Getting to know McCain’s VP “Mrs. Maverick.”
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First official acts as governor was to sell on eBay a posh gubernatorial jet because it was wasteful.
Known, at times, as “Sarah Barracuda” because of her ferocity on the high school basketball court. As co-captain her senior year, Sarah Palin was a point guard who lead her team to its first state championship.
The nickname resurfaced when as a 28-year-old political novice City Council member she turned on a veteran blocking a bill that would have steered business to his garbage-hauling firm.
The moniker was revived again in 2003, when Alaska’s governor, whom she would later unseat, appointed her to a state oil-and-gas commission. As a brand-new member, she challenged the ethics of the panel’s leader, the chairman of state’s Republican Party, forcing him ultimately to resign.
Since long before she became Alaska’s youngest — and first woman let alone mother of five – governor 20 months ago, Sarah Louise Heath Palin has been making her mark as an unlikely upstart. Friday, she did it again, accepting Sen. John McCain’s surprise offer to be his VP running mate.
A Saturday Washington Post article describes how Palin rose to the statehouse by challenging the corruption that has become endemic in Alaska, even if it meant taking on the Republican establishment there, including the former governor and the state’s congressional delegation.
Born in Idaho, Palin became an Alaskan as an infant when her parents, Chuck and Sally Heath, hauled their young family and their belongings up the Alaskan Highway. They settled eventually in Wasilla, about 45 miles north of Anchorage. Palin’s official biography describes it as a place with a “reputation for junky yards and cranky land-owners who didn’t mind using the serious end of a shotgun to run off trespassers.” Ivan Moore, a veteran political pollster in Anchorage, described Wasilla as “the most fearsomely conservative region of the state.” It is Alaska’s fastest growing city and where Sarah grew up and entered politics.
Her Dad was a science teacher and her mother became a school secretary. The family would go on camping trips to hunt moose, bear and sometimes wild sheep Palin likes to salmon fish in nearby Bristol Bay. She is a lifetime NRA member.
Her father was her track coach, and she played on the softball team, but her real passion was basketball. “She doesn’t like sitting on the sidelines,”says a friend. She was runner-up in Miss Alaska beauty pageant.
As a further example of Palin fitting the McCain maverick model her first official acts as governor was to sell on eBay a posh gubernatorial jet because it was wasteful.
Comment by Deb Della Piana on 1 September 2008:
Right, Richard, she sold the jet. Big deal. You forgot to mention that she’s also under investigation for abuse of power in the great state of Alaska. She’s just what we need, another “Rovian” type in the White House.
I don’t really give a damn what she was known as in the basketball world, or how she spent her summers with her family. None of that has a bearing on her policies or plans. What really matters to me (and many other women) is that she’s been selected so that she can come in and sell out women’s rights. She’s another in a long line of Christian conservatives who want to legislate morality. Unfortunately, her god is not my god and I don’t want to have to live my life according to her ideology.
You conservatives have a lot of cohones talking about Obama’s lack of experience. She’s been the Governor of Alaska for two years and was the part-time mayor of a city of 9,000 people. That’s the extent of her knowledge. She’s unqualified for the position of vice president no matter how you and William Kristol spin it. If McCain becomes incapacitated leaving her with the messes Mr. Bush has created around the world, we’re all in trouble.
John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin is also a reflection on his twisted and warped decision-making abilities. He’s pandering to the Christian conservatives in a win-at-all-costs move. He should remove that “Country First” banner from his web site. It’s a joke.
Deb Della Pianas last blog post..So much for abstinence-only sex education
Comment by Richard Cochrane on 1 September 2008:
Deb - Someone new for you to hate. You must be so happy.
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Comment by Maddie on 1 September 2008:
Wow! The claws and fangs come out now that a woman is selected to run with McCain. I suppose had it been Obama who chose a woman to run with him, she would pass in your eyes Deb, because you don’t hate Obama like you do Bush and McCain. You know, you can make fun of the Christian conservatives because we do have morals and do our best to live by them. The only people who deny God, are the ones who don’t know Him.
You consistently attack Bush and McCain viciously and I believe you would hate anyone McCain chose unless, maybe if they were a buddist and/or homosexual? We can all get along and not agree with each other on things. A person who lashes out like this repeatedly is one that is unhappy and whose life is unfulfilled.
There are several good, valid reasons I will not vote for Obama, but I don’t despise or hate him. I choose to walk in love as best I can with people. Yes we are going to have our differences, but we don’t need to be a bully about them.
You believe that McCain would not be what we need in a President, and I know that Obama would be the worst choice of the two. This is what voting at the polls is for so let’s all take it to the polls on election day and leave it at that.
Comment by view on 2 September 2008:
Our culture is so steeped in hypocrisy that one wonders whether McCain’s real point was not to connect with us precisely on that level. To celebrate, as it were, the decline of the American republic. Who cares about the vetting process or “judgment”? We will overturn Roe v. Wade, no matter what it takes.
