[WSJ] Ignore the Chauvinists. Palin Has Real Experience.

Yes it's an OP piece... But I'm sure the chauvinists will come out in force anyway.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122031229774188795.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Ignore the Chauvinists.
Palin Has Real Experience.
By NANCY PFOTENHAUER
September 2, 2008; Page A21

In Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain has found a fellow maverick to be his running mate -- one who can help bring the right kind of reform to Washington. Ms. Palin, like Mr. McCain, has a strong record of battling the status quo, restoring accountability and effectiveness to government, and working to secure energy independence, root out corruption and curb wasteful spending.

As the chief executive of the nation's largest state, Ms. Palin oversees some of the country's largest energy reserves. She came into office at a critical time in Alaska politics, facing a system plagued by corruption. Her response was to immediately begin cleaning it up. The results of her leadership today speak for themselves: Ms. Palin's approval ratings top 80% -- more than 60% higher than that of the Democratic Congress.

Ms. Palin has a tangible, impressive record of achievement and executive experience. She is head of the Alaska National Guard and the chairman of two multistate agencies that make energy decisions that affect all Americans. While Barack Obama spent almost all of the past two years running for president, Ms. Palin has been running a state.

It's telling that Sen. Obama chose to give a negative, partisan speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. He envisions a Democratic monolith in Washington that will solve all of our problems.

But Ms. Palin knows that real change doesn't come from rigid adherence to party lines. She has transformed her state's government from what she called a "good ol' boys network" to an accountable, successful system. Like Mr. McCain, Ms. Palin realizes that the problem isn't a Republican administration or a Democratic Congress. It's business as usual in Washington.

Ms. Palin's experience in reforming Alaskan government shows she's ready to lead on the national stage. She stood up to members of her own party who abused their power, risking her political career by protesting ethics violations. Ms. Palin went on to pass ethics reform. She has put the people's interests ahead of her own -- like Mr. McCain.

A McCain-Palin administration will not tolerate pork-barrel spending. In Washington, Mr. McCain spoke out against the "Bridge to Nowhere," a $400 million waste of the taxpayers' money that led to an island with a few dozen residents. In Juneau, Alaska, Ms. Palin made sure the bridge went nowhere, canceling the earmark. She wasn't afraid to use her veto pen, and Mr. McCain won't be either.

In a state where energy production is a top priority, Ms. Palin is an expert in the field. She has never shied away from challenging the influence of big oil companies, all the while fighting for the development of new energy resources. Ms. Palin worked with Democrats and Republicans to institute a rebate that used the state's vast oil revenues to help offset the high costs of fuel and heating in the state.

Ms. Palin has been a leader in the fight for American energy independence. Like Mr. McCain, she understands that we need an "all of the above" solution to secure our energy future. Her influence extended far beyond Alaska as she recently pushed through a gas pipeline project that will bring new supplies and lower prices to the lower 48 states.

Just last month, meanwhile, the Democrats running Congress went on vacation rather than vote to allow offshore drilling, which would reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Beyond ethics and energy, Ms. Palin shares Mr. McCain's passion for conservation. Mr. McCain often speaks of his admiration for Theodore Roosevelt, a conservationist and sportsman who surely would have enjoyed Ms. Palin's company. She grew up hunting and fishing in Alaska, and she understands the importance of responsible stewardship of our environment.

All women should be proud of Mr. McCain's selection of Ms. Palin as his running mate, an historic moment that came the week of the 88th anniversary of women's earning the right to vote. Sarah Palin will break through the glass ceiling that, as she noted on her first day as the vice presidential nominee, has 18 million new cracks thanks to Hillary Clinton.

 

I did know that. I read.



And to answer your question, I would read it too. And comment.


TIA

 

TIA to your "offer" to post a Biden article written by an Obama staffer.


Feel free to post a whole new thread as I have too.

 

I read you. That a piece may have bias is a given. All pieces do in some shape or form. Dare I say, if not, why write them?


Surely you cannot believe no concern or care of an opinion makes it into the so-called "regular" news you often peruse? Eh?


There is no such thing as a non-opinionated news piece any longer. So why not post a positive spin about a woman with actual political experience? We've heard enough about her amniotic fluids, or lack thereof.

