Less than 24 hours after Sarah Palin’s surprising announcement that she will resign her Office, I’ve turned and turned the story over in my mind, and my thoughts have changed a bit.
First, I’d been noticing since her pipeline-deal announcement that Palin looked very thin, and I’d wondered if her health was an issue. As someone who is all-too-familiar with “stress-eating” it did not occur to me that there are women in this world who eat less when they are stressed out, not more. If Palin has been mulling this move over for a while and its put her off her feed, well, then my thoughts are all wet (and not for the first time.)
When speculating on what’s going on – which is not the most edifying behavior in any of us, but completely human and understandable – I threw out an idea that perhaps the relentless abuse from the left and the press has taken its toll on the family or marriage. I should have been clearer that I did not especially think that a real possibility – it was just one of a million possibilities, just like “she’s going to be competition for Oprah” or “she’s going corporate.”
But now I am thinking Palin is doing something very remarkable, and it’s the sort of thing prisoners of war have to do, to survive.
John McCain has talked a little about what it took to survive 5 years as a POW. I recall him saying that survival meant understanding what you could not control, and what you could. I think that’s what Palin is doing. Her political career is, for now, out of control, largely due to both a malevolent media that cannot do her the very barest of courtesies by leaving her children out of their line of fire, and to the pissant little busybees who look for any excuse to file spurious charges at her. She wears a jacket on a cold day, and finds herself facing “ethics” charges because the manufacturer’s name was visible. There have been more than a dozen “ethics” violations charged to her, and all of them have been dismissed, as filed without basis by “ethical watchdogs.”
It’s tough to govern and not go broke when the other side has decided to nibble you to death – and to build up a “record of questionable ethics” against you while they do so. The left and the press, who one might characterize as “at war” with Palin and her family, have tossed together a mess of Palin narratives (she’s “stupid,” they’re “trailer-trash,” the daughters are “sluts,” she looks like a “slutty flight attendant,” they are cornpone, she is inept, she “can see Russia from her window” and oh, yeah, she’s really her son’s grandmother, and one of her “slutty” daughters got pregnant just a few weeks after giving birth to that retarded kid that everyone wishes she [or her daughter, winkwink] had aborted) and they have created an enormous battle-hill out of all of that.
And I suspect Sarah Palin has looked around and decided, no – she is not going to die on that hate-constructed hill. I think she’s going to do her thing, forge her own path by her own lights, and eventually head back into politics on her own damn hill – and with (one fervently hopes) a hum-dinger of a speech-writer.
One of the jobs of a believer -whether Christian or not- is to find meaning in what is going on around and within. I suspect Palin is finding meaning in the abuse she’s been handed. I suspect her interior strength and her interior narrative of faith, family and love of homeland are commingling into a strategy, based on that meaning; a strategy that will be broad in scope, takes the long-view and is played close to the vest.
Whether the strategy works – who knows? But after reading pretty much everything I linked to yesterday, listening to “experts” and even praying about this stuff while I was working out, today, I’m thinking Sarah Palin – who is only 45 years old and working in the most changeable of fields – is not as “done” as many think. I wrote yesterday that one does not do what Palin did unless “politics no longer matters.” But I’ll revise that, too. One does not do what Palin has done, unless politics in its current form, no longer matters.
I think, now that Palin is playing her own game, but it’s clear that no one knows anything, except the Palins, a formidable family unit that – when you come right down to it – owes no explanations to anyone, and her base seems to understand, without needing details.
Palin mentioned yesterday a saying that her parents kept on the fridge: ‘Don’t explain; your friends don’t need it, and your enemies won’t believe you anyway.’ That had echos of Benjamin Disraeli’s “Never complain, never explain.” She hasn’t quite got the “never complain” part down, but I bet she’ll work on it. The rest, well…Jackie Kennedy use to repeat the Disraeli phrase quite a lot. It’s not bad advice, after all.
Many people were asking yesterday, “why today? Why is she announcing this, this weekend?”
Perhaps Palin chose the eve of Independence Day to declare her own liberty, to declare herself free of the tyrannical press and busy left, because she is going her own way. Who knows – maybe she’s declaring herself liberated even from the GOP? Third-party moves, very tricky. But to be honest, I might not be averse to seeing the formation of a “Restoration Party.”
More links coming up, so check back, but first – let’s have a little poll:
By the way, President Obama, who hasn’t taken a gajillionth of the criticism Palin has withstood, neither in the press, from the right or within his own party, has a message for the handful of naysayers on the left who dare to criticize him: stop criiiiiticizing…it’s not produuuuuctive…you guuuuuuys…stop bein’ meaaaan.
New readers, please avail yourselves of our commenting guidelines. Basically, it’s about minding our manners.
:::UPDATES (check back for more…continually updated):::
Forth of July Break: Slightly O/T, but may I present one man depressed on this day and one woman who believes left and right can still be inspired. Go, read. 2:20 PM
Belmont Club: If something resembling a crisis does break out in the next six months then Sarah Palin’s “unconventional” or “puzzling” move will be retroactively described as an act of genius. But if nothing impends, then Sarah Palin will risk wearing herself out on the public stage even before the 2012 election season begins. Whether or not she has made the right move remains to be seen. 2:16 PM
Jazz Shaw: Thanks for playing and don’t let the screen door hit you on the way out. 2:12 PM
Joy McCann (aka Little Miss Attila), writes for PJM, is questioning the timing 2:09 PM
Joe Biden: Political Blood Sport? What Political Bloodsport! Of course, he gave away his own “undisclosed location” so, take that as you will. 2:00 PM
Cliff Thier: Learn your lessons, well, Mrs. Palin! 1:55 PM
Mamapundit: Palin’s a sort of genius:
Don’t underestimate Sarah Palin. Any woman who can calmly stare down David Letterman, without blinking, forcing a humiliating public apology out of a man who routinely makes lesser mortals weep via his withering excoriation is a woman with a plan. A big plan. 1:47 PM
Instapundit: has Geraghty and an interesting email, but you want to go over there anyway for the Tea Party updates he’s running; keep scrolling down for pics and first-hand accounts. I confess I am impressed. Some of these parties have thousands turning out, and really, Glenn Reynolds, Michelle Malkin and Pajamas Media have had a lot to do with that. 1:46 PM
AJ Strata: She’s running, she’s running, she’s running. 1:39 PM
Vanderleun: Not about Palin specifically…but, in a way…sort of all about Palin 1:35 PM
Russ at Ace’s: a rambling list of what Palin needs to do now, because he says “she has a plan.” 1:31 PM
Bill Dupray: Kristol and Levin have it right; she’s running in ‘12 and Kim Priestap says similar. 1:00 PM
Wide Awake Cafe: Just sickened by all of it, but determined “to celebrate our freedom” while we have it. 12:56 PM
Geraldine Ferraro, who Ed Morrissey notes, treated Palin better than most, calls this “a big mistake” and has a pretty fair take on the consequences of Palin’s brash-seeming move. Worth listening to. I still can’t wait to hear what Camille Paglia has to say. 12:53 PM
Rick Moran: also calls this move “a retreat”, and has some great excerpts you’ll want to read. Says ordinarily he’d agree that Palin has destroyed her career, but:
“…we live in wondrously strange times in American politics and I’m not sure that many of the old verities still hold true. Allah rightly dismisses the Obama comparison Palinites could use to defend her as far as serving time in an important office. But there is the possibility that by the time 2012 rolls around, American politics will be upside down with government at all levels being in such bad odor that running as an “experienced” candidate may be the kiss of death. 12:49 PM
Hey, maybe all of this is part of “remaking America!”
