Meet the Candidates

With the election just a few weeks away, Do Something is rolling out a new bi-weekly informational on the candidates. Do you want to know where they stand on issues that matter to you: the environment, animal rights, and education? Stay tuned for the inside scoop!

Up first... some fun facts about the presidential candidates and their running mates. We take a look at their lives before politics, when they were normal Americans like you and me.

John McCain (Republican)

• Birthday: August 29, 1936, Panama Canal Zone, Panama
• Education: U.S. Naval Academy, BS 1958; National War College, attended 1973-1974
• Military Service: Navy, 1958-1981. Awarded the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross
• POW status: While serving in Vietnam in 1967, his plane was hit by a missile. He had to eject himself from the plane to avoid being killed, but the force knocked him unconscious and broke his arms and one leg. He was taken as a prisoner of war, denied medical treatment and kept in solitary confinement. He was there for five and a half years.
• Political Service: Senator from Arizona. 24 years total in politics – he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 and to the Senate in 1986.
• Religion: Baptist. Grew up Episcopalian.
• Spouse: Cindy Hensley
• Kids: Seven kids, four grandchildren. He adopted Doug and Andy, his first wife’s children from a previous marriage. With Cindy, he has Meghan, Jack and Jimmy, and adopted Bridget from Bangladesh.  
• He graduated from high school: 5th from the bottom of his class
• What's on his iPod: Naval and maritime songs, a gift from the United States Merchant Marine Academy's graduating class of 2007.
• Political hero: Theodore Roosevelt
• Movie he quotes most often: "Weekend at Bernie's"
• Favorite movie: "Viva Zapata"
• Favorite TV show: "24"
• Favorite food: Shrimp, and pizza topped with pepperoni and onions
• Food most frequently found on his campaign bus: Doughnuts
• Most common warning to reporters: "You're going to wind up in rehab from eating all those sugar doughnuts."
• Favorite expression: "As Chairman Mao used to say, it's always blackest before it's totally black."
• Favorite author: Ernest Hemingway
• Favorite book: "For Whom the Bell Tolls"

And, believe it or not, McCain has a humorous side. He was on Saturday Night Live on May 17th where he posed in a hilarious satirical political ad talking about wasteful government spending, Gaydar, and how being very very very old is a good thing. To quote him: "He has the Courage, Wisdom, Experience, and the Oldness it takes to be President."

Barack Obama (Democrat)

• Birthday: August 4, 1961, Honolulu, Hawaii
• Education: Columbia University, B.A. (1983); Harvard Law School, J.D. (1991)
• Spouse: Michelle Robinson
• Kids: Two daughters, Malia and Sasha
• Political Service: Elected to Illinois Senate in 1996, reelected in 1998 and 2002. Lost Democratic primary run for U.S. House of Representatives in 2000.
• Religion: United Church of Christ
• In third-grade he wanted to be: President of the U.S.
• What's on his iPod: Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, Jay-Z
• Name of his Secret Service detail: "Renegade" He was given a choice of several names starting with R and picked Renegade.
• College nickname: Barry
• What he gave up to run for President: Smoking – his wife, Michelle would only agree to him running if he gave up smoking.  So far, so good, he hasn't been spotted smoking once.
• Favorite Restaurants: He's a regular at Chicago's "Italian Fiesta Pizzeria" and Mexican restaurant "Topolobampo"
• Favorite foods: Pizza from Italian Fiesta Pizzeria, chili, and jellybeans
• Childhood pet: A pet ape named Tata when he lived in Indonesia. He says living in Indonesia, with Tata, helped him appreciate his life in America
• Favorite sport: Basketball – he watches and plays regularly.  He loves playing poker.
• Who he would most like to meet: Bruce Springsteen, saying "He strikes me as a good person."

As if Obama has to prove how hip he is, he ups his "cool" meter rating a thousand points during his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Check it out below.

MEET THE VP'S

Sarah Palin

• Birthday: February 11th, 1964 in Sandpoint, Ohio.  Her family moved to Alaska when she was a baby.
• Political Service: Elected 11th governor of Alaska in 2006. Before becoming governor, she was mayor of Alaskan town, Wasilla for two terms (ten years).
• Education: Attended Wasilla High School and graduated in 1987 from University of Idaho with a journalism degree.
• Spouse: Todd Palin – she calls him the "First Dude" He's been a commercial fisherman and a production operator for BP.
• Kids: Five children – Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow and Trig.  Track is in the army and Trig has Down’s Syndrome.
• Sports: Point guard on the state champion basketball team at Wasilla High – team nickname was "Sarah Barracuda." Loves running, hunting, and fishing. She also briefly worked as a sports anchor.
• She is Alaska's first female governor and youngest governor elected in Alaska

Joe Biden

• Birthday: November 20, 1942 in Scranton, PA
• Political Service: US Senator since 1972. Chair of Committee on the Judiciary from 1987-1995, Chair of Committee on Foreign Relations from 2001-2003, and currently serves as Chair of Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
• Education: Went to high school at Archmere Academy, attended University of Delaware, graduated in 1965 and got J.D. at Syracuse in 1968.
• Before politics he…: Was an adjunct law professor at Widener University School of Law (still is) and an attorney from 1968-1972.