Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska has been confirmed as McCain’s running mate. Republicans are standing by in Dayton, Ohio, along with reporters, as Palin is expected to join McCain on stage as his campaign officially confirms the selection of the 44-year-old. She will be the first female Vice Presidential nominee by the Republicans and the second by a major American political party.

According to CNN: “Palin made her name in part by backing tough ethical standards for politicians. During the first legislative session after her election, her administration passed a state ethics law overhaul.”

Palin’s experience outside of her state includes chairing the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which is a group “that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment,” according to her biography. She is also the chair of the National Governors Association’s Natural Resources Committee.

Born in Idaho, Palin has an 18 year-old son in the army who is slotted to go to Iraq September, and chose to give birth to a son with Down syndrome, saying “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?”

Palin is pro-life and belongs to the group Feminists for Life. She opposes same-sex marriage but has stated that she is concerned about discrimination against the homosexual community. Her first veto was used to, effectively, grant Alaska state benefits to same-sex couples, but she did support a constitutional ban on gay marriage. She is on record saying that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

She supports opening up ANWR and has often talked about energy policy, initiating a number of significant reforms in her state.

McCain called Palin “a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president.” He also released a statement saying “She leads a state that matters to every one of us – Alaska has significant energy resources and she has been a leader in the fight to make America energy independent.”

She is considered the nation’s most popular governor. This “hockey mom” was also declared to be” America’s Hottest Governor” by the magazine Alaska.

Posted on August 29th, 2008 by Aram Zucker-Scharff
Filed under: Mason Votes