The Sarah ‘n Anne Show
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A Political Dialogue
Cast of Characters
Sarah: A young-middle aged woman running for Vice President of the United States.
Anne: A somewhat older woman and small town Alaska housewife.
SETTING: A podium at a political convention (Stage Left) and a living room in a modest home in
Wasilla, Alaska (Stage Right).
TIME: The present.
NOTE: All dialogue is taken from Governor Sarah Palin’s Republican Vice Presidential nominee
acceptance speech and an email written about Palin’s career and character by Wasilla,
Alaska resident Anne Kilkenny. The playwright arranged their statements for dramatic effect.
ANNE
I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sara since 1992. Everyone here knows Sara, so it is nothing
special to say we are on a first-name basis.
SARAH
I am honored to be considered for the nomination for Vice President of the United States.
ANNE
She is enormously popular.
SARAH
I was just your average hockey mom…
ANNE
Her experience is as a mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at that time), and less than two years as
governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.
SARAH
And signed up for the PTA… and before I became governor… I was mayor of my hometown.
ANNE
During her six years as mayor she increased general government expenditures by over 33 percent… the amount
of taxes… increased by 38 percent… during a period of low inflation.
SARAH
I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities.
ANNE
The tax cuts she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than… residents.
SARAH
Politics isn’t just a game of clashing parties and competing interests.
ANNE
Sarah… campaigned as a “fiscal conservative.” She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of
over $22 million.
SARAH
The right reason is to challenge the status quo…
ANNE
What did Mayor Palin borrow money for(?)… the infrastructure… she said she supported(?)… the sewage
treatment plant the city lacked(?)… a new library?
SARAH
To serve the common good…
ANNE
One million for a park. Fifteen million plus for… a multi-use sports complex,…
SARAH
And to leave this nation better than we found it.
ANNE
City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once.
SARAH
No one expects us to agree on everything.
ANNE
While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian
refused to consider removing… some books that Sarah wanted removed.
SARAH
But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will,…
ANNE
Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited…
SARAH
Expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions,…
ANNE
Fired Wasilla’s police chief because he “intimidated” her…
SARAH
Integrity, good will, clear convictions, and a servant’s heart.
ANNE
At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperience, obscure people, creating a staff totally
dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal… to the point of abusing their power to
further her personal agenda…
SARAH
Expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and a servant’s heart.
ANNE
To the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda.
SARAH
I will carry myself in this spirit as vice president of the United States… the spirit that brought me to the governor’s
office…
ANNE
Her recent firing of Alaska’s top cop has the ring of familiarity about it… under investigation… she had to admit
that more than two dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired,
pressuring him…
SARAH
When I stood up to the special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies…
ANNE
To fire her ex-brother-in-law.
SARAH
I came into office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing.
ANNE
As Mayor she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens.
SARAH
I told Congress “thanks, but no thanks,” for that Bridge to Nowhere.
ANNE
She only opposed the “bridge to nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.
SARAH
I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending: nearly half a billion dollars in vetoes.
ANNE
She gave the legislature no direction… then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling
them pork.
SARAH
Wasteful spending… half a billion dollars in vetoes.
ANNE
Public outcry… and legislative action restored most of these… vetoed simply because she was not aware of their
importance.
SARAH
Government is too big.
ANNE
Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
SARAH
Congress spends too much.
ANNE
They call her “Sarah Barracuda”…
SARAH
Taxes are too high.
ANNE
First, I have long believed in being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar.
SARAH
Government is too big.
ANNE
Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “bad things happen when good people stay silent.” Few people
know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.
SARAH
Congress spends too much.
ANNE
Third, I’m just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bounce me out of.
SARAH
Taxes are too high.
ANNE
Fourth, She has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the hundred or so people who rallied to support
the City Librarian against Sara’s attempt at censorship.
SARAH
Government is too big.
ANNE
Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow
vulnerable.
SARAH
Congress spends too much.
ANNE
I’m just a housewife.
SARAH
Taxes are too high.
ANNE
Everybody else was afraid.
(BLACKOUT)
END OF “THE SARAH ‘N ANNE SHOW”