Religious Right is Ecstatic about Palin --UPDATED
Frederick Clarkson printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Fri Aug 29, 2008 at 04:14:52 PM EST
Sarah Palin, as Chip Berlet writes below was a predictable choice for John McCain, at least in so far as a Religious Right candidate was almost a necessity for McCain.  And as pastordan writes over at Street Prophets, her Religious Right credentials are impressive.

And suffice to say that the Religious Right itself is ecstatic. For example, Fr. Frank Pavone of the militant anti-abortion group Priests for Life said at a news teleconference today:

When asked the question by a member of the press, "How would you contrast Sarah Palin giving birth to a Down Syndrome baby with Barack Obama supporting leaving Down Syndrome babies to die when born alive?", Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life stated, "A lot of pro-life groups will make sure that contrast comes out...it is a very striking contrast....there is also a contrast between Sarah Palin (being pro-life)... and Joe Biden being a pro-abortion Catholic.  I expect that there will be very strong statements from Catholic Bishops all over the country."
Here's more:

Top conservative leaders gave their reactions to the announcement that Senator John McCain (R-Ariz) made today of his Vice Presidential running mate, Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska).  Commentators who participated in a nationwide press teleconference that followed the forum and which was hosted by NewsGuests.com included: Father Frank Pavone, Priests for Life; Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform; Sandra Froman, NRA Immediate Past President; Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony List; Ken Blackwell, Chairman for the Coalition for a Conservative Majority and Vice Chairman of the 2008 Republican Platform Committee; and Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring.

"Sarah Palin is the whole package. There couldn't be a better vice presidential pick," said Susan B. Anthony List President, Marjorie Dannenfelser. "Women voters are electrified, and Sarah is someone who is truly in sync with the way real American women think."

Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform commented, "The good news about Sarah Palin is that she is a reformer on spending.  She is one of a handful of governors who by executive order put government spending online and searchable.  Both in government transparency, on spending transparency, on saying no to tax increases and keeping government spending down, she has been a star at the state level."

Ken Blackwell Chairman for the Coalition for a Conservative Majority, stated, "Sarah Palin offers a freshness and she is grounded in virtues that have made our country great.  She is an independent thinker....she believes in human dignity and (the) rights of every person and is a strong believer in the First Amendment and religious liberty and in the Second Amendment....John McCain couldn't have made a better choice."  

A full transcript is to be published here.

Update [2008-8-29 20:14:44 by Frederick Clarkson]: And Richard Viguerie says: "She's perfect." and "Conservatives, the base of the party, have been listless. But, now, nearly all will work enthusiastically for the McCain-Palin ticket. In fact, this is the most enthusiastic conservatives have been since the era for Ronald Reagan."




Display:
I wonder if any of them are thinking about the consequences should McCain die? It is interesting that the possibility of her being Commander in Chief hasn't crossed someone's mind. He is old, and will look older standing next to her.

I am also wondering how enthusiastic the rank and file will be about Todd being the househusband. I suppose his oil roughneck image might reassure some that the husband rules the bed, if not the household. Or have the rank and file gotten over the angst over the wife being the breadwinner? She will surely get bonus points for carrying the Downs' baby, but will religious right women have qualms about her leaving the baby to her husband?

by NancyP on Fri Aug 29, 2008 at 06:21:39 PM EST

Actually...and I hope to the gods I am being, as the term goes, "hyper-aware" to the point of being paranoid on this...

...but part of my very real gut feeling on this is that Palin got nominated in large part because of a real sense that (if elected) McCain wouldn't make it through his term--thus putting Palin in to be a dominionist president.  A particularly nasty and hardline dominionist president, at that. :P

This is one of those areas I really hope it's just the PTSD rearing its ugly head...

by dogemperor on Sat Aug 30, 2008 at 02:48:40 AM EST
Parent



Religious Right bloggers appear to be primarily fixated on a single aspect of Palin's qualifications - her "testimony" for her anti-abortion stance demonstrated through the birth of her baby with Down's Syndrome.  This is a story that will now be repeated many thousands of times and become a rallying cry to motivate the base. While one can certainly admire the parents for this very difficult (and very personal) decision, it is frightening to think that such an important election could be influenced, or possibly even determined, on this basis.

by Rachel Tabachnick on Sat Aug 30, 2008 at 08:59:27 AM EST
that if Palin survives the current controversy into the firing of the Alaska Commissioner of Public Safety... that this will be one of the defining issues of the election.  It is one that the Dems are not as well prepared for as they might be, since they have come under the influence of groups and campaign consultants who instruct the party and its candidates not to talk about reproductive rights and separation of church and state.  

by Frederick Clarkson on Sat Aug 30, 2008 at 11:36:04 AM EST
Parent


While I believe this will be the excuse Dobson uses to finally endorse McCain (something he would have done anyway, as I long predicted) I am not sure it's as much of a slam dunk as Viguere believes.

