Johannesburg

Saturday

Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm.

16°C
29°C

7 day forecasts
US Elections

Palin stirs mixed feelings

2008-11-05 09:29

Governor Sarah Palin is een on stage during an election night rally in Phoenix. (Elise Amendola, AP)

Galleries   ·   User Galleries   ·   News in Pictures Send us your pictures  ·  Send us your stories

Special Report

Obama could include Republicans

President-elect Barack Obama's incoming administration could include Republicans, or even some members of the current Cabinet, a top transition aide says.

Fairbanks, Alaska - Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin evoked mixed feelings among voters in her home state in Tuesday's election.

Some cited her as a good reason to back White House hopeful John McCain while others said the governor was not yet ready for the national stage.

Dick Sullivan, a retired state worker, said he liked that Palin hailed from Alaska and was not a seasoned politician.

"She's got gumption. She speaks plain English," he said, before US media pronounced Barack Obama the winner of the 2008 presidential elections.

Amber Cheney, a pharmacist in Fairbanks, said Palin might be new to the political scene but had the ability and the advisers needed to succeed.

"It's true, she's not as experienced as most, but she's a quick study, and she surrounds herself with people who are experienced," she said.

But some voters argued the first-term Alaska governor was simply out of her league in the national arena.

Strategic manoeuvre of the century

"I had this illusion that our political officers were better," said Casey Yordy, a university student in Fairbanks.

Yordy criticised McCain's choice of Palin as a bid to pick up supporters of Obama's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

"It was kind of the strategic manoeuvre of the century," he said. "It was a weak attempt to ride the Hillary power."

Kara Lyons, another university student, said McCain's pick of Palin made Obama more attractive to her.

"My vote might have changed if she wasn't on the ticket," Lyons said. "She's clueless. She just doesn't seem like she's ready to be VP."

But Will Robinson, a student from the logging town of Wrangell, said he voted for the Republican ticket because he believed Palin would ensure that Alaska's interests were met, he said. "I always think about the state first."

Military voters were split over Palin's candidacy.

'I think it's been great for Alaska'

Nate Frankenberger, a specialist stationed at the Fort Wainwright Army Post in Fairbanks, said he liked that McCain and Palin both had sons serving in the military.

But Nikole Curry, a military spouse, chose Obama because of his promise to get troops out of Iraq. "My husband's in Iraq right now fighting for our country, and I'd like him home," she said. "It's a ridiculous war."

Curry said she thought any security risk posed by Iraq had been eliminated, and it was more important to use limited resources on challenges at home in the United States.

"We took care of the issues and now we're dilly-dallying," she said.

Alaska's lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell, was at the Peanut Farm, a sports bar in Anchorage.

"I think it's been great for Alaska," he said of having an Alaskan on the ticket. "She has been able to put a face to Alaska and bring what we offer to the nation."

Back at the Democratic headquarters, Obama supporter Pam Bradley was less enthusiastic about Palin representing the state on the Republican ticket.

"I hope she didn't use up our 15 minutes of fame," she said. "Alaska's a good place."

Alaska has voted strongly Republican in recent presidential elections, voting 61-36% for Bush in 2004. The state has many more registered Republicans than Democrats (127 000 to 77 000), but more than half of voters are registered non-partisan or undeclared.

- AFP

inside news24

Weather
Traffic
Lottery
Cpt: 17-24°C Mostly sunny. Mild. Pta: 18-32°C Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm.
Jhb: 16-29°C Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm. Bloem: 16-31°C Sunny. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 23-29°C Sprinkles late. Afternoon clouds. Warm. PE: 19-24°C Morning clouds. Mild.
7 day forecasts...

Jobs - Find your dream job

Teller

Gauteng
First National Bank

Senior Audit Manager(AA)

Gauteng - Pretoria
Network Recruitment CA- Centurion
R850,000-950,000 Per Annum Cost To Company

Financial Director (AA)

KwaZulu Natal - Durban
Network Recruitment CA- Centurion
R850,000-950,000 Per Annum Cost To Company

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2006 Audi A8 4.2 Quattro Tiptronic
67000kms / Quartz Grey / R379 000

AUDI

A6 3.0 T FSi Quattro Tiptronic
2009
R 589,000.00

ISUZU

KB240i D-Cab LE PU MY07
2007
R 179,900.00

MERCEDES

CLS 500 7-sp Touchshift
2005
R 439,990.00

Property - Find a new home

BANTRY BAY

Single Residential - House R 27 000 000

MORNINGSIDE

Single Residential - House R 16 500 000

UMDLOTI BEACH

Single Residential - House R 6 800 000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!

Kalahari.net - shop online today

All Games on Sale

God of War III, Battlefield Bad Company II & more new releases coming soon!

1000s of Kids' Books on Sale

Order your little ones Mr Men, Miss Little, Spot, The Vampire Diaries & more!

All Music on Sale

Get 10% off 24hr music, plus order your copy of the NEW Arno Carsten, Nianell & more!

30% Off Selected DVDs

100s of Oscar winners now on sale! American Beauty, Step Up, Happy Feet, Casino Royale & more!

Order ALL your UNISA textbooks from kalahari.net

Find all your UNISA books you require for your studies and get them delivered right to your doorstep!

Hot Deal of the Day!

Oscars 2010 DVDs on Sale

82 Years of Best Pictures

Casablanca, Titanic, Braveheart, American Beauty, Silence Of The Lambs & more!

Visit www.kalahari.net for millions of books, music, DVDs, games & more!