The State of Sarah Palin

by Philip Gourevitch
Issue: Sept 22


The last presidential election was securely grounded in states that regularly play a role in national politics. The candidates, Bush and Kerry, hailed from Texas and Massachusetts, respectively. And the national conventions were held in cities that made sense. Democrats flocked to Boston; Republicans convened minutes from Ground Zero.

This election has been far more inclusive. Iowans were still the first to make their voices heard, but the primaries were make-or-break up until the very end, allowing voters from a wide array of states to appear on the evening news. And John McCain, by picking Alaska's governor as his running mate, propelled American's 50th state into the spotlight.

You got all your information about Alaska from a very interesting piece in the New Yorker. It went into depth about how Alaskans think of subsistence as a "fundamental right," but have also grown accustomed to an influx of federal dollars owing to Sen. Ted Stevens' efforts in Washington.

According to the article, Alaska is sometimes referred to as "America's socialist state" because residents collectively own the state's resources and therefore collect a portion of oil royalties. So why is Palin going around this week calling Barack Obama a socialist?

"It has been Palin's good fortune to govern the state at a time of record oil prices, which means record dividend checks: two thousand dollars for every Alaskan," Gourevitch writes. "And because high oil prices also mean staggering heating bills in such a cold place—and because it's always good politics to give money to voters—Palin got the legislature this year to send an extra twelve hundred dollars to every Alaskan man, woman, and child."

Child? Well, to be fair, some have families to support.