DENVER – Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin describes herself as a “hard-core pro-lifer” and expresses confidence that in spite of disheartening polls, “putting this in God’s hands, that the right thing for America will be done at the end of the day on Nov. 4.”
In an interview with evangelical leader James Dobson that aired Wednesday, Palin said she thought Republican presidential candidate John McCain would implement the GOP platform if elected – “I do, from the bottom of my heart” – but McCain doesn’t support the platform on three issues important to evangelicals: abortion, gay marriage and embryonic stem cell research.
The platform calls for a constitutional ban on gay marriage, an issue McCain says should be left to individual states. Similarly, the platform seeks a constitutional ban on all abortions; again, McCain supports allowing states to decide the question. McCain supports research using embryonic stem cells, which the platform opposes.
Palin called it a “strong platform” and told Dobson, “They are there, they are solid, we stand on them and, again, I believe that it is the right agenda for the country at this time.”
The Alaska governor talked by phone with Dobson for about 20 minutes Monday while she was in Colorado campaigning. Dobson’s Focus on the Family radio program aired the interview Wednesday.
Dobson asked whether Palin was discouraged by polls showing the GOP ticket behind.
“To me, it motivates us, makes us work that much harder,” Palin said. “And it also strengthens my faith, because I’m going to know, at the end of the day, putting this in God’s hands, that the right thing for America will be done at the end of the day on Nov. 4. So I’m not discouraged at all.”
Palin has not focused on her faith on the campaign trail, but it clearly has energized evangelical leaders like Dobson, whose radio show reaches an estimated 1.5 million Americans daily.
Dobson has come around to supporting the McCain-Palin ticket after previously saying he could not in good conscience vote for McCain. He endorsed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee late in the primaries.
Palin thanked Dobson and supporters for their prayers and – when Dobson inquired about the importance of faith in her life – said: “It is my foundation, yes, my Christian faith is.”
She also used terms like “prayer warrior” and “intercession” – words that might be unknown to the average listener but are common vocabulary in Pentecostal Christianity. Palin spent 20 years in a Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church, but she usually refers to her faith generically as Christian, not even evangelical.
“It is that intercession that is so needed and so greatly appreciated,” Palin told Dobson. “And I can feel it too, Dr. Dobson. I can feel the power of prayer, and that strength that is provided through our prayer warriors across this nation.”
She continued: “When we hear along the rope lines that people are interceding for us and praying for us, it’s our reminder to do the same, to put this all in God’s hands, to seek his perfect will for this nation, and to of course seek his wisdom and guidance in putting this nation back on the right track.”
Describing herself as a “hard-core pro-lifer,” Palin said the birth of a son with Down syndrome was “this opportunity for me to really be walking the walk and not just talking the talk. There’s purpose in this also and for a greater good to be met there.”
Palin said the campaign had to have faith that its message will be heard “minus the filter of the mainstream media.”
“That filter has to be erased,” she said. “So we have to have faith in the wisdom of the people that they’ll understand what our message is. But even bigger that then, I have to have that faith that God is going to help us get that message out there.”
Associated Press – October 22, 2008
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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posted October 22, 2008 at 5:12 pm
In case Sarah hasn’t heard, in this country, the USA, it is human beings that vote. A divine being has nothing to do with it. If this in a god’s hands, let’s hope he/she is smarter than to put Mac and Sarah in office. The last pair of “Christians”, George and Dick have been miserable for all concerned.
Funny how Dobson came around to supporting McCain, isn’t it?
posted October 22, 2008 at 5:58 pm
PS did I mention the fundamentalist people I spoke of in another article were Pentecostal? I know how Palin feels, I walked the walk with two childrens deaths, and I know my God is a mighty one! My prayers are just as important to the only one God we have in this universe, and now we’ll see how the ball rolls on November the 4th.
posted October 22, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Henrietta, no you didn’t mention they were Pentecostal, just fundamentalists.
And your prayers are most certainly important. Your God totally knows where you are coming from. I think you know I respect you and your beliefs.
Yes, we most certainly will see what happens Nov. 4. I’m not counting on anything until the last vote is counted….AND Obama wins!!
posted October 22, 2008 at 11:15 pm
If there were a god and it saw fit to put an incompetent heartbeats away from the presidency and the guy who chose her as president, I’d have to think that god really had it in for the US. But GWB was president so I have to hope there’s no god that’s influencing our elections.
posted October 23, 2008 at 10:04 am
Pagan sister – its the human beings that vote, but its God that calls the shots.
Its impressive that Palin has the confidence that win or lose, God will do the right thing for America this election, even if that means an Obama win.
I hope McCain and her win in Nov. Lets see how God calls it.
posted October 23, 2008 at 10:46 am
I hope when Obama wins, Palin thanks God for it.
posted October 23, 2008 at 12:23 pm
IMO, chauhan, it is humans who call the shots, not a divine being. If you are accurate in your opinion, how is it that a divine being calls shots for war, famine, 9/11, babies dying, the Holacaust, etc.? Folks were supposedly given “free will”. Logically then humans call the shots. Or is that the “devil’s” doing. Just curious.
posted October 23, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Phew ! I was ubder the impression that in the USA church & state were seperate. So the descion to made on the 1st Tuesday in November needs to a purely secular one, OK people can not check their beliefs at the door , thankfully but we need to trust that people will make senible selections.