July 4th, 2009 | 1:10 pm | #1
She will not go quietly. And we will all be the better for it. A few observations:
1) Wouldn’t surprise me if she started showing up at TEA PARTIES soon.
2) She might lead up the true CONSERVATIVE side of the GOP into revolt.
3) She may NOT have further office in mind… but rather serve in the infrastructure of the GOP.
4) She may go PEROT on us.
Anyway… rattling the cage once in a while is a good think. God bless her.
July 4th, 2009 | 1:17 pm | #2
Regarding Palin’s political “ambitions” — if you want to know her future, you must go back and see how and why she got into politics in the first place. It was not to have a career in politics, unlike Obama, Biden, McCain, Kerry, Clintons, and all of Congress.
It was because something needed to be done and “the politicians,” as usual, weren’t doing anything except screw everything up.
Politics ain’t her life. Never was. But if you want something done right, sometimes you gotta do it yourself.
That was Palin’s reason for entering politics. That was Reagan’s reason for entering politics.
And they are the only people in politics you can trust. The careerist, elitist oligarchs you can trust to do only one thing — screw you and the country.
July 4th, 2009 | 1:24 pm | #3
The establishment did this to Newt also when he won the republican majority. Tremendous, press bashing, making him give up a million dollar book deal (He was not a wealthy man), throwing up ethics charge after ethics charge that cost him hundreds of thousands to defend and had no basis, but the press would complain about how corrupt the Repubs were. Accused him of being a sick bastard because he brought his divorce papers to sign to his ex-wife in the hospital for some routine surgery. They even tapped his cell phone and published the worst thing they could (not bad). He finally broke and quit. I hope
These people are very powerful and really not significantly challenged.
July 4th, 2009 | 1:33 pm | #4
resignation makes sense actually,with the circus she’s in, a run in 2012 isn’t going to work.So by resigning what does she have to lose?She gets out of the zoo, redefines herself , helps out candidates in 2010, etc and in 2011 surveys the ground and if still has a masochistic streak runs.or waits for 2016 or 2020.the thing is that the talking heads that are saying that she made a large political mistake don’t seem to see that on her present course she ain’t going anywhere anyway.
The biggest problem she’s got isn’t the media or the democratic party, it’s the republican establishment, that’s the beast she has to tame.
July 4th, 2009 | 1:35 pm | #5
Palin has always been nakedly ambitious about politics. That’s why she ran for office in Wasilla, that’s why she ran for governor, and that’s why she agreed to run for VP: she loves the limelight and she loves politics. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but let’s not kid ourselves.
Only the nakedly ambitious would drag her family–in the middle of a family crisis–into a no-win run for the White House. People decide not to have their family exposed to the rigors of poiltics all the time, but Palin decided to accept the nomination just months after giving birth and within weeks of finding out her daughter was pregnant.
She did it because she’s ambitious. She did it because she loves the limelight. She did it because she loves politics. There’s no shame in that, but let’s not be naive about who she is and what motivates her.
July 4th, 2009 | 1:35 pm | #6
assuming of course she hasn’t been to argentina with clinton and sanford or the like
July 4th, 2009 | 1:36 pm | #7
Rick Moran is right – we do live in interesting political times. One of the many things that the Obama campaign taught me is that you don’t need experience, you don’t need credentials, you don’t even need knowledge. What you DO need is a message that resonates with the masses, a good campaign staff, and the discipline to stay on message. She will need all of that and more since she won’t have the press on her side as Obama did.
Anchoress – every once in your while, you have stated in your posts that certain things have to happen before other things can happen. You haven’t elaborated (to my knowledge), but I think I know what you mean, and I agree. Along those lines, for some reason, the following has been going through my mind since Palin’s announcement: ‘And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her, a thousand two hundred sixty days (1,260).’ (Revelations 12:6)
July 4th, 2009 | 1:38 pm | #8
[...] Anchoress: Sarah Palin’s Independence Day (w/ Poll) Sphere [...]
July 4th, 2009 | 1:47 pm | #9
What an effing, whiny, petulant baby!
From the Washington Post –
Obama Weary of Attacks By Left-Wing Groups
Liberal advocates ought to stop targeting moderates on health care reform and focus on Democrats’ legislative battle, president says.
Obama Urges Groups to Stop Attacks – Advocates Should Turn Attention to Promoting Legislation, President Says
President Obama, strategizing yesterday with congressional leaders about health-care reform, complained that liberal advocacy groups ought to drop their attacks on Democratic lawmakers and devote their energy to promoting passage of comprehensive legislation. * * *
Talk about little babies who can’t take it.
July 4th, 2009 | 2:00 pm | #10
Michael:
What is wrong with ambition? Obama is ambitious and people saw that as a positive.
And it is not fair to blame Palin for the vitriol the media directed at her family. They are responsible for their own bad behavior.
July 4th, 2009 | 2:04 pm | #11
[...] latest (and re-thought) post on Palin can be found here, and I’ve added a [...]
July 4th, 2009 | 2:06 pm | #12
God bless Sarah Palin!
July 4th, 2009 | 2:11 pm | #13
Terrye, nothing is wrong with ambition. But many of the posters like Bender act as though Palin isn’t an ambitious politician but instead some mythical Mother Theresa of the Tundra. Palin loves politics, loves being a celebrity, and loves attention. She’s as ambitious as Obama or Clinton.
July 4th, 2009 | 2:32 pm | #14
You need to reread–or read, for the first time–the story about Obama. He’s not talking about criticism of him, he’s talking about criticism of moderate lawmakers seeking a compromise on health care reform.
I know you have a reflexive disdain for anything about Obama, but at least be honest about what the story says instead of what you or other commenters think it says.
He’s not whining about being a victim–unlike other certain politicians in the news–but about criticism of policy positions that are hurting consensus. He’s also criticizing his allies, not the press.
July 4th, 2009 | 2:38 pm | #15
While the vengeful glee the left is indulging in once again this weekend is dispiriting for anyone who loves the country more than the game of politics, what really sticks in my craw is the way some in the GOP have treated the Palins. Of course there should be room for legitimate criticism of any public figure, but the backstabbing and elitist snorting will not soon be forgotten by the base.
July 4th, 2009 | 2:42 pm | #16
Frankly, I think all the pundits have it wrong. I think this is a Holy Spirit directive. Palin prays. She looks to God for guidance–not polls, not media, not conventional wisdom. The wind blows where it will. So it is with those of the Spirit. Palin, I believe, is doing this to obey God–which means there’s no telling what’s next!
