Strong Anti-Palin Sentiment Resembles Opposition for "Muslim" Obama

The old saying goes, "Any press is good press." It's hard to say whether the Obama camp would agree, having survived through his nomination the "Obama is a Muslim" campaign and the onslaught of politically incorrect footage of his former paster Jeremiah Wright. However, the Obama campaign's attempts to substantiate his Christian lifestyle pale in comparison to what Republicans have to face in convincing liberals and conservatives alike that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is indeed qualified to be Vice President.

According to interviews conducted by The Associated Press, some reluctant McCain supporters, inspired by Palin's convention speech, have opted to vote Republican. The showing energized Palin's new devotees with the intensity that many viewers experienced watching Obama's 2004 Convention Keynote speech. Yet many others were turned off by Palin's address, resulting in donations to the Obama campaign equaling more than $10 million within 24 hours of her appearance (Bloomberg).

Among the most visible of Palin's detractors are female Democrats who are insulted by the candidate's pro-life stance and conservative positions. Cathy Young, an Opinion Editor for The Wall Street Journal, collects such vitriolic statements in her column Why Feminists Hate Sarah Palin. In reaction to McCain's pick, an open petition on Care2 petitionsite implores the candidate to make another choice. Comments posted alongside the more than 14,000 signatures collected from both genders point to Palin's support of the pro-life lobby, aerial hunting, and Alaskan drilling in addition to weaknesses in her foreign policy experience, political scandals, family situation and leadership abilities. Writes Thomas D. of Utah, "do your homework and research. i dont like obama binladen but i hate sarah palin."

His comment echoes others as Palin finds herself being attacked from all sides, including her own party. Younger conservative Christians are largely undecided in this election as a group. Writes Eric Gorski of the Associated Press "A Pew survey last fall showed under-30 white evangelicals are increasingly up for grabs politically: 40 percent identified as Republican, down 15 percent from 2005. Most who abandoned the GOP were becoming independents, not Democrats. " Female fundamentalists are especially conflicted, questioning her commitment to family given their beliefs about women's roles. Writes On Faith columnist Sally Quinn, "Evangelical women also will have to decide if they will vote against their conscience by voting to put the mother of young children in a job outside the home that will demand so much of her time and energy."

Yet numerous women find these concerns encouraging, recognizing an acceptable contention of the biblically-upheld glass ceilings many face on a daily basis (Wtopnews.com). Young concurs, noting that despite disagreements with Palin on matters of policy, "I find her can-do feminism infinitely more liberated than the what-can-the-government-do-for-me brand espoused by the sisterhood."

The most vehement praise and attacks are found in the blogosphere, which has been inundated in recent days by articles about Palin. A Technorati search returns over 76 thousand results for "Sarah Palin". Despite all the commentary on both sides, pro-Palin blogger Paul Mirengoff of Power Line asks voters to consider a broader question which Palin's candidacy raises. He writes that Palin "may constitute an additional reason to vote for McCain, but it's not a defense of McCain's selection of Palin."

Sources:

Cathy Young, "Why Feminists Hate Sarah Palin." The Wall Street Journal.

Eric Gorski, "Younger evangelicals split over Palin choice as VP." WTOPnews.com.

Jonathan D. Salant, "Palin's Convention Speech Brings in Cash for Obama." Bloomberg.

"Love Her or Hate Her, Palin's All We're Talking About." WTOPnews.com.

"No Way, No How, NO Sarah Palin!" Care2 petitionsite.

Paul Mirengoff, "Perspectives on the Palin Pick." Power Line.

Sally Quinn, "Palin's Pregnancy Problem." On Faith.