Photo at induction of Rabbi Michael Oblath October 2007."ARE ANY OF THE ALASKANS UP? McCAIN PICKED PALIN" is what woke me up this morning, 15 minutes ago.
My mind is spinning. Sure, we've heard her name was in the ring for VP, but it all seemed so far fetched.
The first time I saw her was a small group of people at the University of Alaska Anchorage when she was just starting to run for governor. Her hair was piled up on her head, she was in scuffed snow boots. She spoke openly and directly. A real person, not a politician. I liked her, but thought she was in way over her head. She said she didn't know to a number of things and even asked if the audience had suggestions. I knew at the time that she'd stood up the Randy Ruedrich, the Republican Party Chair of Alaska, and resigned from the Alaska Oil and Gas Commission very publicly saying it was because Ruedrich had a conflict of interest and she couldn't continue to serve. That was pretty gutsy.
Then, to many people's surprise, she actually beat sitting Republican Governor Murkowski in the primary. Well, by the time of the election, I think we'd all seen the polls so we weren't that surprised. But when she started to run it was a real long shot. The party stalwarts were all against her. She certainly was helped out when it came out the FBI had searched the offices of several prominent Republican officials.
As governor, as I've said in previous posts, she was the right person at the right time. She stood up to the oil companies on the Petroleum Profits Tax (also known as Petroleum Production Tax) and got it raised. Then she stood up to the big oil companies over AGIA (Alaska Gasline Inducement Act). After the previous governor had negotiated privately with Conoco-Phillips and BP to build a natural gas pipeline to the Lower 48. She had reinstated the commissioner of Natural Resources who'd resigned because of how Murkowski was negotiating. They set up conditions the State insisted on and put out a Request for Proposal requiring them. The big oil companies didn't turn in any proposals. But an pipeline company from Canada did. Then the oil companies put in a proposal after the deadline, which didn't meet the state requirements. Palin was able to get the legislature, in special sessions over the summer, to approve Trans Canada's bid to get a license.
Meanwhile she's been on the cover of Vogue magazine and did other such national publicity work. Her biography came out and the book was simply a PR job on the sweet but strong willed girl who grew up in Wasilla. I found it hard to stomach. This was not a serious book.
And now we're seeing some of the inexperience coming to the surface in the way she handled the firing of the head of the State Troopers. It has come out that her staff and family have been pressuring him to fire one of the troopers - who just happens to be her ex-brother-in-law.
This is a woman with a lot of internal strength. She also has very limited experience outside of Alaska and in public office. She was mayor of a town of about 74,000. She's been governor almost two years. She's floated on a bubble of strong moves against the oil companies, supported by the FBI's investigation into oil related corruption in Alaska and three ex-legislators convicted and a number of other people indicted and/or pleading guilty. Her physical beauty has certainly been a major attention getter - she's been called the hottest governor in the USA. She has a son serving in the Middle East and a newborn child with Down's Syndrome. When he was born in April, she said she had her family to take care of and was not a candidate for Vice President.
I think this is a woman with a lot of smarts and strengths. But she also has had probably the least experience of any Vice Presidential candidate in my lifetime. If, in ten years, she proved her mettle, I'd say she'd be a long shot candidate. She'd have been through the rough and tumble. Right now, she's only had amazing successes. The Monehan firing has been the only bump. She isn't used to failure.
But the US and Republican image machines can make a lot of this woman and they will. I'd like to say she could surprise us. But I have to say she also has a huge amount to learn. She hasn't been tested in the rough and tumble of national politics or even the primaries.
No one can say American presidential politics is dull.
Hey are you on Twitter? We're all aTwitter about this news and just Twittered your post!
ReplyDeleteUp here in Anchorage, Alaska.
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin=Untouchable
I made plans to go to the Alaska State Fair today because earlier press reports (at 4:45am AK time) said that's where she'd be.
We're still going. It's gonna be a great party.
Good post,Steve.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote a great post today, Steve-- I don't think you do anything but high quality. While most people talk nonsense in their sleep, you probably make proclamations!
