Friday, August 29, 2008

It's a Girl!

Well, woman, actually. Senator John McCain announced his choice for his campaign running mate, side kick, whatever you want to call the Number Two position this afternoon. Coming out of the blue is Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska.

I am just blown away that McCain would make such a surprising, awesome, interesting choice. Like most people, I have only a limited knowledge of Governor Palin. When I saw the name on Fox, it rang a bell, and I figured McCain had chosen Palin, but my first thought was, I kinda sorta know the name, but who the heck is this person?

My jaw actually dropped when I realized he had chosen a female to run with him. I've long been a feminist in the sense that I love to see women who are qualified for a job achieving success. I never want to see a woman succeed simply because she's a woman, or even in spite of the fact that she's a woman. Men are chosen for the VP position for what they can bring to the ticket. Well, the obvious first thought is that she can bring the woman's vote. Well, shoot, George Clooney could do that! Not on the Republican ticket, of course, but I think you get my drift.

I'm also thrilled that Palin has actually executive experience. It may have only been for twenty months, but being the Chief Executive Officer - governor - of a state is similar in many aspects to being president. As governor, she has to be concerned with the state budget, the Alaska National Guard, the education system, taxes, energy, land use and conservation, housing, and the list goes on. I don't know how much foreign policy experience the governor of Alaska (Palin or anyone else) gets, but I know that a governor has to deal with the imports and exports of their state. They have to deal with other states (okay, I'll agree that dealing with Kansas or Michigan may not be the same as dealing with Russia or France). It can become very involved, and frankly, on a level near, if not a par, with the Federal government. As governor, Palin has more executive experience than Obama or Biden, and even McCain, who have served their political careers in the House and/or Senate. Give me a governor who has run a state, even for less than two years over a multi-term senator anytime!

See, that's another thing. Senators spend their careers dealing with the making of laws. Governors are the Chief Executives of their state and have to enforce the laws, not only of the state, but also Federal, county, and city laws, and ordinances. As governor, she's spent time working with all kinds of groups (from Federal to social) who want to use the land this way or that way. The governor has to figure out what is best for the state.

She's a hockey mom (of five!), pro-life, a life-long NRA member, a former businesswoman, and a former mayor. She's attractive, a good speaker (from what I've heard), spirited, pro-drilling, ethics reformer, and has earned her own maverick status. But does any of this give her what's needed to be a heart-beat away from the Oval Office? Honestly, I don't know, but what I've seen so far, I'd say she is just as qualified, if not more so, as the Democratic Presidential candidate himself.


As ever, I reserve the right to change my mind as I get additional information. I may be back here in a few weeks, saying anybody but McCain-Palin! But at this point in time, the McCain-Palin ticket has my vote.

Let's see if they can keep it.

bio here

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