I would submit that this episode is actually quite similar to the case of an NYU department chair who, following allegations of plagiarism, continued with the same questionable conduct (to put it mildly), apparently secure in the knowledge that such matters are always discreetly ignored. See
http://tinyurl.com/nyuplagiarist
Comment by Deb Della Piana on 2 September 2008:
Richard, I don’t hate anybody, so I’d really appreciate it if you’d get off that kick.You seem to have a problem with people (other than yourself) who have strong beliefs. I don’t KNOW any of these people personally, so I don’t hate them. In some respects I hate what they stand for, and I believe that since this America I have a right to that. Now, on to the real issue:
You can’t seriously believe that Sarah Palin is qualified for the vice presidency with the amount of exposure she’s had to world politics and the mess this country is in. And frankly, I’m not a woman who is happy just to have ANY woman on the ticket regardless of her qualifications. If, indeed, John McCain wanted to be seen as a progressive by putting a woman on the ticket, he could have chosen Kay Bailey Hutchison, Olympia Snowe…even, dare I say it, Elizabeth Dole. These are women with a track record, regardless of whether or not I agree with every position they take.
Now, the second issue is Palin’s politics around a women’s right to choose. If she doesn’t believe in abortion, then she shouldn’t have an abortion. However, I don’t believe that this or any government should legislate what a woman does in her personal life. I keep hearing the bull that the Republicans are about ’small’ government, staying out of people’s lives. In fact, the very opposite is true. All they want to do is legislate morality. I consider that intrusive. There are other problems in this country that must be addressed. This issue isn’t critical. Frankly, this is happening because the Republicans have intertwined their politics so tightly with the Christian conservatives that they cannot extricate themselves. That’s unfortunate because it keeps them from choosing candidates that can help get this country out of the mess it’s in.
Deb Della Pianas last blog post..So much for abstinence-only sex education
Comment by Deb Della Piana on 2 September 2008:
Now, Maddie, let me clear up the misconceptions you have. I have many friends who are Buddhist. I have many friends who are homosexuals. I actually have more friends that are heterosexuals. Some like McCain. Most do not. I do not think McCain is what this country needs. I think he’s more of the same and I must admit that I really do dislike George Bush because he has lied to Congress and the American people repeatedly during his term. The Presidency should be transparent to the American people. Serving in secrecy is not what our forefathers intended. It gives the president absolute power and that is a corrupting force.
Guess what? In case you’ve missed the boat, Obama was not my candidate. Dennis Kucinich was. However, I am a Democrat, not a conservative and I’m voting for the last Democrat standing. The Republican platform doesn’t work for me as a woman or a lesbian. In fact, the Republican platform is one that has a great deal of discrimination written into it. If you spend time reading it, you will see it. The objective is to write that discrimination into the Constitution. I’m against that.
I don’t believe that governmental policy should be based on religious ideology, whether it’s Buddhist, Christian, Catholic or anything else. That stuff needs to be kept out of the legislative chamber. I don’t understand why people feel the need to tell others how to live their lives and are so intent upon it that they want to pass laws to achieve it. Live YOUR life YOUR way and leave me alone to live mine my way. If there’s a Supreme Being out there, he or she will sort it out at the end. That’s not YOUR job or the government’s job.
That is where my objection to both John McCain and Sarah Palin come in. I’ve written it before and I’ll say it again: The Republican party has become so tightly intertwined with the Christian conservative movement in this country that it is barely recognizable.
I am not the only person who believes this. There are actually pretty prominent Republicans who believe that also. Plenty of books have been written about the subject…by Republicans. If you want the links to any articles or some book titles, please feel free to send me an email at permanent.vacation@yahoo.com and I’ll send them to you anytime.
Deb Della Pianas last blog post..So much for abstinence-only sex education
Comment by Maddie on 2 September 2008:
Deb I would never tell anyone how to live their life in anyway shape or form. I simply stated a fact.
I sincerely hope that people are not going to vote for McCain because he is a Christian Conservative. All factors should be considered when voting, not just on “religious” preference alone. If for one, had considered voting for Mitt Romney before he dropped out.
The whole Bush and McCain bashing has gone way too far and people keep posting their views to feed this prejudice in other people as well. That is a huge turnoff if you want people to see YOUR or THEIR views on this election.
Thank you for your response Deb.
Comment by Deb Della Piana on 3 September 2008:
You know, Maddie, I’m sorry if I am emotional. However, we all vote based on our life experiences and our personal beliefs, whether we want to admit it or not. I am fully willing to admit it.
I am gay, married in Massachusetts, and have two children. My partner and I have been subjected to a huge amount of prejudice over the past 17 years. Yet, we were so committed to each other that we had a commitment ceremony in our house in 1992, then a civil union in Vermont when they became legal there in 2003. We were very happy when marriage became legal in our state. We married in 2006. We planned and had our children together (one is 11 the other is 7). We pay taxes in this country (I have paid a lot, particularly in my younger years). So, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: the Constitution guarantees our rights as well. It didn’t say all men are created equal, except for blacks, gays… Yet, we are told by these very politicians that we are freaks on the fringe. Know what? That’s a lie. We wake up in the morning and get our kids ready for school. My kids are happy and well adjusted. I go off to work. We food shop and pay our utility bills and rent. We are a family just like any heterosexual family in every way. So, there is absolutely no way I will ever vote for candidates that are intent on writing discrimination into the U.S. Constitution. Contrary to what the Christian conservatives tell you, our government isn’t based on the Bible. It’s based on the Constitution.
