008 United States presidential
election.
Palin was elected governor and assumed office in December 2006, after defeating
incumbent governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary and former
Democratic governor Tony Knowles in the general election. She was the
youngest person, and the first woman, to be elected governor of Alaska. Before
becoming governor, Palin served two terms on the Wasilla, Alaska, city council
from 1992 to 1996, and was elected mayor of Wasilla in 1996 and 1999. She
lost her race for lieutenant governor of Alaska in 2002.
On August 29, 2008, Republican presidential candidate John McCain announced
he had chosen Palin as his running mate, making her the second female vice presidential
candidate representing a major political party after Geraldine Ferraro.
Contents [hide]
1 Early life and education
2 Pre-gubernatorial political experience
2.1 City council and mayorship
2.2 2002 election
2.3 Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
3 Governor of Alaska
3.1 Energy and environment
3.2 Budget
3.3 Public Safety Commissioner dismissal controversy
4 2008 vice-presidential campaign
4.1 Reaction
5 Political positions
6 Personal life and family
7 Electoral history
7.1 Election results
8 References
9 External links
Early life and education
Palin was born Sarah Louise Heath in Sandpoint, Idaho, the
daughter of Sarah Heath (née Sheeran), a school secretary, and Charles
R. Heath, a science teacher and track coach.[3][4] She has
English, Irish, and German ancestry.[3] Her family moved to Alaska when she
was an infant.[4] She and her father would sometimes wake at 3 a.m. to hunt
moose before school, and the family regularly ran 5K and 10K races.[4]
Palin attended Wasilla High School in Wasilla, Alaska, where she was the head
of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at the school[4] and the point
guard and captain of the school's basketball team. She helped the team win the
Alaska small-school basketball championship in 1982, hitting a critical
free throw in the last seconds of the game, despite having an ankle
stress fracture at the time.[4] She earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda"
because of her intense play[4] and was the leader of team prayer before games.[4]
In 1984, Palin won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest, then finished second in
the Miss Alaska pageant,[5] at which she won a college scholarship.[4] In the
Wasilla pageant, she played the flute and won "Miss Congeniality."[6][7]
Palin "reported with some consternation that the judges were too interested
in the contestants' derrieres."[8]
Palin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism
from the University of Idaho, where she also minored in political science.[9][10]
Palin briefly worked in broadcasting as a sports reporter for local Anchorage
television stations and with her husband in commercial fishing.[4]
Pre-gubernatorial political experience
City council and mayorship
Palin began her political career in 1992, running for Wasilla city council as
a supporter of the controversial new sales tax and with an advertisement advocating
"a safer, more progressive Wasilla".[11] She won and served two terms
on the council from 1992 to 1996.
In 1996, she challenged and defeated incumbent mayor John Stein,
criticizing wasteful spending and high taxes.[4] In January 1997, Palin fired
the Wasilla police chief and library director. In response, a group of 60 residents
calling themselves Concerned Citizens for Wasilla discussed attempting a recall
campaign against Palin, but then decided against it.[12] The fired police chief
later sued Palin on the grounds that he was fired because he supported the campaign
of Palin's opponent, but his suit was dismissed when the judge ruled that Palin
had the right under state law to fire city employees, even for political
reasons.[13] Palin followed through on campaign promises to reduce
the salary of the mayor, and to reduce property taxes by 40 percent.[4]
She increased the city sales tax to pay for construction of an indoor ice rink
and sports complex.[14] At this time, state Republican leaders began grooming
her for higher office.[15] She ran for re-election as mayor against Stein in
1999, winning by an even larger margin.[4][16] Palin was also elected
president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.[17]
While mayor of Wasilla, Palin wore a "Buchanan for President"
button during conservative Pat Buchanan's 1996 visit to Wasilla. Palin stated
that she "welcome[s] all the candidates in Wasilla" and said she
was not endorsing Buchanan.[18] Buchanan described Palin as a "supporter"
in an interview after she was selected as the vice presidential nominee by McCain.[18][19]
2002 election
In 2002, Palin made an unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor, coming in second
to Loren Leman in a five-way race in the Republican primary.