As soon as she announced, everybody assumed the worst–the media made her leave, she’s sick, her marriage is failing, etc. Yuck. Why can’t we just appreciate someone who follows God? Do we not follow Him ourselves? Has He never told us to do something unusual and out of the box?
It’s like we’re the Pharisees who just couldn’t get why Jesus didn’t operate by the rules of the world. Come on people of God! Get with the program!
July 4th, 2009 | 2:42 pm | #17
Does Palin, among other methods, seek the counsel of God in prayer?
We know that she does.
Is the counsel of God she receives in prayer vouchsafed for us to know?
It is not, save as she chooses to reveal it.
Is she smart enough to know that revealing it gives her enemies ammunition.
She is.
July 4th, 2009 | 2:45 pm | #18
Obama: “He’s not whining about being a victim…”
1)Why would he when his entire rise has benefited from victimhood.
2) Why would he in the midst of a purple rain of praise. Better to revolve slowly in the mist of media and yield himself up to the slobber.
July 4th, 2009 | 2:47 pm | #19
Abracker and I seem to have had the same thought at pretty much the same moment.
July 4th, 2009 | 2:51 pm | #20
I listened to Palin’s speech twice yesterday. What I heard was “if I announce that I will not be running for a 2nd term I will immediately become a lame duck. I don’t want to be a lame duck, I want to be accomplishing things that matter because time is short and times are serious.” That’s how I interpreted why she announced her resignation at the same time that she announced she wasn’t running again.
She is a restlessly tireless worker who does not want to be stuck in a near-meaningless position. The Left would increase their abuse thru frivolous investigations etc, because they would see her “one term” as a definite bid for the presidency. This would make the rest of her term as governor even worse than what has gone on this last year. She doesn’t want to put Alaska (and her family) thru more of that time, energy & money wasting garbage. Pull out completely and take a new tack. Will she be branded a quitter by the Left and some of the elite Right if-when she declares her candidacy? You betcha. Will the Left leave her alone after this? Don’t know, I doubt it. Depending on how she spends her time from now on will tell conservatives she is not a quitter; she is a risk-taker and a far thinking strategist. We’ll see if what I think is correct.
She’s accomplished for Alaska in 2-1/2 years what many governors have not done for their states in multiple terms.
My concern with how she did yesterday was that it was an off the cuff speech that was a surprise to those close to her, which made it seem like there’s something she’s not telling us. It’s that unknown factor that gives me pause in my assessment.
July 4th, 2009 | 2:52 pm | #21
“… Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.”
July 4th, 2009 | 2:54 pm | #22
I assume you are talking to me, Michael?
Take your complaints to the Washington Post. The bold and italicized excerpts are from them, not me.
And based on, not only this, but everything about Obama, YES, he is a petulant, whiny, tantrum-throwing, baby.
July 4th, 2009 | 3:10 pm | #23
Now that I’ve gotten my gripes out the way, I want to say that I do agree with the idea of Palin embracing freedom in this decision. And, I think it’s true that she’s found a way to have meaning in the midst of the abuse. It’ll be interesting to see how God leads her in the future.
July 4th, 2009 | 3:13 pm | #24
I suspect Palin is finished with *elected* politics, by her own choice. She will not find any future electoral victories, because she apparently has other priorities in life–and there is nothing wrong with that.
July 4th, 2009 | 3:31 pm | #25
I took her at her word. What I heard and saw: she cares deeply about Alaska. She knows that her admin there will be dogged right through the next election when her Lt. Gov will be campaigning. She wants her Lt. Gov to win. Stepping down insures a good chance of that. The money…$2 Million wasted of Alaska taxpayer money to pay for frivolous ethics crap. She said the MSM hasn’t mentioned what good has been done in Alaska…so she told the world herself. She said she can work at what matters without a title and intends to do that. She knows this isn’t going to take the heat off her and her family. I think she is on her terms now rather than the MSM using the time and money of Alaskans. She mentioned even Trig took hits. She will, no doubt, be active in pro-life especially since 80% of Down Syndrome babies are aborted. I think she is the one person MSM can’t handle because she does shoot a straight arrow and honesty just baffles the lamestreammedia. Her faith tells her that she is doing something right that so many should hate her. She’s not going anywhere but I also don’t think she has set her sights on the presidency in 2012. I do think she is going to campaign heartily 2010 and 2012 for others. And she will make a difference.
July 4th, 2009 | 3:36 pm | #26
Way to go Anchoress !
I too was a bit puzzled at first but with bloggers like you standing firm then Palin is on her way !!!
No vile, vindictive liberal will stand in the way.
Imagine Palin vs Obama in 2012 with $10 trillion in debt, 7-8 % unemployment, our enemies laughing in our face, and the economy sputtering along at 1.5% growth or less.
July 4th, 2009 | 4:28 pm | #27
[...] that is why I have such a soft spot for the underdogs and people, such as Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who swim against the stream. It is perhaps why I am a Tea Party agitator (pictured below, from [...]
July 4th, 2009 | 4:48 pm | #28
So, let me get this all straight: Sarah Palin is basically Jesus, nailed to the cross by David Letterman?
And a rambling, incoherent speech delivered in her yard to her family and some guy in a Superman shirt on July 3d, with her allies unprepared, the media barely present, her spokesman in New York, is all a political masterstroke.
Yes. Yes that all makes absolute sense.
(Tiptoes away before the crazy people notice him.)
July 4th, 2009 | 5:05 pm | #29
I think Gov Palin’s retirement is a good thing – it means that sooner or later, people are going to have to recognize that it was the media and their slime tactics that drove her out.
Her resignation will be in the news. I’m already hearing people distance themselves from the situation: “I’m not a Palin fan but I *always* thought her treatment was wrong, etc”. This will put Lettermen back in the spotlight so he’ll have to wiggle out another excuse (somehow, I doubt he will do a top ten reason on this, I could be wrong). And the Huffington Post has retreated an article that could be used against them as proof of harassment.
If anything Gov Palin has become the Elia Kazan to the liberals’ Joseph McCarthy. We are officially in the Blue Scare Era. That’s what I’m calling it (and I’m a member) but if you have any better slang that can get into the public nomenclature please share.
July 4th, 2009 | 7:10 pm | #30
I believe she’ll run in 2012, completing the process she’s now beginning in being a citizen soldier: http://tinyurl.com/n5w75m
July 4th, 2009 | 7:11 pm | #31
You have got to be kidding me. Palin tried to kill Trig by waiting 12 hours after her water broke. That should be enough reason for your dolts to abandon her… but no, you’ve drank the Kool Aid, and now your minds are rotting that this hypocrite anti-Christian is your savior.
Wait until you die and meet your maker … wow, are you going to be disappointed.
July 4th, 2009 | 7:23 pm | #32
I take it everyone here has tried to think, learn and write while trying to hold down a fulltime job and take care of family?