She is so inexperienced that she may well give even fundamentalists pause for thought.  While they may be ecstatic over her anti-choice credentials, many will be sensible enough to have grave concerns over her ability to lead the country from day one.  Just ask them to think what would happen if McCain was incapacitated in his first month in office.

Second, if the Democrats play this right, they should be able to frame this as the Republican's stepping away from any possible compromise on reproductive rights (not that there was one anyway).  After the Dems have leaned over backwards to accommodate evangelicals, McCain has thumbed his nose at the moderates by picking Palin.  

Of course, such framing has been a big problem in the past, so it remains to be seen if the Obama campaign can be any different.

Palin probably turns this from a cake walk for Obama into a tighter race, but evangelicals still have to put a check mark against the name "McCain" and I'm betting the euphoria over Palin will be shortlived.


by tacitus on Sat Aug 30, 2008 at 12:39:14 PM EST

Palin is risky choice in a lot of ways that even the cable news pundits clearly see.

But this campaign is going to be more about the litmust test issues of the religious right than anyone thought possible. Rick Warren completely sandbagged the liberals who thought he would act like the new moderate evangelical he was billed as -- wrong!  He dwelled on abortion ("holocaust") and same sex marriage and never got around to climate change and AIDS.

I predict that Palin's Down's Syndrome baby will be one of the most famous people in America before this is over. In a truly perverse way, that child will be the standin for Terri Schiavo as an animating issue for the religious right; a narrative that embodies so much of what they say that they are about; and what they say Obama is about, like Pavone says, above.

by Frederick Clarkson on Sat Aug 30, 2008 at 02:32:40 PM EST
Parent

Yeah, it's all just speculation for now.  There is already more stuff coming out about Palin, especially from Alaskan press and fellow politician (some Republican) who are somewhat stunned that she was chosen and are not all that complimentary in their comments.

It will probably take another three weeks (the Republican convention -- with Gustav in tow) and two more weeks to see where this shakes down.  

I know the PUMAs are happy, but they were going to vote for McCain anyway since they were not swayed by Clinton's words.  Palin just gives them a better excuse to vote against their hero's wishes. (Ironically, electing McCain now probably lessens Clinton's chances of being elected in 2012, but the PUMAs are too far gone to understand that).

So, my bet is that in three weeks, the poll will be about where they were before the conventions -- Obama up by about 2 points.  A superior ground game will be the best chance for Obama to win this election as it has been all along.

by tacitus on Sat Aug 30, 2008 at 02:56:56 PM EST
Parent




I also think they will use Bristol Palin's pregnancy as a weapon in the culture war, no matter how bad it may make the Palins look. In addition, Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton (birthplace of Obama's running mate Sen. Joe Biden) is firing up the communion wars by telling the public any Catholic who isn't "pro-life" need not bother receiving Communion.

by khughes1963 on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 05:47:38 PM EST


