Palin takes stage at convention
VP pick talks about family, political experiences as governor of Alaska
By Sarah Harbison (Last updated: 09/04/08 12:05am)Brooklyn Park, Minn. — With an excited and energized party supporting her, juxtaposed with harsh national media criticism, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was nominated Wednesday to be the Republican vice presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.
In a nationally televised speech at the Xcel Energy Center, Palin took the stage in front of a standing crowd that cheered for several minutes.
Palin told the delegation about her family and focused on her hometown and experience. She boasted a controlled state budget and an ability to control government spending, while attacking Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. She said he plans to spend more congressional dollars and raise taxes.
“Politics isn’t just a game of clashing parties and competing interests. The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good and to leave this nation better than we found it,” she said.
With the nomination, Palin became the party’s first female candidate for vice president and Arizona Sen. John McCain’s official running mate. It’s a nomination Michigan delegates are excited about, buzzing with talk of the “hockey mom” all week.
“The common people can relate to her background,” Michigan delegate Scott Hummel, of District 8, said. “She got involved with education through the PTA, she became a City Councilwoman, mayor, she worked in the government, then governor. If you look at that ride you say, ‘OK, she really worked. There must be something in her that she was able to work her way up so quickly.’”
Palin, who has been relatively quiet until Wednesday’s speech, has come under recent public scrutiny regarding her 17-year-old daughter’s pregnancy and a reported, but disputed, association with the Alaskan Independence Party.
She indirectly addressed the issues that seemed impossible to avoid.
“Our family has the same ups and downs as any other, the same challenges and the same joys,” Palin said. “Sometimes, even the greatest joys bring challenge.”
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani — all once presidential hopefuls and McCain rivals — spoke at the third session of the convention Wednesday.
Giuliani reinforced his endorsement of McCain, and showed his support for Palin as the vice presidential candidate.
“Governor Palin represents a new generation. She’s already one of the most successful governors in America — and the most popular,” Giuliani said. “And she’s already had more executive experience than the entire Democratic ticket combined.”
Originally Published: 09/03/08 11:35pm
Ben
09/04/08 6:51amLove Her!
Dan
09/04/08 7:07amrecent public scrutiny regarding her 17-year-old daughter’s pregnancy?
this public scrutiny was an absolute disgrace.
David
09/04/08 8:07amEvidently, she may be embroidering things quite a bit when she claims, as Ms. Palin did in her speech last night (and as she has at other times), that she told Congress “Thanks, but no thanks” on Alaska’s infamous “bridge to nowhere.” This refers to a federal earmark dedicated to the building of a bridge connecting Ketchikan to the Ketchikan International Airport on Gravina Island in Alaska. Palin actually lobbied on behalf of the bridge in her 2006 run for governor. Also, when she took office in 2007 the Congressional earmark had been dead for 13 months. As late as September of last year she still was saying positive things about the bridge.
Casual SN Reader
09/04/08 9:03amThanks Dan.
http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2008/06/education_stops_teen_pregnancy
SoCal Spartan
09/04/08 10:37amInteresting information; Fan (and maybe member) of an Alaskan secessionist group * 127 Million in earmarks for her town of approximately 7,000 (my law firm has about 5000, I guess our managing partner is qualified to be VP too?); hired lobbyists to get those earmarks * Left that town $20M in debt after building a big sports complex that no one uses * Raised the sales taxes of the tiny town and borrowed borrowed borrowed * Under investigation for abuse of power * Tried to ban books and wanted to fire the librarian who wouldn’t, only to change her mind when the citizens of her tiny town threatened to recall her * Supported the Bridge to Nowhere (now she’s suddenly against it) * Doesn’t know what the VP does (see the you tube video!
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SoCal Spartan
09/04/08 10:39am- Fan (and maybe member) of an Alaskan secessionist group
- 127 Million in earmarks for her town of approximately 7,000 (my law firm has about 5000, I guess our managing partner is qualified to be VP too?); hired lobbyists to get those earmarks
- Left that town $20M in debt after building a big sports complex that no one uses
- Raised the sales taxes of the tiny town and borrowed borrowed borrowed
- Under investigation for abuse of power
- Tried to ban books and wanted to fire the librarian who wouldn’t, only to change her mind when the citizens of her tiny town threatened to recall her
- Supported the Bridge to Nowhere (now she’s suddenly against it)
- Doesn’t know what the VP does (see the you tube video!
...View full comment »
Chewie
09/04/08 11:08amIt was a good speech. Even as someone who disagrees with all her ideas, I find her genuine and likable.
But it’s not going to matter. The Republicans inflicted 8 years of Bush on America, and America is primed to get some payback — on McCain and Palin.
common sense
09/04/08 11:12amI’m sorry, but if you can’t keep your 17yo kid from seein’ too much D and getting knocked up, I don’t know how you could watch over an entire country!
Still...
09/04/08 11:24amI’d hit it.
J. Edward
09/04/08 11:38amSoCal’s made up lies are funny. who gave you that laundry list of blatant false facts? let me guess: huffingtonpost.
you should have capped it off with “Palin caused hurrican Gustav”
you idiot!
David
09/04/08 11:51amJ. Edward, why don’t you try to refute some of the items in that laundry list? I’m not saying you can’t. Maybe you can. But, we’ll never know if you don’t try.
SoCal Spartan
09/04/08 1:33pmThe hypocrisy of the stupid Republicans is funny. They accuse truth as lies, and then turn around and lie professionally. Fox News? Enough is said with that. It’s to bad that America is brainwashed by television and AFFRAID to face their fears.
Sad to say, we are a country full of whiners, but don’t want to change so that the whining can be eliminated.
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SoCal Spartan
09/04/08 1:36pmAlso, the person who gave me the list is a young attorney in Washington DC who is energized to change the nation. She is trustworthy and loving of our nation, so what the F ever! J. Edward, find something that discredits it, I dare you. Except, you’d have to be able to read and understand what you’re reading. And that is very tough with a GED only, so go for it…give it a shot…I know you can’t do it!
Andrew
09/04/08 3:34pmJ. Edward- here is what about 10 minutes on Google turns out as far as SoCal’s list is concerned:
Palin and earmarks
-http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2008/09/bar_chart_mayor_sarah_the_quee.html
Driving Wasilla $20 Mil into debt
-http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12987.html
Palin and 527s
-http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/palin_was_a_director_of_embatt.html
Audio of her laughing at her opponent being called a bitch/cancer (not particularly damning, but true)
-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/31/palin-laughs-as-opponent_n_122776.html
On our manifest destiny in Iraq
-http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/02/palin-iraq-god/
On Abstinence only Sex-Ed
-http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/01/1320417.aspx
General article on her political history including a short passage concerning book banning, NY Times ran an article to this end as well:
-http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1837918,00.html
Happy reading!
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Rock
09/04/08 6:38pmPeople are forgetting something important. I’ve heard people from both sides call their candidates, and I quote “I feel [blank] is the lesser of two evils.”
This is the United States of America. We shouldn’t have to choose the “lesser of two evils” we should be looking for the BEST candidate possible. Not who the fatcats tell us we should vote for.
SoCal Spartan
09/04/08 6:49pmRock,
I wish we had honest statistics to see how many people say the lesser of two evils is their pick. It’s sad and scary that we’re so fear driven! But the politicians play those cards. I’m not with Barack due to lesser of two evils, he is the candidate that gives me faith that things can and will get better! The machine is broken, so lets revise and redraft it.
Go Obama!
Great SN commentor
09/04/08 8:39pmI just have to say that I agree with everything that SoCal Spartan has said in this post. I am glad to see that not many people are falling for this joke that the Republican party has put before us!
J. Edward Tremlett
09/06/08 7:22pmJ. Edward said: “SoCal’s made up lies are funny. who gave you that laundry list of blatant false facts?”
The ‘false facts’ have all been verified, last I checked.
I think the only mistake is that they hunt wolves from helicopters, and not planes.
J. Edward Tremlett
09/06/08 10:59pmHere’s Slate’s take on it:http://www.slate.com/id/2199362/
Nobama
09/08/08 3:23pmSoCal Spartan
Your idiocy is remarkable, even coming from the land of fruits & nuts!
Ocrap!
09/08/08 3:29pmSoCal Spartan:
I’ll be waving when California breaks off from the mainland and starts floating into the Pacific. You can then form the Peoples Socialist Republic of LaLaLand and elect all the crazies you want, to run your life. But … without my money!
Pedro
09/08/08 5:21pmSoCal Spartan – Why don’ you move a leetle south hombre? If its scocialism you want, we gots enuf for everybody. Plus you kin bring back all my companieros, or do you need those beaners to bulk up your vote early – vote often schemes?