Joe Hilley - Sarah Palin - A New Kind of Leader

Sarah Palin

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Copyright 2008 by Joseph Hilley

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ISBN-10: 0-310-29634-X

ISBN-13: 978-0-310-29634-8

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B Y C HUCK C OLSON

R ecently, over 40 million TV viewers watched Barack Obama become the first African-American nominee of a major political party. And 24 hours later, Republican candidate John McCain set the political world on its ear by selecting a little-known woman governor from Alaska, Sarah Palin, as his running mate.

Either way the election turns out, history will be made. The 2008 Presidential Election will be a groundbreaking, ceiling-shattering event regardless of the new administration that takes office. History is in the making before our very eyes. And the clash of worldviews is nowhere more evident than in the reaction to Palins nomination as vice president.

Social conservatives reacted to Palins selection with near euphoria. Social liberals reacted with fury. Why? How could a governor from a politically small state spark such strong emotions? What is it about Palin that has turned her candidacy into a lightning rod for the political establishment as well as public opinion? Is it the fact that shes breaking glass ceilings as a female political leader or that shes coming to center stage from relative national obscurity?

No. It is because she does not fit the feminist stereotype. Shes just a high-achieving mom who comes from the common people. Consider every major controversial issue in American politics and culture right now and somehow, they touch her personally. Start with the most obvious: abortion.

Palin, a mother of five, is staunchly pro-life. And, as you likely know by now, her fifth child, Trig, has Down syndrome. Knowing full well the challenges such a baby would become, Mrs. Palin chose to bring the baby to term. Then, shortly after her selection was announced, Palin and her husband announced that their oldest daughter was pregnant out-of-wedlockand that the daughter would have the baby.

People on both sides of the life issue reacted swiftly. The pro-abortion crowd mocked Palin for her support of abstinence-only sex education, which, they say, failed her own daughter. Some commentators took the ad hominem approach, claiming that it is fine for Mrs. Palin and her daughter to bring their babies to term; after all, theyve got money and a supportive family. At the same time, the pro-life side hailed Palin and her daughter as heroes for living out what they believe.

However, I believe that we ought to look at this situation as a test for ourselves. Would your belief in the sanctity of life have stood the test if you had found yourself in the Palins situation? Either as a middle-aged working mom, or as the father of a pregnant teenage girl? How supportive is your church of young, unwed mothers? How do you respond to teen mothers in your neighborhood? How does your willingness to see someone elses point of view affect the social and political choices you make?

Next, consider the war in Iraq. Mrs. Palins oldest son, Track, enlisted in the Army and has deployed to Iraq. Critics of the war have not said much about this young mans love of country. But his actions, like those of his mother, should cause those who support the war to reflect for a moment: How would you react to your sons enlisting? For putting his money where his mouth is, so to speak? Regardless of where you stand in theory, the war on terror takes on a new, personal dimension when your own flesh and blood leaves home to risk his life for our country.

With Governor Palin, the issues converge in a way that transcends rhetoric and becomes reality. She has experienced all the dilemmas we all live with in everyday life. Pick any issue homosexual marriage: She is against it. But her first act as governor of Alaska was to veto legislation that would have denied state-funded health benefits for gay partners. Or oil drilling: She is for iteven in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, and even though she loves the great outdoors as a hunter. Earmarks? She helped scuttle the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But it also seems that as a small-town mayor, she hired lobbyists to help secure millions in federal dollars to benefit her community.

Like all of us, she wrestles with her own convictions. Every flashpoint in American politics and culture seems to come together in this woman from Alaska. I do not believe Christian leaders should make partisan endorsements, so I am not telling you how to vote, but I am aware that Sarah Palins leadership offers a breath of fresh air to the often stagnant political world of competing agendas and partisan loyalties. Why? Because she personally struggles with the same tensions that affect all of us and maintains her commitment to convictions.