Sarah Palin comments and coverage

While John McCain’s VP selection of Governor Sarah Palin was a surprise to most, there has been intrigued speculation about her for some time. Here’s an Albert Mohler commentary from May on the decision Palin and her husband made to carry their fifth child to term with the knowledge he would be born with Down Syndrome.

“I’m more interested in the long-term cultural implications of the choice of Palin, whether the McCain–Palin ticket wins or loses in November, for one of the most vexing horizons of impossibility in our culture: the abortion rate among unborn babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome. The burden of bringing a Down Syndrome child into the world is seen as so grave that less than 10 percent of parents take the risk. But Sarah and Todd Palin have done it. They will cause many, many families to reconsider the horizons of the possible. Their public example could very well lead to a cultural sea change” (Andy Crouch)

“Palin appears to be part of that rapidly expanding galaxy of “post-denominational” Christianity, where elements of Evangelical and Pentecostal styles of faith and worship fuse into a myriad of unique local combinations, and where old denominational loyalties are essentially dead. . . . Palin’s nomination, therefore, does not simply mark a breakthrough for women, or for western states. She also puts a face on the fastest-growing and most dynamic segment of global Christianity these days – even if it’s proving difficult for journalists and political handicappers to get their minds around.” (National Catholic Reporter)

"She's so tough, she could be a Texan." (Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones, referring to Palin in the Statesman)

“Palin will be a compelling and mold-breaking example for lots of Americans who are told every day that to be even a bit conservative or Christian or old-fashioned is bad form.” (William Kristol)

“Anyone going after Palin for the important experience she lacks had better be careful not to dismiss the value of the experiences she does have. Raising a large family and running a small state may not be sufficient qualifications to assume the Presidency. But we're not going to get far by minimizing those jobs, either. Here again, the McCain campaign may be hoping that Democrats -- or the press -- will come down too hard on Palin, and spark a backlash that turns her into a working mom's hero. (Democrat Bruce Reed in Slate.)

What did Reed say? “Democrats—or the press”? When did those two groups get together? One group is partisan and the other is objec—pardon? Mollie’s on the line: “I realize the mainstream media is apoplectic over the selection of Gov. Palin as McCain’s VP. But yegads, people! Reporters and editors need to remember that their job is to present the news, not their unhinged opinions.” (Mollie at a must-must-read piece at GetReligion)