Shashank Chouhan
Shock and awe.
With Republican Presidential candidate John McCain choosing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, that phrase became Grand Old Party’s key word for describing their leaders’ major policy decisions. And as we know, the history attached to that phrase is anything but golden.
On August 29 John McCain brought forth his party’s Vice Presidential candidate, keeping aside this year’s other Presidential candidates including Mitt Romney and Micke Huckabee. On his choice, McCain himself said, “She`s not from these parts and she`s not from Washington." That quite summed up America’s surprise at his choice.
With her family of five kids including one pregnant, and another being born months back with Down’s syndrome, Palin in her stylish black business suit looked- at cost of sounding sexist- a bit out of place. Perhaps after George Bush sr. picked up Dan Quayle as his running mate 20 years ago, were questions being raised about the GOP’s V-P candidate.
Sarah Heath Palin arrived in Alaska with her family in 1964, when her parents came to teach school. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. Palin, who graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982, has lived in Skagway, Eagle River and Wasilla. She is married to Todd Palin, an oil production controller, who she met in high school. They have five children- one serving in the Army.
Sarah Palin is the first woman to become her state`s chief executive in December 2006. Before that she was the Mayor of her town Wasilla and also served on its Council. What has made Sarah a darling of the media is the fact that she is also the winner of a beauty pageant, likes to go shooting and has actively promoted herself as a ‘hockey mom’- someone who is concerned about her children’s education and growth. Just like millions of other women out there.
But that’s not all. Palin has worked for tax cuts in her state, upped taxes on the oil companies and fought against corruption even if it meant conflict against top Republicans in Alaska. She came to office promising landmark ethics reform to end the culture of self-dealing, and today, that ethics reform is the law.
She told the Congress "thanks, but no thanks," for the "Bridge to Nowhere." Upon taking office, Governor Palin took common-sense steps to trim the size and cost of her office. She sold the state`s luxury jet, eliminated the personal chef and got rid of the personal driver.
Apart from an accusation of pushing for the firing of a state trooper- her ex-brother-in-law –who was involved in bitter child custody battle with her sister, Sarah has been a darling of her party. Primarily because her ideology matches completely with the conservatives; she is pro-life- her 17 year old is pregnant and is going to marry and give birth soon-, she supports sale of guns, is against divorce and gay marriages and is a regular at the church.
And she is a woman. Sarah Palin’s choice was clearly a ploy by McCain to attract disgruntled Hillary supporters and ‘break the glass ceiling.’ All of the above makes Bill McAllister, a former journalist who now works for Palin`s press staff, coin the term "Sarah-dipity" — the gift of knowing exactly what Republican voters are looking.
