Posted on 09/08/2011 8:15:58 PM PDT by One Name
The Sarah Palin “Cult”
I’ve been trying for awhile to get my mind wrapped around all this, and would like to offer these thoughts going into this election cycle….
I first stumbled across Free Republic when checking out Obama's eligibility issues prior to the 2008 election. I first experienced the Drudge Report after listening to Rush during the Lewinsky scandal.
When I really got into FR I felt like I had found the mother lode of conservatism; an eclectic group that regularly mixed it up over issues I hadn’t thought of as issues before.
For instance, I had never considered myself a “statist” for enjoying the benefits of the REA…
My granddad left the farm in Missouri during the dustbowl and joined the CCC; going on later to the US Army and the State Department and a gun shop- I hadn’t thought of him as a communist before!
Fast forward to Sarah Palin; even among Republicans, her advocates are known as the “Palin Cult”, “Palinistas”, and “Palin-Bots”.
These are terms of marginalization that are designed to evoke unfounded responses in the uninformed which we must counter.
A “cult” is a heretical religious group, straying from the sound doctrine of the orthodox mainstream. While there is certainly a religious component of conservatism (we wrestle with secular conservatives and libertarians) who believes the descent of the USA has a distinctly spiritual aspect; there is no deviation from orthodox interpretation of scripture on which to hang a tag of heresy here. The picture is painted as such, however. God chooses leaders and anoints whom He sees fit (See Romans 12). When we acknowledge this we are now cultists? The “bitter clingers” are non-orthodox heretics?
“Palinistas” are the socialist rebels equated to the “Sandinistas” of Nicaragua. Supporters of SP are neither socialist nor rebels- quite the opposite. They are patriots, working class, veterans, taxpayers and voters who are in fact the backbone of this country. Once again, this is a reversal of the truth.
“Palin-Bots” implies a robotic, non-thinking blind support programmed from some external headquarters. Since Sarah didn’t come through the Ivy League system, she must be intellectually inferior as are her “bot” supporters. Guess what- most of the country didn’t come through that system, either. We manage to make it through life anyway, and are much more resourceful and determined than the elitists. We know how to actually work.
In a nutshell: We’re not a cult; we are mainstream, orthodox, and Scripturally- based.
We are not rebels; we are restorative and Constitutionally-based
We are Free People; who think for ourselves, reject the elitists and have the will to defend this Republic against the many challenges, internal and external.
God Bless Sarah Palin!
Bring this understanding into your heart and express it with your wife. She will take it in and nurture it until she understands.
You both make good points about the zeal of certain SP supporters; shouting down other candidates’ supporters or the all-or-nothing threat does indeed strike me as intolerant or cultish. (Picture Angry Muslim Boy).
I believe in defending your candidate if attacked, but not by slamming others.
I enjoy the discourse here. That’s why I’m not at a strictly Palin-oriented or strictly Christian site.
It can be a tough crowd at FR, but the tough part should be in advocating positions or candidates, not excoriating people personally. (Though a little jab now and then makes us tougher!)
“Don’t let the early voters cast your ballot for you.” Best thing I’ve heard in awhile! Now is the time to be active and advocate. Just a hint in the wind today that SP may be overcoming the MSM slam-job- you probably saw it earlier today in the NY Times of all places: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/10/us/10iht-currents10.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Palin&st=nyt Polls are for strippers and downhill racers. Keep up the great work!
It was the first Tea Party event I’d been to.
I was quite inspired and impressed. No one since Jesus has been perfect, but every once and awhile God raises up a leader.
You saw it.
Something inside them fears and trembles...
Their reaction is most visceral.
That’s what FR is for! We should advocate and argue, but not denigrate or eviscerate each other.
Haven’t seen a candidate I feel more in touch with since Ronald Reagan. I believe she could be just as good as him in her own way. The rest are just politicians but she’s special. This country will not be same if she doesn’t become our next president. You can call me whatever you want to but I’ll go down with this ship.
LOL!
I grew up fearing the Reds; the Red Star, the red sickle and hammer and the Red Chinese.
Now I’m Red, a redneck and live in a Red State.
Confusing at times
When you see the real thing come along you recognize it! Age helps, and I was lucky enough to have been around to vote for RR and enjoy some prosperous years where we felt good about the USA.
I wasn’t old enough to draft for Viet Nam; my dad was there and between that and Watergate the country was pretty demoralized. Enter Carter and the weakness everyone saw during the Iranian hostage crisis.
When the hostages were released Day 1 of RR, we knew that we
were back on track!
I see alot of similarities here. You may only see it a few times in a lifetime.
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