As for this gettimng rid of the filter of the mediqa, That sounds like if I don’ty like what you saying about me I will not talk with you. That also sounds massively petty. Just because a media outlet may or may not have a bias one can’t say I won’t talk to you. If a leader has to get his/her message out then the more outlets the better. To day is 23 October. Soem of us remember watching or listening to President Kennedy make his announcement about missile s in Cuba in 1962 . A president party not withstanding has to be able to commuinicate with the nation. Today that means CBS,ABC,NBC ,Fox , the internet sites and any other media source yes even the NYT & Wall Street Journal.
posted October 23, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I think the McCain/Palin people are jealous they aren’t getting the free pass Bush/Cheney got. Just possibly some in the press have looked at what’s happened to our country that they might have prevented if they had reported objectively eight or four years ago, and decided to do their jobs rather than curry favor and access to the rich and powerful.
And if you report fairly objectively on McCain/Palin they look real bad. Apparently they had counted on that not happening.
posted October 23, 2008 at 6:10 pm
LOL @ the thought of a all-powerful make believe deitycaring about the US election….drink some more kool-aid
posted October 24, 2008 at 1:28 pm
According to the headlines in the LATIMES today Palin didn’t let God pick her Key Posts in Alaska when she became Governor of Alaska. She just picked her highest donators of her campaign, friends and supporters. Not too unusual they say, but Alaskan Historians say some of Palin’s appointees were less qualified than those of her Republican and Democratic predecessors. See the article, long and interesting. LATIMES.Com.
posted October 24, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Henrietta, Palin just did what, unfortunately, many politicians do. Give rewards for support to friends, donors and supporters. Qualifications for the jobs? Who needs qualifications??
posted October 24, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Since it is our tax monies they are using they could at least pick people who would use monies with responsibility and knowledge. Lesser companies and organizations pick their workers for their abilities they will use on the job. Perhaps that’s why we have a Road to nowhere in Alaska, and a whole lot of other mistakes that aren’t being discussed.
posted October 25, 2008 at 3:52 pm
“Funny how Dobson came around to supporting McCain, isn’t it?”
No. It isn’t “funny” at all. It IS hypocrical, though, but tragic notheless.
Equally UN-funny is the fact that McCain once called the ‘religious’ ‘right’ extremists “agents of intolerance” – and now he has one as his running mate.
Go figure.
“I hope McCain and her win”
Odd, I ‘hope’ for better grammar from educated citizens, but that hasn’t seemed to matter much in these last 8 years.
posted October 26, 2008 at 12:58 pm
recovering ex-pentecostal, you might find this interesting, I read it accidently, looking for the weather a relative would find in FL. It was written by Eric Gorski and Rachel Zoll-AP Religion Writers. The title of article was: Christian right intensifies attacks on Obama. Here are pausible scenarios if Democrat Barack Obama is elected president, according to a new addition to the campaign conversation called “Letter from 2012 in Obama’s America”, produced by the conservative Christiasn group Focus on the Family Action….Terrorist strikes on four American cities. Russia rolling into Eastern Europe. Israel hit by a nuclear bomb. Gay marriaage in every state. The end of the Boy Scouts. This toxic description of the future is to scare their members into a frenzy so they will not vote for Obama. These are rooters for McCain and Palin, birds of a feather flock together! I read this last night. I did not see a mention of it in our local paper. It will be interesting to see if it was picked up by the large internet papers.
posted October 26, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Henrietta, I read the same article yesterday,somewhere on the internet. Where? Don’t remember. Think the Christian right is totally running scared and figure they might as well make up some stuff to scare people to try and pursuade folks to vote McCain/Palin. They are deep in “fantasy land.” They really think Mac can save this country from bad sutff, because he is who he is? Dream on, Oh Mighty Conservative Ones.
posted October 27, 2008 at 12:04 pm
They know, the Focus on the Family group, that McCain voted 92% of the time with G. Bush, so McCain is their man of the hour, with Palin the Pentecostal as his VP. it shouldn’t take too long to shove the U.S.A. into a country of theocracy, ps.
posted October 27, 2008 at 4:41 pm
PS and Henrietta, that very “letter” was/is featured right here on B’net. B’net seems to love to perpetuate/ promulgate that kind of anti-gay propaganda that FotF spawns.
What with both Sarah Palin and her teeenaged daughter having become pregnant before wedlock, maybe they should focus on their own families for a while.
posted October 27, 2008 at 7:38 pm
recovering X P.:
I thought it was on B’net, but when I was writing Henrietta, I couldn’t remember just where I had read it.
Yes, I think they should certainly “take care of their own” and stop making up stuff to try and influence others.