Obama on Palin's Experience: 'She's a Good Mother and Up and Coming Public Servant'
Monday, September 1, 2008 at 08:28AM Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama discussed Republican VP nonimee Sarah Palin’s inexperience on 60 Minutes, saying, “She’s a fine mother.”
That’s better than “he gave a speech in 2004”.
OBAMA: “She seems to have a compelling life story. Obviously, she’s a fine mother and an up-and-coming public servant. My sense is that she subscribes to John McCain’s agenda.”
60 MINUTES: “Does the fact that he chose as his vice president someone what has less experience than you take that weapon out of his arsenal?”
OBAMA: “Well, you know, I think that’s a good question to address to Senator McCain.”
Looks like 60 Minutes is in the tank for Obama as well.
Here’s a basic side by side comparison of Palin and Obama’s experience.
Sarah Palin began serving in political office in 1992 . Barack Obama began serving in 1997 .
Sarah Palin first served in an executive capacity in 1997, and took over her first state-level executive branch position in 2003 .
- City Council member (1992-1996)
- Mayor of Wasilla, AK (1996-2002); President of Alaska Conference of Mayors;
- Governor of Alaska (2006-present)
- Community Organizer
- State Senator (1997-2004);
- Junior Senator from Illinois (2005-2007; 18 months experience before campaigning full time for Pres)
According to Alaska’s government website:
Governor Sarah Palin made history on Dec. 4, 2006, when she took office. As the 11th governor of Alaska, she is the first woman to hold the office.Since taking office, her top priorities have been resource development, education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development.Under her leadership, Alaska invested $5 billion in state savings, overhauled education funding, and implemented the Senior Benefits Program that provides support for low-income older Alaskans. She created Alaska’s Petroleum Systems Integrity Office to provide oversight and maintenance of oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure, and the Climate Change Subcabinet to prepare a climate change strategy for Alaska.During her first legislative session, Governor Palin’s administration passed two major pieces of legislation – an overhaul of the state’s ethics laws and a competitive process to construct a gas pipeline.Governor Palin is chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multi-state government agency that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment. She was recently named chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) Natural Resources Committee, which is charged with pursuing legislation to ensure state needs are considered as federal policy is formulated in the areas of agriculture, energy, environmental protection and natural resource management. Prior to being named to this position, she served as co-chair of this committee.Prior to her election as governor, Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and two terms as the mayor/manager of Wasilla. During her tenure, she reduced property tax levels while increasing services and made Wasilla a business friendly environment, drawing in new industry.She has served as chair of the Alaska Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska’s most valuable non-renewable resources: oil and gas. She was elected by her peers to serve as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. In this role, she worked with local, state and federal officials to promote solutions to the needs of Alaska’s communities.
And while some like to belittle her experience as mayor, recall the responsibility a Mayor Nagin of New Orleans had on people’s lives or Mayor Rudy Giuliani had in New York City. It’s essentially being the governor of a city. That sounds like Palin is more qualified than Obama to be president, let alone vice president.
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Reader Comments (20)
It's quite evident Amy that Gov. Sarah Palin has more executive experience than Mullah Obama and Uncle Joe Bin Biden combined...great post!!!
http://carlosechevarria.blogspot.com/2008/08/palin-is-ready-from-day-one.html
He says nice things about her, and you act like it's a crime.
It's not the amount of her experience, it's the quality of her experience, the lack of quality in her judgment, and the fact that she's corrupt.
On a lighter note, it turns out that Palin's 17 year old teenage, unmarried, high school daughter went and got herself knocked up.
I guess she wasn't allowed to attend sex ed.
Corrupt how? Because she's a conservative?
I just learned about Palin's daugther's pregancy myself. I'd think that'd be a plus to a liberal. Sex with someone you're not married to is a bonus, isn't it? You just hate the fact that she's not having an abortion.
She is marrying the guy, however, and the parents stand by their daughter. Family values in a real world.
You have a perverted idea of what liberals think is good.
She's corrupt because she's part of the Stevens' machine, and she's under investigation for abuse of power in her own state.
And now her daughter is knocked up.
Teen pregnancies go down under Democrats, and not because of abortion. Just look up the stats.
