My personal experiences relating to Governor Palin and her administration have been limited but meaningful.
When my wife and I received word that the State Education Board was proposing some changes that would impact the home school community, I sent an email to her office. Within a day I received an email, and a phone call, from one her right-hand aides. The assistance we received thereafter was amazing, they really cared about our view points and concerns relating to the education system.
On several other occasions I attended some community functions that held no benefit for political gain but she was in attendance because you could tell she truly felt it important to be a part of these various community functions. This is quite consistent with the Palin family strolling through the State Fair as everyday people, with no need for security or any other insulation from their fellow Alaskans.
Additionally, while some may not share the Governor’s spiritual beliefs, she has the courage to express them without concern for popular opinion, the opinion of her peers, or the political scrutiny that often follows. She is simply who she is and isn’t afraid to declare it over a microphone. This is, in my opinion, very non-Washingtonian, which I admire.
Perfect? Heck no! Do I think that her and her administration have been flawless in the handling of all state matters? Heck no! Do I think that her character is absolutely without blemish? Heck no. But are you and I? But I value that she strives to be ethical and honest. I also appreciate that she is a person of conviction; she saw no need for a private Governor’s jet and sold it. She saw no need for excessive staff to help with the domestic issues and trimmed it down. She saw corruption for what it is and pursued ethics reforms. She saw the impractical gridlock that the school administration faced every year by an outdated fiscal budgeting system and found a way to reschedule budgetary approvals so that school systems knew if, how much, and when to expect their budgets for each upcoming school year.
Do I believe that Sarah Palin was chosen by the McCain camp solely for political gain? Heck Yeah! But that was the McCain camp’s decision and motivation. Do I believe that she is qualified according to Washingtonian’s view point? Heck no. But isn’t it the traditional, “qualified politicians” that have us in our present financial mess because they have passed, and failed to pass, legislation that has allowed the financial industries to rape American taxpayers over and over again?
Sarah Palin is her own person and I’m sure she had her own motivations for accepting the nomination in spite of being a poster girl for the McCain camp. But within her motivations I am convinced lie a desire to work tirelessly for changes in Washington that will improve the quality, character and fabric of life in American. That’s why she’s getting my vote as a US citizen.