WWW Talk To Action


Cognitive Dissonance & Dominionism Denial
There is new research on why people are averse to hearing or learning about the views of ideological opponents. Based on evaluation of five......
By Frederick Clarkson (374 comments)
Will the Air Force Do Anything To Rein In Its Dynamic Duo of Gay-Bashing, Misogynistic Bloggers?
"I always get nervous when I see female pastors/chaplains. Here is why everyone should as well: "First, women are not called to be pastors,......
By Chris Rodda (195 comments)
The Legacy of Big Oil
The media is ablaze with the upcoming publication of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon. The shocking non fiction account of the......
By wilkyjr (110 comments)
Gimme That Old Time Dominionism Denial
Over the years, I have written a great deal here and in other venues about the explicitly theocratic movement called dominionism -- which has......
By Frederick Clarkson (101 comments)
History Advisor to Members of Congress Completely Twists Jefferson's Words to Support Muslim Ban
Pseudo-historian David Barton, best known for his misquoting of our country's founders to promote the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation,......
By Chris Rodda (113 comments)
"Christian Fighter Pilot" Calls First Lesbian Air Force Academy Commandant a Liar
In a new post on his "Christian Fighter Pilot" blog titled "BGen Kristin Goodwin and the USAFA Honor Code," Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan......
By Chris Rodda (144 comments)
Catholic Right Leader Unapologetic about Call for 'Death to Liberal Professors' -- UPDATED
Today, Donald Trump appointed C-FAM Executive Vice President Lisa Correnti to the US Delegation To UN Commission On Status Of Women. (C-FAM is a......
By Frederick Clarkson (126 comments)
Controlling Information
     Yesterday I listened to Russ Limbaugh.  Rush advised listeners it would be best that they not listen to CNN,MSNBC, ABC, CBS and......
By wilkyjr (118 comments)
Is Bannon Fifth-Columning the Pope?
In December 2016 I wrote about how White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who likes to flash his Catholic credentials when it comes to......
By Frank Cocozzelli (250 comments)
Ross Douthat's Hackery on the Seemingly Incongruous Alliance of Bannon & Burke
Conservative Catholic writer Ross Douthat has dissembled again. This time, in a February 15, 2017 New York Times op-ed titled The Trump Era's Catholic......
By Frank Cocozzelli (64 comments)
`So-Called Patriots' Attack The Rule Of Law
Every so often, right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan lurches out of the far-right fever swamp where he has resided for the past 50 years to......
By Rob Boston (161 comments)
Bad Faith from Focus on the Family
Here is one from the archives, Feb 12, 2011, that serves as a reminder of how deeply disingenuous people can be. Appeals to seek......
By Frederick Clarkson (176 comments)
The Legacy of George Wallace
"One need not accept any of those views to agree that they had appealed to real concerns of real people, not to mindless, unreasoning......
By wilkyjr (70 comments)
Betsy DeVos's Mudsill View of Public Education
My Talk to Action colleague Rachel Tabachnick has been doing yeoman's work in explaining Betsy DeVos's long-term strategy for decimating universal public education. If......
By Frank Cocozzelli (80 comments)
Prince and DeVos Families at Intersection of Radical Free Market Privatizers and Religious Right
This post from 2011 surfaces important information about President-Elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. -- FC Erik Prince, Brother of Betsy......
By Rachel Tabachnick (218 comments)

Respect for Others? or Political Correctness?
The term "political correctness" as used by Conservatives and Republicans has often puzzled me: what exactly do they mean by it? After reading Chip Berlin's piece here-- http://www.talk2action.org/story/2016/7/21/04356/9417 I thought about what he explained......
MTOLincoln (253 comments)
Fear
What I'm feeling now is fear.  I swear that it seems my nightmares are coming true with this new "president".  I'm also frustrated because so many people are not connecting all the dots! I've......
ArchaeoBob (107 comments)
"America - love it or LEAVE!"
I've been hearing that and similar sentiments fairly frequently in the last few days - far FAR more often than ever before.  Hearing about "consequences for burning the flag (actions) from Trump is chilling!......
ArchaeoBob (211 comments)
"Faked!" Meme
Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible move to try to discredit the people openly opposing Trump and the bigots, especially people who have experienced terrorism from the "Right"  (Christian Terrorism is......
ArchaeoBob (165 comments)
More aggressive proselytizing
My wife told me today of an experience she had this last week, where she was proselytized by a McDonald's employee while in the store. ......
ArchaeoBob (163 comments)
See if you recognize names on this list
This comes from the local newspaper, which was conservative before and took a hard right turn after it was sold. Hint: Sarah Palin's name is on it!  (It's also connected to Trump.) ......
ArchaeoBob (169 comments)
Unions: A Labor Day Discussion
This is a revision of an article which I posted on my personal board and also on Dailykos. I had an interesting discussion on a discussion board concerning Unions. I tried to piece it......
Xulon (156 comments)
Extremely obnoxious protesters at WitchsFest NYC: connected to NAR?
In July of this year, some extremely loud, obnoxious Christian-identified protesters showed up at WitchsFest, an annual Pagan street fair here in NYC.  Here's an account of the protest by Pagan writer Heather Greene......
Diane Vera (130 comments)
Capitalism and the Attack on the Imago Dei
I joined this site today, having been linked here by Crooksandliars' Blog Roundup. I thought I'd put up something I put up previously on my Wordpress blog and also at the DailyKos. As will......
Xulon (330 comments)
History of attitudes towards poverty and the churches.
Jesus is said to have stated that "The Poor will always be with you" and some Christians have used that to refuse to try to help the poor, because "they will always be with......
ArchaeoBob (148 comments)
Alternate economy medical treatment
Dogemperor wrote several times about the alternate economy structure that dominionists have built.  Well, it's actually made the news.  Pretty good article, although it doesn't get into how bad people could be (have been)......
ArchaeoBob (90 comments)
Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC.