Posted on 07/19/2009 12:55:12 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Who knows how the Sarah Palin story will play out? It seems as if every political pundit in America has a take on Palin’s resignation as Alaska’s governor.
They can be mean-spirited (She’s hiding a scandal!), or cynical (Since she can rake in $60 grand and up for a simple speaking engagement, she’s taking the money and running like hell.)
Some wonder whether this is her way of tuning up for a presidential run in 2012, or is the resignation a case of a hometown girl unable to stand the heat in her kitchen?
We will get more information, but if we stand back, one thing stands true: Palin’s departure signals the bankruptcy of the Republican Party. It’s what happens when the party of Reagan and Lincoln allows itself to be hijacked by the religious right, zealots suckered into the shaky belief that America is a Christian country, forgetting or ignoring the reality that the most prominent of our founding fathers were deists — men who believed in a who god created us and then left us on our own.
If we acknowledge that we are a country founded by religious zealots, we must also recognize that many of the men we regard as founding fathers were secular humanists. Their god was reason. Or as Tom Paine declared, followers of “Common Sense.”
It’s no coincidence that our forefathers made the separation of church and state first on their list of amendments. They knew or feared what would happen if America really did turn into a Christian country.
Petition of 1785
Here’s part of petition signed by group of citizens Chesterfield, Va., in 1785, bidding legislators to avoid that danger:
“Let Jews, Mehometans and Christians of every denomination enjoy religious liberty . . . thrust them not out now by establishing the Christian religion lest thereby we become our own enemys and weaken this infant state. It is men’s labour in our Manufactories, their services by sea and land that aggrandize our Country and not their creeds. Chain your citizens to the state by their Interest. Let Jews, Mehometans, and Christians of every denomination find their advantage in living under your laws.”
By pandering or catering to the religious right, Republican leaders lost their way and, in the process, alienated many of the party faithful turned off by excessive displays of devotion. Colin Powell jumped ship, and it is widely believed that John McCain would have chosen Joe Lieberman as his running mate if the selection would not have offended members of the religious right.
Hence, the selection of a God-fearing, Christian woman, who in an e-mail, announced the birth of her son “not in her name but in God’s.”
As reported in the current issue of Vanity Fair, Palin signed the news of Trig’s birth: “Trig’s Creator, Your Heavenly Father.”
Can you imagine such a missive coming from traditional Republicans like Eisenhower, Reagan, Lincoln or McCain?
Public opinion
It’s not surprising, writes J.E. Dionne, “that a recent Washington-Post/ABC survey found that only 36 percent of Americans held a favorable opinion of the Republican Party; 56 percent had a negative view. Other polls show the GOP in even worse shape.”
That’s the situation facing Republicans in the next elections. Besides Mitt Romney, who are the leaders? Maybe Sarah Palin should seize the day and accept those lucrative speaking offers before her well dries up.
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Reach Dan DiNicola at dandinicola@hotmail.com.
“...when the party of Reagan and Lincoln allows itself to be hijacked by the religious right...”
Does this fool remember the Moral Majority during Reagan’s time?
Except the pandering has been excessively to the center and not to the right.
But excessive displays of devotion are a turn off. Excessive displays of anything always seem to be more posturing than anything else.
Name a Lincoln speech where he DID NOT reference God. That doesn’t make him a zealot. Just a man who knew the order of things.
Dan DiNicola in ‘The Schenectady Daily Gazette’, holy sh*t I was wondering who was going to step up to take the place of Walter Cronkite, LOL
Forget Reagan, let’s talk Lincoln. Read his second inaugural, can you imagine a politician using such blatant religious terminology in today’s America? They would be done, finished, they would need to resign yesterday and retire in disgrace after voicing sentiments such as those.
The only relevant line comes right at the end.
That's the whole point of this article. Mitt mitt mitt mitt mitt!
Mercy, and here I thought the the GOP was hijacked by the liberal (Eastern) Republicans! Guess I’ll have to go back to GOP school - again!
In reality, the GOP has no chance while the Eastern Liberals are in charge. Guess we will either have to revolt or get use to Socialism with all its warts.
Every journalist worth his/her salt has to take their shots at Sarah. She is the greatest threat to the obamanation at this time. She is a good, Christian, American woman and shows "zero" to be the marxist empty suit that he is.
Never heard of the author before and I'm sure that I'll never hear of him again. Sarah on the other hand...
Answer: No. Only Jefferson and Franklin had deist tendencies. Most were devoted Christians.
Assertion: It’s no coincidence that our forefathers made the separation of church and state first on their list of amendments. They knew or feared what would happen if America really did turn into a Christian country.
Answer: No. America was already a Christian country. They feared what would happen to freely exercised religion if the government tried to meddle in religious affairs. So the Constitution forbade such meddling. Today, secular zealots turn this meaning upside down, and conclude the Constitution is excusing them to supress religion, doing just what the Constitution forbade.
I am a hugh fan of Palin, but pres is a big jump...
I would prefer to see Mitt Romney for 8 followed by Sarah for her 8.
Sarah is only the second woman I thought had the stones to be president....
the first was Jeane Kirkpatrick.
http://www.answers.com/topic/jeane-kirkpatrick
What a load! This guy wants Reps. to buy into the lie that Christians want to install a theocracy and that we have no love or tolerance for others - wonder when he will jump ship and join the Democrats.
Mel
Yes, Sarah is up and coming... She is however, the fire that lights the GOP right now and would be a huge advantage to anyone she supports. The problem is that the liberal GOP want nothing to do with her (at their peril since she is very popular among Republicans and the NON-Democratic populace). They seem to be blind to this and if continued, will decrease their popularity to record LOW levels... Time for a NEW party yet?
Get a load of this guy!
A puke from Schenectady offering a sneer about "a hometown girl" out of her depth?!
What a pantsload. This guy couldn't stay in the same room with Todd Palin, and he's gonna unload on Sarah as a luser?
Yes, people who follow politics know Dr. Kirkpatrick was a Democrat, and a good one -- the kind that you never had to worry about, when the subject was patriotism.
The kind that got overreached by the "Progressive"/Stalinist cabal during the "reforms" of 1968-72. Real Democrats got screwed behind closed doors then, just like Bill Daley tried to screw Dubya behind closed doors in Florida in 2000.
Dr. K. was one of the few Democrats ever to be invited to speak at a GOP convention, I remember that. I also remember Henry the K making a speech at a GOP convention, and the MSM pukes snarking at the humorous spectacle of Dr. K confronting "a sea of polyester".
The same kind of patronizing cultural put-down we see in the current article.
Heh...Well, maybe he just loves to be in the kitchen with his hubby and can’t stand the competition.
Ah-oh... I’m going to get into trouble for that statement...heh.
Thus, we see the reason why Palin is crucified daily....they are executing their political conduct of the ideological war brilliantly on a strategic basis.
Ouch...
next time don’t sugar coat it.
And yes I knew she was a democrat, but she went to war in the UN.
And I seem to recall that Kennedy was the last D to realize that a tax cut raises revenue.
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