Category: Politics
Well, I finally got around to observing (via YouTube) the whirlwind that has set every speck of American political dust to spinning. It is easy to see why so many people are excited about Sarah Palin. To whatever extent we can accurately determine a person's character through the lens of a camera and a computer screen, she appears to be genuine, caring, intelligent, principled, and witty. Oh, and, there's the self-proclaimed pit-bullishness. I greatly enjoyed the way she spoke of her family and the way the family interacted during her speech (though, admittedly, we only got glimpses of them). Her husband seems like a real man, causing him to stand out in the midst of all the politicians. And the way the liberals and media are going after her proves that she must be doing something right.
If this report is accurate, there is still more to like. Notice the statement, "She is staunchly anti-abortion, opposing exceptions for rape and incest, and opposes gay marriage and spousal rights for gay couples." To oppose abortion in situations where rape and incest are involved shows that she understands why abortion should be opposed. If abortion is murder (and it is), then it is never justified. The person who makes exceptions for rape and incest must allow for the murder of the resulting child at any stage in his life. In other words, if mom decides she no longer wants to keep her five year-old son who was conceived by rape, she should have the legal right to kill him. To argue otherwise is to affirm that there is a difference between the child in the womb and the child in the room. The pro-life conviction hinges upon the belief that there is no difference. Killing a child is murder even if the conception was the result of a heinous act against the mother. A life is a life no matter how it got there; and the entire abortion debate is about life, not how a woman got pregnant.
I applaud Gov. Palin for understanding this and for holding the right position. Unfortunately, her running mate does not. McCain's voting record may be pro-life, but his willingness to consider a pro-choice running mate exposed that for him, abortion is not murder (this is also exposed by his making exceptions for rape and incest victims). Would he consider a man (or woman) for V.P. who affirmed a woman's right to kill her toddler? Of course not. But he did consider a man who affirmed a woman's right to kill her unborn child. For McCain, abortion may be bad thing, but it is not murder. And if it is not murder, then why should anyone oppose it?
At times during Palin's acceptance speech, I found myself wondering how she could give such a raving endorsement of McCain. But I can think of at least one reason—"Good morning, Mrs. President!"
There are still many issues to sort out. Obama's self-anointing makes it easy to denounce his Messiah-ship, but I think Christians need to be careful not to look at Palin as our deliverer, either. Also, her daughter's pregnancy is sin, not a mistake. I have not yet heard Palin (or Christian leaders, for that matter) speak of it as such, nor have they spoken of the need for confession and repentance. (Hopefully, that conversation is taking place in the Palin home.) Then there is the whole question of how a woman submits to her husband and maintains her role as mother while serving the country as president (vice, or otherwise). We must think through these things carefully before voting time comes.
From a purely political perspective, here's a little advice for McCain if he wants to win the election...just stay out of Palin's way.