Swift to Hold Forth on 'Lipstick' Republicans

Staff reports
iBerkshires
01:00PM / Wednesday, October 22, 2008

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Jane Swift

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Berkshire County's own Jane Swift, former acting governor, will offer her perspective on a fellow governor, Sarah Palin, as part of Williams College's series of talks on Election 2008.

Swift, an education adviser to Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain's campaign, will speak on "Lipstick Republicans and Why They Make the Left Crazy," on Monday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m. in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall.

The North Adams native was assigned to a "truth squad" for Palin shortly after the Alaska governor was selected as McCain's running mate. The mother of five electrified the Republican Convention with her speech but has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, and even a few conservatives, as the campaign has continued.

Palin's supporters have described themselves as "lipstick Republicans," referring to the beauty queen's chic status and her famous quip on the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull: lipstick. In a wider sense, the lipstick phrase has come to mean modern, successful women who carry the conservative banner.

Swift has been a frequent guest on talk and news shows talking about and defending Palin. The two share experiences beyond being Republican: They are both young working mothers who began their careers in their hometowns, both have given birth while in office and both have come under fire for family related actions.

On Wednesday, Swift appeared on Fox News' "On the Record" with Greta van Susteren.

The Drury High School graduate began her political career in 1990, when at 25, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the state Senate. She quickly rose to the rank of assistant minority leader becoming the youngest woman in Senate history to hold a leadership position.

In 1997, Gov. A. Paul Cellucci appointed Swift as director of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. Before that, she was director of Regional Airport Development at the Massachusetts Port Authority.

In 1998, she was elected lieutenant governor (she gave birth to her first daughter days before the election) and, in 2001, became the first woman governor, when Cellucci resigned to become the U.S. ambassador to Canada. The following month, Swift made history as the first sitting governor in the U.S. to give birth when her twin daughters were born. (Palin's youngest, Trig, was born in May.)

As governor, Swift worked to change the public school system, including a statewide curriculum structure, higher student standards, and enhanced evaluation systems. In 2003, the U.S. Department of Education declared schools in Massachusetts a national model for other states. Along with her work for public schools, Swift led a review for early education programs and contributed to improvements to Massachusetts' adult educational programs. She advocated policies to help parents balance work and family, promoted the needs of foster children, and strived to guarantee free college tuition.

She declined to run for governor in 2002, making way for Mitt Romney, who went on to win the Republican nomination and the election.

Today, the Williamstown resident provides advice and guidance to early-education companies as the founder and principal of WNP Consulting LLC. Swift serves on the boards of Sally Ride Science, Animated Speech Corp. and Suburban Propane. She is a member of the not-for-profit boards Landmark Volunteers and College Summit.

She serves on the board of directors of the Republican Leadership Council and in advisory board capacities with the Republican Majority for Choice and the WISH List. She learned politics from her father who was an active Republican in the state government. She graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., in 1987.

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