Next, you can hear her discuss her philosophy in this four part interview with Armstrong Williams.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
As for having "read the Constitution," you might be interested in her learning about her obsession with the Alaskan Constitution. She is famous for being a strict constructionist when it comes to her state's constitution. She made a name for herself by pulling that constitution out, dusting it off, and citing it constantly as the blueprint for how Alaskan leaders should govern. Her inaugural address was a discourse on the wisdom of the drafters of the Alaskan constitution and how that document would be her guide in governing. Needless to say, she has a great deal of respect for founding documents and is not interested in foisting her social views on the libertarian leaning citizenry of Alaska.
If you want to understand her approach to government, you should keep in that Alaska fundamentally libertarian state. Sarah Palin had more LIBERTARIAN creds than anyone in this race.
Put it this way: When Don Young, Alaska’s only House member, found himself in a tight race this time around, he aggressively courted the endorsement of none other than Ron Paul.
It should also be noted that well over a year ago, the first group to push for a Sarah Palin vp candidacy was the Ron Paul supporters! They thought that if Paul had by some miracle won the nomination, Sarah Palin would have been the perfect choice for his vp because she is ideologically in line with his libertarian values. Her approach to government is centered on her belief that the most effective government is local. Problems are solved locally. And what works on a local level should not be assumed to work on a national or even state level. Her support of local revenue sharing is a great case in point. Her criticism of “No Child Left Behind” is based on the fact that it is counterproductive in Alaska because in remote rural regions there is no alternative to the public school. If the public school fails the “No Child Left Behind” litmus test, there is no other option. Whenever Washington tries a “one size fits all” approach to matters like this they fail miserably. Her frustration at Washington interference could be felt in her RNC convention speech when she spoke of “getting more marching orders from Washington, D.C.” It’s classic small government libertarianism.
BTW, during the primaries the only candidate that Palin gave enthusiastic impromptu praise for was…wait for it...Ron Paul! I’m not suggesting that she would agree with him on everything, but she is certainly sympathetic to his libertarian ideals.
And one more BTW...Palin is the only politician who can say that when she smoked pot it was legal! LOL! She said she tried it once and didn’t care for it, but it was in fact legal to do so in Alaska at the time. Got to love the Last Frontier!
We should also keep in mind that the issues facing Alaska and the governance of Alaska are very different from those facing the rest of the states. They really are an exception to most rules. That's why Alaska is never included in the think tank research papers and annual reports ranking governors by their fiscal policies. They can't include Alaska in the rankings because it doesn't work under the same criteria as the other states. In many ways it is it's own fiefdom, and for decades it was a corrupt fiefdom. Sarah Palin changed that dramatically. That's why she is so loved up there.
I do not know if Sarah Palin will even run for president, but I can say with conviction that she has been an excellent governor of her state.
And I do not think she is at all like George W. Bush. Bush came from a famous political family and used that connection to rise to power. Palin came from humble beginnings with no political connections to draw upon. Her father was middle school science teacher; her husband is a blue collar oil production operator and commercial fisherman. She paid her own way through state college, and started her rise to power by joining the PTA and the city council. Once in power, Palin governed as a common sense fiscal conservative. Bush did not. Palin's populism is based on American values of self reliance and local autonomy. Bush's populism is grounded in what he called "compassionate conservatism" -- which translated into big government spending programs which were really only a more efficient variation of LBJ's Great Society. During this past election, Palin didn't promise goodies and programs (though she did say that she would re-prioritize existing programs to make sure they meet new challenges -- such as those presented by families with special needs children). She simply promised to put government back on the side of the people by reining in spending and making sure taxes are low. That's basic Reaganesque conservatism.
One of the things she did right away when she was elected governor is send out a directive to all government agencies to reduce their spending by 10% or she will do it for them. You tell me when Bush ever made a directive like that?
thanks for the links.
I knew Sarah had good things to say about Ron Paul, and that scores points in my book. I do appreciate the links.
I hope your thanksgiving was happy.