Republican presidential candidate John McCain announced his vice presidential running mate yesterday, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, 44.
Casey Mayville reports for Government Technology, “Elected governor in 2006, Palin became Alaska’s first female governor, as well as its youngest. She will be the first politician from Alaska to run on a national ticket in a campaign for vice president.”
“Palin has made efforts to expand the use of technology in Alaska. In 2007, Palin announced a new online training program for workforce development. The Work Ready/College Ready program helped to assess skills and offered training courses,” Mayville reports. “‘The skills needed to enter many vocations are similar to the skills needed to get into college,’ explained Palin at the time. ‘Work Ready/College Ready lets students know what level of skill they need for the occupations they’re interested in, how well they match up in those skill levels and it provides training to reach their goals.'”
Full article here.
More about Alaska’s “Work Ready/College Ready” program that was announced by Sarah Palin last August via GovTech here.
Carrie Tait reports for The Financial Post,” Ms. Palin, 44, is a lifetime NRA member who is in charge of a conservative state. She’s bullish on drilling offshore and opening up more of the contentious Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to exploration and production. ‘People are realizing, too, there’s been some deception, I think, from some on what ANWR is all about. Of the 20 million acres up there, we’re looking at 2,000 acres as a footprint,’ she said in the interview. ‘With new technology, with directional drilling, maybe that footprint [will] shrink even more.'”
MacDailyNews Note: CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo talks with Sarah Palin about ANWR drilling, which also touches on technology, in an 11:41 video interview here.
Stefanie Olsen reports for CNET, “Mead Treadwell, a technology-focused venture capitalist and chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, a federal advisory commission to President Bush and Congress on Arctic research issues, said he met Palin when she was the mayor of Wasilla, a small town in Alaska. Treadwell said that she has long been open-minded about the need for technology to solve problems.”
“‘We’re a natural energy economy and you can’t drill on- or offshore without bringing the best technology, like 3D seismic technology to find areas for drilling, directional drilling to exploit it, and satellites. She’s supportive of new tech,’ Treadwell said,” Olsen reports.
“Palin’s father-in-law was at one time staff officer at the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation, the state’s seed capital fund for technology. According to Treadwell, she was critical of her incumbent Republican rival Frank Murkowski in 2006 when he shut the foundation down. In her inaugural address as governor, she emphasized the value of research into science and technology,” Olsen reports.
“Despite Alaska’s absence of a big tech industry, the state’s chief industries, oil and gas, as well as some telecommunications, require cutting-edge technology. Treadwell said that in discussions with Palin about balancing development vs. the environment, she typically points to technology as a solution,” Olsen reports.
Full article here.
While we’re still exploring exactly which tech devices Palin uses currently, Bridget Carey reported yesterday for The Miami Herald of “the BlackBerry-wielding Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who had bloggers buzzing early Friday about her tech-centric lifestyle. She’s also three years younger than Obama.”
MacDailyNews Take: Send Palin an iPhone immediately, Apple!
As for Obama’s V.P. pick, Joseph Biden, 65, Carey reports, “The technology issue isn’t so much of his wired lifestyle as it is about his past stances on technology issues like Internet freedom and privacy. Biden has spoken out against peer-to-peer networks that allow the sharing of music and other copyrighted material. On the topic of Internet privacy, he is in favor of allowing communications companies to hand over a user’s personal information to the government, but with the intention to crack down on child porn and piracy.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Michael R.,” “Dennis,” and “Jen” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Note: If anyone has links to articles and/or photos of Palin and technology (listening to her iPod, using a Mac, or even a ratty old Dell) or any of the other candidates – Biden, McCain, and/or Obama – please send them to the MacDailyNews Webmaster (link below) for inclusion in this or future articles.
A Conservative’s view on McCain’s VP choice (David Frum, National Review):
“Here’s I fear the worst harm that may be done by this selection. The McCain campaign’s slogan is “country first.” It’s a good slogan, and it aptly describes John McCain, one of the most self-sacrificing, gallant, and honorable men ever to seek the presidency.
But question: If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency?”
Here’s the full link:
http://tinyurl.com/65l6go
It doesn’t matter. I don’t know who is going to win the election, but I’m pretty sure we are going to be required to believe that McCain did.