After Frank Murkowski resigned from his long-held U.S. Senate seat in
mid-term to become governor, he considered appointing Palin to his
Senate seat but instead chose his daughter, Alaska state representative
Lisa Murkowski.[20]
Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
Governor Murkowski appointed Palin Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska
Oil and Gas Conservation Commission,[21] where she served from 2003
to 2004. She resigned in protest over what she called the "lack
of ethics" of fellow Alaskan Republican leaders, who ignored her
whistleblowing complaints of legal violations and conflicts of interest.[22][4]
After she resigned, Palin exposed the state Republican Party's chairman, Randy
Ruedrich, one of her fellow Oil & Gas commissioners, who was accused of
doing work for the party on public time and supplying a lobbyist with a sensitive
e-mail.[23] Palin filed formal complaints against both Ruedrich and former Alaska
Attorney General Gregg Renkes, who both resigned. Ruedrich also paid a record
$12,000 fine.[4]
Governor of Alaska
In 2006, running on a clean government platform, Palin defeated then-Governor
Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary.[4] In August, she
declared that education, public safety, and transportation would
be the three cornerstones of her administration.[24] Despite being outspent
by her Democratic opponent, she won the gubernatorial election in November,
defeating former Governor Tony Knowles 48.3% to 40.9%.[4]
Palin became Alaska's first woman governor and, at 42, the
youngest in Alaskan history. She is the first Alaskan governor born after Alaska
achieved U.S. statehood and the first governor not inaugurated in Juneau. She
chose to have the ceremony held in Fairbanks. She took office on December 4,
2006.
She has challenged the state's Republican leaders, helping to launch a campaign
by Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell to unseat U.S. Congressman Don Young[25]
and publicly challenging Senator Ted Stevens to come clean about the federal
investigation into his financial dealings.[26]
Palin frequently had an approval rating above 90% in 2007.[27]
A poll published by Hays Research on July 28, 2008 showed Palin's approval rating
at 80%,[28] while another Ivan Moore poll showed it at 76%, a drop which the
pollsters attributed to the controversial firing of Public Safety Commissioner
Walt Monegan.[29]
A subsequent Rasmussen Reports poll from July 31, 2008 showed 35% of
Alaskans rated her performance as excellent, 29% good, 22% fair, and
14% poor.[30]
Energy and environment
Palin in Kuwait, July 2007, on her first trip outside the USPalin has
strongly promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska,[31]
despite concerns from environmentalists. She also helped pass a tax increase
on oil company profits.[26][27] Palin has announced plans to create a new sub-cabinet
group of advisers to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
within Alaska.[32]
Shortly after taking office, Palin rescinded 35 appointments made by
Murkowski in the last hours of his administration, including that of his former
chief of staff James "Jim" Clark to the Alaska Natural Gas Development
Authority.[33][34] Clark later pleaded guilty to conspiring with a
defunct oil-field-services company to channel money into Frank Murkowski's re-election
campaign.[35]
In March 2007, Palin presented the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) as
the new legal vehicle for building a natural gas pipeline from the state's North
Slope.[36] This negated a deal by the previous governor to grant the contract
to a coalition including BP (her husband's former employer).
Only one legislator, Representative Ralph Samuels, voted against the measure,[37]
and in June, Palin signed it into law.[38][39] On January 5, 2008, Palin announced
that a Canadian company, TransCanada Corp., was the sole AGIA-compliant applicant.[40][41]
In August 2008, Palin signed a bill into law giving the state of Alaska authority
to award TransCanada Pipelines a license to build and operate the $26-billion
pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the Lower 48 through
Canada.[42]
In response to high oil and gas prices, and the resulting state government
budget surplus, Palin proposed giving Alaskans $100-a-month energy debit
cards. She also proposed providing grants to electrical utilities so
that they would reduce customers' rates.[43] She subsequently dropped the debit
card proposal, and in its place she proposed to send Alaskans $1,200 directly,
paid for from the windfall surplus the state is getting because of the high
oil prices.[44]
In May 2008, Palin objected to the decision of Dirk Kempthorne, the
Republican United States Secretary of the Interior, to list polar bears as an
endangered species. She filed a lawsuit to stop the listing amid fears
that it would hurt oil and gas development in the bears' habitat off Alaska's
northern and northwestern coasts. She said the move to list the bears was premature
and was not the appropriate management tool for their welfare.[45]
She believes that "a changing environment will affect Alaska more than
any other state" but she would not "attribute it to being man-made"[46]
after she was announced as Senator McCain's presumptive running mate.
