Going Rogue: An American Life (66 page)

Going Rogue

As I listened, I thought,
Only in America! Me, an ordinary woman
from a

at the top ofthe world, standing next to this American hero
who truly deserved to

the next

This was a man who had

not only survived more than five years of torture as a prisoner of war, but had
led
his fellow prisoners and even refused early release. I thought of Track and wished he could be here to see John, whom he admired.

“The person I’m about to introduce to you was a union member and is married to a union member, and understands the problems, the hopes, and the values of working people; knows what it’s like to worry about mortgage payments and health care, the cost of gasoline and groceries . . :’

It was true. Todd and I had been single-income and dualincome, with and without basic health care coverage, and it wasn’t unusual to still clip coupons in our home because a month’s worth of diapers and formula cost about as much as a truck payment.

“… . An outstanding high school point guard; a concerned citizen who became a member of the PTA, then a city council member, and then a mayor, and now a governor who beat the long odds to win a tough election on a message of reform and public integrity . . :’

It struck me as ironic that the Obama campaign had captured the theme of change. I’d always run on a platform of change, and I quickly wondered how I could start interjecting that “We were change when change wasn’t cool” theme.

“She stands up for what’s tight, and she doesn’t let anyone tell her to sit down;’ John continued. “She’s fought oil companies and party bosses and do-nothing bureaucrats, and anyone who put their interests before the interests of the people she swore an oath to serve…. My friends and fellow Americans, I am very pleased and very ptivileged to introduce to you the next vice president •

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SARAH

PALIN

of the United States-Governor Sarah Palin of the great state of Alaska!”

That was amazing, not netve-wracking, and even sort of funny to me, because it meant John had a little explaining co do right off the bat.
Who in the heck is she?

I gave my speech, and it was an absolute blast. The kids had fun, and Piper waved to the wotld. And as my family left the stage, I whispered to my husband, “Happy anniversary, Todd!

Twenty years ago coday-who’d have thought?”

4

From Ohio, we headed to Minnesota, the site of the 2008 Republican National Convention. Our first day there was a whitlwind. Campaign staff whisked me from the airport CO the downtown Hilcon and up co an enormous hotel suite with two bedrooms, one for the gitls and one for Todd, Trig, and me. Track would be there soon, so he and his cousins would sray down the hall. In the center of the room, when you firsr walked in, stood a huge dining/conference table. On the left side of the main living area stood four racks packed end to end with clothes. Looking more closely, I could see that one rack was hung with young ladies’

clothes, probably for Briscol and Willow. Another contained men’s clothes. Then there was one rack devoted entirely co women’s cops and jackets, and another to women’s pants and skirts. At first glance, it appeared that the campaign alteady had all our sizes, as well as a good sense of my style, which involves a lot of straight skirts and solid-colored blazers.

Good,
I thought, remembering that all I’d btought on my secret, whirlwind trip from Alaska was an overnight bag.
Somebody’s going
to hand me something to wear, I’ll put it on, and that’s that. Simple. One
less thing to

about.

•

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Going

Eventually people started shuttling into rhe suite for introductions. Policy people. Communications people. Logistics people. Assistant people. Assistant-to-the-assistant people. They were like human flash cards, there and gone. 1 smiled and shook hands with each one, hoping

could remember them all.

During the first couple of days, 1 would meet the major players on the

srafE There was Tucker Eskew,

clean-cut Southern

gentleman who spoke with a South Carolina drawl. Tucker, whose McCain campaign title was “counselor;’ was part of the political team thar torpedoed John McCain’s 2000 primary campaign in South Carolina. 1 heard rhat McCain’s people had hired him in rhe hope that he could do the same thing with Obama. Obama wasn’t saying much in his speeches, but his oratorical skills were absolutely captivating.