I take it some of you attended tea parties because you are desperately worried about our country? Hillsboro, Oregon, tea party
I think Governor Palin is very worried, and plans to take time to think and learn and plan and start anew. I hope so. Blessings on her new path!
Thanks, Anchoress, for your ever thoughtfulness.
July 4th, 2009 | 7:46 pm | #33
I think Sarah Palin has wisdom, a very rare thing in politicians. It hurts me, as a woman who was not educated in the ivy league colleges, to see her trashed because of who she is and represents. ME.
I am ashamed of the Republicans who treat her like trailer park trash, just as the Democrats do.
I am conservative but have never registered as a Republican for those reasons, the ones like them have always been there. I stopped being a Democrat with Carter. Now we have someone who is so far left of him and also totally clueless as to what the USA is really all about. So along comes Sarah, uh oh, they really had to go into high gear to run her down.
I hope she is planning to go from stage to stage, event to event, spreading her conservatism throughout our land. And by the way, getting really rich doing it. One thing the naysayers respect is lots of money. Go, Sarah, Go!
July 4th, 2009 | 8:03 pm | #34
God bless Sarah Palin and her family.
July 4th, 2009 | 10:38 pm | #35
Well by Blessed Pier Giorgio, it’s been far too long since I’ve smoked a pipe on a mountainside; will have to remedy that this summer.
Who knew what to think on hearing the news of Sarah’s resignation, especially on the heels of Michael Jackson’s passing while we were all so discombobulated, practicing the moonwalk again, etc. (That’s a joke, btw…)
But listening to her speech she did explain things pretty clearly.
Her priorities are Faith, Family and Alaska.
She hasn’t changed since last year: the political climate around her’s changed (and we all know what that means.)
She spends way too much time defending strident charges from suits who have no intention of stopping the charges.
The family cannot afford it (in any way.)
It’s a waste of Alaskan’s hard earned money.
And, unlike many politicians who say they are all about change but are all about politics as usual, she is definitely not all about politics as usual.
This is after all, highly unusual!
Also, she will support anyone working for liberty, no matter the party.
She’s a wonderful woman with clear priorities. The rules of the game changed, and she passed the ball.
Who knows what she’ll do in the future, but no doubt she’ll live her faith fully, care for her family fully, and be a great benefit to Alaska, and the USA doing whatever she chooses to do.
And hopefully pay off the $500K legal debt very quickly.
July 5th, 2009 | 3:14 am | #36
What is the proverb, “May you live in interesting times.” or something to that effect. We live in interesting times, for better or worse. What this country will be like two or three years from now, who knows? I think Sarah has a better chance as VP than President, but so much can happen between now and then.
July 5th, 2009 | 6:16 am | #37
Sarah Palin just changed the rules of the game.
July 5th, 2009 | 8:24 am | #38
Anchoress, I’d like to recommend an article from yesterday’s Washington Examiner. It is by Mark Tapscott and is an excellent analysis of what he sees Gov. Palin trying to do.
[Edited to insert link - admin]
July 5th, 2009 | 8:33 am | #39
And, they are still at it — left-wing bloggers in Alaska (some of whom are the filers of some of those bogus “ethics complaints) have now planted a story in the media that Sarah Palin resigned because she is about to be indicted for embezzlement. Her lawyer has denied it and the LA Times (that pro-Palin bastion) has contacted the FBI in AK, which has denied an indictment or even any kind of an investigation of her for any reason. It hasn’t stopped the left from spreading the story, though.
July 5th, 2009 | 10:24 am | #40
Tapscott must be reading this blog and comments.
His take is essentially the same as many folks here.
July 5th, 2009 | 11:02 am | #41
As far as real, long term, political ambitions go, the major hurdle for Palin is getting nominated for President, not getting elected. Getting nominated doesn’t demand persuading anybody but registered Republicans, who largely have the same skepticism of media outlets as do most of you.
If polls of the Republican Party are correct, 30-40% of it are “values voters”, Palin’s natural constituency. As far as I can see, nobody else who might run has any natural constituency whatever. So she has far more advantages at the moment than it may appear. Another advantage she now has is time–far more at her disposal now than any other potential candidate. A third is that she will cease to be “newsworthy” far before this month ends, and media bashing of her will simply cease.
What she needs is money to make use of this time, and merely exposure to Republican voters, not the electorate in general. If you would genuinely like to see her nominated and elected, you should crab about the media less and investigate the possibility of bringing her to speak, and charging admission, where you live more. It will never be easier than now.
If you have a community college or vo-tech school anywhere near [not a University or liberal arts College for reasons which should be obvious] there is a very good chance of obtaining an adequate venue for free or for only a very nominal charge.
Further, in most states with primaries, party affiliation is usually included on the public voting registration records, along with address of residence. If you have a computer, and are willing to outlay a small amount of money, you could have this data at your fingertips by the end of the day. This would be, of course, the perfect source for an effective, targeted, mailing list of the people who really should see her.
It is really possible to do this sort of thing without that much money up front–college kids do it all the time.
And it would be a far more effective political involvement than standing around throwing tea bags.
July 5th, 2009 | 11:44 am | #42
Getting nominated doesn’t demand persuading anybody but registered Republicans . . .
or partisan Democrats and liberals and leftists, who are responsible for John McCain being nominated due to unconscionable open primary rules, or same-day party-switching registration, which let anyone — Republican or Democrat — come vote in a Republican primary.
July 5th, 2009 | 11:58 am | #43
I too have been thinking furiously since Palin made her announcement (ya gotta hand it to the woman for capturing the attention of lots of people). I believe the criticism that she has deserted Alaska will have merit if, down the road, her agenda for that state founders, the pipeline deal falls apart, etc. Then certainly one could attribute such failures to her resignation. On the other hand, if Alaska does fine, the new Governor leads well, then she is vindicated. We don’t know the whole story as to why her move is “good for Alaska”, but she promises to tell us this.
Even Krauthammer, who has been tough on her, has noted she could be a presidential contender down the road, because she is still quite young in terms of a national election.
I’m hoping she goes after the smearers with lawsuits, like maybe starting with Andrew Sullivan and the Atlantic.
As a private citizen she can spend lots more time telling her story, and traveling the continental US.
July 5th, 2009 | 2:12 pm | #44
Exactly! That was my thought: starting July 3, sentences will have “Sarah Palin” as the subject rather than the object.
July 5th, 2009 | 2:34 pm | #45
[...] to The Anchoress’ party. She has a thoughtful round-up and says: It’s tough to govern and not go broke when the other [...]
July 5th, 2009 | 3:07 pm | #46
Look at what Sarah Palin defenders say: Sarah is a Saint who cannot reveal her mysterious intentions with us because she gets them right from God in Prayer.
And you claim Obama is the Messiah?
And now look at what The Alaskan Hillbillies are threatening to do: end Free Speech as we know it. And what do you Obama hating folks do: cheer her on.
She will not sue because she is a quitter.
