Sarah Palin
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Barack Obama
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| Office being sought | Vice President | President of the United States and Leader of the Free World |
| Full name | Sarah Louise Heath Palin | Barack Hussein Obama II |
| Nickname | Sarah Barracuda | Barry Obama; "The One" |
| Public opinion | Smoking hot in a "naughty librarian" sort of way | May be The Messiah |
| Age | 44 | 48 |
| Children | 5: two sons, three daughters | 2: two daughters |
| Religion/Church attendance |
Evangelical Christian; attends Juneau Christian Center when in Juneau and grew up attending Wasilla Assembly of God |
Attended Trinity United Church of Christ for 20 years, a "black liberation theology" church formerly led by Rev. Jeremiah Wright and governed according to the Black Value System |
| Current Job | Governor of Alaska | Junior Senator from Illinois |
| Previous Public Jobs |
Mayor of Wasilla, AK (1996-2002); President of Alaska Conference of Mayors; City Council member (1992-1996) |
State Senator (1997-2004); Community Organizer |
| Executive Experience |
Governor for 2 years; Mayor for 10 years |
None |
| Foreign Relations experience | Governor of state that borders two foreign countries (Canada and Russia) |
Chaired Senate subcommittee on Europe but never called it into session; once gave a speech to 200,000 screaming Germans |
| Military Affairs experience |
Commander in Chief of Alaska National Guard; Son is enlisted Infantryman in U.S. Army |
None |
| Private Sector Experience |
Sports reporter; Salmon fisherman |
Associate at civil rights law firm |
| Speaking ability | Beautifully executed initial stump speech in Dayton, OH hockey arena without a teleprompter | An enter...wait--did you say without a teleprompter?? |
| Spouse's name | Todd Mitchell Palin | Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama |
| Spouse's occupation |
Salmon fisherman; Former North Slope production supervisor for BP Oil |
Vice President for Community and External Affairs at University of Chicago Hospitals; former Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago; former Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies; former Assistant to the Mayor of Chicago; former associate at Sidley Austin law firm |
| Reaction to spouse's political success | Quit 17-year BP oil job when BP became involved in natural gas pipeline negotiations with wife's administration |
Promoted and given 160% pay raise by UofC hospitals within months of husband's election to U.S. Senate; Employer received $1,000,000.00 federal earmark, requested by husband, after her promotion |
| Coolest thing about Spouse |
Tesoro Iron Dog Snowmobile race champion (longest snowmobile race in the world); In 2008, while defending his championship, was injured when he was thrown 70 feet from his machine. He was sent to the hospital but still finished in fourth place |
Sister of Oregon State University head basketball coach Craig Robinson |
| Most Courageous Moment in Public Service | Resigned in protest from position of Ethics Commissioner of Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in order to expose legal violations and conflicts of interest of Alaska Republican leaders, including the former state Attorney General and the State GOP Chairman (who was also an Oil & Gas Commissioner), who was doing work for the party on public time and supplying a lobbyist with a sensitive e-mail. | Gave an anti-Iraq war speech to a crowd of anti-Iraq war demonstrators in Hyde Park in 2002 |
| In Current Office Because... | Upset sitting Governor in GOP primary due to public support for her efforts to clean up corrupt government establishment | Republican opponent, who was leading in the polls, was forced to leave race after unsealing of divorce records exposed a sex scandal |
| Theme: | Change and Clean Government |
Hope and Change; "Bringing Change from Outside Washington" |
| What they've done to live that theme: |
Replaced entire Board of Agriculture and Conservation because of conflict of interest; Resigned from position of Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in order to expose corruption among members of own party |
Selected 36-year incumbent Senator as running mate |
| Family Affairs | May have removed State Public Safety Commissioner as part of effort to protect sister in messy divorce and child custody battle |
Often says, "I am my brother's keeper"; Brother lives in a hut in Nairobi on $12 per year |
| Union affiliation | Union member, married to Union member | Endorsed by a union |
| Iraq and Troop Support |
Formerly (pre-surge) critical of apparent lack of long-term strategy for Iraq; Visited wounded U.S. soldiers in Germany; visited AK National Guard soldiers deployed to Kuwait; Son deploying to Iraq on 9/11/08 as Army infantryman |
Gave an anti-Iraq war speech to a crowd of anti-Iraq war demonstrators; almost visited wounded troops in Germany, but decided to go shopping in Berlin instead |
| Bipartisan/"maverick" credentials |
Married to a non-Republican; Exposed corruption within own party; Campaigned for Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell against corrupt GOP congressman Don Young; Called out Sen Ted Stevens (R-AK) to "come clean" about financial dealings that are under fed investigation |
Talks about bipartisanship |
| Legislative Record |
Passed a landmark ethics reform bill; Used veto to cut budgetary spending; Prevented "bridge to nowhere" that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars. |
Voted "present" over 100 times as IL state senator |
| How they dealt with corrupt individuals in home city/state |
Exposed legal violations and conflicts of interest of Alaska Republican leaders; Campaigned against corrupt GOP Representative; Ran against and defeated corrupt incumbent governor in GOP primary |
Launched political career in home of unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers (and still refers to him as a part of "mainstream Democratic Chicago"; Purchased home with help of convicted felon Tony Rezko |
| Guns |
Lifetime member of NRA and avid hunter; video can be found on YouTube of Palin firing an M4 at a military firing range |
Worked to pass legislation in Illinois that would prevent all law-abiding citizens from owning firearms |
| Earmarks |
Opposed "Bridge to Nowhere" project; Said Alaska should avoid relying on federal money for projects; Campaigned against porker Don Young (R-AK) in 2008 primary |
Secured federal earmarks for wife's employer and for campaign bundlers |
| Abortion |
Pro life; gave birth to 5th child knowing that he would have Down's syndrome |
Pro-choice; only IL state sen. to speak against the Born Alive Infant's Protection Act, which required medical care to be given to live infants who survived abortions |
| Energy |
Believes energy independence is a matter of national security; For drilling in ANWR, which is in her state |
Says Americans should "get tune-ups" and "check tire pressure"; Says "we can't expect the world to be okay with" our use of heating and air conditioning |
| Environment |
Chair of Alaska Conservation Commission (2003-4); Announced plans to create sub-cabinet group of advisors to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in AK |
Talks about the environment a lot |
| Athletic prowess | Runs marathons | Has reporters tailing him to the gym |
