Sarah Palin

Barack Obama

Office being sought

Vice President

President of the United States
and Leader of the Free World

Full name

Sarah Louise Heath Palin

Barack Hussein Obama II

Nickname

Sarah Barracuda

Barry Obama; “The One”

Public opinion

Smoking
hot in a “naughty librarian” sort of way

May be The Messiah

Age

44

48

Children

5: two sons, three daughters

2: two daughters

Religion/Church attendance

Evangelical Christian; attends
Juneau Christian Center when in Juneau and grew up attending
Wasilla Assembly of God

Attended
Trinity United Church of Christ for 20 years, a “black
liberation theology” church formerly led by Rev. Jeremiah
Wright and governed according to the

Black Value System

Current Job

Governor of Alaska

Junior Senator from Illinois

Previous Public Jobs

Mayor of Wasilla, AK
(1996-2002); President of Alaska Conference of Mayors; City
Council member (1992-1996)

State Senator
(1997-2004);Community Organizer

Executive Experience

Governor for 2 years; Mayor
for 10 years

None

Foreign Relations experience

Governor of state that borders
two foreign countries (Canada and Russia)

Chaired Senate subcommittee on
Europe but never called it into session; once gave a speech
to 200,000 screaming Germans

Military Affairs experience

Commander in Chief of Alaska
National Guard; Son is enlisted Infantryman in U.S. Army

None

Private Sector Experience

Sports reporter; Salmon
fisherman

Associate at civil rights law
firm

Speaking ability

Beautifully executed initial
stump speech in Dayton, OH hockey arena without a
teleprompter

An enter.wait-did you say
without a teleprompter??

Spouse’s name

Todd Mitchell Palin

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson
Obama

Spouse’s occupation

Salmon fisherman; Former North
Slope production supervisor for BP Oil

Vice President for Community
and External Affairs at University of Chicago Hospitals;
former Associate Dean of Student Services at the University
of Chicago; former Executive Director for the Chicago office
of Public Allies;

Reaction to spouse’s political
success

Quit 17-year BP oil job when
BP became involved in natural gas pipeline negotiations with
wife’s administration

Promoted and given 160% pay
raise by UofC hospitals within months of husband’s election
to U.S. Senate; Employer received $1,000,000.00 federal
earmark, requested by husband, after her promotion

Coolest thing about Spouse

Tesoro Iron Dog Snowmobile
race champion (longest snowmobile race in the world); In
2008, while defending his championship, was injured when he
was thrown 70 feet from his machine. He was sent to the
hospital but still finished in fourth place

Sister of Oregon State
University head basketball coach Craig Robinson

Most Courageous Moment in
Public Service

Resigned in protest from
position of Ethics Commissioner of Alaska Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission in order to expose legal violations
and conflicts of interest of Alaska Republican leaders,
including the former state Attorney General and the State
GOP Chairman (who was also an Oil & Gas Commissioner), who
was doing work for the party on public time and supplying a
lobbyist with a sensitive e-mail.

Gave an anti-Iraq war speech
to a crowd of anti-Iraq war demonstrators in Hyde Park in
2002

In Current Office Because.

Upset sitting Governor in GOP
primary due to public support for her efforts to clean up
corrupt government establishment

Republican opponent, who was
leading in the polls, was forced to leave race after
unsealing of divorce records exposed a sex scandal

Theme:

Change and Clean Government

Hope and Change;” Bringing
Change from Outside Washington”

What they’ve done to live that
theme:

Replaced entire Board of
Agriculture and Conservation because of conflict of
interest; Resigned from position of Ethics Commissioner of
the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in order to
expose corruption among members of own party

Selected 36-year incumbent
Senator as running mate

Family Affairs

May have removed State Public
Safety Commissioner as part of effort to protect sister in
messy divorce and child custody battle

Often says, “I am my brother’s
keeper”; Brother lives in a hut in Nairobi on $12 per year

Union affiliation

Union member, married to Union
member

Endorsed by a union

Iraq and Troop Support

Formerly (pre-surge) critical
of apparent lack of long-term strategy for Iraq; Visited
wounded U.S. soldiers in Germany; visited AK National Guard
soldiers deployed to Kuwait;

Gave an anti-Iraq war speech
to a crowd of anti-Iraq war demonstrators; almost visited
wounded troops in Germany, but decided to go shopping in
Berlin instead

Bipartisan/”maverick”
credentials

Married to a non-Republican;
Exposed corruption within own party; Campaigned for Lt. Gov.
Sean Parnell against corrupt GOP congressman Don Young;

Talks about bipartisanship

Legislative Record

Passed a landmark ethics
reform bill; Used veto to cut budgetary spending; Prevented
“bridge to nowhere” that would have cost taxpayers $400
million dollars.

Voted “present” over 100 times
as IL state senator. Introduced bill to teach kindergartners
sex education.

How they dealt with corrupt
individuals in home city/state

Exposed legal violations and
conflicts of interest of Alaska Republican leaders;
Campaigned against corrupt GOP Representative; Ran against
and defeated corrupt incumbent governor in GOP primary

Launched political career in
home of unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers (and still
refers to him as a part of “mainstream Democratic Chicago”;
Purchased home with help of convicted felon Tony Rezko

Guns

Lifetime member of NRA and
avid hunter; video can be found on YouTube of Palin firing
an M4 at a military firing range

Worked to pass legislation in
Illinois that would prevent all law-abiding citizens from
owning firearms

Earmarks

Opposed “Bridge to Nowhere”
project; Said Alaska should avoid relying on federal money
for projects; Campaigned against porker Don Young (R-AK) in
2008 primary

Secured
federal earmarks for wife’s employer and for

campaign bundlers

Abortion

Pro life; gave birth to 5th
child knowing that he would have Down’s syndrome

Pro-choice; only IL state sen.
to speak against the Born Alive Infant’s Protection Act,
which required medical care to be given to live infants who
survived abortions

Energy

Believes energy independence
is a matter of national security; For drilling in ANWR,
which is in her state

Says Americans should “get
tune-ups” and “check tire pressure”; Says “we can’t expect
the world to be okay with” our use of heating and air
conditioning

Environment

Chair of Alaska Conservation
Commission (2003-4);Announced plans to create sub-cabinet
group of advisors to address climate change and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions in AK

Talks about the environment a
lot

Athletic prowess

Runs marathons

Has reporters tailing him to
the gym