Mitt Romney and John McCain (and Sarah Palin, in fact) would never be an option for me because they are all intent on making gay marriage illegal. Honestly, I can’t imagine any person in my shoes going beyond that issue. In the end, we vote based on how any candidate is going to help or hurt our families. That, Maddie, is natural instinct. But to be honest with you, I can’t believe that anybody who believes in the sanctity of the U.S. Constitution would not have a problem with that mindset.
I am a woman. I would NEVER vote for McCain and Palin simply because they want to overturn Roe v. Wade. Sorry, but that’s kind of a big issue for me as a woman. While I would probably never have an abortion under normal circumstances, I have to say that I absolutely would in the case of rape, incest or risk to my health. I do not believe it is the government’s place to tell me or any other woman what to do. These are not issues of state. I am not going to vote for McCain, but not because he is a Christian conservative. He isn’t and he has never been. In 2000 he called them the ruination of the Republican party. (He was right.)I am not voting for him because he is PANDERING to Christian conservatives with the Sarah Palin pick. I guess I find it hard to fathom how people can look at the state we are in, knowing that John McCain will be the oldest president in history with an expansive history of melanoma, and feel confident that Sarah Palin can step in and deal with the world as we know it should McCain become incapacitated. She was not the best pick for America. No amount of spin can change that. Believe me, I’m no fan of Lieberman, but he would have been a much better pick for this country.
To prove that I’m not a one-issue voter, no, I would not feel safer with John McCain as president (especially now). He wants to continue the war in Iraq ad nauseum. He has no idea what to do with Afghanistan. He’s chomping at the bit to attack Iran. His economic policy doesn’t work for most Americans and I don’t believe there will be a health care system to speak of by the time he’s done. He has voted with Bush 95% of the time and he will continue and/or expand Bush’s failed policies. Those are ALL the reasons I won’t vote McCain-Palin and why his sudden ‘reformer’ position doesn’t resonate with me.
Maddie, in the end, I’m not the one with tunnel vision. John McCain is. He chose a candidate he didn’t want(he wanted Joseph Lieberman) because the Christian conservatives pitched a fit. People were projecting Lieberman for months and out of nowhere comes Palin. I think the reason for the selection is quite transparent. Someone in the Times pointed out today that McCain would have been better off standing up to the Christian conservatives like he did in 2000. They have nowhere else to go. What are they going to do, vote Obama? No way. Instead, he’s assured of their vote but will more than likely disenfranchise a lot of moderate Republican voters. And, honestly, Palin’s positions are the complete opposite of Hillary Clinton’s. I can’t imagine her building on their support over the longer term.
As for the Bush bashing, who else are we to blame for the state of the nation? It has been eight years. It’s hard to blame Clinton at this point and we certainly can’t blame Obama or McCain. Nope. Bush, Cheney, Rice, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Powell, Gonzales, Rove and the rest of them have brought that on themselves, but mostly Bush because he is the president and he is supposed to be running the ship. Let’s take just one example: Rove, Harriet Miers and Josh Bolton are in contempt of Congress at our president’s direction, by the way. They are walking around free (think we would be if it were us?) because Michael Mukasey refuses to do his job as the chief law enforcement officer in the United States. They are the most lawless administration in American history. If this Congress is going to remain spineless and will not hold them accountable for what they have done to America and its reputation around the world, then the bashing will most likely continue. If it is a turn-off, people don’t have to read the posts. Those of us who feel this way about our present leader write on many sites and I can assure you it is not a turn-off everywhere.
Thanks for your response, Maddie, and the opportunity to respond. Let’s agree to disagree and remain civil. I’m up for that.
Comment by Maddie on 3 September 2008:
I agree with you Deb on the agreeing to disagreeing and remaining civil. As you wrote your view on abortion here is mine…
As a woman I can understand that in a rape situation or incest a woman wouldn’t want to have the baby. Believe me, I know what it feels like. Still, as long as it is not a health risk to me, I would have the baby. It is not the baby’s fault, and I feel that the child has the right to live. Giving the baby up for adoption would give the baby a chance to live a normal life with parents who want to love and care for a child they may not be able to have on their own. Being the victim of rape and incest is horrible,and their is counseling available for the victims, people who want to help them in the healing process. I am not arguing just stating my view which comes from experience.
As far as President Bush is concerned, I have my own opinion but will not debate it with anyone. I sincerely hope that when we all go to the polls to vote for our next leader, that we all really research each candidate in depth, and use WISDOM and discernment. We all know this is a very critical election. Once again, I am not arguing, just stating my point of view.