The DataDude,
So, you’d rather have untested inexperience at the top of the ticket?
That makes no sense. But, of course, as a Democrat, you’re used to that.
Obama supporters questioning Palin’s experience is political suicide. But, so was picking Joe “Serial Plagiarist” Biden.BTW, Sarah Palin is the only one in the race with Executive experience.
The last I checked, the President and Vice President head the Executive branch.
Face it, Libs. It’s over.
Ms Palin may be for the use of technology in drilling, but her support for teaching creationism in schools (see the Anchorage Daily News http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/story/8347904p-8243554c.html) raises serious questions about her support of science, and one thing we surely don’t need is another anti-science administration. Plus, Ms Palin is 4+ pro-life, 4+ pro-gun, 2+ anti-gay and she doesn’t believe that humans are responsible for global warming. So, while she favors energy independence, that is likely to mean she will want to drill and fill the pockets of Big Oil but not develop energy alternatives that decrease CO2 pollution. That, too, is a recipe for eventual disaster. Ms Palin is a very nice person and she has a great family and a terrific, energetic lifestyle, but she has virtually no national or international experience and she is absolutely the wrong person to be VP alongside a 72 year old man with a 33% statistical chance of dying in office (see http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html).
Great Choice:
http://www.thedailybackground.com/
Algernone Blue,
Palin sounds very level-headed to me:
“Teach both. You know, don’t be afraid of education. Healthy debate is so important, and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both. I don’t think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. I’m not going to pretend I know how all this came to be.”
Only the close-minded would want to exclude other points of view in order to stifle debate.
Fact is: nobody knows how the universae came to be. Who ignited the Big Bang?
If you idiots are going to vote for a candidate primarily based on where the candidate stands on technology issues, you are fscking retarded. There’s more important things going on in the world than you getting caught for stealing movies off the pirate bay.
Mr. Reeee: “Whoah, dude, McCain picked a MILF? She’s a terrorist?
Twat was he thinking?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moro_Islamic_Liberation_Front“
Who the fuck ever heard about the Moro ILF? Who the fuck are they? And you can’t seriously be stupid enough to not know the reference for MILF.
Mr. Reeee: “McCain wants Steve Ballmer for his cabinet? At least he knows the internet isn’t a series of tubes. The entire country would become one, giant BSOD. We’re almost there now.”
Politically you and I are likely about as far apart as it’s humanly possible to get, but I agree that Steve Balmer would be a bleh cabinet pick, but it’s not like Steve Jobs would agree to a post to a Republican admin. At least Balmer is running a very large and successful technology corporation, so on paper he does look good.
“But question: If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency?”
Actually, is it too late to ditch McCain and just run Palin for the top spot? I’ll take a small-town mayor over an entrenched congressman any day.
I was extremely happy to see McCain’s VP pick, a very refreshing change from the usual inside washington career politician, someone with integrity, courage, and very charming.
A woman I could definitely vote for, for president.
Good. We better get to know her well. If McCain wins, this woman is one too many milkshakes away from being president. I’m sure her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism will come in handy.
Hillary didn’t put 18 million cracks in the ceiling so token candidates like Sarah Palin could make it to the White House. What made Hillary special was her 35 years of public service, intelligence, 8 year Senate voting record on progressive issues and the fact that she’d have one of the greatest presidents at her side should the need arise. Mrs. Palin, as nice as her life story sounds, isn’t half the woman Hillary Clinton proved to be.
Obama will attempt to assassinate Palin’s character, but that rarely works on people with the character of Palin’s.
It’s going to be a long, long, long 16 years for you Libs.
MDN MW: “one.” Obama isn’t the “one,” Palin is.
grok,
I’d rather vote for Palin over McCain, but she does need a little experience, so she’s better as a VP for now, and president after McCain’s term is over.
Think about how many presidential candidates have come from the ranks of VP in the past 50 years? And in our nations history less than a handful of presidents have come from congress. There’s a reason for that.
R2: “Hillary didn’t put 18 million cracks in the ceiling so token candidates like Sarah Palin could make it to the White House. What made Hillary special was her 35 years of public service, intelligence, 8 year Senate voting record on progressive issues and the fact that she’d have one of the greatest presidents at her side should the need arise. Mrs. Palin, as nice as her life story sounds, isn’t half the woman Hillary Clinton proved to be.”
I agree with everything you said..
If you take all the words out except is, as, if, and and the.
Mr. Reeee: Great Choice:
http://www.thedailybackground.com/
Is that the best you sad libs can come up with? You’re in trouble.
Basil Ganglia;
“72 year old man with a 33% statistical chance of dying in office”
I am a 59 year old 3rd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, and a certified instructor. My favorite opponents are dumb young kids with very little experience.
(They CANT HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE BECAUSE THEY ARE YOUNG TOO YOUNG TO HAVE ANY, THAT IS WHY THEY ARE DUMB!)
Want to meet and discuss statistics?
Have a feeling I might meet my match in Sarah Palin though.
My mom uses a mac, is a computer recruiter, and is a great tech supporter. If only I played soccer when I was a kid, many of you would have thought she’d make a great VP. Sorry I let you down.
Hoo boy, they’s some real thinkers on this site.
McBush’s second stringer’s foreign policy experience is based
solely upon her geographical proximity to Russia. That’s
experience we can count on….NOT!
The DataDude: “A Conservative’s view on McCain’s VP choice (David Frum, National Review):”
You cherry picked your choice. Most conservatives I’ve heard in the past 24 hours would disagree with Frum.
She’s been tested, she’s got a 10 year record of reform, tax cutting, cutting waste, standing up to corruption, and integrity. There were many conservatives who were hoping she’d be the pick long before it was publicly announced.
What this story has to do with the world of Macintosh is beyond me, but I’ll play:
McCain’s choice of running mate is shamefully irresponsible. He’s an aging old fart who could drop dead at any time, and who does he pick to head the government if he should croak but someone with not a shred of experience, not a single credential that would qualify her for such an important job. Totally disgusting!!!
I honestly had no interest in this election until yesterday, but after reading about and listening to this hottie, she and McCain are definitely getting my vote now. She is the kind of change I’m talking about!
VPILF FTW!
In a tough situation, who would I want to have my back, Barack or Sarah?
Easy call, I’ll take the “barracuda”
And that is not a nickname for Barack.
Mc Cain (French fries) will won, evenly with a donkey over Obama.
macca: “so mccain hammers home his point that a 47 year old one term senator is not ready to lead by choosing a 44 year old less than one term governor as his running mate? that’s some fine detective work there, lou.
her experience: beauty queen > sportscaster > mayor of town of 6,500 > governor of state with population approximately that of the omaha metro area > one heartbeat away from the presidency?
nice pick there, republicans.”
Obama has far less experience than Palin. She’s got a 10 year record of reform, tax cutting, fighting corruption. She’s actually *accomplished* things in the past 10 years. Obama? what has he done in the few years he’s been in congress? What committees has he chaired? Bills he’s sponsored? Legislation he’s helped pass? What issues can you point to that he’s made progress on?
Palin? Tons, tax cuts, cutting waste, getting rid of a bad wasteful bridge project, stood up to the governor of her state and the head of the republican party in her state on ethical issues.
And before you bring up the so-called “ethical issue” of her brother and law being fired, show me some actual proof that she was involved. Oh, I forgot, in politics all that matters is perception, damn the truth.
Obama is the weakest presidential candidate in modern history, far weaker than President Clinton was, he was a Lt Gov, and a Governor before he ran for office. All Obama has are fancy speeches.
Palin has actually *done* things. But yeah, please bring up this “experience” thing, I dare you.
alansky: “What this story has to do with the world of Macintosh is beyond me, but I’ll play:
McCain’s choice of running mate is shamefully irresponsible. He’s an aging old fart who could drop dead at any time, and who does he pick to head the government if he should croak but someone with not a shred of experience, not a single credential that would qualify her for such an important job. Totally disgusting!!!”
Nothing to do with the Mac.
I agree with you on that point.
On nothing else. Learn about this candidate a little she’s done a hell of a lot with her 10 years in public office.