She will not win any such lawsuits because Free Speech is rude and we would have to turn into an Islamic Country under Sharia Law to please Palin’s delicate Ego.
It is rare when you have an exhibitionist limelight seeker like Palin who quits everything (her four colleges, her Commision Seat, her Mayor position, her Governorhood), feels endlessly sorry for herself, divides people into Palin-submissives and Freemen, and whines and raves, all apparently because God is telling her to.
What is wrong with you people?
July 5th, 2009 | 4:24 pm | #47
What is wrong with you people?
We are too patient with folks like you.
July 5th, 2009 | 6:33 pm | #48
Wow, Bender. I forgot what a bunch of Voltaires clown up the right. Good one.
Really witty.
You are as witty as Palin is smart.
July 5th, 2009 | 6:40 pm | #49
On a whim, I typed “Sarah” into google. Everything on the first page (except pictures) was about Sarah Palin, except for one item. It was about Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Now, I don’t think Sarah is Jesus, nor is she Satin Sarah, as some other ignorant posters have suggested. However, I did find it food for thought that our political Sarah could have similarities with our religious Sarah. Abraham’s wife birthed what would become the world’s most positive force for good.
I can only hope that our political Sarah can birth a new, strong and healthy movement in our Republican party.
This is just a random thought spurred by google.
As one other poster said, she really represents me, and I am horrified at her treatment.
July 5th, 2009 | 6:47 pm | #50
St. Sarah must be followed blindly.
Only Sarah can save us.
How dare anyone criticize her!!!! I hope she and her lawyers track down every person who did not support her 100 % and make them pay!
Peoplw who made jokes about her need to be put in prison.
We do not need Shariah Law, we need Sara-iah Law: what Sarah Says Goes!
July 5th, 2009 | 6:50 pm | #51
Good point JuliB
“However, I did find it food for thought that our political Sarah could have similarities with our religious Sarah.”
Sarah is Biblical and must be followed. She is telling us what God wants us to hear.
Oh, but we will listen and follow her blindly?
July 5th, 2009 | 6:58 pm | #52
I posted this comment also at Sister Toldjah:
The State of Alaska is footing the bill for Alinsky’s 10th rule of Means & Ends: Do what you can with what you have and clothe it with moral garments. In this case, use lawful means to make accusations of ethics violations.
Then Alinsky’s 10th tactic comes into play: Maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition (…) that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign.” Charges of ethics violations, one after another, must be investigated even if the workload slows everyone in the department down. So the system gets overloaded and the costs go up for not just the target, but everyone around the target.
It’s effective, isn’t it? Especially on a politician who doesn’t have deep pockets. Just watch for this tactic being used again and again.
As for the “St. Sarah” comments: Perhaps you should read this site a little before you type. Christians know that all “saint” means is that you sin, repent, and believe in Christ Jesus. In that respect, we’re all saints-in-training. I could be a saint. You could be a saint.
July 5th, 2009 | 7:27 pm | #53
Palin’s “Other Shoe” – Why She Resigned
July 5th, 2009 | 7:52 pm | #54
To all those saying, “She’s a quitter, she’s done”:
Recall that a certain Massachusetts politician got drunk, crashed his car into a river, and walked away as his girlfriend DROWNED — and proceeded to become a beloved icon of one of our political parties, senator-for-life, and twice a presidential candidate.
There’s a saying that “there are no second acts in American politics.” But any serious student of American political history can provide plenty of counter-examples.
(PS: Mary Jo Kopechne died forty years ago next month. Remember her in your prayers, those of you who are so inclined.)
July 5th, 2009 | 8:01 pm | #55
[...] of her family, then I have no fault with her. In the intelligent & intelligible words of The Anchoress: John McCain has talked a little about what it took to survive 5 years as a POW. I recall him [...]
July 5th, 2009 | 10:08 pm | #56
Occam’s razor.
I do not beleive that it is any part of a grand plan.
I believe that the constant abuse was hurting her family.
I believe that the “ethics” charges were bankrupting her family.
I believe that she believes the circus that has become her public life has made it difficult for her to be an effective governor.
She did this because she believe’s that it is the best thing for her family and her state.
Time will tell whether she has a future in politics. I hope so. There is a need for people who are not slaves to their ambition.
July 5th, 2009 | 11:25 pm | #57
And you TJProudAmerican, who gives you your mysterious intentions? Who tells you to lie about how we look upon Sarah Palin and slander her name?
July 6th, 2009 | 12:38 am | #58
Have listened to the resignation speech a couple of times I am still unconvinced we know anything close to a reason for her resignation. I understand it was rushed and short notice, off the cuff. Why? What would cause a strong woman like this to rush this along?
Something happened? maybe someone got too close and a family member was threatened with violence? Maybe illness not yet revealed?
I get the feeling even Ms. Palin herself does not know what her future holds. only that in entrusting God with her decision she made the right one for her.
Personally, it seems she is the defacto leader of the Republican party. ( At least, the Republican party that should be.) She is/was pinned down in a foxhole. You can not lead from a foxhole, she had to get out, so she did.
Now she is free to move about the troops and plan the next move.
In the Old Testament many a prophet sojourned in the wilderness for some time before being called upon. I think she too may be in the wilderness for some time to come, but that does not mean it is not where she is supposed to be.
July 6th, 2009 | 12:52 am | #59
SmmTheory
That is what people say here in this thread. JuliB says Governor Palin is like the Biblical Sarah Abraham’s wife, Palin and her lawyer issue a meaningless threat to sue everyone who hurts her feelings, and the tone of Sarah Worship in these comments by some people sounds exactly like she is your “Messiah” and “Chosen One”.
Here is Vanderleun’s exact post from above. When you read it, you see how absurd the internet is, because people publish first and think later. And I know leftists and others say equally or more stupid things:
“Does Palin, among other methods, seek the counsel of God in prayer?
We know that she does.
Is the counsel of God she receives in prayer vouchsafed for us to know?
It is not, save as she chooses to reveal it.
Is she smart enough to know that revealing it gives her enemies ammunition.
She is.”
If that is not idiotic……and idolatrous in my opinion.
July 6th, 2009 | 2:34 am | #60
“I’m hoping she goes after the smearers with lawsuits, like maybe starting with Andrew Sullivan and the Atlantic.”
Her lawyer already sent out the opening salvo: he has put the HuffPo, Kos, and a few bloggers on legal notice.
“If that is not idiotic……and idolatrous in my opinion.”
I’m glad that she consulted this in prayer before making that decision. If other politicians did the same thing, things would be a little better… Hey, I pray when I need clarity and guidance before an important decision.
Obviously, you did not understand Vanderleun’s statement. You painted too broad a brush here, and that was uncalled for. Therefore, your statement is even more idiotic than his!
July 6th, 2009 | 9:19 am | #61
[...] The Anchoress has a poll! And a lot of commentary. Category: Politics, Sarah Palin, Uncategorized | Comment (RSS) | Trackback [...]
