Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was picked by John McCain as his VP running mate. I suggested back on the 19th that she would be his pick. Cool to be right. I think that Palin is a good choice for several reasons:
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She is a true conservative both fiscally and socially. She is pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-choice on education, pro-free market, and pro-drilling along with the other alternatives on energy.
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Not only is she pro-life, she has put those beliefs into practice. When her unborn fifth child was diagnosed with Downs Syndrome, abortion wasn’t an option – even though 80% of those babies are victims of abortion.
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She is a reformer, and has cut over 300 unneeded programs in Alaska (and said “no thanks” to the infamous bridge to nowhere).
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She has executive experience: both running a city and running a state.
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She has a record of fighting corruption in government.
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She is a good pick to balance McCain on domestic issues.
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While I don’t want to play identity politics – the fact that she is young and a woman is great not only in balancing the ticket, but it also helps break beyond the GOP stereotype of being a party for old white men (which is blatantly false anyway, but this proves it).
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She’s not an eastern elitist – being a University of Idaho graduate and outdoors person will connect with people.
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She’s a mother of five can relate with mothers. Her oldest son volunteered for the Army and is likely being sent to Iraq.
Her first speech as the Vice Presidential candidate: