McCain Chooses Alaska Governor Palin as His Running Mate, Adding Youth and Buzz
With strong social conservative credentials, Sarah Palin will be the first woman on a GOP ticket
Ending the suspense with a surprise choice, Republican John McCain reached up into Alaska to choose a woman as his running mate: Sarah Palin, the 44-year-old governor.
She is destined for the history books as the first woman to grace a GOP presidential ticket.
The Associated Press confirmed the selection Friday morning about 75 minutes before the pair were to make their debut in Dayton, Ohio.
A mother of five, a Christian, a hunter, and a lifetime member of the NRA, Palin brings juice—and youth—to the Republican ticket. She's a former beauty queen, too.
The out-of-the-box selection clearly invites women in every state to turn out November 4 for the GOP. It came during an unprecedented political season that saw Democrat Hillary Clinton come close to winning that party's nomination but lose out to Barack Obama.
The selection is to be announced formally at noon on Friday—as McCain celebrates his 72nd birthday—at a joint rally in Dayton. It's a warm-up to the Republican National Convention that kicks off Monday in St. Paul, Minn.
Palin, who was sworn in at the end of 2006, is the first woman to serve as chief executive officer of the country's 49th state—and the youngest person to hold the office. In her run, she ousted an unpopular incumbent, Gov. Frank Murkowski, in a primary, and then bested the state's best-known Democrat, ex-Gov. Tony Knowles.
She campaigned on an ethics reform platform but more recently has come under fire in a scandal dubbed "Troopergate." It involves allegations that she may have pushed for the firing of her former brother-in-law, a state trooper. He went through a bitter divorce from Palin's sister. The governor is alleged by some to have axed the state's public safety commissioner for refusing to fire the trooper.
Palin was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, and raised in Alaska; she graduated from the University of Idaho in 1987. She is the former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, where during high school she was a point guard for its championship basketball team. "Everything I need to know, I learned on the basketball court," she once remarked.
Her aggressiveness on the court earned her a nickname, "Sarah Barracuda." Her husband, Todd, has a moniker, too—he's "First Dude" to his wife.
Palin recently gave birth to the couple's youngest child, after continuing the pregnancy even though she was told in advance that the infant would have Down syndrome. After giving birth, she dived right back into work.
Among her priorities is advocating for a long-sought 1,715-mile pipeline to deliver natural gas to markets in her state and the lower 48. Hence she brings energy know-how to the campaign at a time when voters cite energy issues and gas prices as a top concern.
Alaska trends Republican and dangles a paltry three electoral votes to presidential hopefuls, so her pick has nothing to do with geography and everything to do with ideology, biography, and buzz. Her pro-life stance is sure to win the hearts of social conservatives.
Only once in U.S. history has a woman been a major-party vice presidential nominee: In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro joined Walter Mondale on the Democratic ticket, but they fell short at the polls when Ronald Reagan won re-election.
A recent poll conducted for EMILY's List, a Democratic group that supports female, pro-choice candidates for office, found that Obama led women by a 51-to-39 percent margin, with Obama's narrowest lead among women who, like Palin, are part of the baby boom generation.
Reader Comments
Palin
Gov. Sarah Palin is not a politician. She is an administrator who has had to deal with politicians, and it is obvious she is very capable at dealing with them. She appears to be honest, and have integrity. McCain is the engine on this train and she is the fuel. I was asked why and when I left the Democratic Party. My answer, "The party left me." This present day democratic party no longer embraces the ultimate good for the people nor the moral beliefs that my parents taught me was the core of the democratic party.
Palin appears to have the traits that we need. These are: honesty, integrity, and the insight and energy to find the answers and act upon them.
I am so disappointed that our most of the news media is bent on crucifying Sarah Palin rather than just reporting the events. I see no democrats receiving the same ill treatment. This is another reason that I believe the democratic party left me. The ill treatment of Sarah Palin by democrats and the news media is what the democrats used to call "gutter politics."
When any structure whether material, social, political, spiritual, etc. falls off its foundation, it will not stand. McCain and Palin appear to embrace the foundation set out by our founding fathers and that spells SECURITY for our nation
palin's a woman
palin's a woman, did ya'll notice? a big "talking point" for obama and the democrats was that mccain was soft in his support of women's rights. now he chooses a female running mate and obama chooses a male--go figure.
Character trumps experience
Things are often not as reported by the MSM. Who knew teenagers are more prone to commit to virginity, that many nations are not even replacing themselves and that someone (like Gov. Sarah Palin)taking their guidance from Biblical teaching (as once shepherd David who later became the King of Israel and in the human blood line of Jesus Christ)is smarter than their counselors. Least we continue to see a President operating in a vacuum, several of our recent presidents have surrounded themselves with older, wiser counselors. You may also fail to recognize that WE, THE PEOPLE, need to do our jobs - after all, is not this a government OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE!? Oh yes, please recognize that even in this "pluralist, globalist," country, there remains a core of Christians in every walk of life who will uphold this entire process of governance in prayer. One more thing the MSM won't tell you, God remains sovereign! Don't believe it? Consider Exodus, the Crucifixion, our War of Independence, and yes, even the "War on Terror". He is still very active in this world! Dave.
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