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you are saying. At the same time, I am so happy! When she got elected, my resolve to finish college was sealed. A woman with 4 kids running the state meant that I could finish college with my 9!
Last night my husband and I were talking of how complicated it will be for me with several young children at home to fly to the East Coast for a few weeks each semester for a residency. . . and today my role model is possibly taking on DC! (My husband just called-- I'm going to Vermont if they take me! LOL)
Sarah Palin is the kind of person who talks to everyone. She has never seemed like she thought she was too good for people. When I think of the places she's spoken at and how she looks at everyone when she speaks to them-- we have state level legislatures who don't do that! Sarah will have an amazing impact on everyone whose lives she touches and her influence has just expanded exponentially even if she and McCain don't win.
Will she have handlers who can bring her up to speed in areas that she lacks experience in? I'm glad that she has her executive experience in leading as opposed to having been a senator where she had to compromise. This will be to her advantage even though Alaska is small.
This morning I was sitting here reading internet news and saw her name. I saw a bit of your post on Twitter and came right over. Thank you for sharing a bit about this newsworthy item - it helps remind me to be open minded. I admit to being a left-leaner, especially after the rousing Dem convention...but it is time for a little bit of humbling now that the Rep party is gearing up to take the mike. While I have found it hard to be open minded these last 8 years, this kind of move by the right at least piques my interest.
ReplyDeleteAnybody out there got some answers
ReplyDeleteto the "What if - :
1. What if Sen Stevens is convicted at the end of September 2008? Does he resign? What if he has to resign? Doesn't the Governor appoint a replacement? What if she wants to appoint the Lt. Governor? Say she does and Parnell wins the Congressional seat? Or who would she appoint?
2. O.K., say the McCain wins and Sarah has to resign as Gov. and Parnell goes to Congress, who will run the state? Speaker of the HOuse?????
3. Will Sarah continue to govern while running?
4. What does Lisa Murkowski think about all this, since Sarah severely trounced her dad the last election? I wonder if she was consulted and what if she doesn't want to get behind McCain and Palin?
This will certainly be a very interesting few months. I am sure there are a few more what ifs that will come up.
Any more what ifs? Any answers? Please direct to
siberart@yahoo.com
Thanks for further input to help satisfy this enormous thirst I have for information about Palin. So far this first two hours of my day, I'm impressed. I'm an old time Boomer Radical Feminist who's only reservation is Palin's pro-life stance. Only, as far as I can tell. Whether that kills the deal, I not yet sure. But for sure, I'm one of those disaffected Hillary supporters who remain Independent in our thinking, and the jury is still out about whom I'll support in the election. She seems like a great role model for women of all ages and stages in life--personable, tough, well-spoken, fearless in the face of Big Business, and an executive who has managed a very rare thing indeed: a surplus in the State budget! I need to know more about her commitment to a fair shake for women in all aspect of personal and political life, such as equal pay for equal work, equal health care for women, and equal bucks for female scientists. Speaking of that, what's her position on stem cell research (a must!) and animal rights extremists (an anti-must)? As heard this am on the tellie, she has more administrative experience than Obama and Biden put together, and after all, isn't being President mainly an executive position demanding great administrative talents? McCain's got the credentials in the legislature and the wisdom that only can come from life experience well used and thoughtfully analyzed. My only sadness is that McCain found her before we Californian's could woo her down here to clean up our economic woes (it's up to what? a State deficit of 15 billion now?).
ReplyDeleteThere's lots that you've all raised and I'm running out the door. But to Ann. That surplus. Was totally about the price of oil. The state gets royalties from our oil reserves. As the price went up our treasury got swollen. She had nothing to do with that.
ReplyDeleteAnd giving away $1200 to every Alaskan for energy bills seems to me and many others like pandering. Instead we could have collectively invested that money into long term energy investments. Yes, some should have been set aside for rural Alaskans who will face enormous challenges this winter. But this goes out to everyone and there will be a lot of trips to Hawaii with this money I suspect.
I promise you that none of that money from the Crumpets is leaving the state and a lot of it will be going to the U of A system in 6-16 years!
ReplyDeletein your lifetime? just that far back?
ReplyDelete