The highest incident of teen pregnancy is amongst evangelicals, and the highest rate of teen pregnancies are in the bible belt.
Don't take my word for it. Look it up.
mud, I don't really have time to look it up, but you can prove your own point. That's fine. I'll wait here for the statistics.
Again, out of wedlock babies are a badge of honor for liberals, aren't they?
The good news is that despite the fact that that this girl was carrying on, she's keeping the baby and marrying the guy.
That's so old school!
No Amy, it is a LIE that liberals think that out of wedlock teenage pregnancies are a "badge of honor." NO, NO, and NO. Where do you get that cr-p?
Adults, a different matter. They can marry, or not, as they like. But liberals not only frown on unwed teenage pregnancies, we frown on teenage pregnancies all together. That is why we're for sex-ed.
Amy - stop speaking for liberals and let liberals speak for liberals.
So much for the religious rights support for "abstinence" only.
So let's have some more of your right wing, bending over backwards, pretzel logic.
And, btw - Bristol the Pistol is well into her 5th month...just when does she plan this shot-gun wedding? And will it take place in the White House? Just think of the pictures.
Mud: "... The highest incident of teen pregnancy is amongst evangelicals, and the highest rate of teen pregnancies are in the bible belt."
SG: ... c(R)eationism .... so to speak!
Snerd
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Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk.
~Henry David Thoreau
Sarah Palin is an opportunist, not as compassionate as being portrayed and very interested in appearing to know a lot about a lot and not really specializing in any area of expertise, except being available for promotion. Look at her past jobs and that explains. I believe she played a vital part in her brother -in-law losing his job because she is one of the women of this generation who subscribes to the idea that women are smarter than men. Palin is one of millions of women who has a tendency toward tolerating men but truly having little regard for them; time will tell, wait and see.
Ladies, vote intelligently, do not allow yourselves to be so easily manipulated. It is a new era, Barack Obama is not our savior, but he is a change that we badly need. Cheryl Crowe, the singer recently stated that she asked John McCain during a meal they shared what he would do for America and he stated that 'America has seen our best days." Crowe stated that she couldn't stand that because it made her feel that he had no hope for America and how could she live with that.
Sarah Palin is a pawn anyway you take it, she is a part of what we fear most about John McCain, a return of George W. Bush. George Bush has hurt us, John McCain represents him, don't be fooled and then cry victimization later on. Have we really "come along way baby?"
'kitty...you've condemned and slimed her because she's your political opponent. Nothing more.
No Word - there's evidence, and an investigation. It has nothing to do with me. I am not her opponent. But I do oppose her ideology.
mud, it was a different thread but you asked about a comment I made that Barack Obama wanted his daughters to have the same sexual freedoms and the same lack of responsibility when it came to getting pregnant. Listen to his speech and you'll see his vision for his daughter's America is pretty sick.
Obama: "Men Have the Sense to Know Abortion Helps Them" (and other disturbing comments)
He wants his daughters to have equal rights and reproductive freedom. He's on the right side of history.
You're the one who wants to go back to the days of backally abortions, and charity homes over run with pregnant women.
Obama's twisted logic that merely running for office provides him with the qualifications, experience and credentials to perform in that office, is as laughable as his twisted logic that a whirlwind 9 day, six country, overseas photo op qualifies him as an expert on foreign policy. Obama is an empty suit who is obviously trying to create the illusion that he is something that he is not. If its a choice between an experienced mayor and Governor, with an approval rating of 80% for V.P. versus. a community organizer, and junior senator, who spent most of his time in office running for President ... I choose Palin. No Wright, no Farrakahn, no Ayers, no Rezko, no mean Michelle, NOBAMA
Dream on Howard. What are you going to do when Obama wins the election? Leave the country? Join an illegal militia?
Obama beat the Clinton machine. The guy knows how to run an organization.
Palin is a Steven's protege.
Palin:
She has next to no experience in government. When ask about national security back ground or knowledge regarding foreign affairs the best Ms. McCain could come up with was “she lives right by Russia.”
She has only traveled outside the country twice in her life.
She was associated with to a 3rd party which among other things supports allowing Alaska to secede from the United States and feels the only thing wrong with the John Birch Society was it was to liberal! Her husband “First Dude” was registered as a member of this party between 1994 and 2004!
