Gov. Sarah Palin responds to a question in her downtown Anchorage office next to a grizzly her father shot in Denali Highway country.
(Photo by Stephen Nowers / Anchorage Daily News)
Sarah Palin is the incumbent Governor of Alaska and former Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. A Journalist, she is the first Governor of Alaska born after Alaska was granted statehood. She took office at the age of 42, making her the youngest Governor in Alaska's short history, as well as the first woman Governor.
Gov. Palin's oldest child, and eldest son, Track, joined the Army on September 11, 2007, at the age of 18, and is schedule to deploy to Iraq later this year. Her youngest son, born just this year, is Trig Palin, who prenatal genetic testing had shown has Down syndrome. Her decision to have the baby was applauded by the pro-life community, and frankly should be applauded by anyone with a pulse.... Palin also has three daughters, Bristol, Piper, and Willow, who live at home in Wasilla. Husband Todd is a commercial fisherman. She is lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. Woot.
“I am a lifetime member of the NRA, I support our Constitutional right to bear arms and am a proponent of gun safety programs for Alaska's youth […]” - Sarah Palin
Gov. Palin's political career began with two terms on the Wasilla City Council, then was elected Mayor for two terms. She was elected President of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. From Wiki:
In 2002, Palin made a failed bid to become the state's lieutenant governor, coming in second place behind Loren Leman in a four-way race, some say due to her inability to raise campaign contributions equal to that of her opponents. After Frank Murkowski became governor, resigning from his long-time U.S. Senate seat, Palin was considered by some to be a candidate for that job; however Murkowski appointed his daughter, then State Representative Lisa Murkowski.Governor Murkowski did appoint Palin to serve as a commissioner on the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission which she served on during 2003–2004, but later resigned, in protest over what she perceived to be the "lack of ethics" of fellow Alaskan Republican leaders. This included the state party's chairman, Randy Ruedrich, a fellow commissioner, who was accused of doing work for the party on public time and providing a sensitive email to a lobbyist. She filed formal complaints against both Ruedrich and former state Attorney General Gregg Renkes, who was eventually found not guilty.
Hmmm, spunky and ethical! No wonder the mainstream media ignores her, while its busy deifying Oprah, Hillary, and Britney. A Republican takes on the RINO-infested Republican Party, and it ain't the media's former favorite Maverick, John McCain, but a woman in Alaska. But the Republican Party had a small comeuppance coming.
In 2006 Palin took on the sitting Republican Governor Frank "Bridge To Nowhere" Murkowski in the Republican Primaries. She beat the party and Murkowski. Then she went on to the general election and whipped the former Governor, Tony Knowles, by 8 percentage points in a six-candidate race. Her plurality was 48%+. How many times have we sat back and groaned as the Party went out of its way to shove good candidates aside to protect lousy, incumbent Republicans in their re-election bids? Well, Palin fought them, beat them, and then beat the Democrat. And it turns out she has been so good as Governor that, in July 2007, Palin was heralded in the national media as being the most popular governor in the country, with an approval rating often in the 90+ range. An August 2007 poll had her approval rating at 84%, with 5% disapproving. Wonder who disapproved? Democrats, no doubt, wishing for a bigger government and more handouts.
Our next Commander in Chief?
Wanna talk about a Maverick? Sarah Palin supports moving the Legislative sessions out of Juneau - the state Capital - on occasion. She also pushes sending the state's wealth back down to the municipalities. Which, of course, is where that wealth came from in the first place. This is Municipal Revenue Sharing, something the National Football League uses a form of to keep smaller teams in smaller cities afloat. And after all, the locals know far better what is needed in their town than some elected twit in the Capital. I know that's political Heresy to the Left, but it's a fact nevertheless. Palin seems to understand that a government's wealth comes only from taking it from those who actually worked for it. Governments do not make money, nor do they create wealth. Ever. They consume it, ravenously, if allowed.
Maverick? When Palin was elected Governor, she decided Juneau had seen enough inaugurations. She moved the ceremonies to Fairbanks. Imagine the President of the United States being inaugurated in Pittsburgh, PA rather than in Washington, D.C. Where would all those Big Wigs and government muckety-mucks stay? And just who would they impress? I like Palin's idea. Maybe we ought to try it one of these days for the President's inauguration, eh?
Sarah Palin is not immune to the disease of government meddling in things economic. And she did not come out looking good. Again, from Wiki:
Gov. Palin received widespread criticism for her handling of Matanuska Maid Dairy, a state owned dairy. When the State Dairy Board recommend the closing of the unprofitable state owned business, Palin fired the board and appointed long-time MATSU Borough associates to run the board, including influential real estate businesswoman Kristan Cole. The new board quickly approved raising the price of milk offered by the dairy in a vain attempt to control hemorrhaging fiscal losses and despite the fact that milk from the state of Washington was already offered in Alaska for much less the Mat Maid milk. In the end the dairy was forced to close and the state tried to sell the assets to pay for its huge debts, but because the initial minimum asking price was set too high no bids were received.
I hope she understands now that government is not the answer to every problem. She does seem to.
“As Mayor and CEO of the booming city of Wasilla, my team invited investment and encouraged business growth by eliminating small business inventory taxes, eliminated personal property taxes, reduced real property tax mill levies every year I was in office, reduced fees, and built the infrastructure our businesses needed to grow and prosper.” - Sarah Palin
Heck, she's even gay freindly! Palin and her administration been receptive to GLBT concerns about discrimination. Palin signed same-sex benefits into law, and when they got challenged by the legislatue, Palin used her first veto on the legislation that would have barred the state from granting benefits to gay state employees and their partners. In effect, she personally granted State benefits to same-sex couples.
Even if McCain/Palin loses in November, her presence on the ticket might just mean the final extinction of RINOs.
