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September 12, 2008
Exclusive: Obama and Palin – Side by Side
How do they stack up?
Barack Obama is supposed to be running against John McCain, but with the entrance of Sarah Palin onto the national political stage, it seems as though the race is now between these two political powerhouses.
Much has been made of Obama’s judgment to lead in spite of his youth and relative inexperience. Likewise, much has been made of Palin’s unfitness to be first in line to the presidency because of her youth and relative inexperience. Therefore, it might be helpful for voters to take a look at their qualifications on key issues side by side in order to make a more informed choice at the polls in November.
| | Sarah Palin | Barack Obama |
| Age | 44 | 48 |
| Current Job | ||
| Candidate for… | Vice president | President |
| Other public jobs/positions | Illinois state senator; senior law lecturer at University of Chicago Law School; ACORN community organizer | |
| Executive experience | Governor for two years; mayor for 10 years | None |
| Foreign relations experience | Governor of a state that borders two foreign nations (Canada and Russia) | Chair of Senate subcommittee on Europe but never called it into session; took a trip to the Middle East and Europe during the campaign and made a speech in Germany; took a trip to Pakistan while in college; multicultural background: living in Indonesia for four years as a child; absentee father from Kenya |
| Military affairs experience | Commander-in-Chief of the Alaska National Guard | None |
| Private sector experience | Sportscaster; worked in her husband’s family’s commercial fishing business | |
| Troop support | ||
| “Maverick” credentials | Married to a non-Republican; exposed corruption within own party; endorsed Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell in his run against pork-friendly GOP congressman Don Young; called on Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) to “come clean” about financial dealings that are under federal investigation | Most liberal member of the Senate in 2007, according to National Journal |
| Legislative accomplishments | Supported and signed a landmark ethics reform bill; used line-item veto to cut millions from state spending; prevented “bridge to nowhere” that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars | Major legislation sponsored is the Global Poverty Act, which would cost the American taxpayers $845 billion; voted “present” over 100 times as Illinois state senator |
| History of dealing with corruption | 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 |
| Second Amendment | Lifetime member of NRA and avid hunter | 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; asked for $740 million in earmarks over a three-year period |
| Abortion | Pro-life; gave birth to fifth child knowing that he would have Down’s syndrome | Pro-choice; while Illinois state senator voted against the Born Alive Infant’s Protection Act, which required medical care to be given to live infants who survived abortions (and lied about the reason for his vote) |
| Energy | Believes energy independence is a matter of national security; for drilling in ANWR, which is in her state; brokered a multi-billion dollar pipeline deal with a Canadian company | 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; believes Americans would have gotten used to a “gradual adjustment” |
Compiled from various internet sources.
Brought to you by the editors and research staff of FamilySecurityMatters.org.
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