God-o-Meter

Sarah Palin as Harriet Miers Redux

Friday October 3, 2008

Categories: John McCain
080906_lede_gop.jpg harrietmiers.jpgSarah Palin's selection has split the Republican Party between the religious conservatives and everyone else, evoking the failed nomination of the evangelical Harriet Miers (right) to the Supreme Court three years ago. That split was more visible than every this week.

Here's what the new Pew poll found:

There also are sizable differences in opinions among religious voters about whether Palin is well-informed. Nearly two-thirds of white evangelical voters (65%) say they think of Palin as well-informed, compared with just 41% of white non-evangelical Protestants.

According to The Huffington Post, meanwhile, conservative columnist George Will has a much lower opinion of Palin:

Famed conservative columnist George Will told a gathering of Senate aides on Monday that Gov. Sarah Palin is "obviously" not prepared to assume the presidency if necessary, two event attendees told the Huffington Post.

Appearing at a Senate Press Secretaries Association reception at the Cornerstone Government Affairs office, Will offered a harsh assessment of John McCain's running mate.

Palin is "obviously not qualified to be President," he remarked, describing her interview on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric as a "disaster."

Will isn't the only non-evangelical Republican to voice doubts about Palin. So has former Bush speechwriter David Frum. Those were the same guys at the forefront of the campaign to bring down Harriet Miers in 2005, even though she had the loyal support of social conservative heavies like James Dobson because of her evangelical background.

Is the God gap within the GOP growing wider now that the great uniter, George W. Bush, is exiting the scene?

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Comments
marykaylover
October 4, 2008 1:44 AM

THE ANSWER IS YES !!!

Faith
October 5, 2008 2:13 PM

Why is the NY Times not writing about McCain's association with G. Gordon Liddy, a CONVICTED felon, who went to jail for 4 years for the Watergate break-in, AND who plotted to kill a Journalist (didn't happen) and also
advised Americans to shoot Federal Law Enforcement Officers?

WHY?

Charles Cosimano
October 5, 2008 2:50 PM

If the state by state polls are any indication and things continue the way they are, the social conservatives are going to be spending the next four years in sputtering impotence and they can kiss the Supreme Court (and any attempt to limit abortion) goodbye.

Barring another surprise in this year of surprises, for them the war is over and Sarah Palin will be a comical footnote in history, as forgotten as Barry Goldwater's running mate.

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About God-o-Meter

This blog is no longer updated and is closed for comments. We welcome your comments about politics in our Politics forums.

The God-o-Meter (pronounced Gah-DOM-meter) scientifically measures factors such as rate of God-talk, effectiveness—saying God wants a capital gains tax cut doesn't guarantee a high rating—and other top-secret criteria (Actually, the adjustment criteria are here). Click a candidate's head to get his or her latest God-o-Meter reading and blog post. And check back often. With so much happening on the campaign trail, God-o-Meter is constantly recalibrating!

God-o-Meter blogger Dan Gilgoff is Beliefnet's Politics Editor. A former political correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, he is author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War.

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