New York Times Cowed by McCain's Media Intimidation: Article On Palin "Following God's Will"

[Frank Booth]

In Palin’s Life and Politics, Goal to Follow God’s Will

Shortly after taking office as governor in 2006, Sarah Palin sent an e-mail message to Paul E. Riley, her former pastor in the Assembly of God Church, which her family began attending when she was a youth. She needed spiritual advice in how to do her new job, said Mr. Riley, who is 78 and retired from the church.

“She asked for a biblical example of people who were great leaders and what was the secret of their leadership,” Mr. Riley said.

He wrote back that she should read again from the Old Testament the story of Esther, a beauty queen who became a real one, gaining the king’s ear to avert the slaughter of the Jews and vanquish their enemies. When Esther is called to serve, God grants her a strength she never knew she had.

Mr. Riley said he thought Ms. Palin had lived out the advice as governor, and would now do so again as the Republican Party’s vice-presidential nominee.

“God has given her the opportunity to serve,” he said. “And God has given her the strength to carry out her goals.”.......

[No Elephants]

1. Brooks, Kristol, now this. It's official. The NYT has lost its mind.

[Frank Booth]

2. As for Brooks, it's pretty obvious he's had a hard time convincing himself the Palin pick is

anything more than a joke.

He did a really bad job spinning her speech on Wednesday. In print it reads well, but watching him on PBS he's not much of a bluffer. His lies really show through.

[tomg]

3. Maybe I'm dense, but how does this

article suggest that the Times has been cowed by McCain ( not to say it hasn't been cowed in about four million ways by the Neocons and Extreme Right - just in this case). Frankly, that article suggests the beginning of the extent of her extremist worldview. Maybe it is cowed, to use your words, by not probing deeply enough.

Just a quick context: A guy I teach with was a member of the same Assembly of God Congregation back when he was a young teen in Alaska. He didn't know Palin personally( he is a couple of years younger, but other family members did). According to him, her language is not red meat of a cynical politician thrown to the base. She really is base all grown up.

This is not the language of a politician doing the "yaddah yaddah yaddah God yaddah country yadda values yadda." In her world, her messages come from



and to these people, He approves that message. Scary shit.

[Frank Booth]

4. Because in most people's eyes "following God's will" is a good thing.

I find the fact that she claims to base all her decisions on what she's taught in church scary as well, but most people in this country won't.

The article doesn't take a critical look at any decisions she's made. Instead, it regurgitates quotes straight from her own preachers -- not exactly objective sources. It paints her as a proud warrior for God. Maybe adding some context would have helped. Maybe they could have added a couple paragraphs about how her belief that she's always right can get her in trouble. I don't think Jesus would have approved of Troopergate, for example. But there's none of that.

[tomg]

6. To an extent, I absolutely agree with your

assessment of the Times' usual "keep it on the surface" approach. I don't think, though, that this is or will be the end of it. I am convinced that this will be the beginning. I think the purpose of the article was to outline Palin's religious background, not to assess and judge the nature of those beliefs. I think it is legitimate ( crucial) to ask a person who makes the specifics of their religious beliefs a part of their public record and then asserts that their public policies will be informed by at least some of those specific doctrinal beliefs just how those beliefs might impact public policy ( think of James Watt, Reagan's Sec. of Interior, his belief in Dominionst theory and what happened to the environment).

Palin was originally Assembly of God which was fairly apolitical, if deeply fundamentalist, before her time ( in fact they were a Peace Church which made opposition to war central until 1967 - I looked it up), but became, at least according to my friend, conservative and political in the early 1990s when she was still a member. Check out the 14 points of the Assemblies of God. Some actually went from believing in end times to thinking it would be cool when it happened to promoting it. According to the Times article, she left the congregation and went to Wassila Bible in 2002. Interestingly, this is the same year that her husband gave up his membership in the AIP. (okay - I am tinfoil here - instead of Manchurian candidate, it might be nothing more than cheap opportunism of an ambitious politician).

As far as the language she uses, this is straight fundy language ( not evangelical - I try and draw a sharp distinction) replete with "it's the end of the world as we know it." To an extent, it is not Troopergate and "What would Jesus do" that needs to be examined from a theological perspective. It is her intense belief that Irag is the will of God, that a pipeline is the "will of God." The first is an ethical and hypothetical question ( JC is not available for comment). The second, though is part of her public speaking record.

Just to stick with preachers: this is not the communitarian rhetoric of MLK ( the shining city on a hill), nor is it the Jeremiad rhetoric of Wright (if the country doesn't change, pride goeth and all). This is Apocalyptic, Millenialist rhetoric which has a very long history in America. ( What I teach means that I have sometimes had to familiarize myself with millenialism and "great awakening" movements - I never got around to A of G which starts around 1900). I am an agnostic but one with a relatively strong background in theo and some of the odder aspects of religious history (you want 13-14th century heresies, I got em).

Sorry to go on. I tend to overanalyze some ( okay a lot) of this. If it stops here, you are dead right - "Gorsh, she luvs the Lord." If this is just a start of the examination, it could become "Snake handling in the White House and its impact on Endangered Species legislation" or "Talking in Tongues and Funding for Bilingual Education."

[Frank Booth]

7. Please go on. That was very interesting.

For the average voter though, even if the Times eventually does take this tack, there's way too much nuance. And, frankly, I think the Times is scared to dig deeper.

[tomg]

8. You're probably right. I just don't want to

believe it. Sometimes as a country we really are collectively dumber than a box of rocks :banghead:

[liberalpress]

9. I agree

I read the whole article and all it does is report what Palin allegedly thinks and how the members of her church think. I don't see the article supporting Plain or condemning her. Just neutral reportage.

[GoesTo11]

5. Did God tell her to ...

Hire a lobbyist to get earmarks for Wasilla.
Keep the bridge to nowhere money for Alaska.
Ban books.
Fire the Wasilla police chief and librarian for not supporting her.
Fire the Alaska head of police because he wouldn't fire her ex-brother in law.
Lie about it.
Cut funds for special needs children.
Cut funds for teen mothers.

Just talking about professional here, not even getting into the personal of what God told her to do and say.

[retread]

10. Yes. By definition, any deed by her ilk is "carrying out God's will." That

is why no act or contradiction embarrasses them; they have NO conscience.