(...Continued) The wife of a fisherman and a one-time fisherwoman herself, Sarah Palin's political ascent has been meteoric. Sarah Palin rose from her blue collar roots to become Alaska's youngest-ever Governor and the first woman Republican Vice Presidential nominee. Sarah Palin's approval rating among Alaskans is 80%, the highest approval rating among the nation's Governors, and her high rating is largely due to having delivered on her campaign promise to reform Alaska's corruption-ridden government. Commendably, Sarah Palin led her fight to reform by personal example. Upon inauguration, she disposed of the Governor's jet and chef. Even as Mayor, Sarah Palin cut her own salary, and as Ethics Commissioner, she quit her lucrative post to blow the whistle on a colleague. Moreover, Sarah Palin's credentials as a reformer are bona fide, as are her pro-life credentials. Unlike Mitt Romney, who had his anti-abortion epiphany just prior to setting his sights on the Presidency, Sarah Palin has been staunchly anti-abortion since her childhood. As a Vice Presidential candidate, however, Sarah Palin deserves mixed ratings. Her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention was stellar and her performance in the Vice Presidential debate was commendable. But her interviews have been disastrous and revealed not only her ignorance on many of the key issues facing America, but also a lack of intellectual curiosity to engage and think through such issues - a lack for which Sarah Palin tries to compensate with unwarranted decisiveness. Most troubling, however, are her exaggerations and half-truths. Having "put" the Governor's jet on eBay is technically true but what she implies by it, isn't. The infamous bridge to nowhere wasn't built because Sarah Palin said, "No thanks", but because Congress stopped funding it after the initial $100 million, which Sarah Palin kept for Alaska. What makes these exaggerations and half-truths confounding is that they are unnecessary. A Governor is expected to win as much money as possible from the federal government for her constituents, and there is no issue with selling a jet through a jet broker. Her statements are becoming issues for the media because they are turning out to be misleading half-truths. And they are becoming an issue for us because they indicate that Sarah Palin is relying on John McCain's campaign strategists instead of Jesus Christ, who is Truth. It is imperative for her to realize that a hockey mom surrendered to Christ and His ways - truth and humility included - can bring Him glory. A hockey mom surrendered to political strategists and their ways won't, and given her declared Christianity, even risks dishonoring Him. Our Presidential candidacy rating of Sarah Palin is lowered to a and may be lowered or raised again in the coming days depending on her actions. And even though John McCain's quest for independent voters most likely will keep her from responding to our questionnaire, our invitation for her to share her Christian testimony remains open. Impact of Obama Presidency Sarah Palin's God |
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