John McCain
Announces Governor
Sarah Palin As His
Vice Presidential
Running Mate
"So for my part,
the mission is
clear. The next 67
days I'm going to
take our campaign to
every part of our
country and our
message of reform to
every voter of every
background, in every
political party, or
no party at all. If
you want change in
Washington, if you
hope for a better
America, then we're
asking for your vote
on the 4th of
November." --
Governor Sarah Palin
John McCain And
Governor Sarah Palin
Remarks
Dayton, OH
August 29, 2008
John McCain:
"I'm very happy,
very happy today to
spend my birthday
with you and to make
an historic
announcement in
Dayton, a city built
on hard, honest work
of good people. Like
the entire
industrial Midwest,
Dayton has
contributed much to
the prosperity and
progress of America.
"And now in these
tough, changing
times, after all
you've done for our
country, you want
your government to
understand what
you're going
through, to stand on
your side and fight
for you. And that's
what I intend to do.
That's why I'm
running for
president, to fight
for you, to make
government stand on
your side, not in
your way.
"My friends, I've
spent the last few
months looking --
looking for a
running mate who can
best help me shake
up Washington and
make it start
working again for
the people that are
counting on us. As
I'm sure you know, I
had many good people
to choose from, all
of them dedicated to
this country and to
getting us back on
the road to
prosperity and
peace. And I am very
grateful to all of
them and honored by
their willingness to
serve with me. And
I'm going to
continue to rely on
their support and
counsel during this
campaign and after
we win this
election, when the
real work begins.
"But I could only
choose one. And it's
with great pride and
gratitude that I
tell you I have
found the right
partner to help me
stand up to those
who value their
privileges over
their
responsibilities,
who put power over
principle and put
their interest
before your needs.
"I found someone
with an outstanding
reputation for
standing up to
special interests
and entrenched
bureaucracies;
someone who has
fought against
corruption and the
failed policies of
the past; someone
who stopped
government from
wasting taxpayers'
money on things they
don't want or need,
and put it back to
work for the people;
someone with
executive experience
who has shown great
tenacity and skill
in tackling tough
problems, especially
our dangerous
dependence on
foreign oil; someone
who reached across
the aisle and asked
Republicans,
Democrats and
independents to
serve in government;
someone with strong
principles, a
fighting spirit and
deep compassion
someone who grew up
in a decent,
hardworking
middle-class family,
whose father was an
elementary school
teacher and mother
was the school's
secretary.
"They taught their
children to care
about others, to
work hard and to
stand up with
courage for the
things you believe
in. Both of them
were coaches, too,
and raised their
children to excel at
sports. And I'm sure
they taught them
skills that will
surely come in handy
over the next two
months.
"The person I'm
about to introduce
to you was a union
member and is
married to a union
member, and
understands the
problems, the hopes
and the values of
working people;
knows what it's like
to worry about
mortgage payments
and health care, the
cost of gasoline and
groceries. A
standout high school
point guard; a
concerned citizen
who became a member
of the PTA; then a
city council member,
and then a mayor;
and now a governor
who beat the long
odds to win a tough
election on a
message of reform
and public
integrity. And, I am
especially proud to
say in the week we
celebrate the
anniversary of
women's suffrage, a
devoted wife and a
mother of five.
"She's not -- she's
not from these parts
and she's not from
Washington. But when
you get to know her,
you're going to be
as impressed as I
am. She's got the
grit, integrity,
good sense and
fierce devotion to
the common good that
is exactly what we
need in Washington
today. She knows
where she comes from
and she knows who
she works for. She
stands up for what's
right, and she
doesn't let anyone
tell her to sit
down. She's fought
oil companies and
party bosses and
do-nothing
bureaucrats, and
anyone who puts
their interests
before the interests
of the people she
swore an oath to
serve.
"She's exactly who I
need, she's exactly
who this country
needs, to help me
fight -- to help me
fight the same old
Washington politics
of me-first and
country second.
"My friends and
fellow Americans, I
am very pleased and
very privileged to
introduce to you the
next vice president
of the United States
-- Governor Sarah
Palin of the great
state of Alaska."
...
