89% Approval Rating for Palin!

If you thought that Gov. Palin's approval ratings couldn't get any higher, you were wrong.

Last month, I posted polls showing the Governor with record-shattering approval, ranging between 73% and 83%. I used words like "amazing" to describe those numbers, but I think that I am going to have to start using even stronger terms after seeing this recent poll from Ivan Moore Research...it shows Palin with a ridiculously high approval rating of 89%! And this is at a time when many other major figures in Alaska are tanking in the polls because of alleged involvement in a bribery/extortion scandal.

If you who still think I'm crazy for promoting Palin as a potential VP, then I'd like you to give me one good reason why whoever wins the GOP nomination shouldn't consider her as a running mate. She has passed more significant legislation ("AGIA" and ethics reform) in one term than many governors can pass in eight years, so the "she has no experience" line is quickly being shredded; and these new approval numbers show that she is more than capable of winning the hearts and minds of voters.

Tags: Sarah Palin, AGIA, Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, Alaska Gasline, Vice-President , 2008 Election, President 2008, Running Mate, VPOTUS, Veep , Palin, Rudy Giuliani , VP 2008, Alaska

"Wildly successful" legislative session for Palin!

The Alaska State Legislature has adjourned its 2006-2007 session, and it looks to this blogger as if Sarah Palin is well on her way to becoming one of the most successful governors in the nation. Her signature legislation, the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA), was passed - a fest that many had not expected to happen before the end of the session. Yet, to the surprise of many (myself included) it flew through the House by a vote of 37-1 and the Senate in a 20-0 shutout. The State of Alaska can now begin accepting bids from companies who wish to build a gas pipeline. Alaskans have been waiting a very long time for this gasline, but it took Governor Palin on a matter of months to pass legislation that ensures that a line is not only built, but built in a such a way that it services the Alaskan people as much as it does the rest of the world.

In addition to AGIA, Palin's ethics reform legislation was also passed. Maybe now Alaska can look forward to cleaner government (note my previous post about the recent bribery/extortion indictments of three legislators). And while the legislature may be going home, there could still a lot of action remaining in this session should Palin decide to use her line-item veto power to slash the budget that the legislature has put on her desk.

Palin described this session as "wildly successful" for her young administration, but she isn't taking time to rest on her laurels over the summer. Instead, it looks as if there will be a special session of the legislature, which, for as much as it did, still hasn't been able to deal with everything on it's plate. Top priority: revisiting the "Petroleum Production Tax" passed last year, which appears to have been shaped by legislators who were trading their votes for various perks provided by the pipeline maintenance company VECO (that's what all of the indictments are about).

So, in conclusion, this proves that Sarah Palin is not only smart, gutsy, conservative, and charismatic; but that she is also one of the most effective leaders in the United States. If is able to continue implementing her conservative agenda at such a breakneck pace, then I doubt that I will remain the only one calling for her to run for national office.

Tags: Sarah Palin, AGIA, Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, Alaska Gasline, Vice-President , 2008 Election, President 2008, Running Mate, VPOTUS, Veep , Palin, Rudy Giuliani , VP 2008, Alaska

Palin has guts - threatens veto of AGIA

Yesterday, Governor Palin once again confirmed my belief that she should be elevated to national office. Refusing to play politics with the best interests of Alaskans, the governor threatened to veto her own signature piece of legislation, the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA), if the state legislature makes substantial changes to the bill. The key issue being debated is whether or not companies applying to build the gasline must agree to certain "must-have" provisions, such as delivering natural gas to points within Alaska, employing Alaskan workers. Naturally, Alaska's "big three" oil producers want these "must haves" to become "optional", but Palin is having none of it. She said "If AGIA were gutted by not requiring Alaska’s must-haves, then absolutely I would veto it". This is a gutsy move, and I admire Governor Palin for making it.

I would also like to note that Alaska has every right to ask for these "must-haves", because it is the Alaskan Government that is trying to get this gasline built, and it is offeringto pump up to $500 million into the project. For the oil companies to tell Alaska that it can't place conditions on bidders is ludicrous, because Alaska in this case would be the winning bidder's customer...and any good businessman knows that the customer is always right. If I go to a restaurant, the manager does not have right to force me to order a dish that I don't want, and oil companies have no right to tell the Alaskan government to change its criteria for an acceptable proposal to build a gasline.

Bravo, Governor Palin!

Tags: Sarah Palin, AGIA, Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, Alaska Gasline, Vice-President , 2008 Election, President 2008, Running Mate, VPOTUS, Veep , Palin, Rudy Giuliani , VP 2008, Alaska

Indictments Rock Alaskan Politics

I will be watching this story very closely, as it could be a defining moment for the Palin administration - especially considering that the governor is aggressively pushing ethics reform:

One sitting state representative and two former legislators were arrested and indicted Friday. Rep. Vic Kohring (R-Wasilla), former Representative Bruce Weyrauch (R-Juneau), and former House Speaker Pete Kott (R-Eagle River) racked up 11 charges between the three of them, including bribery and extortion. They supposedly agreed to use their positions in the legislature to advance the interests of the oil pipeline service company VECO, trading their votes on important tax legislation for cash and other rewards from the company.

The charges have been expected since last August, when the FBI raided the offices of six state legislators. An unnamed former senator is named in the indictment, and suspicion is swirling around VECO CEO William Allen and the company's chief lobbyist Rick Smith, so more arrests are possible.

For more info, visit these links:

Watch Gov. Palin react to the scandal.

Read about the arrests at KTUU.com

Tags: Sarah Palin, Vice-President , 2008 Election, President 2008, Running Mate, VPOTUS, Veep , Palin, Rudy Giuliani , VP 2008, Alaska, VECO