Calling Stephanie & Night Train!

[Abbey Marie]

Stephanie, please tell us your opinion of Sarah Palin. I'd love to hear it from someone who has seen her in action as guv.

(I'm stickying this thread just until Stephanie sees it).

[NightTrain]

Well, I'm certainly not Steph (she's lots cuter than me) but I can speak up as a resident of Wasilla.

Palin was Mayor of Wasilla prior to winning the election for Governor. My kids go to school with her kids. I haven't actually met her, but my wife and I had dinner next to her and her husband Todd at Mat-Su Resort the next table over a couple of years ago.

Sarah beat incumbent Frank Murkowski for Governor in '06. Murkowski was in bed with the big Oil company players in AK and was selling us down the river. She whupped him properly and enjoys well over 80% approval rating in AK, which is a feat in itself.

Before anyone thinks that I'm anti-oil, since many of you are unfamiliar with me since it's been quite a while since I've spoken up, you may ask JimNYC about where I worked before, I was an employee of Conoco-Phillips a few years ago and am definitely not anti-oil.

She's smart, thinks fast on her feet in a debate, has great kids, and uses common sense for putting the right people into the job regardless of political affiliation.

Up on the North Slope, oil companies have been burning off Natural Gas as a result of oil production for decades now - millions and millions of cubic feet of it. BP, Conoco-Phillips, Exxon and others have promised for decades to deliver this gas to market - but failed to deliver. Instead, they burn it off or inject it back down the hole.

Palin took office and promised us a gas pipeline to deliver this gas to market - it's stupid to waste this natural gas. She cancelled the sweetheart deals that Murkowski, her predecessor, had cut with the Big 3. Then she invited bids from anyone qualified to build us a pipeline to take the gas to market. The Big 3 gave half-hearted proposals with the same bullshit wording not binding them to actually do the work (after all, it worked for the last 40 years) and Palin rejected it and chose a Canadian outfit that actually will build the pipeline to do it.

Now, all of us would have naturally preferred an American company to build it, of course, but the resident Big 3 were giving lip service and so were passed up.

Immediately after it was apparent that Palin was going to give this project to the Canadian company, the Big 3 were hellbent for leather to get the pipeline built - and now are going gangbusters to bring Alaska's natural gas to market. Google "Denali Project" for more info and note the timing. They had their chance and didn't perform, and she forced (or shamed, whichever you prefer) them into acting.

Now we have two natural gas pipelines in the works.

She brought ethics to a new high with the recent political scandals involving Alaska polititians, openly questioning and discussing oil negotiations that all of us were keenly interested in that were previously held in closed-door meetings. Average working Alaskans such as myself are overjoyed with her success in major economic projects for the state and solid progress in energy independence. She doesn't buy in to the doom-and-gloom mindset that we'll always buy our energy from foreign countries; we have our oil and gas that can be responsibly brought to market if you think outside the box and have the moxie to deliver.

Don't want to perform? That's great, I'll find someone that does. Palin quickly gets to the bottom line and comes up with a solution.

Something that endeared her quickly to me and my circle is when she became Mayor of Wasilla: When she was elected, she told all the Wasilla cops (who are notorious for pulling anyone over for anything, a friend of mine got pulled over for 2 MPH over the speed limit) not to bother Snowmachiners. As I'm sure most of you know, your taillights on your snowmachine (snowmobile for you flatlanders!) are always getting pushed into a snowbank while maneuvering, loading or unloading. As a result, it's common to have a light out on your trailer, and the cops in Wasilla had a field day since many, many people from Anchorage drive through and buy supplies in Wasilla.

When the overzealous cops were reigned in, the local tax benefitted; resulting in many more public works. I have a couple new stoplights that I personally don't approve of on my little road to town, but on the whole it's a good thing.

She's smart, she's capable, she has a son in a combat infantry role for Iraq, she does NOT get intimidated and she is one of us.

I'm sure you saw her acceptance speech today, and that is how she is - direct, to the point and a hands-on person that knows where she comes from, who she is and what she stands for.

Experience on the international stage is her only shortcoming, and that will come quickly - McCain has the international experience that will prove invaluable while Palin gets up to speed.

-NT

[theHawk]

I can't wait to watch her debate that shitbag liberal Biden.

[Gaffer]

Thanks for that info Night. I kinda got the impression she was good but you have sealed the deal for me. I'm not voting for McCain, I'm voting for Palin. She's sounding more and more like what has been missing in our political system for a very long time.

[PostmodernProphet]

thanks Nighttrain....most helpful post from any member since I came....the internets is a wondrousful thing.....

