The first part of Greta van Susteren’s exclusive interview with Todd Palin:
Unsurprisingly, Alaska’s “First Dude” comes across as a regular guy in every sense, albeit one who is fairly at ease being interviewed for a national TV program; van Susteren doesn’t really seem to know what to do with him. He doesn’t really do much ‘selling’ of his wife’s campaign here, just answers the questions put to him and gives a tour of his property.
We don’t really have a ‘mold’ for male political spouses at the national level – Bill Clinton and Bob Dole were both established national political figures in their own right, John Zaccaro was a crook who got indicted a few months after the election (fine vetting job done by Jim Johnson, there). Todd Palin – commercial fisherman, snowmobile racer, oil field worker, blue-collar jack-of-all-trades – is definitely a departure from the people who usually populate the national stage. When van Susteren asks about when they first got wind that Gov. Palin was under serious consideration for the VP slot, he mentions that he was working the night shift on the North Slope.
Daniel Horowitz
Neil Stevens
Steve Maley
Jake Walker
Thanks Dan!
Matthew Morris (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 7:01PM EST (link)I hope everyone else gets to see these. I watched them all last night. Quite an interesting viewing too. Just the thought of this guy on the national stage. The contrast! Mind boggling for sure.
Todd Palin can build his own house, fly his own plane, race his snow machine for 2000+ miles (we all got to have our fun things to do, afterall), drop a moose, catch some fish, operate heavy equipment and manage a crew in the arctic dark at -40 to -80 below… did I forget anything? Oh wait- change diapers!
Talk about a dose of real-people reality for the beltway and drive-by elites class.
“I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Ipsum esse subsistens
Dillingham!
desertdweller (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 7:21PM EST (link)Dillingham’s a small fishing town. Last time I passed through, the salmon boats were all dry docked. Busy in the summers, quiet in the winter.
It is hard to describe such a town to folks on the mainland. The only way in is by air or by sea. The paved roads all dead end just out of town — maybe 10 or 15 miles from one end to the other. There was seasonal commercial jet service on a hybrid passenger / cargo plane when I passed through. Milk, as in all Alaska, is flown in. Fresh veggies are expensive.
You have to be a bit of a survivor, even living in town.
Dillingham!
desertdweller (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 7:22PM EST (link)Dillingham’s a small fishing town. Last time I passed through, the salmon boats were all dry docked. Busy in the summers, quiet in the winter.
It is hard to describe such a town to folks on the mainland. The only way in is by air or by sea. The paved roads all dead end just out of town — maybe 10 or 15 miles from one end to the other. There was seasonal commercial jet service on a hybrid passenger / cargo plane when I passed through. Milk, as in all Alaska, is flown in. Fresh veggies are expensive.
You have to be a bit of a survivor, even living in town.
Dillingham!
desertdweller (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 7:22PM EST (link)Dillingham’s a small fishing town. Last time I passed through, the salmon boats were all dry docked. Busy in the summers, quiet in the winter.
It is hard to describe such a town to folks on the mainland. The only way in is by air or by sea. The paved roads all dead end just out of town — maybe 10 or 15 miles from one end to the other. There was seasonal commercial jet service on a hybrid passenger / cargo plane when I passed through. Milk, as in all Alaska, is flown in. Fresh veggies are expensive.
You have to be a bit of a survivor, even living in town.
powerful interview
jwalmach (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 7:36PM EST (link)No snow machines in my garage but I do have motorcycles. I was relating to this guy from one end to the next as I’m sure a lot of guys across the country were.
I haven’t looked but I’d be willing to guess the MSM is going to keep their distance from this guy to avoid exposing him too much. He’s resonating with too many people for their liking.
Anyone know if he’s being interviewed anywhere else?
Delightful
tir (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 7:39PM EST (link)I really enjoyed that interview. Especially after the last interview I watched, which was the Gibson/Palin one.
I know the purposes were different but it was nice to have Todd Palin interviewed and see the normalness of their family.
I have to admit, I was worried for a second that maybe she’d ask him if their first baby was conceived before or after the marriage. (Obviously, I have been reading too much leftie crap.)
He's more qualified than Obama.
29Victor (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 7:40PM EST (link)Fishes.
Hunts.
Pilot.
Snowmobiler.
Built his own house.
I don’t know if Sarah Palin is more qualified to be president than Obama but her husband is definitely more qualified to be a man than Obama.
Todd's not quite a dime a dozen here,
Achance (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 7:47PM EST (link)but he’s not unique by any means. Their lifestyle is towards the upper side, Slope workers are working class royalty, but if you’ve been here a while, houses on lakes and Super Cubs, or boats of equivalent value, are within reach for most anyone with a decent job and some personal discipline – and no divorces!
The only thing unique really is the snow machine racing, and he’ll have a painful old age for his trouble; those things pound Hell out of your spine.
Lawyers and doctors buy their houses and hire decorators and all that. Everybody else either builds it or buys what they can afford and builds it up to what they want. Half the fancy houses on the Hillside in Anchorage have a 1956 Shultz mobile home buried in them somewhere.
My disease is boats rather than airplanes – I got over snow machines at an early age – but the Palins have a pretty typical upper middle class lifestyle here.
In Vino Veritas
New left wing Meme is to call it Palin's mansion
msteinkrau Tuesday, September 16th at 8:04PM EST (link)I have seen several references today to Palin’s mansion up in Alaska.
Good grief, Todd works 2 really tough jobs. He makes a good living, and he makes good friends.
He was able to afford the plot of land, then he and his buddies got together and built the house. Based on the timeframe he mentions they have lived there, it sounds like Todd built the house at the same time he was the lone breadwinner in a family with 4 young children.
More power to him, that is the American dream
Did you learn nothing
kchand Tuesday, September 16th at 9:23PM EST (link)from the interview???
It’s a snow MACHINE.
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The ‘N’ word is November! Nov 6, 2012 will be the next cleansing.
Todd seemed really comfortable talking about his house, boat, and how he met Sarah.
aesthete (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 9:29PM EST (link)He looked vaguely uncomfortable when talking about politics, though.
I like that
The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice – G.K. Chesterton
Best quote from the interview
Uma Richie (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 9:44PM EST (link)When asked whether he was surprised that his wife was chosen as the VP nominee, Todd said:
His response echoes Denis Thatcher, who said of his spouse:
Behind every great woman is a husband secure in his manhood.
Dude!!..excellent take
speciallist (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 10:54PM EST (link)n/p
What was Greta doing there at the beginning?
kowalski (Diary) Tuesday, September 16th at 11:59PM EST (link)She kept hammering away at the “Dude” thing and it was obviously one of those labels that he neither particularly relishes nor particularly dislikes, but she kept trying to make him snap into Bill and Ted mode for the cameras, or something.
Kudos to him for just going forward with the rest of the interview despite Greta’s best efforts to start it off by making him look like a doofus.
I’m really beginning to despise television journalists, regardless of the channel.
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Good luck condensing to commercial format
popdaddy Wednesday, September 17th at 10:24AM EST (link)There is a terrific message here that McCain’s people need ensure is formatted to share with my fellow truck driving, gun owning, bible reading fellows!