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I Guess This Is Adieu . . . for Now

Posted by: John Schroeder at 08:23 am, August 29th 2008 &mdash 11 Comments »

Looks like Sarah Palin is going to be John McCain’s VP Nominee.

First of all, kudos to the McCain organization for a masterful handling of the Veep build up. To hold it close until hours before is an amazing thing.

This also means that for now, our job here is done. *SIGH*

We will probably be working on this site in the future to improve its archiving capacity, this has been an important issue and it is important for it to be properly recorded. We would ask for our readers to provide us with some input in that department - let us know what you think was our best work and most worth preserving. Let us know who you think were the heroes and villains in the story we have followed here.

And of course, should Mitt Romney, or any other Mormon politician return to this level of national prominence I am fairly confident we will be back.

Some Comments On The Palin Pick . . .

Really, the only thing she brings to the table is her gender, but she also does no harm. She is safe with a possible bump from disaffected Hillary lovers, that’s about it. At this point the Republican ticket lives and dies on John McCain and John McCain alone.

To our Romney loving friends . . .

There has been a lot of talk of “Romney or I am not voting for McCain.” Please, that is just petulant. This is not the ticket any of us wanted, but it is the ticket we have, an abstention, an independent vote, or, please no, an Obama vote is a losing vote. Take a few days here, mourn a bit, and then get busy. McCain may not be everything we want, but Obama will spell a serious problem for the nation - we can ill afford it.

To my new Mormon friends . . .

Thank you, you have been gracious, generous and wonderful people. I look forward to continued friendships.

To Hugh Hewitt . . .

It was all your idea - THANKS!

To the Romney family and organization . . .

The classiest. Nothing more need be said.

To Lowell . . .

Words fail. Heck of a partnership. I hope for future adventures. Seriously, it is difficult to contemplate the days without our somewhat constant IM chatter.

Where from here?

Well, I will still be at Blogotional, but that is in no way a political blog. It has been suggested (Hugh again) that I start up JohnSchroeder.com, and I am giving that serious thought, but find it hard to believe that apart from this issue anyone really cares that much about what I think, so for now it is just churning in the mental pot. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

God’s richest blessings to all that have turned to these pages.

Lowell adds:

Amen to all that John said. I’ll probably post something longer, later, but we will not be posting every day here. I will miss that. But I do want to focus on what I have gained, not what I am losing:

A good friend in John Schroeder. An open-minded, kind and thoughtful man who has taught me much.
An understanding of orthodox Christianity that I never dreamed of having before.
A deep appreciation of that same tradition.
An abiding affection for, and gratitude to, Mitt Romney and his family.

It has been a great ride. I know little about Sarah Palin, but she seems to be an American that religious conservatives can get behind and be proud of. And yes, I intend to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin, and I will do so enthusiastically and with a smile on my face.

We are not disappearing. I’ve got some additional thoughts here, and we’ll be back with still further thoughts now and then. Until that time, our Heavenly Father’s choicest blessings to all our wonderful readers.
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11 Responses to “I Guess This Is Adieu . . . for Now”

jmh on 29 Aug 2008 at 8:52 am #

Please don’t go!
And, I think the question is still going to be in play, even with Romney out of VP contention.If you blink, bigotry will be allowed off the mat and by the time it is obvious, we will start the battle behind- again.
CarlH on 29 Aug 2008 at 9:39 am #

John and Lowell,

Thank you both for the countless hours you have devoted to this blog. Your diligence and great comments have been exceeded only by the gentlemanly way in which you’ve always probed this contentious issue. While the focus on “The Question” itself is pretty well done (finally!) for this election cycle–I’m sure there will again be many post-mortems, however, the broader questions of both the role of religion in political life and the appropriate limits on questioning the personal religious views and observances of candidates for public office will certainly continue. The media just can’t seem to get enough “religion”, even as little as they truly “get it”.

