Personal Background
Palin arrived in Alaska with her family in 1964, when her parents came to teach school in Skagway. She graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982, has lived in Skagway, Eagle River and Wasilla. She received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. Palin entered beauty pageants to earn college money, but now admits the contests were demeaning. "They made us line up in bathing suits and turn our backs so the male judges could look at our butts," she told Vogue magazine."[1] However, Palin remains interested in fashion and wears black Franco Sarto boots and Kazuo Kawasaki designer glasses.
She is married to Todd Palin, who is part Yupik Eskimo, a lifelong Alaskan, a production operator on the North Slope, and a four-time champion of the Iron Dog, the world's longest snowmobile race. Sarah and Todd have five children: Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig.
Palin is highly regarded among conservatives for acting on her pro-life beliefs in the case of her youngest son, Trig, who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome in the fourth month of her pregnancy. After researching the condition, she and her husband agreed to continue to pregnancy:
- "[My husband Todd said,] we shouldn't be asking 'Why us?' We should be saying 'Well, why not us?' We've both been very vocal about being pro-life. We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential. I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection. Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?" [2]
She further wrote:
- "This new person in your life can help everyone put things in perspective and bind us together, and get everyone focused on what really matters ... Those who love him will think less about self and focus less on what the world tells [us] is 'normal' or 'perfect.'"[2]
Trig was born on April 18, 2008, four months before his mother was announced as the vice-presidential candidate. "It's a sign of the times to be able to do this," she said. "I can think of so many male candidates who watched a 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." [3]
Palin's son Track, serves in the U.S. Army, and may be deployed to Iraq this autumn. Palin says, "I'm proud of him but I worry."[2]
Political Career
Palin was elected to two terms on the Wasilla City Council, and then two terms as the Mayor / Manager of Alaska's fastest growing community (Population: 5400 in 2000)[4]. Ms. Palin's leadership qualities were recognized when she was elected as President of the Alaska Conference of Mayors despite being a woman. In 2002, she ran for Lieutenant Governor, but came in second in a four-way race. Later that year, when Frank Murkowski resigned his Senate seat to become governor, she interviewed for the opening. Instead, Murkowski appointed his daughter to the seat. From there, she went on to run for governor and won, becoming the first female governor of Alaska and its youngest.
In 2003, then-Governor Mukowski appointed Palin to serve as Panel Ethics Commisioner of Alaska's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska's non-renewable resources: oil and gas. She resigned in 2004 as a protest over the "lack of ethics" of fellow panelists who had ignored her complaints of legal violations and conflicts of interest.
She ran for Governor in 2006 on a clean government platform, and defeated incumbent Governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary, and went on to defeat former Governor Tony Knowles in the general election.
She has also served on the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. She was named one of Alaska's "Top 40 Under 40", Alaska's Public Works "Person of the Year", and was recently inducted into the Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society at Alaska Pacific University.
Married to the three-time champion of the world's longest snowmobile race (the Iron Dog), her husband is also a lifelong Alaskan and is a production operator on the North Slope.
Palin has served on numerous boards and commissions throughout the State, and stays active as a marathon runner, sports team mom, hockey manager and school volunteer. A lifetime member of the NRA, she enjoys hunting, fishing, and Alaska history. [5]
In 2007, Palin's 18-year old son, Track, enlisted in the Army. [6]
Polar bears
Fox News reported that:
- The state of Alaska will sue to challenge the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened species, Gov. Sarah Palin announced Wednesday [May 21, 2008].
- She and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts.
- Palin argued that there is not enough evidence to support a listing. Polar bears are well-managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation, she said.
- Climate models that predict continued loss of sea ice, the main habitat of polar bears, during summers are unreliable, said Palin. [7]
State Legislature Investigation
In August of 2008, the Alaska state legislature began an investigation of Palin and her staff for potential abuse of power in regards to a firing of Commissioner of Public Safety Walter Monegan. Monegan was dismissed from his position in July of 2008. He alleged that Palin fired him because he refused to fire Alaska State Trooper Mike Wooten, who had been involved in a divorce and child custody battle with Palin's sister. Palin denies the charges.
Vice Presidential Candidate
On August 29, 2008, Palin was announced to be the Vice Presidential nominee for Republican Senator John McCain [8]. The selection was a surprise, as those in the media were expecting Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty or former Massachusetts's Governor Mitt Romney. Palin adds youth and executive experience to the ticket. She is the second female Vice Presidential candidate of a major party in U.S. history and the first one on a Republican ticket. The first was Geraldine Ferraro, who the Democratic Party put on the ticket under Walter Mondale in 1984.
References
- ↑ Vogue Magazine
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 People Magazine
- ↑ Alaska governor balances newborn's needs, official duties [1]
- ↑ Wasilla Population and Demographics
- ↑ http://gov.state.ak.us/bio.php Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6920410,00.html
- ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,357065,00.html?sPage=fnc/scitech/naturalscience
- ↑ http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/sarah_palin_vp/2008/08/29/126138.html