She tried to have a local Librarian fired for not banning books. She used her political office to try to have fired and smear a state trooper who is in a custody battle with her sister. She is being investigated for this and is worried enough about the outcome to have recently “lawyered up.”
Palin currently has pretty messy family issues. She recently gave birth to a son with Downs Syndrome and has a 17 year old daughter who is pregnant. Ironically she has fought sex education in the schools and availability of contraception for minors. I am glad she was able to make the choice to carry her disabled son to term…we all need the right to make our own choices!!!
She believes that for 9 months a woman has no right to control what is happening to her own body and is basically nothing more than a baby container. She does not believe in a women’s right to choose to end a pregnancy, even if she has been raped.
She reminds me of Lynn Spears - Britney's mom. She is thrusting her children into the spot light for her own gain. I understand her daughter Bristol and her boy friend Levi are dropping out of their senior high school year to become poster children in her pro-life (anti-choice) cause.
She does not believe human pollution has anything to do with global warming (even Bush has had to back down on this one). Is so in bed with big oil she is willing to watch as the polar bear and beluga whales become extinct, rather than slow the possibility of drilling. She would open up one of the last great wilderness on earth to exploitation by oil interests.
She laughed when hearing a fellow Republican woman being called a bitch in public (she and the woman had disagreed on several issues) I guess this does make her on par with McCain who thinks it is alright to call your wife a cunt in public.
She has been repeatedly described as stubborn with a vicious streak – even by family and friends. (nick name Sarah Barracuda)
Has an undergraduate degree in Journalism for a small obscure university.It took her 5-6 years to manage to graduate and she attended 5 different colleges...
She did fund raising for Sen. Ted Stevens (think major Alaskan corruption) and accepted money from the same sources as Sen. Ted Stevens. She pushed for the “bridge to no where – the flipped when convenient to do so.
She has been named Sen. John McCain’s VP selection for the Republican ticket. Sen. McCain is 72 years old and has reoccurring cancer as part of his health history. One can not help but question Mr. McCain’s judgment regarding her selection. John McCain has made a calculated choice in selecting his VP, that has unfortunately put an undereducated, inexperienced right wing nut case a “heart beat” away from becoming President at a time when our Nation faces some of the most complex and volatile issues it has in decades.
How can we even pretend she is ready to lead when her own party does not think she is even ready to interview???
i've been reading all the posts and i see that all the mccain/palin supporters on this blog seem to note only 2 things:
1) the fact that obama is black with a muslim name, and ultimately synonymous with muslim terrorists
2) obama is synonymous with baby killing.
why don't you all just admit it- you can't stand the fact that he's black. black is dangerous- isn't that what you are thinking? this is just common hate speech on this site and no twisted conservative rhetoric can hide it.
i have news for you- white america. this may want you to grit your teeth.
america is becoming more and more culturally and racially diverse. period. nothing in your wildest prayers can stop it. so unless you plan to live in a bubble utopia with all your christian klan friends- it's time you made nice with the rest of the country.
america still allows diversity and FREEDOM. america was founded on choice in all forms. no one is stopping you on your beliefs of pro-life. why do you insist on stopping others? for the protection of unborn children? bull****. you don't give a damn about other children (of 'liberals' no less). we're all going to hell according to your church anyway, so what do you care.
you all should just move to alaska with palin and lobby for secession and you all can do what you want. let the rest of the country live in peace. i don't want to live next to fanatics and bigots anyway.
- and to mr.carlos ecchevaria at the top of the page. think about this. you think the most fanatical white republicans are looking out for hispanics? think again. to them , you're no better than 'mullah obama'. you are dillusional.
good job danielle spoken like somebody with some real intelligence. to all you conservatives on this page.... IN YOUR FACE!!!!!!!
Uh, good one, Seth. Danielle's comments painting Conservatives as racists is asinine, particulary considering it was Abraham Lincoln who signed the Emancipation Proclamation and it was southern Democrats who opposed the civil rights bill while Republicans supported it.
Oh, adn the KKK was an insurgency from the Democratic party upset about the way the civil war ended.