Sarah Palin: Republican Rock Star

As many of you know by now, the story that John McCain had chosen Sarah Palin broke right here on my blogs -- about 3 a.m. on Friday morning. Later, at 10 a.m. (ET) I sent the following message to 250 bloggers and other onliners. It revals a lot about the GOP's new political rock star.

The Sarah Palin story was broken to me early Friday morning by Sharon Caliendo, a Republican operative and NoBama Mission Blogger, and her friend Mark in Florida:

The key national article on Sarah Palin was written a year-and-a-half ago by Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard. It was her nation media "coming out party." It's called "The Most Popular Governor: Alaska's Sarah Palin is the GOP's Newest Star."

Here's what Barnes's story said about this remarkable woman:

"Her rise is a great (and rare) story of how adherence to principle--especially to transparency and accountability in government--can produce political success. And by the way, Palin is a conservative who only last month vetoed 13 percent of the state's proposed budget for capital projects. The cuts, the Anchorage Daily News said, 'may be the biggest single-year line-item veto total in state history.'

"As recently as last year, Palin [pronounced pale-in] was a political outcast. She resigned in January 2004 as head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission after complaining to the office of Governor Frank Murkowski and to state Attorney General Gregg Renkes about ethical violations by another commissioner, Randy Ruedrich, who was also Republican state chairman.State law barred Palin from speaking."

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/851orcjq.asp

Long after the Barnes's piece, Real Clear Politics endorsed Sarah Palin for V-P on June 4, 2008 in an article titled, "McCain Should Pick Sarah Palin for V-P" Real Clear said of her:"At 44, Sarah Louise Heath Palin is both the youngest and the first female governor in Alaska's relatively brief history as a state. She's also the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating that has bounced around 90 percent.This is due partly to her personal qualities.

"When she was leading her underdog Wasilla high school basketball team to the state championship in 1982, her teammates called her 'Sarah Barracuda' because of her fierce competitiveness.Two years later, when she won the "Miss Wasilla" beauty pageant, she was also voted "Miss Congeniality" by the other contestants.Sarah Barracuda. Miss Congeniality. Fire and nice. A happily married mother of five who is still drop dead gorgeous. And smart to boot.But it's mostly because she's been a crackerjack governor, a strong fiscal conservative and a ferocious fighter of corruption, especially in her own party."

The best web site to go to on Sarah Heath Palin is my friend Adam Brickley's at: http://palinforvp.blogspot.com. It had over 600 comments and probably 10,000 visitors in one day -- yesterday. I managed the site for three days last week while Adam was starting his new job in DC. He has orchestrated the Palin for VP nataional effort from the beginning. Adam is a recent graduate of Colorado State University in Colorado Springs.

Sarah Palin's story? It may just be the most remarkable in the history of American politics. I look at her with admiration approaching awe. The Wikipedia bio on Sarah is right on target. It has a picture of her as a star basketball player (#22) on Wasilla (Alaska) high school's underdog basketball team's improbable victory in the Alaska State Tournament.

I've written a great deal in the past year about why Sarah would have great appeal on many levels to voters, including wives and mothers, parents of special needs children, hunters and fishermen, working families, women professionals, and military families

At the top above, picture of Sarah and her three daughters, Piper (the little one), Willow, and Bristol (the oldest daughter), as well as her husband, Todd, a former commercial fisherman and now an oil-field production worker for BP.

Second picture above: Sarah, Todd, and new son (born in June) Trig.

Sarah Palin Amazes America, World

Sarah Palin: "A Servant's Heart"

I wish Gov. Palin, who's a heroine to me, all the best in her acceptance speech this evening. I hope her entire family is there tonight to share in this historic moment.

Here's what former Hillary Supporter Michelle wrote to me tonight:
That was the most amazing, most tremendous speech I have been witness to. I stood up in my living room several times and rah rah'd her. Rudy kicked butt too! I truly can see her as President. Train under McCain Ms. Palin and then I promise to vote for you when you run. Good Lord I have goosebumps!!!

My husband and father were amazed. My father said she needed to run for President! HA! Two southern, stereotypical men were exclaiming outloud at parts. It was kind of funny. My husband said "Good God, she is one of us! One of us is going to the White House!" I think he said it the best.

Michelle

I have been backing Sarah Palin for this role for a year-and-a-half. I'll be posting the material below on my blogs tonight. To me, it reveals something profoundly important about -- and thus of little interest to the media -- her basic sense of right-and-wrong. As you'll see, she dislikes people who are "holier than thou." She also rejects soundly the notion that any elected official must compromise his or her ethical principles. The following is from an interview conducted by the Anchorage Daily News

ADN: Some Alaskans have, you know, defended Ted Stevens [Republican U.S. Senator] and Lisa Murkowski [Republican U.S. Senator] in particular, saying it is only natural in a small state for a politician to have prominent friends and even enter business relations with them. What do you think? Where should public figures, political figures draw the line?

PALIN: Well, maybe that is commonplace in a former smaller world of politicians in Alaska, but that is not commonplace in my world to be presented, you know, maybe amazing or even outlandish investment opportunities that turn us into rich individuals. ...

[following is Sarah talking about various crooks and wheeler-dealers in Alaska]I am not buddies with Bob Penney. I don't go to that Kenai classic fishery thing, you know, I don't go hunting and fishing with Bill Allen. That's not my world. So my perspective is, I guess this new leadership team, we wouldn't be tempted to become part of that world because that is not where we came from. I'm not enticed at all or excited about the idea of hooking up with some of the characters in the past that now are in trouble.

ADN: Do you think if they had adhered to a brighter line that they could have avoided some of this trouble?

PALIN: I think everyone has that individual and personal ethical compass within and I think that maybe in the past, some individuals, their compass was way off kilter and decisions were made based on a real skewed idea of what ethical activity would be. I am not claiming holier than thou and I am not saying that the people who I hire and surround myself with, that any of us are perfect.

All of us make mistakes ... but as long as I am confident that moral compass is right on target and we are not going to be tempted to do anything for self gain then I think that is what is going to best for the progress that we need here in Alaska. I can't say that was the case in the past in Alaskan politics. Obviously it wasn't or we wouldn't have high-ranking CEOs pleading guilty to bribery.

ADN: But I think you are also talking about the activities in the gray area -- the business relationships with, you know, a senator or congressman or a state legislator. Between someone with interests in the public process and the people running the public process.

PALIN: Right. Well, that's why I think we need more real and normal and hardworking and blue-collar Alaskans to want to run for office and serve in these positions that are making decisions.

Again, I will personalize this. I am not from that other world. My dad as a school teacher wasn't a mover and shaker developer making big bucks in the state of Alaska off of property development. My husband isn't that way. I am not raising my kids to be that way.... If you want to be in public service, it is being willing to serve Alaskans for the right reasons. It is having to have a servant's heart when you come into these positions. It's not to get rich.


http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/v-printer/story/9272372p-9187130c.html.