[Kathianne]

NightTrain is a long time poster, he knows of what he speaks. He's no knee jerk conservative, rather a deep thinker. I'm hoping that Palin and McCain can make her known in this vast country in 60 something days! Thanks.

[stephanie]

I gotta agree with everything nightrain said..

Sarah Palin is one tough, but down to earth cookie..

She doesn't mince words, means what she says, and is one heck of a mother, wife and then a politician..

good pick for McCain..

[Abbey Marie]

Thanks, NT and Stephanie. How fortunate we are to have such knowledgable people with first-hand experience on this board. We don't have to rely on biased reporting for a change.

I'll unstick this now, but I hope it keeps going.

[Yurt]

Thanks for that info Night. I kinda got the impression she was good but you have sealed the deal for me. I'm not voting for McCain, I'm voting for Palin. She's sounding more and more like what has been missing in our political system for a very long time.

i concur. i don't see her experience as anything more than obama's in terms of numbers, but i do like her style and most beliefs. i know i am in the minority here when it comes to her experience, but seriously, when you run it down, side by side, one half dozen to the other....

Night really did open my eyes with regards to her. nice to have a local view and not some national news hooey view.

[Gaffer]

Actually there is no experience anyone can have for being president. Other than experience in making decisions. Only former presidents have presidential experience. The VP comes closest to actually experiencing the presidency, but does not have any real authority except that granted by the president. Some VP's have been kept totally in the dark, like Truman.

[NightTrain]

Welcome :)

Please ask if you have any more questions and I will endeavor to find out for you if I don't know the answer.

[emmett]

Welcome :)

Please ask if you have any more questions and I will endeavor to find out for you if I don't know the answer.

A little detail on that firing the Attorney General thing would be nice!

I'm not nay sayer, just so you know. I love Sarah Palin. I just don't know the details. I would imagine it is a left spin of the facts. I would think it was more related to his refusal to put the X-Governor in check and was twisted into another issue.

[emmett]

How really important is experience anyway?

Who is actually "qualified" to be president when they take office? Was John Kennedy qualified?

Was Sarah Palin qualified to be governor when she showed up at the state capitol with a broom and dust pan in her hand and went to work cleaning up the shitty politics that were stionking up the place. How long did it take her? Where did she learn that?

Great Americans rise to the occasion when it is necessary. Everyone assumes today, this day, that Johnny Mac chose Sarah Palin simply because she is a woman. What about the fact that she has accomplished more as a governor to reduce waste, fight corruption and right wrongs within her government than any governor in the damn country has in less time than anyone ever has? What about that?

When was the last time a sitting governor, fired an attorney general, gained an indictment on a fellow party member, returned tax money to their state's citizens when there was a surplus, turned down wasteful pork barrel spending that had been pushed for by her own constituancy and accomplished all this in 16 months?

Go ahead.........look it up! Of course...you are looking for a ghost because it is a first.

Sarah Palin is genuine. She is a conservative with family oriented goals and old fashioned American principles mixed with an uncanty ability to lead. Just absolutely unique. How anyone could critisize this person's politics is beyond me. Look at her appointments. Good folks. Party unimportant. Rules with an iron fist and accepts the responsibility that goes with it!

And........she does all this and maintains a clear demonstration that she is a lady. WOW!

She is a lifetime NRA member, her favorite dish is Moose Stew and can pop 50 cans out of fifty. YEAH!

Way to go John..........you're working on this ol Libertarian!

[NightTrain]

A little detail on that firing the Attorney General thing would be nice!

Certainly.

He wasn't the AG, he was a State Trooper.

This guy was married to her sister, and he beat her up.

He was a dirtbag and Sarah had him shitcanned. Attagirl :)

[avatar4321]

Certainly.

He wasn't the AG, he was a State Trooper.

This guy was married to her sister, and he beat her up.

He was a dirtbag and Sarah had him shitcanned. Attagirl :)

So what you're saying is he broke the law and she had him fired. Id say she did the right thing. I wish more corrupt cops were fired.

Edit: I wanted to add that i wish corrupt cops and politicians (including judges) were fired because integrity is vital to our system.

[Abbey Marie]

Certainly.

He wasn't the AG, he was a State Trooper.

This guy was married to her sister, and he beat her up.

He was a dirtbag and Sarah had him shitcanned. Attagirl :)


He should be thankful she didn't Sonny Corleone his butt.


ETA: I addded your name to the thread title. Sorry I didn't do that originally.

[emmett]

Certainly.

He wasn't the AG, he was a State Trooper.

This guy was married to her sister, and he beat her up.

He was a dirtbag and Sarah had him shitcanned. Attagirl :)

She hacked the Director of Public Safety too! Walt Monagen or Monahue or whatever his name was.