George Jonas: The referendum on Sarah Palin

National Post ^ | September 05, 2008 | George Jonas

[wideawake]

AK has a population of 700,000. OK has a population of 3.6 million. Oklahoma City has a population of 550,000.

ND has a population of 640,000. VT (Democratic contender Governor Howard Dean's state) has a population of 620,000. Wyoming (VP Cheney's home state) has a population of 525,000.

I would point out that AK has a GSP (gross state product) of $40B. VT has a GSP of $23B. DE (Joe Biden's state) has a GSP of $49B. NM (Bill Richardson's state) has a GSP of $57B.

So Governor Palin has managed an economy comparable in size to that of other VP contenders and VPs.

Further, I would point out that she was the driving force behind, and the chief negotiator of, a state natural gas project that is valued at $40B - a project that AK's establishment had been dragging its feet on for 30 years prior to her governorship. A project which includes among its principal parties the government of Canada.

She - in her first year in office - executed a transaction that will likely increase AK's GSP by 10% annually.

Very few governors in American history can point to an executive accomplishment of that magnitude.

[Old Student]

“AK has a population of 700,000. OK has a population of 3.6 million. Oklahoma City has a population of 550,000.”

Thanks for the correction, but you've really proven my point, such as it was. Population-wise, Alaska is a small state. Land-area wise, of course, and in many other ways, not small at all.

I am going to have to stop depending on memory for statistics, though. Obviously my memory is quite unreliable.

[wideawake]

Population-wise, AK is indeed a small state - but not smaller than the states of other serious and respected presidential and vice presidential candidates.

And it punches high above its weight class economically and geostrategically.

[supercat]

What’s really beautiful is how well Palin’s nomination fits in both with Obama’s talk of “change” and Hillary’s talk of “glass ceilings”. I previously thought McCain was a doddering old fool who coasted through things, but with this move he showed he could act inside the Democrats’ decision cycle (meaning he’s already started reacting to their moves even before they made them).

[infowarrior]

The bonus was the media overreach creating a massive TV audience and sympathy for Palin.

Assuming that the overreach wasn't planned for in the first place. I'm not so sure that Team McCain did *not* bait such a trap for the media. Their bias is now undeniable, hampering their own efforts to get "their" man elected...

If McCain pulls this off, he has to have a place in the front row of politicians strategery wise. He was DEAD in the water this time last year and now look at him.

Total agreement on this, this has been masterful politicing by his team...

It really is quite remarkable, but it isn’t over yet.

Yep... I wonder what *other* surprises he has in store for thiss haples neophyte...

the infowarrior

[JoeFromSidney]

Many years ago I read a Heinlein story where the plotline involved a local political race with a female war vet running against the local machine.

Was that the one with the whirlwind as a character? I think that one was called OUR FAIR CITY.

[Sherman Logan]

I don’t recall a whirlwind.

However, I do remember the good guys hiring a bunch of bums (today called homeless people) to push flyers for the other side into people’s faces with the comment, “Here, lady, this is who you’re voting for.”

Thanks for you reply.