Governor Sarah Palin:
"And I thank you,
Senator McCain and
Mrs. McCain, for the
confidence that you
have placed in me.
Senator, I am
honored to be chosen
as your running
mate. I will be
honored to serve
next to the next
president of the
United States.
"I know that when
Senator McCain gave
me this opportunity,
he had a short list
of highly qualified
men and women, and
to have made that
list at all -- it
was a privilege. And
to have been chosen
brings a great
challenge. I know
that it will demand
the best that I have
to give, and I
promise nothing
less.
"First, there are a
few people whom I
would like you to
meet. I want to
start with my
husband, Todd. And
Todd and I are
actually celebrating
our 20th anniversary
today, and I
promised him a
little surprise for
the anniversary
present, and
hopefully he knows
that I did deliver.
"And then we have as
-- after my husband,
who is a lifelong
commercial
fisherman, lifetime
Alaskan -- he's a
production operator.
Todd is a production
operator in the oil
fields up on
Alaska's North
Slope, and he's a
proud member of the
United Steelworkers
Union, and he's a
world champion snow
machine racer. Todd
and I met way back
in high school, and
I can tell you that
he is still the man
that I admire most
in this world.
"Along the way, Todd
and I have shared
many blessings, and
four out of five of
them are here with
us today. Our oldest
son, Track, though,
he'll be following
the presidential
campaign from afar.
On September 11th of
last year, our son
enlisted in the
United States Army.
Track now serves in
an infantry brigade.
And on September
11th, Track will
deploy to Iraq in
the service of his
country. And Todd
and I are so proud
of him and of all
the fine men and
women serving the
country in uniform.
"Next to Todd is our
daughter Bristol;
another daughter,
Willow; our youngest
daughter, Piper; and
over in their arms
is our son Trig, a
beautiful baby boy.
He was born just in
April. His name is
Trig Paxson Van
Palin.
"Some of life's
greatest
opportunities come
unexpectedly, and
this is certainly
the case today. I
never really set out
to be involved in
public affairs, much
less to run for this
office. My mom and
dad both worked at
the local elementary
school. And my
husband and I, we
both grew up working
with our hands.
"I was just your
average 'hockey mom'
in Alaska. We were
busy raising our
kids. I was serving
as the team mom and
coaching some
basketball on the
side. I got involved
in the PTA and then
was elected to the
city council and
then elected mayor
of my hometown,
where my agenda was
to stop wasteful
spending and cut
property taxes and
put the people
first.
"I was then
appointed ethics
commissioner and
chairman of the
Alaska Oil and Gas
Conservation
Commission, and when
I found corruption
there, I fought it
hard and I held the
offenders to
account. Along with
fellow reformers in
the great state of
Alaska, as governor,
I've stood up to the
old politics as
usual, to the
special interests,
to the lobbyists,
the Big Oil
companies and the
'good old boy'
network.
"When oil and gas
prices went up so
dramatically and the
state revenues
followed with that
increase, I sent a
large share of that
revenue directly
back to the people
of Alaska -- and we
are now -- we're now
embarking on a $40
billion natural gas
pipeline to help
lead America to
energy independence.
"I signed major
ethics reforms, and
I appointed both
Democrats and
independents to
serve in my
administration. And
I've championed
reform to end the
abuses of earmark
spending by
Congress. In fact, I
told Congress
thanks, but no
thanks, on that
"Bridge to Nowhere."
If our state wanted
a bridge, I said,
we'd build it
ourselves.
"Well, it's always,
though, safer in
politics to avoid
risk, to just kind
of go along with the
status quo. But I
didn't get into
government to do the
safe and easy
things. A ship in
harbor is safe, but
that's not why the
ship is built.
Politics isn't just
a game of competing
interests and
clashing parties.
The people of
America expect us to
seek public office
and to serve for the
right reasons. And
the right reason is
to challenge the
status quo and to
serve the common
good.
"Now, no one expects
us to agree on
everything, whether
in Juneau or in
Washington. But we
are expected to
govern with
integrity and good
will and clear
convictions and a
servant's heart.
"Now, no leader in
America has shown
these qualities so
clearly or presents
so clear a threat to
business as usual in
Washington as
Senator John S.