Budget
Palin with Lt. Governor Sean ParnellShortly after becoming governor, Palin canceled
a contract for the construction of an 11-mile (18-kilometer) gravel road outside
Juneau to a mine. This reversed a decision made in the closing days of the Murkowski
Administration.[47]
In June 2007, Palin signed into law a $6.6 billion operating budget—the
largest in Alaska's history.[48] At the same time, she used her veto power to
make the second-largest cuts of the construction budget in state history. The
$237 million in cuts represented over 300 local projects, and reduced the construction
budget to nearly $1.6 billion.[49]
Palin initially expressed support for the Gravina Island Bridge project,[50]
commonly known outside the state as the "Bridge to Nowhere." However,
once it had become a nationwide symbol of wasteful earmark spending and some
federal funding was lost, Palin cancelled the bridge because Alaska's congressional
delegation was unable to prevent the state of Alaska from having to pay for
part of the bridge's construction.[26][51] Alaska still kept the federal money,
but she stated that Alaska should rely less on federal funding.[51][27]
When on June 6, 2007, the Alaska Creamery Board recommended closing Matanuska
Maid Dairy, an unprofitable state-owned business, Palin objected, citing concern
for the impact on dairy farmers and the fact that the dairy had just received
$600,000 in state money. When Palin found out that the Board of Agriculture
and Conservation appoints Creamery Board members, she replaced the entire membership
of the Board of Agriculture and Conservation.[27][52] The new board
reversed the decision to close the dairy, but later in 2007, with Palin's support,
the unprofitable business was put up for sale. There were no offers in December
2007, when the minimum bid was set at $3.35 million,[53][54] and the dairy was
closed that month. In August 2008, the Anchorage plant was purchased for $1.5
million, the new minimum bid; the purchaser plans to convert it into heated
storage units.[55]
Public Safety Commissioner dismissal controversy
Main article: Alaska Public Safety Commissioner dismissal
On July 11, 2008, Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan
for not adequately filling state trooper vacancies, and because he "did
not turn out to be a team player on budgeting issues."[56] She
instead offered him a position as executive director of the state Alcoholic
Beverage Control Board, which he turned down.[57][58]
Her power to fire him is not in dispute, but Monegan alleged
that his dismissal was a retaliation for his reluctance to fire Palin's former
brother-in-law, Alaska State Trooper Mike Wooten, who had been
involved in a divorce and child custody battle with Palin's sister, Molly McCann.[59]
Palin is currently being investigated by an independent investigator hired by
the Alaska Legislature[60] to determine whether she abused her power when she
fired Monegan. The investigation is scheduled to end October 30, only
days before the November 4 presidential election.[61]
2008 vice-presidential campaign
This section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming
or ongoing election.
Content may change as the election approaches.
2008 Republican Party Ticket
Campaign US presidential–
vice-presidential
election, 2008
Candidate John Sidney McCain
(presidential)
Arizona Senator
1987-incumbent
Sarah Louise Heath Palin
(vice-presidential)
Governor of Alaska
2006–incumbent
Affiliation Republican Party
Status VP presumptive nominee
August 29, 2008
Headquarters Arlington, Virginia
Website
www.johnmccain.com
Main article: John McCain presidential campaign, 2008
See also: Republican Party (United States) vice presidential candidates, 2008
On August 29, 2008, Palin was announced as presumptive Republican presidential
candidate John McCain's vice-presidential running mate.[62][63][64][65] Palin's
selection surprised many Republican officials, several of whom had speculated
about other candidates[66][67] such as Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, United States Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut,
and former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.[68]
According to ABC News, McCain was originally thinking of selecting
Lieberman, but was told that the Republican base would never accept
Lieberman because of his moderate-to-liberal social views. Although Palin had
been on the list as an "unconventional" choice for some time, she
was not seriously considered for the number-two spot on the ticket until just
a few days before the announcement.[69] On the morning of August 28,
McCain invited her to his home near Sedona, Arizona and formally offered her
the spot.[70] This offer was later confirmed after further talks later
that night in Dayton, Ohio; site of the event where McCain formally introduced
Palin the next morning.[69]
A month previously, Palin had said:[71]
But as for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still
can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly
that the VP does every day? I’m used to being very productive and working
real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would
be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that
we’re trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S., before I
can even start addressing that question.
Palin is considered to have similar policy positions to John McCain in some
respects. One exception is drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge (ANWR), which Palin strongly supports and McCain has opposed.[72]
Another exception is her belief that global warming is not manmade.[73]
On August 4, 2008, Palin put out a press release praising portions of Democratic
presidential nominee Barack Obama's energy plan including the call for completion
of the Alaska Gas Pipeline and proposal of $1,000 rebates for families struggling
with energy costs, although she took exception with its call for a windfall
profits tax on oil companies. The press release in question appears
to have been removed from the governor's website, but can still be accessed
through Google's cache.[74][26][27][75]
Reaction
Palin's selection came as something of a surprise. Indeed, McCain had only met
Palin six months earlier at a meeting of the National Governors Association.