July 6th, 2009 | 12:33 pm | #62
And there are probably a few of us thinking the same thing about you. You are letting your distaste for Sarah Palin overrule your cognition with a visceral thoughtlessly verbalized hissy fit. Grow up.
July 6th, 2009 | 12:37 pm | #63
Can any of Palin’s supporters here, perhaps the one who says we know she prays for counsel (do we know she listens any better than the rest of us on average?) make a case that she’s conducted herself in a way that gives her a Christian witness?
[If you consider the past year, she's turned her cheek an awful lot - although you might not accept that, if you don't see the pummeling she's taken by the press (especially the women in the press) and the way they've gone after her kids as objectionable, which I suspect you do not. Are you suggesting that Jesus never established boundaries? He said, "turn the other cheek," but he also said, "if they won't receive you, shake the dust of their town off your feet." Jesus understood the difference between being patient, and being a chump. -admin]
July 6th, 2009 | 12:39 pm | #64
“I’m hoping she goes after the smearers with lawsuits, like maybe starting with Andrew Sullivan and the Atlantic.”
Yep, that’s what Christ would do. Especially since the “smears” are just rumors published as rumors.
July 6th, 2009 | 1:53 pm | #65
I think the blogosphere has often been unfair to Palin. Not to mention Letterman. I think the mainstream press has been tough but by an large fair. She just doesn’t deserve real respect. Take note of how many formers staffers and allies now accuse her of bad behavior.
And have her ideological opponents been any meaner than she is? (She’s supposed to be the Christian, after all). Read Norm Schneider in The New Republic (“Barracuda”) on how nasty she was to a former mentor, and to a former friend. Remember her convention speech when after crediting herself with a servant’s heart, she mocked Obama for work he saw as service to the poor, then spent the fall greatly exaggerating (lying about) his relations with Bill Ayers.
This is a woman who has shown poor character time and again, and all the religious right wants to talk about is how mean the secular world is to her. What kind of a witness is that?
No, I don’t think she’s required to turn the other cheek if that means not defending her kids. But I think she exploited Letterman’s ugly remarks. I think she whines when she’s subjected to legitimate criticism (for example that her TV interviews showed her to be unschooled in foreign affairs). And I think jumping on all over the father of her knew grandkid (and probably lying while she did so, from the looks of it) was gutter behavior. I think she has a great big chip on her shoulder, and I think it’s about the time the RR acknowledged that. Because you know what your support looks like to the rest of the world? “She made be a b @%*& but she’s our b@%*&. That’s your witness, folks.
July 6th, 2009 | 2:38 pm | #66
[...] illness or marital trouble brewing and Sarah just didn’t want to talk about it, and then upon later reflection, thinking maybe she’s crazy like a fox after all. Bill Kristol, saying she was crazy like a [...]
July 6th, 2009 | 2:39 pm | #67
I was struck by TJProudAmerican’s use of the word “idolatrous” to describe support of Mrs. Palin. It seems incongruous. Then I remembered where I’d read it earlier today.
At CrunchyCon’s article “U.S. nuns face ‘inquisition’”, self-identified Catholic who supports schism wrote, “My side (what he called “watered-down Catholicism”) really likes the expression of love, joy, and community that we get in our Worship, but we seldom/never say the Rosary, seldom/never drop down and throw ourselves on the ground in front of the Eucharist in its splendid Gold Monstrance.
We each think the other is idolatrous.”
Lo and behold! The poster was TJProudAmerican! So I guess the word of the week is “idolatrous”, whether you’re talking about supporting a politician or worshipping Christ in the Eucharist.
[Any Catholic who thinks that Eucharistic Worship is "idolatry" and that the rosary is "idolatry" needs to take some classes and come to speed with his/her own faith. But yes, as I've written again and again, The Schism looks inevitable, and I might be starting to look forward to it! Admin]
July 6th, 2009 | 4:12 pm | #68
Thank you Miss Jean!!!!!
I am famous!!!!
Will McCain pick me if he runs again in 2012?
I do know that worshiping the Eucharist, which I do at the suggestion of a very conservative student of mine who is going to be a priest, strikes many Catholics as idolatrous, and that the Worship Service I attend, Joyful shout type music, laughter, even applause, strikes “the other side” as blasphemous
It does strike me that we live in two different nations. I quoted places in THIS blog and THIS thread where people made absurd clams for “Sarah” as listening to God and being unable to share with us what God told her (Vanderleun) and of her being like Abraham’s wife Sarah (Miss Jean).
[I have NEVER met a Catholic - I'm speaking now of Catholics who actually understand Catholicism, and many do not -who thinks Eucharistic Adoration is "idolatry," and I not only know many sorts of Catholics, I have BEEN a very liberal "peace and justice" type in my time. I note you don't seem to attend a Mass...you attend a "worship service," so maybe you are way over on a fringe I've never visited. I've also NEVER met a Catholic, even on the far-right, who would call "joyful shout music" 'blasphemous', although I'm sure they'd prefer something quieter and they may call it "irreverent." It seems you have a great deal of perspective from the fringes. Do they have giant puppets and stuff where you worship? That might explain it, then. I too am uncomfortable with "cult" personalities and I am as leery as a Cult-of Sarah developing around Palin as I was re the "Cult of Obama." That said, I haven't read anything here that I would yet call "idolatrous." Perhaps I am a little less narrow-minded than you? -admin]
July 6th, 2009 | 4:24 pm | #69
And one more note (I feel slightly guilty about commenting but I think all traffic helps the raw count) about Roman Catholic Faith:
It is not that Catholics like me do not KNOW the Magesterium and Teaching. It probably would be good for the Church to evict Catholics like me, who attend Mass more than once a week, go on several retreats and are active very much in their faith, because we do not beieve the same thing as Fr.. Corapi Catholics.
It is entirely possible that we are the lunatic fringe that has cost you generations of Priests and Nuns, because young people want a structure where the Pope speaks Ex Cathedra and Catholics obey or are excommunicated.
We could have a weak American Church with congregations like the one I am proud to be a member of, and a vita and virile Priest faces away from the congregation pre-Vatican thriving church.
Unfortunately, perhaps, I have cited before: Huck Finn says, “You can’t pray a lie.”
That strikes me as true. I can be ordered to believe and want to believe, but only to an extent.
When I pray, I don’t find myself any more able to follow John Corapi than before I prayed.
I would look for another Church if real Catholics were able to shit down the phony Catholics like me. I would try, as you do, to do God’s ill and not mine, but I find it impossible to believe that Sarah Palin and John Corapi are the authorities I have to defer to.
[I'm not sure anyone has told you you have to bow to either. I don't know anyone who says you have to bow to anyone but Christ. But if you're hanging with people who think that our love of the Eucharist is "idolatry" then I am pretty sure you and I are barely speaking the same language. Do YOU think that Eucharistic devotion is "idolatry"? Do you accept that the Holy Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Christ? That's so fundamental to the faith that if you don't, then I wonder why you are in the church? And if you do, then I wonder how you can give credence to those who would call it "idolatry"? -admin]
July 6th, 2009 | 4:35 pm | #70
Oh, TJProudAmerican, I never wrote that she was like Sarah, wife of Abraham. I never voted for Palin, either.
