Obama vs. Palin on Experience

Since I still have friends who argue that Palin is at least as qualified as Obama, I thought I'd do a rough comparison. The data is not perfect, but I think it shows a clear pattern of achievement on a much grander scale on the part of Obama.


~1981 – 1983: While Palin was competing in the Miss Wasilla Pageant and the Miss Alaska pageant, and winning a Ms. Congeniality award, Obama was graduating from Columbia University with a degree in Political Science with an emphasis in international relations.

~1983 – 1988: While Palin was hopping between 5 schools in as many years, Obama was writing about currency, monetary policy, and global finance as an editor for International Business Corp. He also worked for the New York Public Interest Group, and was the Director for the Developing Communities Project.

~1988 – 1991: While Palin was reporting sports scores for Anchorage’s NBC affiliate, Obama was editing the Harvard Law Review and graduating suma cum laude from Harvard Law School.

~1993 – 1996: While Palin was a member of Wasilla’s city council (population 5,000), Obama was a civil rights attorney and lecturer of Constitutional law at the University of Chicago.

~1996 – 2002: While Palin was Mayor for a town of 5,000 people, working on issues such as “approving funds to upgrade the public well, issuing a restaurant permit and taking up a measure forbidding residents from operating bed-and-breakfasts in their homes”, Obama was a state senator for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, representing a population of over 750,000 people (larger than Alaska’s entire population), during which he “helped deliver what is said to have been the first significant campaign finance reform law in Illinois in 25 years. He brought law enforcement groups around to back legislation requiring that homicide interrogations be taped and helped bring about passage of the state’s first racial-profiling law. He was a chief sponsor of a law enhancing tax credits for the working poor, played a central role in negotiations over welfare reform and successfully pushed for increasing child care subsidies.”

~2002 – 2006: While Palin was completing her 1-year stint as Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and otherwise being MIA, Obama served his last term as Illinois state senator and first term as a US Senator from Illinois.

~2006 – 2009: While Palin was beginning her first term as Alaska’s governor (population 600,000, GDP $39 billion (ranked 45th)), Obama was beginning his second term as a US Senator from Illinois (population: 12 million, GDP: $600 billion (ranked 5th)).

~2007 – present: While Palin is running the nation’s 45th largest state, Obama is running the most impressive grass roots campaign in recent history, attracting millions of small donors, raising hundreds of millions of dollars, ousting the presumptive democratic nominee, and becoming the most powerful politician in his party.