He'd only spoken with her about the position once, on the Sunday before he formally
offered it to her.[70]
Alaska Republicans had mixed reactions to the news of Palin's selection. State
Senate President Lyda Green, a Republican who has often feuded with Palin, remarked,
"She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice
president or president?"[76] On the other hand, Alaskan Attorney General
Talis Colberg, a Palin appointee, remarked that, "It's wonderful. It was
an emotional thing to see the governor walk out with her family and I say, wow,
I work for her."[76]
Republicans from other states expressed strong support for Palin's selection,
including support from fellow woman Governor M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut, who
said of Palin "She is strong. She is capable. She is articulate" and
suggested opponents should not underestimate her.[77] There was speculation
back in October 2007 that Palin was seen as a possible choice of the vice-presidency
of John McCain's rival of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, former
New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.[78]
Palin is the second U.S. woman to run on a major party ticket, after Geraldine
Ferraro, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee of former vice-president Walter
Mondale in 1984.[65]
After announcing Palin as the presumptive vice-presidential nominee,
the McCain campaign received US$7 million in contributions in a single day.[79]
On August 30th, 2008, NPR[80] and other news sources reported that
thirty mostly favorable changes were made to Palin's Wikipedia biography, one
day before her official nomination, leading to suggestions that either she or
her supporters had "scrubbed" her entry.
Political positions
Main article: Political positions of Sarah Palin
Palin is pro-life, pro-contraception, and a prominent member of Feminists
for Life.[81][24] She opposes the use of abortion even in cases of
rape or incest[82] although she has publicly stated that it should be up
to the states to decide the stance on abortions and "how they
would like their society to reflect their values.", along with allowing
public funds for non-elective abortions.[83] She also supports the death penalty.[84]
In 2002, while running for lieutenant governor, Palin called herself as "pro-life
as any candidate can be."[24] Palin opposes same-sex marriage.[24]
She supported a non-binding referendum for a constitutional amendment to deny
benefits to gay couples.[85] Palin has stated that she supported the 1998 constitutional
amendment to ban gay marriage.[24] Alone among the candidates in the 2006 gubernatorial
election, Palin said in a televised debate that she supported teaching
creationism alongside evolution in public schools, but the next day
modified her position to one of allowing the debate of alternative views.[86]
She has admitted that she tried marijuana, but she does not
support legalization, stating concerns about the message it would send to her
children.[24]
Palin is a life member of the National Rifle Association, and is popular among
gun rights activists. She is a strong proponent of the Second Amendment,
and supports gun safety education for youth.[87]
According to Time, Palin's foreign policy positions were not clear at the time
she was picked, but she has been critical of the lack of a long-term strategy
on the war in Iraq.[88]
Personal life and family
Sarah Palin was originally baptized as a Catholic, but was rebaptized
at age 12 by the Wasilla Assembly of God Church.[8] She currently worships
at The Church on the Rock, an independent congregation, and describes herself
as a non-denominational Christian.[89]
Palin family members at the announcement of Palin's vice presidential candidacy.
From left: Todd, Piper, Willow, Bristol, Trig.She married Todd Palin, her boyfriend
since high school, on August 29, 1988.[4] Todd Palin[90] works for the oil
company BP in a non-managerial position[91] and works as a
fisherman in his hometown in the summers. He is a world champion
snowmobiler, winning the 2,000-mile (3,200 km) "Iron Dog"
race four times.[4] The two eloped shortly after Palin graduated from
college.[4] Neither her husband nor her son Track are registered
Republicans, and neither have ever registered with a political party;[92]
over half of Alaskans are registered as nonpartisan or undeclared.[93]
The Palin family lives in Wasilla, about 45 miles (72 km) north of Anchorage.
Palin has two sons (Track, 19; and Trig, four months) and three daughters (Bristol,
17; Willow, 14; and Piper, 7) [Ages as of August 2008].[94] She gave birth to
Trig on April 18, 2008, while in office as governor, and returned to the office
three days afterward.[95][26] The baby, as prenatal genetic testing had shown,
has Down syndrome;[96] Palin's decision to have the baby was applauded by the
pro-life community.[97][98] Track is in an infantry brigade in the U.S. Army,
and Palin has said he will be deployed to Iraq on September 11, 2008.[99][100]
Palin hunts, ice fishes, eats mooseburgers, rides snowmobiles, has run a marathon,
and owns a float plane.[27][101] According to her spokeswoman,
Palin has traveled abroad twice: once to Ireland and in 2007 to Germany
and Kuwait where she met with members of Alaska's National Guard.[102]
Sarah Palin's sister is Molly McCann the former wife of Mike Wooten.[103] McCann
and Wooten were divorced in 2005