I’m just pointing out how you used that word in a way that implies that you know the minds of other people. To me, it’s peculiar that I should notice run across your post on another site – a site I rarely read, too! But perhaps it is a type of fame – ooo, you can be a contestant for Internet Idol!!
As for joyous shouting being “blasphemous” – I’ve never heard loud worship being considered impious. In fact, almost all the Eucharistic Adoration in my parish and the surrounding parishes (part of Archdiocese of Detroit) is sponsored by charismatic prayer and healing groups. Perhaps Catholics need less watered-down Catechism so that they know these things.
July 6th, 2009 | 5:21 pm | #71
TJProudAmerican, maybe I’m reading this wrong, but you sound as if you wish the Church would throw you out. That’s not how it works.
I speak as a very bad Catholic who left the Church for several years. I stopped believing that Jesus is God, but I couldn’t admit that, so I made a big fuss about the outmoded rules of the Church, etc. But that was pretty stupid, since it was about ME, not everyone else.
So don’t label the other people in the pew as “pre-Vatican II” or whatever, because whether you stay or go is about what YOU believe. That would be like dropping out of Yale because some students think the Skull&Crossbones is the bomb and you don’t.
Otherwise, you risk writing things like this: “I find it impossible to believe that Sarah Palin and John Corapi are the authorities I have to defer to.” Because that’s just silly. Palin isn’t Catholic and Corapi isn’t pope, so no one has to defer to them.
If you just don’t like the politics of some Catholics or think EWTN is boring (like I do), everyone feels that way sometimes. I had a professor who really liked St. Francis of Assisi because he was an all-or-nothing sort of guy. It was especially odd since, at the time, the professor was Jewish. St. Francis once threw himself into a bramble bush when he couldn’t shake a tempting thought. I thought he was a weirdo, even though he was a saint.
At the time, I hadn’t left the Church, but I could have used that as an excuse: “Oh, how could I stay with an institution that honors such a pre-Vatican weirdo! But he appeals to young people because when his father cut off his inheritance, he tore off his clothes and went naked. And that’s what the youth today want from their church – naked rebels who talk to animals.”
Seriously, even if you have shaky faith, that’s good enough to stick around. But if you don’t have faith and you feel like a hypocrite, staying or leaving is a decision you have to make. No fair blaming others or hoping there will be a big catastrophe to fix it for you.
July 6th, 2009 | 6:02 pm | #72
[...] would rejoice at that!), especially what was going on with Trig. Palin, more or less, declared her independence, and now also has the freedom to speak out on issues she cares [...]
July 6th, 2009 | 6:49 pm | #73
[...] Amused Cynic and Anchoress [...]
July 6th, 2009 | 6:50 pm | #74
[...] THE ANCHORESS– Sarah Palin’s Independence Day …. [...]
July 6th, 2009 | 8:27 pm | #75
Obviously, the Presence is the root of Catholicism, so I believe with my belief that the Host is “Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Christ”. However, there must be a difference between receiving and adoration.
I think nobody would reject Christ’s Presence, btw. May of us here probably struggle with trying to be worthy to enter Christ’s Presence, even as we feel God’s Absence and pray from a state of Desolation.
We agree on the Theology. If Christ so much as walked a Universe away, my soul would be healed. How am I worthy to be in His Presence?
I wonder if the EWTN and others are correct that all The Church needs is more rules and Excommunications and more Authority. Perhaps a Formal Schism where the Roman Catholic Church would return to the Latin Mass and the Liturgy that came with it would cause Vocations to soar.
In such a split, I would go with the post-Vatican II Liturgy.
I remember when the priests and nuns walked away en masse, and I do not believe they did so because the Rules were not strict enough, but since that is the argument made by Traditionalists, it is worth giving them a shot at having the pure Church back.
I feel Christ endlessly working in the world, whenever people put others first. Christ’s Presence and Absence is marked by a great peaceful joy. My neghbor’s granddaughter squirting everyone with the hose she is supposed to be watering the plants with, shows Christ’s Joy, not just in her smile doing so, but in our smiles running away. We are linked by joy and love and we can worship Christ kneeling in a quiet Chapel or “fleeing” noisily from a joy-filled child.
July 6th, 2009 | 9:33 pm | #76
So, First Things Palin fans, none of you dare explain your support of this self-professed Christian as Christians? Even our hostess ducks the challenge?
There was a time I belonged to the Christian Right, then a time when I differed with it on some issues but still respected it. Now you folks are exhibit number one on why I doubt the faith.
[Didn't occur to you that some of us might not be online breathlessly awaiting the chance to "defend" Palin by your timeline? Very narrow of you - however Fr. Kenneth did well.-admin]
July 6th, 2009 | 9:45 pm | #77
::Can any of Palin’s supporters here, perhaps the one who says we know she prays for counsel (do we know she listens any better than the rest of us on average?) make a case that she’s conducted herself in a way that gives her a Christian witness?::
Hmmm. Let me think real hard here….
She resigned from a high profile job inviting harsh and withering criticism, citing faith and family as her main motivations.
She professes to be a Christian, and she’s putting her faith over politics and her public image.
Looks like a Christian witness to me. Sounds like one too.
July 7th, 2009 | 12:57 am | #78
[...] **The Anchoress’s revised judgement on this matter is a must read. [...]
July 7th, 2009 | 2:45 am | #79
The ‘changed’ conditions of the country in 2012 might very well be a lot more serious than they are now. If Obama and the democrats succeed in creating a form of Marxism in the United States, I don’t think all of the country is going to go along. It’s not inconceivable that the states in the south and mid-south could decide enough is enough. If that were to happen, we would need some very strong leadership to rally behind what is left of the US constitution and forge a new path. The left is already at war with the American people, we are just a little late in starting to figure it out.
July 7th, 2009 | 8:28 am | #80
Just because she cites her faith and family as her main motivations for quitting doesn’t mean they are indeed her main motivations.
To me, she has always seemed a particularly narcissistic and grasping female whose prime motivator is personal ambition.
I find the cult of personality that sprang up around her based solely on the fact she didn’t abort her Down’s baby (and/or that her daughter didn’t terminate her unexpected pregnancy as well) to be extremely disturbing. Some of the rhetoric claiming she’s somehow been Biblically or Providentially ordained to lead the US, too, is frightening.
The Republican party needs to re-establish itself as the party of small government and fiscal conservatism, not reaffirm in the minds of it’s detractors that it’s the party of the Fred Phelpses of the world or the Scott Roeders. Frankly, we need a boring, uncomplicated, bland old white dude who knows a thing or two about business. Or Bobby Jindal, who kinda is a boring, bland, old white dude trapped inside a cute, young, brown body, which totally works for me on a more levels than anyone needs to know, but I digress…
What we don’t need is a maverick or a rogue or a character. We don’t need the distraction, we don’t need the bad press, we don’t need endless Tina Fey SNL appearances. We don’t need the divisiveness Palin brings to the party.
