Newsweek burns "Saint Sarah" at the stake

*
Lisa Miller, Newsweek's anti-religion religion editor, has authored a profile of Sarah Palin for the leftist news magazine. Titled "Saint Sarah," the article has the elements of a hit piece:

"Palin has already overshared..."

"But while leftist critics continue to shred Palin as a cynical, shallow, ill-informed opportunist, and new polls show her unpopularity rating to be at an all-time high..."

"Many Christian women loathe Palin, of course..."

"It’s an emotional appeal, unfettered by loyalty to the broader policy agenda of traditional feminism."

"It is impossible to know what Palin really believes about God..."

"For all her apparent authenticity, though, Palin’s real motivations remain hidden. (She declined to be interviewed for this article.)"

"Palin’s lack of expertise on policy questions—and her apparent lack of curiosity—bothers not just her critics but even some of her most devoted fans."

Newsweek, you see, is in Miller's mind not the shrunken shell of its former self which its owners have up for sale to cut their massive losses. No, if Sarah Palin doesn't grant the leftist magazine an interview, then she's somehow inauthentic and hides her obviously nefarious motivations. The appeal of Gov. Palin to Christians is entirely emotional, and the ungrateful wretch hasn't paid her dues to the "real" feminists. She is "loathed" by many "Christian" women for whom the grisly practice of vacuuming out the brains of unborn infants so their skulls can be crushed, reducing their once-developing heads to a size small enough to pulled out of their inconvenienced mothers' wombs. As for Sarah Palin's alleged "lack of expertise on policy questions," Miller should educate herself by reading the governor's Facebook posts, where she will find some well-argued commentary on a variety of issues. The president could use some of that Palin expertise on the matter of offshore drilling right now, as his executive inexperience is becoming painfully evident to a growing number of Americans. And if Miller actually bothered to read Going Rogue, her use of the "lack of curiosity" meme is pure intellectual dishonesty.

Miller also doles out a few morsels of begrudging admiration:

"To millions of women, Palin’s authenticity makes her a sister in arms... a beautiful, fearless, principled fighter who shares their struggles. To a smaller number, she is a prophet, ordained by God for a special role in the cosmic battle against the forces of evil."

"... her pro-woman rallying cry, articulated in the evangelical vernacular, together with the potent pro-life example of her own family, puts Palin in a position to reshape and reinvigorate the religious right, one of the most powerful forces in American politics."

"Already Palin has shown herself to be a kingmaker (as well as a queenmaker)."

"Palin refers often to Ronald Reagan in her speeches, and even critics concede there’s something Reaganesque about the way she approaches faith."

Finally, the author sprinkles in a teaspoon of leftist self-flagellation of the "woe is we for creating this monster" variety:

"With her new faith-based message, Palin gathers up the Christian women that traditional feminism has left behind."

"Palin has her faults, but the left is partially to blame for her ascent. Its native mistrust of religion, of conservative believers in particular, left the gap that Palin now fills."

The best that we say about Miller's article is that it will be read by fewer people than watch Fox News in prime time, as circulation figures for the troubled magazine have dropped to 1966 levels, according to the NY Times. Written by a religion editor who represents the "cafeteria Christian" views of the religious left, it's a homily delivered to a mostly secularist choir. To say that Miller doesn't "get it" would be a gross understatement. The appeal of Sarah Palin to people of faith is not, as one would gather from this article, limited to the evangelical right. An increasing number of Catholics, more mainstream Protestants and even religious Jews are finding themselves on the same chapter and verse as "Saint Sarah."

- JP