US Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) introduces his vice presidential running mate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin at a campaign event in Dayton, Ohio. abcnews.go.com/Matt Sullivan/Reuters
Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, is a self-described hockey mum, who was busy raising her kids. Married for 20 years to her high school sweetheart Todd; today is their anniversary. As she says, some of life's blessings come unexpectedly:
"Some of life's greatest opportunities come unexpectedly, and this is certainly the case today. I never really set out to be involved in public affairs, much less to run for this office. My mom and dad both worked at the local elementary school. And my husband and I, we both grew up working with our hands.
"I was just your average 'hockey mom' in Alaska. We were busy raising our kids. I was serving as the team mom and coaching some basketball on the side. I got involved in the PTA and then was elected to the city council and then elected mayor of my hometown, where my agenda was to stop wasteful spending and cut property taxes and put the people first.
"I was then appointed ethics commissioner and chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and when I found corruption there, I fought it hard and I held the offenders to account. Along with fellow reformers in the great state of Alaska, as governor, I've stood up to the old politics as usual, to the special interests, to the lobbyists, the Big Oil companies and the 'good old boy' network...."[ McCain website ]
Today, Sarah Palin is not only the elected Governor of Alaska, she is now set to be elected as Vice-President of the United States.
And the Democrats are going crazy. Caught off-guard - again - Obama people put their collective feet in their collective mouths and immediately bleat about Palin's 'lack of experience in foreign affairs,' and on the national stage. Ooops! As usual, backtracking furiously, the Obama people realised that was NOT a path they wanted to go down. Sarah Palin visited our troops looooong before it might have gained her political brownie points. I have seen pictures of her today, sitting with troops, LISTENING. She has also been to Landstuhl.
One commenter on a site I contribute to said "she was just a housewife", and meant it in the most derogatory way. HA!
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin dances with her husband Todd Palin at the inaugural ball in Juneau, Alaska Saturday.
Today, every mother in America relates to Sarah Palin, who has managed a household as well as held down various elected offices.
Another criticism levelled by one woman on another site: "She's no Hillary Clinton." No, she most certainly is not. And this is not a bad thing. In her acceptance speech today, Palin acknowledged that because of Hillary Clinton, 18 million cracks appeared in the glass ceiling.
"I think as well today of two other women who came before me in national elections. I can't begin this great effort without honoring the achievements of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, and, of course, Senator Hillary Clinton, who showed such determination and grace in her presidential campaign.
"It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America. But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all...." [ McCain website ]
Some disgruntled Democrats are saying that Palin is on the ticket merely because she is female (that's not quite the words they are using, but you get the idea.). Can ya tell the Democrats are over-anxious now? Fact is, there is so much more to Palin than her gender. She has been in executive positions (unlike someone else we won't name. She has direct links to the military (her oldest son is about to deploy with the Army), again, unlike someone else we might name.
She has been a life long member of the National Rifle Association and understands hunting milleu, (do I dare say, unlike someone who can only talk about bitter Americans who cling to their guns?)
She is working class, and as a housewife, hockey mum, she understands budgets. As a high profile politician in Alaska, (with 80% approval rating by the way) she has not been able to waffle and just be marked as "present" when important decisions need to be made.(Repeat after me: unlike someone else on the national scene, for now)
Today, there has been rumbling about an investigation relating to past decisions she has made. Now, I am no politician, but seems to me that if she is not concerned, and John McCain is not concerned, and the Repblicans have thoroughly vetted and approved her, this is merely more smearing/spin by her worrried opponents. The Democrats would have you believe that McCain is a doddery old fool, ready for retirement (or worse). But I suggest that today's announcement is brilliant on many levels. The most obvious to me is the timing. After the obscene display of Obama's last night, with the millions of dollars spent to convince the common folk that he is one of them, (and was I the only one who wondered why he needed to shout?) today, McCain's campaign has managed to pre-empt the news cycles with his announcement and introduction of Palin. Quite apart from all the obvious which we can be sure the msm and the Democrats will be airing ad nauseum, I think Sarah Palin is a wonderful choice for ALL Americans. I base that on a short clip I found today.
Standing behind a dais marked "Country First", Sarah Palin's
words should resonate with many disaffected Americans:
Did you notice that SHE has an American flag lapel pin? Just an observation! But her words, in part: "...The people of America expect us to seek public office and serve for the right reasons. The right reason is to challenge the status quo and to serve. We are expected to serve with integrity..."
I think this election season just got a whole lot more engaging, interesting, and with more promise than has been seen in the recent months. Obama who?
Ros Prynn is a NewsBlaze investigative reporter and editor, who writes on a range of topics. Contact her by writing to NewsBlaze.
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