 

Okay. Show me. How is it "anti-women's rights" to even pick her.

This OP-ED is not just about abortion... neither is her selection as some say.





She does worse among women than men? Have more women of the age to do so a) had children or b) had abortions?

Show me stats.

 

Not you... in other discussions around here tonight though...


BTW - Thanks for the links... will check them out...


And thanks for the civil discourse. I've enjoyed it.

 

Here's different take... if you can see it as that...

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1017469.html

GOP's Linda Lingle, Hawaii's 1st Jewish governor: Palin's more experienced than Obama
By Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: McCain, Palin, Obama, Israel


ST. PAUL, Minn. - Republican Governor Linda Lingle, the first Jewish chief executive of the Aloha State, knows something about being the woman governor of a state which is isolated, relatively new and, in the eyes of many Americans, almost mythical in nature.

So when she comes to the defense of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin - declaring that Palin has more on-the-job experience than Barack Obama - Lingle, like the Republican vice-presidential candidate a former mayor of a small community, speaks with unique authority.

"As another woman Republican Governor, we know each other very well, and I can tell people in America and all over the world, that she is the unique combination of toughness and grace," says Lingle, in St. Paul to attend the Republican National Convention, which has been put on hold pending the outcome of Hurrican Gustav in the Gulf Coast.

She acknowledges that that many dismiss John McCain's running mate as "only a mayor of a small town" and "governor of a distant state." However, counters the former mayor of the island county of Maui, "the Democrats' presidential candidate has zero experience. He's never led any city, never led any state. So our vice-presidential candidate has more experience than their presidential candidate has."

Palin "is a proven leader on local level as well as the state level, she's had a balanced budget, she's had to deal with every issue from the environment to energy and healthcare to education and public safety, and she's done it in a way that every governor does, which is: you make the final decision for which you'll be accountable.

"It's not like being in Congress, where no one might know you're responsible," she told Haaretz. "When you're a governor you're the one to make a decision. It's a great, great preparation for a job such as vice president."

Lingle says she has never discussed Israel-related issues with Palin. "But Senator McCain's commitment to Israel is strong and well-known, and I assure your readers that he would not put someone on that ticket who did not have the same feelings. Certainly he has discussed those issues. Government Palin is a very religious person, and the religious Christians are the greatest supporters of Israel."

According to Lingle, the Republican Party is likely to attract growing numbers of Jewish voters because "the Republicans have a much stronger position on Israel than the Democrats, and that's why I think more people will be seen on the Republican side.

"It takes time, but when people start really looking for issues, and not on the traditional family party affiliation, I think Republicans have a good chance at the Jewish community."

One factor, she continues, has been President George Bush's "unwavering support for Israel, I think that made a big difference, but also I think being fiscally conservative makes a difference, and a focus on education makes a difference for the Jewish community."

Like the majority of U.S. Jews of her generation, Lingle, 55, comes from a family of Democrats. "When I came to run for office in my state of Hawaii, where Democrats have [held] power for decades, I felt there were ethical questions about them, and that I couldn?t be part of them. I ran as a Republican, and I got elected."

Asked about the recent revelation that Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, Lingle remarks, "It's one of the issues that face families all over America and all over the world. Families have tough things happen to them, and what you need to judge people by, is how they deal with those tough situations occurring to them.

"That can happen to anyone, and they decided to stick around as family. And because I know Sarah and Todd Palin, I know that they will do the right thing for their family, as it should be. Senator Obama, to his credit, said today that it should not be a part of a political campaign, and I admire him for saying that."

Although early polls have not indicated that women voters have gravitated to the McCain ticket in the wake of Palin's nomination, Lingle says that the more that Americans get to know Sarah Palin, "the more they?ll get excited about her."

Calling the Alaska governor a reformer, and noting that Palin has taken on her own party on occasion, Lingle says that "What she and John McCain have in common is that they would do what's right for their country, even if it hurts them politically. They?ve done it throughout their careers."

Regardless of party affiliation, "her nomination gives inspiration to the women of America. Women all across the country are excited about this. Since the announcement was made, money has been coming in so strongly for this ticket, and volunteers who have never been involved are coming, and they are so excited by her story, by her experience and her vision for America."