“I’m looking forward to voting for the first REPUBLICAN woman President.”  (Laura Bush on CNN, June 20, 2007)

“Mrs. Bush, do we have a deal for you!”  (Me, along with the other Palin supporters)

Hi Steve (e-mail to me from a potential Palin Supporter):

Thanks for the rousing endorsement of my blog! I appreciate your enthusiasm, conviction and positive words.

I haven't had much time to read everything about Gov. Palin yet, but after the little ones are in bed later, I will spend some time on it.

I wanted to ask you a couple questions ... looking for your gut reactions and honest opinions here ...

1. Gov. Palin, being from Alaska, is as unknown as a candidate could be (unless I was running of course .... talk about "unknown"!). Do you see that as something that could truly be overcome? There are people in the US that view Alaska as another country (same with Hawaii).

2. Gov. Palin is VERY young (politically speaking) ... goodness, she's younger than me! Little national political experience. People who look seriously at the VP candidate, look for someone who would be able to take over as President and represent the US on a world stage.

3. I have heard some rumblings/rumors that JC Watts from Oklahoma might make an excellent VP candidate. I am more familiar with Congressman Watts and wonder what your thoughts might be on that, and maybe give your comparison between the former congressman and Gov. Palin.

OK - enough for now. Suddenly I feel like I am giving a final exam to a Civics Class!

I look forward to your thoughts.

“Mommie with a doctorate”

Hi MommieDoc:  Good questions.  As you'll note on my site and others, we've talked a lot about the need to "change the code."  The Democrats could be running (Pres.) a woman and a Black man (VP) or a white woman and a Hispanic (Richardson).  Few Americans would have imagined that even a few years ago.  Mike Huckabee is an ordained minister, and he’s a serious candidate for the ticket.  

As I've said, we shouldn't run against the Dems the same two "older white guys in gray suits."   I'm an older white guy, but in shorts because it's 85 degrees here.

(1) Our governor in PA is Ed Rendell, and the guy in NY State is Elliott Spitzer, and I doubt many people known them.  I think Sarah is pretty well-known in the National Governors Association.  She's a very aggressive leader in Alaska.  I think she could get known in a hurry, much as has happened with Obama.  She’s an expert on energy.  Her husband is a "normal" guy, a commercial fisherman and oil field production worker.  He's now a "house husband."   People ask me what's her position on immigration.  I seriously doubt she has a position, and that may be a plus.  (They want people to come to Alaska, not to stay out.)  She is Christian, pro-life,  pro-family, and pro-traditional family. 

Age: She will be nearly 45 when she is inaugurated as VP in January, 2009.  Here are some comparisons:  John Edwards just turned 54, and he was was 51 when he ran for V-P in 2004 and basically had little "national" experience

Barack Obama will be 46 soon.  He's been a Senator for two-plus years.  Sarah's children are mostly older than Obama's.

Sarah is 43, the same age JFK was when he was elected Presiden.

(2)  She’s been Mayor of Wasilla, a small but fast-growing city for two terms.  Before that, she served on the City Council.  She ran for LT. GOV and lost (see the picture on my site).  She ran for governor in the primary against Republican Frank Murkowski, the incumbent, and won (to everyone's amazement).  She then ran against a guy named Tony Knowles, a former Democratic governor, and won by 8 percentage points (again, amazing a lot of people).  

Her major issue has been taking on the Big Oil companies in Alaska (who are used to running everything) and telling them she now runs everything.  The key issue in Alaska is a natural gas pipeline to take huge amount of gas to the lower-48.  I believe she can deal with the "big boys."  You will hear she is a conservative "populist."  What that means is that she is very people-oriented and believes that the state's resources should go in large part to the benefit of Alaskans.

(The palinforvp.blogspot.com, linked on my blogroll, has information about the politics of Alaska and some of the political battles she's been in.)

(3)  I have mentioned J. C. Watts in talking about V-P candidates.  The other ones I've mentioned are, of course, Sarah, Michael Steele (Black man, former LT. GOV. of Maryland and a candidate in 2006 for the U.S. Senate, wonderful man); Condi Rice (you know who she is, but she’s not a candidate) and Mike Huckabee. 

The polls say Mrs. Clinton has an unfavorability rating nationally of about 45%.  Right now, Sarah's unfavorability rating nationwide is about zero. 

Sarah is very ambitious -- hey, you better be in that business!  I expect her to surface in a big way later this summer.  I believe there's a good chance she will be a candidate for President in 2016, or maybe 2012 if Hillary Clinton wins the next election. 

I think the  pictures on my site tell a lot about Sarah Palin. 

I hope you'll endorse her today.  If you change your mind later, I'll still like you just fine, but we're at the point where we are establishing a foundation.  Supposedly, once you have a foundation, the house sort of builds itself. 

Sarah appeals to some groups where the Party has trouble, including women like you (professionals, mothers concerned about what's going to happen in regard to their children's futures, etc.)   I expect Hillary Clinton to go after Sarah at some point, and I expect Mrs. Clinton to lose that one.  In her campaign for Governor, she said Alaska politics was "dominated by an Old Boys Club."  She closed down the Club.

Would love your support.

steve maloney

Sanity102 (http://outsideofthebox.townhall.com) is a woman who's written on her blog about Sarah, including one amazing column called "The White Goddess."  You'll find a link to Sanity on my blogroll.

Is Sarah aware of all this activity?  I believe she and her staff are very aware.  They have said nothing, and I don't expect them to until maybe this fall.

When you have some time, take a look at www.irey.com.  It's the site of a candidate I worked with in her race for Congress (against John Murtha).  Diana is another candidate who's 44 but looks 34.  She's wonderful and has national aspirations herself. 

Thanks for your interest.  C'mon in, the water's fine. 

Later today, I’ll add some comments about “regional identity,” and whether the GOP will insist on having a Southerner on the ticket.