Conventional wisdom would suggest that Sarah Palin, as the first charismatic/pentecostal to run on a major-party ticket, would be a model of integrity. Instead, what do we get? A woman who was named to the ticket despite the possibility she could be turfed out of office for abuse of power. A woman who has lied and lied and lied so often that her skirt's going to be on fire by November. A woman whose perky exterior masks a mean-spirited, bare-knuckles, hard-right hack.
But then again, that isn't entirely surprising, considering past examples of Pentecostal pols in the news.
Let's start out with the woman who was probably the most prominent Pentecostal politician in the nation before Palin came on the scene--Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave. A charter member of CREW's list of the most corrupt members of Congress. As a congresswoman, she has basically been a one-trick pony--her only real accomplishment is the Federal Marriage Amendment, which probably won't see the light of day until 2011 at the earliest.
Also, remember this this ad put together by the North Carolina Republican Party? It was so nasty that TV stations in Charlotte and Raleigh wouldn't run it--had a station in the Triad not picked it up, it wouldn't have been worth the effort to even run it. The NC Repubs' chairwoman is Laura Daves--a member of the largest Pentecostal church in the entire state of North Carolina.
Looking at this, speaking as a charismatic/pentecostal Dem, I hope I can live to see the day to see some Pentecostal Dems elected--and real Dems, not DINOs.