September 4, 2008
For conservative Republicans, John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate is the political equivalent of punching a jet into afterburner. This value driven dynamo brings the right things at the right time and the evidence points to a rare and authentic conservative who walks her talk. Alaska's gift to America is a principle driven package of hope and competency that is stunning the left as surely as she is uplifting the rest of us.
It took fifteen minutes for the Democrat spin machine to go into attack mode. Certainly we were all astounded to find that Governor Palin had given birth to a child that was actually her daughter's. Faking the pregnancy and hospital delivery was a neat trick. We should be grateful that the bloggers and spinners stepped around the 9th Commandment in their passionate search for the truth.
Then there is the accurate claim that Governor Palin lacks foreign policy experience. Thank goodness. Anyone who is an active participant in America's foreign entanglements should be immediately suspected. If you are keeping up with how well our experienced leaders are doing with foreign policy, please bring the rest of us up to speed. We have plenty of political talent steeped in the pathology of the UN, NATO, dysfunctional trade agreements, porous borders, our international welfare program, and other insanities, but little evidence that America comes out on the right side of all this sophisticated experience. We should all do our best to retain Sarah's focus on something for which she has demonstrated skills - running America. We should be grateful she has not been corrupted by involvement in something for which no one has the demonstrated skills - running a crazy world.
As a personal trigger, nothing about Governor Sarah Palin resonates more strongly than her dedication to core conservative principles. In a world of shouting special interests, from the right as surely as from the left, I know how hard it is to keep faith with that mission. How you do it and have five kids is beyond me, but certainly somewhere in the mix must be an extra measure of courage, character, and commitment filtered through God's graces. That sounds like leadership material several notches beyond the skill set of your average new age community organizer.
This lady has an approval rating in Alaska of 80%. Compare that to the -20% the country holds for Congress. She was a Mayor for 10 years and has had the courage to tangle with a Republican leadership structure that had surrendered to the corruptions of power over principle. I admire people who know the real fight is in preserving the integrity of your own party, not wasting time trying to undermine the other party. The Bible tells us to embrace God versus waste time wrestling with the devil - that guidance also applies to political parties. Sarah gets it.
It really is tougher in Alaska, and being in tough makes you tough - tough enough to be a classy lady, hold to your values, and lay a loving touch on your world with smile intact. Like many of you, that combination woke me up this morning with a smile on my face. Reading about Sarah and watching her at the convention night completed an equation of hope that has been too long out of reach for conservatives.
In a scary world, people are naturally more conservative, but politicians willing to embrace the mission of upholding those values are few and far between. John McCain became our Presidential contender when he put principles before politics and picked a woman of character, substance, and values to be his running mate. Sarah is the right thing. Her credentials have been affirmed by the misery coming from the left thing.
Carl Mumpower
11th District Republican Congressional Candidate
#157