McCain. This -- this
is a moment when
principles and
political
independence matter
a lot more than just
the party line. And
this is a man who
has always been
there to serve his
country, not just
his party.
"And this is a
moment that requires
resolve and
toughness and
strength of heart in
the American
president. And my
running mate is a
man who has shown
those qualities in
the darkest of
places and in the
service of his
country. A colleague
once said about
Senator McCain: That
man did things for
this country that
few people could go
through; never
forget that. And
that speaker was
former Senator John
Glenn of Ohio. And
John Glenn knows
something about
heroism.
"And I'm going to
make sure nobody
does forget that in
his campaign. There
is only one
candidate who has
truly fought for
America, and that
man is John McCain.
"This is a moment --
this is a moment
when great causes
can be won and great
threats overcome,
depending on the
judgment of our next
president. In a
dangerous world, it
is John McCain who
will lead America's
friends and allies
in preventing Iran
from acquiring
nuclear weapons.
"It was John McCain
who cautioned long
ago about the harm
that Russian
aggression could do
to Georgia and to
other small
Democratic neighbors
and to the world oil
markets.
"It was Senator
McCain who refused
to hedge his support
for our troops in
Iraq, regardless of
the political costs.
And you know what?
As the mother of one
of those troops and
as the commander of
Alaska's National
Guard, that's the
kind of man I want
as our commander in
chief.
"Profiles in
courage, they can be
hard to come by
these days. You
know, so often we
just find them in
books. But next week
when we nominate
John McCain for
president, we're
putting one on the
ballot!
"To serve as vice
president beside
such a man would be
the privilege of a
lifetime, and it's
fitting that this
trust has been given
to me 88 years
almost to the day
after the women of
America first gained
the right to vote.
"I think as well
today of two other
women who came
before me in
national elections.
I can't begin this
great effort without
honoring the
achievements of
Geraldine Ferraro in
1984, and, of
course, Senator
Hillary Clinton, who
showed such
determination and
grace in her
presidential
campaign.
"It was rightly
noted in Denver this
week that Hillary
left 18 million
cracks in the
highest, hardest
glass ceiling in
America. But it
turns out the women
of America aren't
finished yet, and we
can shatter that
glass ceiling once
and for all.
"So for my part, the
mission is clear.
The next 67 days I'm
going to take our
campaign to every
part of our country
and our message of
reform to every
voter of every
background, in every
political party, or
no party at all. If
you want change in
Washington, if you
hope for a better
America, then we're
asking for your vote
on the 4th of
November.
"My fellow
Americans, come join
our cause. Join our
cause and help our
country to elect a
great man the next
president of the
United States. And I
thank you, and I --
God bless you, I
say, and God bless
America. Thank you."
JOHN MCCAIN
SELECTS ALASKA
GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN
AS VICE PRESIDENTIAL
RUNNING MATE
For Immediate
Release
Friday, August 29,
2008
ARLINGTON, VA --
U.S. Senator John
McCain today
announced that he
has selected Alaska
Governor Sarah Palin
to be his running
mate and to serve as
his vice president.
Governor Palin is a
tough executive who
has demonstrated
during her time in
office that she is
ready to be
president. She has
brought Republicans
and Democrats
together within her
Administration and
has a record of
delivering on the
change and reform
that we need in
Washington.
Governor Palin has
challenged the
influence of the big
oil companies while
fighting for the
development of new
energy resources.
She leads a state
that matters to
every one of us --
Alaska has
significant energy
resources and she
has been a leader in
the fight to make
America energy
independent.
In Alaska, Governor
Palin challenged a
corrupt system and
passed a landmark
ethics reform bill.
She has actually
used her veto and
cut budgetary
spending. She put a
stop to the "bridge
to nowhere" that
would have cost
taxpayers $400
million dollars.
As the head of
Alaska's National
Guard and as the
mother of a soldier
herself, Governor
Palin understands
what it takes to
lead our nation and
she understands the
importance of
supporting our
troops.
Governor Palin has
the record of reform
and bipartisanship
that others can only
speak of. Her
experience in
shaking up the
status quo is
exactly what is
needed in Washington
today.
Source: John
McCain 2008 |