Leadership Assessment: Sarah Palin

By:  Dale Weckbacher

2 Timothy 3:12

12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

NKJV

As I was searching scripture to find a Biblical reference that best describes what has happened to Sarah Palin since she entered public live, I believe the above scripture is very appropriate.  Paul is writing this to Timothy, a young man entering the ministry.  Paul is warning him that entering the ministry will make him a target for persecution, something Paul was all too familiar with (2 Corinthians 11:22-29).

Since entering public life, it seems that Sarah Palin is blamed for everything from global warming to every shooting carried out by someone believing the best solution to a problem is just to take out innocent people.  However, the worst thing is that those attacking her do not stop with just her and feel justified in attacking her family and children as well.  They have even went so far as to move next door so they can spy on her and her family in the interest of conducting research for some book with the agenda of bringing her down.  Makes me wonder exactly what they fear about her. 

Sarah Palin was born on February 11, 1964 in Standpoint Idaho.  She entered politics in 1992 when she ran for a council seat on the Wasilla City Council.  She ran on a platform opposing tax hikes.  Four years later, she was elected mayor of Wasilla knocking off three-term incumbent John Stein.  (1)

Palin then entered statewide politics in 2002 with an unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor losing by fewer than 2000 votes.  Governor Murkowski appointed Palin to chair the state’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2003 but Palin later resigned in protest over what she perceived to be the “lack of ethics” of fellow Alaskan Republican leaders.  She went on in 2006 to defeat Governor Murkowski in the 2006 primary and went on to become the Governor of Alaska in 2006.  (1)

Sarah Palin was unknown outside of Alaska until she was thrust onto the national scene when she was selected by Republican nominee for President John McCain in 2008 to be his running mate.  This emergence onto the national scene is when the persecution of Sarah Palin and her family began. 

Let us know begin our analysis of Sarah Palin’s leadership qualities against our matrix of vision, courage, integrity, and a servants heart.

1)      Vision – When first entering politics, Sarah Palin ran on a platform opposing tax hikes on the hard working people in her home town of Wasilla Alaska.  (1)  In a speech given at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi in 2011, Sarah Palin reiterated her vision for America.  She discussed China’s military rise, free trade, bailouts and of course the India-U.S. partnership.  However, the topic closest to the heart of Sarah Palin is America’s need for energy independence.  (2)  She believes that energy independence is vital to both the overall security of our nation as well as its economic security.  She also believes that a policy of energy independence will restore the prosperity of our nation.  (2)  By the way, her vision is actually becoming a reality in parts of our country that are currently experiencing an economic boom due to increased energy production. 

2)      Courage – Few individuals would be able to withstand the attacks on Sarah Palin and remain in public life.  In a town hall article published in May of 2013, John Hawkins outlined seven of the despicable ways liberals have attacked Sarah Palin.  (3)  There is little doubt that Sarah Palin possesses the courage of a “Mamma Grizzly” as she remains steadfast in spite of the numerous attacks upon her.   

3)      Integrity – As I define integrity as one standing upon what is right in spite of efforts to try to get them to change course, I would have to give Sarah Palin an A for integrity.  Most individuals would have buckled under the pressure of personal attacks but not Sarah Palin who remains steadfast, and very vocal, about her beliefs.  She continues to endorse candidates sharing her beliefs and her endorsement almost insures victory.

4)      Servants Heart – Sarah Palin is a devout Christian and makes no attempt to hide her faith.  Raised in the Assemblies of God denomination, Palin now attends the Church on the Rock in Wasilla Alaska.  (4)  When the Vice Presidential candidates in 2008 released their tax returns, the Palin’s made a combined income of $127,869 in 2006 and 2007 and donated $8,205 during that time.  In contrast, Biden earned $319,853 in just 2007 but has only donated $3,690 to charity since 1998.  (5)

Overall, I would give Sarah Palin an A in my assessment.  However, her lack of ever holding office on a national level causes many to wonder if she should be considered a candidate for the Presidency.  One could even cite the ineptitude of the current office holder as a reason why we should not elect someone with little experience at the national level.  

I have to disagree with this assessment.  Barack Obama may have brought little in the way of national experience to the office of the Presidency but what he did bring was the usual big government politics that has dominated Washington DC for far too long.  Sarah Palin is different in that she would bring a change in philosophy to Washington from more government to less and more responsible government. 

As I look at the current situation in Washington, I believe it is time to elect a leader that brings bold new ideas.  We need a leader that has the courage to stand up against the Washington elite that is only interested in increasing the size of government in order to preserve their power.  We need a leader with a vision of restoring American independence and not leaders interested in making the American people more dependent upon the government. 

Therefore, I believe Sarah Palin is someone we must seriously consider as we seek the next leader for our country.  Next Saturday we will assess the leadership qualities of Scott Walker. 

1. Biography.com. Sarah Palin. Biography. www.biography.com. [Online] [Cited: April 5, 2014.] http://www.biography.com/people/sarah-palin-360398?page=1.

2. Calabrese, Lori. Palin’s vision for America has much to do with energy. www.examiner.com. [Online] examiner.com, March 21, 2011. [Cited: April 5, 2014.] http://www.examiner.com/article/palin-s-vision-for-america-has-much-to-do-with-energy.

3. Hawkins, John. The 7 Most Despicable Ways Liberals Have Attacked Sarah Palin. townhall.com. [Online] Townhall.com, May 7, 2013. [Cited: April 5, 2014.] http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2013/05/07/the-7-most-despicable-ways-liberals-have-attacked-sarah-palin-n1589064/page/full.

4. Fairchild, Mary. Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin: Faith Snapshot. christianity.about.com. [Online] About.com, November 1, 2008. [Cited: April 5, 2014.] http://christianity.about.com/od/religionpolitics/p/sarahpalinfaith.htm.

5. Duclos, Susan. Sarah Palin Releases Tax Records, Shown To Give More To Charity Than Joe Biden. www.digitaljournal.com. [Online] Digital Journal, October 4, 2008. [Cited: April 5, 2014.] http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/260733.