What this nation needs is something greater than The Sarah Palin Show, only I don’t think either Palin or her fangirls are ready to make the personal sacrifice necessary to restore the Republican party and support the right kind of candidate needed for 2012.
July 7th, 2009 | 9:09 am | #81
So she _says_ she’s resigning for faith and family, and she _says_ she’s a Christian, and her mere words outweigh her numerous lies and all her other ugly,unChristlike behavior? How pathetic.
I don’t doubt that she has faith. I just point to what’s obvious and to what you folks won’t admit, that the woman has demonstrated rotten character over and over again, and in so doing has made enemies, and as such is not some poor pure soul victimized by the big bad liberal press, and as such is not someone you should hail as a standard bearer for your causes.
And Anchoress, there were plenty of Palin defenders around here before I began noting that she’s not what she’s cracked up to be, and for some reason they fell silent all afternoon and evening long and remain that way. Don’t think I haven’t seen the same thing from them here and elsewhere.
July 7th, 2009 | 10:34 am | #82
OK Ken,
Start listing, with sources and footnotes, plus names of witnesses and events, YOUR case against Sarah Palin.
The Anchoress and others might ask you politely. But, since you are so insistent on accusing her, I DEMAND evidence.
If you don’t give it, you’re not to be takne seriously.
July 7th, 2009 | 11:12 am | #83
TNR
Vanity Fair
Sullivan
You’ll find a wealth of sources, witnesses, and documentation there.
Palin lied about Todd’s involvement with the Alaskan Independence Party, claiming he’d mistakenly checked their box on his voter registration form when he just meant to indicate he was a political independent. In fact, the name of the party was on that form. She appears to be lying when she accused Levi Johnston of lying. What motive would he have for claiming he’d been staying at the governor’s mansion if he hadn’t? Even if she’s telling the truth, would Christ have publicly attacked a teenager?
Of course she lied all last fall about the extent of Obama’s relations with William Ayers. And don’t forget that mean-spirited convention speech. Would Christ have mocked Obama? Would Christ sue a blogger for publishing rumors as rumors, or would Christ turn the other cheek and wait to be vindicated? Did Christ turn friends and followers into enemies?
Christ set a few standards for behavior, beginning with “love your neighbor,” and the rest of the Bible sets a few as well. I don’t expect Palin not to fall short of the mark sometimes, because we all do, but I expect self-professed Christians to at least appear to recognize the standards. She doesn’t, and in defending her, you folks apparently don’t either. Your hypocrisy doesn’t do the gospel any good.
[Okay, Ken, a few things. If you are going to use multiple urls to make your case (even as shaky as these, and come on - you want to make your case with links from "noted gynecologist, Andrew Sullivan" ("Trig's not Sarah's son) and Purdham ("I know all these people who check medical books!") and TNR (first of the PDS crew) and expect to be taken seriously? Why not throw in a Dowd, to really make your case?) then your comments will be thrown immediately into spam, where I may not find it for days - or EVER, if I'm not in the mood to go through the filter. So, please learn HOW TO MAKE A LINK. I will NOT come into one of your "you guys are bad Christians" comments again to insert the links for you, because I do not have time. I'll just let it go to spam. Nice of you, btw to point out all the splinters in all the eyes wherein you find them. How's your own beam, doing? -admin]
July 7th, 2009 | 12:26 pm | #84
Thanks for the linking instructions, Anchoress.
As to the substance of your reply, I don’t agree with everything Sullivan says, but dismissing the message because you think the messengers are biased isn’t a rebuttal, and as a form of argument it’s a logical fallacy, as you surely know. They aren’t just making claims from afar, they’re citing behavior reported by people who know and have worked with Palin — her former friends and allies. Rebut them if you can.
Instead you just threw out the old beams-splinters accusation without noting that I wrote that (“we all”) “fall short of the mark sometimes.”
[To be honest, Ken, I barely read you at all - I was in the process of screening almost 50 comments, and was giving them a bare scrutiny for foul language and name-calling. But while it's nice to say "we all" fall short of the mark, you do seem to be spending an awful lot of time judging everyone else's hypocrisy ratio...and yeah..."we all" can be measured on it, but that's why - after a while - it's best to just put the measuring bar down and maybe just pray for each other? -admin]
July 7th, 2009 | 4:34 pm | #85
“you do seem to be spending an awful lot of time judging everyone else’s hypocrisy ratio…and yeah…”we all” can be measured on it, but that’s why – after a while – it’s best to just put the measuring bar down and maybe just pray for each other?”
Yes we should pray for each other, preferably both before and after noting each other’s sin. But you took out the measuring bar yourself when you praised Palin for stepping down. I don’t see anything wrong with the measuring bar, especially as applied to a public figure, and Richard John Neuhaus sure didn’t either — it took me awhile to get used to how acerbic he could be.
I post here because Palin has identified herself as a member of the religious right, and the religious right has held her as one of their own who is unfairly vilified in part because she is one of their own, and yet as far as I can see she acts no better than most of her enemies, and in defending her the religious right doesn’t either, and, frankly, the latter boggles my mind. (All that bit about how she’s hated because she’s not an urban sophisticate and didn’t go to an Ivy League school and is pro-life, etc. etc. is pretty much fantasy. Sure, there are bigots among her critics. But in large part she’s disliked because she’s arrogant and self-pitying and because her old nickname, Barracuda, well describes how she conducts herself personally and politically).
So I keep hoping to hear from Palin fans who will leave off accusing her critics of bad faith, acknowledge the woman’s faults, and explain why they admire her anyhow. If it looks like I have a beam in my eye, so be it. (Whatever’s in there is surely bigger than a splinter). But the fact remains that I’m appalled and disappointed.
July 7th, 2009 | 6:49 pm | #86
As Andrew Sullivan said about Palin today: “I sure hope her family recovers from what she has done to them.”
Given all the mud he has flung, Sully deserves to burn in hell for that comment. Okay, that is not very Christian of me.
Well in the words of Fight Club: Her name was Sarah Palin.
Murtha, any ethics problems? Reid, ethics issues? Bawney Frank, ethically challenged? Old Sod Dodd, ethic issues? Payback.
July 8th, 2009 | 8:15 am | #87
[...] investigation for the Wasilla Sports Complex issue. More WizBang. * Great general link dump from The Anchoress. Category: meta | Comment (RSS) [...]
July 8th, 2009 | 12:41 pm | #88
She may have staked her career on ethical government, but some of those complaints were dismissed on technical grounds. Where there are flies, there is honey. Why have there been 16 different complaints during her short time in office? Oh, I know, liberals are mean.
As for the financial toll on her family, she has an $11 million book contract. And if she was so concerned about her family being mocked, why did she put Bristol out as a spokeswoman for abstinence? If that wasn’t an attempt at political damage control, I’m the king of Siam.
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