Suburban mom’ who took on her own party
By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Denver
Published: August 29 2008 18:18 | Last updated: August 29 2008 18:18
Sarah Palin made the leap from being a small town mayor to governor of Alaska two years ago by vowing to reform a party that was imbued with corruption and tainted by its cosy ties to the oil industry.
The meteoric rise of Alaska’s first female governor, a mother of five who is a conservative Christian, soared to even greater heights on Friday after John McCain, Republican presidential candidate, chose Ms Palin as his running mate.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
McCain picks Alaska’s Palin as running mate - Aug-29Forum: Share your views on Palin - Aug-29Gideon Rachman: After Palin and Denver - Aug-29Editorial Comment: Battle of the conventions - Aug-29McCain gambles on inexperienced conservative - Aug-29In depth: US campaign 2008 - Aug-29In some ways, the choice reflects Mr McCain’s own narrative of being an outsider within his own party, a politician who chooses country first with “grit, integrity, and good sense”.
Ms Palin became governor in 2006 by defeating Frank Murkowski, the sitting governor, in the Republican party primary. In that race she portrayed herself as a reformer, an agent of change amid a state Republican party whose most senior members were under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Attacks by her Democratic opponent that she lacked the skills to negotiate with oil companies to build a new natural gas pipeline, fell flat. Voters connected with her image as a “suburban mom” who ran marathons and liked to hunt and fish.
She stood out for accusing Randy Ruedrich, the chairman of the state Republican party and a member of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, of misusing his office for political gains.
In her gubernatorial run, she stressed her abilities to build consensus among diverse groups and work with competing interests.
Ms Palin’s personal story is also compelling. After completing her first year in office, the mother of four, who was pregnant with her fifth, was told her child had Down’s Syndrome. Three days after she gave birth the governor returned to work in Anchorage with her baby son and husband.
“It’s a sign of the times to be able to do this,” she told the Associated Press. “I can think of so many male candidates who watched families grow while they were in office. There is no reason to believe a woman can’t do it with a growing family. My baby will not be at all or in any sense neglected...
I like the fact that she took on corruption in her own Party.Lets see if anyone in the Dem Party takes on Obama for being part of lying, cheating bigotry, and the Chicago Democratic Machine...
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Lets see if anyone in the Dem Party takes on Obama for being part of lying, cheating bigotry, and the Chicago Democratic Machine...
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I'm starting to like McCains sense of "Independence" from the Main Stream Republican Party.

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