Ask yourself: how has "elitism" become a bad word in American politics?Generally, when someone asks that question, it is because they presume that they are "elite". The reason that Americans respond negatively to someone who thinks they are elite, is because the facts are generally otherwise.
In speaking before her church about her son going to war in Iraq, Palin urged the congregation to pray "that our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God; that's what we have to make sure we are praying for, that there is a plan, and that plan is God's plan." When asked about these remarks in her interview with Gibson, Palin successfully dodged the issue of her religious beliefs by claiming that she had been merely echoing the words of Abraham Lincoln. The New York Times later dubbed her response "absurd."
If this member of the "intellectual elite" had done a little research, he would have learned that Sarah Palin was right, and the New York Times called her response "absurd" because apparently they were unaware that Charlie Gibson misquoted her.
Her answers about why she had told her church that President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq was “God’s plan” did nothing to dispel our concerns about her confusion between faith and policy. Her claim that she was quoting a completely unrelated comment by Lincoln was absurd.
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/714/
Gibson's truncation of her comments — omitting the crucial words "pray for" — change the meaning of her comments from a wish to a certainty. Palin's and Lincoln's words are similar in that they both express a hope that a plan meets with God's favor. Granted, some people find any mention of God's will and warfare to be disturbing. But we find similarities between the two sets of comments. We find Palin's statement Mostly True.
Finally, the author of the Newsweek Article says:
Considering as much venom that he has for Sarah Palin, I think it is safe to assume he is going to vote for Obama. Hence, I find it ironic that he failed to note that people could use his logic to say the following about Obama: Obama worshipped for decades under the tutelage of a minister (Jeremiah Wright) who thinks America should be damned, and was friends for numerous years with a man (William Ayers) who regretted not committing more terrorism against America.You can learn something about a person by the company she keeps. In the churches where Palin has worshiped for decades...
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