John McCain’s choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate shocked a lot of people.
Even people in the media didn’t know very much about her. She hasn’t spent any time on Meet the Press, for example.
But I knew who she was long before her selection as Republican nominee for Vice President. That’s because Sarah Palin has real street cred as a reformer.
For starters, as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, she followed through on her campaign promise to cut property taxes — by 40 percent.
Though a Republican, she has not hesitated to challenge Party bigwigs. She went after the state’s Republican Party chairman for ethics violations — violations he later admitted. She joined a Democrat in filing an ethics complaint against the Republican attorney general. He later resigned.
Then, in 2006, she ran against the incumbent governor of her own party, and by connection the whole corrupt GOP cabal in Alaska. And she won.
Today, Sarah Palin is the most popular governor in the country.
Of course, questions remain. Though she has taken on GOP leaders in her state, she has been friendlier to their pork projects than I like.
But while some belittle her experience, her readiness to be president, I say, think again: Twenty or 30 years of Washington experience disqualifies a candidate for the job.
Now, I don’t mean to speak ill of politicians . . . well, yes I do.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.