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John McCain’s choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate on the Republican presidential ticket raised the excitement level for Lynchburg-area leaders including the Rev. Jonathan Falwell and Mathew Staver, dean of the Liberty University School of law.
“Not only is she pro-life, pro-family and pro-marriage, but she has a great record of exposing government corruption and government waste,” said Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church.
“I’m excited to see this,” Falwell said Friday. Palin’s selection surprised some observers, he said, but “I think it’s a good surprise.”
Staver said Palin represented “an absolutely brilliant choice” and “a master genius stroke.”
Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, said he learned about Palin from an airport TV monitor while traveling through Florida. “I think it’s a brilliant choice.”
“I think it will help him with women and conservatives, and I think that’s where he needed help,” Falwell Jr. said.
Jonathan Falwell said he was happy to see McCain set a course that he had indicated during an Aug. 16 forum held by Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in California. Democratic candidate Barack Obama and McCain both talked about faith during separate interviews with Warren, who wrote the best seller, “The Purpose-Driven Life.”
“John McCain made it very clear that his administration was going to be a pro-life administration, and he proved that’s his belief and his passion today with the choice of Sarah Palin,” Jonathan Falwell said.
Falwell credited Palin with a role in stopping Alaska’s often-ridiculed “bridge to nowhere” that was proposed as a Congressional earmark of $398 million to connect the city of Ketchikan to its airport on a nearby island.
Congress removed the earmark status from the funds and sent them to Alaska as general-use road money, after which Palin cut the bridge completely out of the state budget. At the time, she said it was too expensive.
“We need someone to step into leadership in Washington who believes higher taxes are not the answer, but less spending is the answer. We need a Congress with a leadership that tells them that’s what you need to do,” Jonathan Falwell said.
Falwell said he had never met Palin, but “I’m familiar with her record, her beliefs and her values.”
Staver spoke by phone from Minneapolis during a meeting of the Council for National Policy, a group of religious and government officials.
“The excitement in the room is absolutely palpable,” Staver said.
Attendees included evangelical leader James Dobson, “who said he has not been this excited since Ronald Reagan,” Staver said.
“Senator McCain could not have chosen a better vice president than Sarah Palin,” Staver said. “She is intelligent, effective, articulate and has substance. She has shown she has the ability to clean up government corruption and balance the budget.
“She can reach women, and I think she’s trans-generational,” said Staver, who also is founder of Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit legal group that defends religious freedom, traditional family, and pro-life issues.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th District, issued his own endorsement of Palin.
“She has a reputation for being a fiscal conservative who has made tough decisions and cut spending, and has worked to pass landmark ethics reforms in her state,” Goodlatte said.
“The voters of the Sixth District will find her a well-qualified candidate who shares their values of energy independence, personal responsibility, and a strong national defense,” Goodlatte said.
Reader Reactions
My God you people are morons. The paper asks them their opinion and they answer. And the nerve of them not supporting abortion! Losers
In light of all the obvious lies you aplogists were using in defense of Jr. and TRBC last week, any of you want to tell us how this is not political endorsment? or not political period?
This should be good for a whole lotta’ laughs.
Freedom, I think it would be in your best interest to stop posting on this site. I am all for freedom of speech, but you are making a fool out of yourself and your political party. You obviously know nothing of politics, debating or grammar. As for Voice of Reasons comment about TRBC backing McCain, it was not TRBC it was Jonathan Falwell. He is still an individual and able to endorse a candidate, he can not use his organization or its finances to endorse someone. Just like you are an employee of an organization, but you are not always sepeaking on their behalf.
Voice of Reason, get your facts straight. The Falwells did not endorse Gov. Palin on behalf of TRBC/LU, they were simply giving their personal opinions as U. S. citizens, which they have every right to do under the law. It’s called free speech, and even fundies have that right.
Thank you, VoiceOfReason. I was thinking exactly the same thing.
It is not surprising that JFJr is for a McSame/Palin ticket: she appears to embody all that LU promotes in their wishlist for women - a posterchild!
Thankfully there are men & women however who
actually believe in civil rights - pro choice - paying our debts - investing in public education to pull ourselves from #19 ranking of countries -and equal pay for equal work (Google Ledbetter vs Goodyear and McCain’s vote this week for an update on this).
There is a lot to think about obviously and I do want to know how 95% of us are going to pay fewer taxes and how we are going to have the same healthcare that our representatives.These are lofty goals to be sure, but I am also willing to pay my fair share to remove us from the debt we have incurred to China during “Shrubs” tenure.
Palin already has the Bush/Cheney history of firing employees for not agreeing with her on issues, in her case a personal issue. it will be interesting to see how that is finally resolved but it hints at a record similar to AJ Gonzalas’ political appointments….smoke fire?
