1. Home
  2. News & Issues
  3. US Politics

US Politics Blog

From About.com

McCain Picks Palin

Friday August 29, 2008
Gov Palin
Photo: Getty Images
Update 3
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, 44, is the Republican vice presidential nominee, setting up a contest in November that gives voters a chance to make history, no matter which ticket they support.

Palin becomes the second woman to be on a major party presidential ticket, joining Geraldine Ferraro who was Vice President Walter Mondale's running mate in 1984. Sitting President Reagan (with VP Bush the elder) was re-elected in a landslide. (Ironically, Ferraro's birthday was Tuesday; she was 73. McCain's birthday is today; he is 72.)

Palin, the first woman to be elected Governor of Alaska, came to office in 2006 after the Department of Justice began an investigation into kickbacks in the Alaska legislature. The Seattle Times reports that she has "a reputation as a reformer who worked with both Democrats and Republicans to overhaul the state oil-tax system and to restore confidence in state government shaken by political-corruption scandals."

She has a background steeped in one of the issues certain to be top of mind this fall: oil. Palin served as chair of of Alaska's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (2003-2004) and served on the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. In 2007, she pushed through a state windfall profits tax, over the protests of the oil industry lobby.

Aside: to see how the short-lived federal windfall profits tax from the 1980s affected US oil production, see this post by the Angry Bear (an economist):

I keep seeing at various blogs the claim that the 1980s windfall profits tax caused oil production to fall when the facts clearly show that claim is completely untrue.

Actually, since US oil output peaked in 1970s about the only time that US oil production rose was when the Windfall Profits tax was effective.

In June, Congressional Republicans successfully blocked a windfall profits tax.

Palin is not a lawyer; this is "news" as most politicians these days are lawyers. She studied journalism and political science at the University of Idaho, where she graduated in 1987. And like Joe Biden, the Democratic VP candidate, she has a son en route to Iraq. This, alone, make these two VPs unique in the field of US politicians.

Does the choice of VP matter to you? (poll)

Post History
:: Posted at 12.50 am Eastern, 29 August
:: Update 1, 1.17 pm Eastern, 29 August. Added Ferraro birthday, several links
:: Update 2, 1.55 pm Eastern, 29 August. Added oil information
:: Update 3, 11.54 pm Eastern, 29 August. Added links

Explore US Politics

About.com Special Features

What is a Recession?

Sure, we're all talking about it, but what, exactly, defines a recession? More >

Weird Breaking News

A daily look at some of the oddest (and dumbest) crimes around. More >

  1. Home
  2. News & Issues
  3. US Politics

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.