Letter to the editor: Palin announcement has generated “nothing but positive comments from friends and neighbors around town”

I am writing in response to an article entitled, “Reactions, Opinions of Palin’s Planned Visit Vary Greatly,” written by Jennifer Freeman in the Feb. 3 edition of the paper. I found that article limited in scope and incredibly biased towards the Palin visit. Words such as “polarizing,” and “quasi-political celebrity” instantly demonstrated your news editor’s political leanings. I also found it interesting that after reading this article, over 90 percent of the content was dedicated to those who are “ashamed” of her speaking engagement, which doesn’t really match the title of the article indicating “mixed reactions.” I just question that Washington, a community long known for more conservative politics, would have a majority take displeasure in Palin’s visit.
While it might be true that Palin has garnered a variety of reactions nationally, I have heard nothing but positive comments from friends and neighbors around town. I am a firm believer that our country needs more females in our higher posts and we should be careful of attacking female politicians more harshly than their male counterparts. I think it’s important to note that I supported Hillary Clinton during the primaries. There are a lot of parallels between the news coverage of Clinton and that of Palin — both endured myriad personal and gender-based attacks. 

 While I am respectful of every person’s right to have an opinion, I think it should be noted that many of the quotes included in the article were primarily based on just that—opinion, not fact—especially the assertion that Palin doesn’t qualify as a leader. Let’s set the record straight regarding some of Palin’s accomplishments to see if, in fact, she is deserving of that title:

• She has held the titles of city councilwoman, mayor, governor and VP candidate.

• She was both the first female governor of Alaska and the youngest to ever be elected.

• As governor, she slashed the Alaskan state budget by more than $600 million, got rid of corrupt cronies within the government (including fellow Republicans) and even attempted to sell the former governor’s extravagant private jet on eBay.

• She cut the state capitol’s budget and revamped the pension program for teachers, ensuring its future solvency.

• She championed a bill authorizing a pipeline from Alaska to the lower 48 states, which will lead to better fuel access and reduced consumption of foreign oil supplies in the future

• Even with biased coverage of her in the national media, Palin still maintains her title as one of the most popular governors in Alaskan history. As late as June of 2009, she still maintained voter approval ratings in excess of 56 percent, which is far higher than our current president, and during much of her tenure as governor, she received an average of 78 percent. 

I think her record speaks for itself. Less government, slashed budgets, lower reliance on foreign oil and an overhaul of ethics in politics all make for a very impressive résumé—and one that might even be more compelling today than it before, given our current crisis.

While there will always be hate groups out there, determined to attack and destroy her, Palin, much like Hillary Clinton, has proven herself to be quite a fighter, and most certainly a leader. 

While a small, isolated Facebook group of 350+ members might make for a good news story, it surely doesn’t represent our entire community. 

Richard Ellis