,,HERE we go again,,with embelishments<<SHE is a 100 % pro-life,,including rape and incest,,which will only lead to more unwanted kids sittin in orphanges ,supported by taxpayers,,and mostlikely never adopted,,cause the adopting thing is “"look at my adopted kid from africa,,or from asia,“"and then at 18 made homeless so the military can scoop them up for mccains 100 yrs war,,and remember with a stroke of a pen,,the president can put into laws all thing illegal and against the consitution,,like patriot act extentions,,expanded survalance,,wiretaps,,expanded police powers,,etc,,yet no republican prez has taken that same pen to stop abortions(even though the consitution say right to life),,nor will any republician everdo that,,why,,cause he can lead the christian sheeps to the voting booth,,been doing it now for 30 years,,by now you would think the christians would have figured that out and vote democratic,,which is the party close to the teaching of the bible and its responsibility to others,,ie CHRISTIAN SOCIALISM,,,,and lets get some more facts out there about “"this bridge to nowhere”“,,first only after the lower 48 states went NUTS over such wasteful spending,,did palin switch over from wanting/taking the money,,but when congress cut the funding and said hey alaska you want that bridge you pay half,,then she changed her mind,,but still got some of the money,,and did the responsible thing and put it into the roads that would benefit most of the alaskians,,instead of the privilage few that the republicans love to put all taxpayers money,,i,ve got more ,,but i,ve got to go,,so in ending,,she,s no VIRGIN MARY ,,sorry but i nevered read where mary came in sec place beauty pagent in the state of Israel,,and how about that breathing in pot smokin at uni.ver.IDAHO ,,and you talk about cutting taxes,,did you know that over the life time of a dow syndrome person it cost the taxpayers 5-18 million dollars per child,,no problem we will just tax churches !! right ??
Ethics ???? Perhaps the approval of Senator McCain’s choice reflects the twisted values of Mr. Falwell and his cronies. Obviously, Mr. Falwell thinks American women are so stupid as to support a woman who claims to admire Senator Clinton though just last March she referred to her as a “whiner”.
Governor Palin actually pushed and signed into law to have Alaska’s Windfall tax on oil corporation profits increased. So inspite of her claim , the truth is, she is for heavy taxes on corporations.
She committed her first flip flop by stating she was against the “bridge to nowhere”. Yet the paper in Anchorage points out that she supported Ted Stevens’ aimless bridge in 2006 and supported Alaska’s seeking more pork and earmarks from the Federal government at the expense of the taxpayer.
Also , there is the ongoing investigation concerning her ethics concerning the divorce of her sister and the husband of same sister. This month, a bipartisan panel of state legislators appointed an independent investigator to look into whether Ms. Palin had fired a top law enforcement official in her administration because he had failed to dismiss a state trooper who was involved in a divorce with Ms. Palin�s sister.
State Senator Hollis S. French II, a Democrat and former prosecutor who is directing the inquiry and picked the independent investigator, said his sense was that the inquiry would probably not turn up a �smoking gun on the governor� but that it �certainly has the possibility of giving her an ethical black eye.�
The questions began in mid-July, shortly after Ms. Palin fired Walt Monegan, the public safety commissioner and a former Anchorage police chief. Ms. Palin said she had wanted to take the department in a different direction.
A week later, however, Andrew Halco, a former state legislator who ran against Ms. Palin for governor in 2006, published a lengthy article on his blog highlighting a bitter back-and-forth between members of Ms. Palin�s extended family and the trooper, Mike Wooten. Ms. Palin�s sister, Molly McCann, was divorced from Mr. Wooten in 2005 and was locked in a bitter custody dispute.
An internal police investigation conducted in 2005, prompted by complaints from Ms. McCann and her family, eventually resulted in Mr. Wooten�s being suspended for illegally shooting a moose and using a Taser on his stepson, although most of the complaints were dismissed.
A judge in the couple�s custody case questioned the family�s motives for filing the complaints. �It appears for the world that Ms. McCann and her family have decided to take off for the guy�s livelihood,� the judge said, according to a recording of a hearing.
The McCain campaign issued a statement on Friday saying, �Governor Palin has been fully cooperative in this situation and has nothing to hide.�
The inquiry by the Legislature centers on what Mr. Monegan later described as pressure from members of Ms. Palin�s administration and her husband, Todd, to fire Mr. Wooten. The governor herself also raised the subject of Mr. Wooten with him, Mr. Monegan has said.
Mr. Monegan, who did not return telephone calls on Friday, told The Anchorage Daily News that Mr. Palin had showed him some of the findings of a private detective the family had hired to investigate Mr. Wooten and accused him of a variety of transgressions, including drunken driving and child abuse.
Mr. Palin told the newspaper that Mr. Wooten had made threats against his wife and her family.
As part of her efforts to demonstrate that she welcomed the Legislature�s inquiry, Ms. Palin asked the state�s attorney general to look into the accusations as well. Ms. Palin initially denied there had ever been pressure applied to Mr. Monegan.
This month, however, she released an audio recording of a top aide�s questioning of a police lieutenant about why no action had been taken against Mr. Wooten. Ms. Palin also disclosed there had been more than two dozen inquiries from members of her staff to the public safety department about him, but she said she had played no role in the inquiries.
Excerpts of the audio recording released by the governor showed Frank Bailey, the state�s director of boards and commissions, pushing Lt. Rodney Dial in February about Mr. Wooten.
�Todd and Sarah are scratching their heads, �Why on earth hasn�t this, why is this guy still representing the department?� � Mr. Bailey said to the lieutenant.
Is this what the country needs ? An individual that claims to be self righteous in spite of the facts. An idiot so obsessed with winning the office of President he would pick such an incompetent and devious individual to be his running mate.
And what is even worse is that a local leader would so blindly represent her record. Ms. Palin was for the bridge before she was against the bridge.
Ethics ????
Does anybody really care about the opinion of a religious zealot? Let me get this straight, allowing Lynchburg citizens to park on LU property during a Democratic town meeting would jeopardize TRBC/LU’s tax exempt status because that would be showing political partisanship? BUT, publicly announcing TRBC’s support and endorsement for the republican Presidential candidate and for the selection of his Vice Presidential running mate IS NOT showing political partisanship? WOW, you fundies are some really messed up and delusional hypocrites. I think we should ask the IRS for their definition of political partisanship. We sure as heck aren’t going to get a straight answer from camp fundy.
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