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Dude

Not Your Typical Political Spouse

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  September 16th, 2008 at 06:39 PM  | 

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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.

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  • MrMosis

    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.

  • desertdweller

    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.

  • desertdweller

    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.

  • desertdweller

    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.

  • jwalmach

    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?

  • tir

    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.)

  • 29Victor

    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.

  • Achance

    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.

  • msteinkrau

    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

  • kchand

    from the interview???

    It’s a snow MACHINE.

  • aesthete

    He looked vaguely uncomfortable when talking about politics, though.

    I like that ;)

  • Uma_Richie

    When asked whether he was surprised that his wife was chosen as the VP nominee, Todd said:

    To me it?s just not a big shock. I knew that she was destined for higher positions, maybe not as soon, but that?s just the way she is.

    His response echoes Denis Thatcher, who said of his spouse:

    I think she was ready to go. Not to be kicked out. Go at the top. Undefeated.

    Behind every great woman is a husband secure in his manhood.

    • speciallist

      n/p

  • kowalski

    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.

  • popdaddy

    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!