I too will vote enthusiastically for the McCain/Palin ticket–and would have voted, but less enthusiastically, for a McCain/Huckabee ticket. I have actually heard very little “Romney or I won’t vote for McCain” talk among my fellow Mormons. The bigger issues that delineate the gulf between the parties are just too important to the nation not to be engaged.

Thank you, again, gentlemen!
HaroldHutchison on 29 Aug 2008 at 9:56 am #

This has been a great blog.

Palin is a good pick on several fronts. She has pluses and minuses - the big pluses being her ability to reel in disaffected Hillary voters, the ability to lay out the rationale for domestic energy production, and she’s walked the walk on the pro-life issue very recently.

That said, her resume is still a little thin. Her experience with the economy is limited compared to Romney. Romney also could have threatened to flip Michigan, which would have been a killer for Obama’s chances.

Also, I am wondering, and probably will always wonder, whether she got the slot entirely on the merits, or because McCain blinked vis-a-vis Huckabee and other anti-Mormon bigots. I’m probably being very unfair to Governor Palin, but that question just is not going away any time soon.
Marty on 29 Aug 2008 at 11:35 am #

This has been my favorite blogspot of the day. Thanks for your insight and excellent reporting.
lkm55 on 29 Aug 2008 at 2:32 pm #

John and Lowell: thanks you for all your hard work. This blog was one of the very few places I could find logical, intelligint discussion regarding this election. Sarah Palin is a good choice, she locks down the prolife vote, she’s pro American based energy, and she will get some of HRC’s supporters.
To Lowell and all my other LDS familly and friends: Please accept my apologies for the bigotry and hate that was spread by Huckabee and other evangelical christians. I’m an ordained christian minister and I’m embarassed by the lies and nonsense put out by Christians. Anyone who doesn’t think that Mormons are some of the most moral, honorable, honest, family focused, loving people in the universe obviously doesn’t know any.
We’ll miss the blog, good luck and God bless.
Lori on 29 Aug 2008 at 4:56 pm #

Thank you for an impeccable thought-provoking blog. Article6blog was practically my home page and I will miss it.

Your good work was needed and helped a nation understand what our precious religious freedom is all about.

Hope to see you both again soon.
pj on 29 Aug 2008 at 7:45 pm #

I was not a supporter of Romeny but I did enjoy this blog. I am excited by the Palin nod.

But Romeny has a great future in the Republican Party. His conservative credentials can only get better and I can see him running in 4 or 8 years. With a different outcome.
K.G. on 29 Aug 2008 at 8:49 pm #

Thanks from me too. We could always count on you for cogent, intelligent and thorough discussion. Not everything against Romney had to do religion, but that any of it was is a fight worth fighting.

I’ve been posting on TH; there were a lot of virulent anti-Mormons out and about any time Mitt’s name was mentioned. One guy, not a Mormon but a Mitt supporter, got caught up in the religious furor and starting defending the Mormons.

He invited the missionaries and last I heard was getting baptized.

I would like to believe that the net effect of Mitt’s candidacy is increased awareness of the role that religion should legitimately play in selecting a candidate.

You guys did a great job. Like the Mitt campaign, you are a class act. Thanks again!
Robyn on 30 Aug 2008 at 11:38 am #

What are the Republicans thinking? An nice lady with 5 kids. So run her for Mother of the Year. Leaving 5 young children 2000 miles away while you go campaign - those are poor decision making skills.
McCain could not stand having a man stand next to him who is articulate,intelligent,knowledgeable, etc. Not just Romney, but other good choices. He was 72 on friday and it showed. It will be another Bob Dole race.
I cannot support this team.
kate0 on 01 Sep 2008 at 11:41 am #

Thanks for a great series of articles on the intersection of religion and politics, as well as clash between church and state, which is not always the same thing. However, the attacks on Governor Palin predicated on how she OUTGHT to behave AS A WOMAN are surely just as invidious and worthy of debate as those directed against Governor Romney (or anyone else) that attempt to define how he will, or should, behave AS A MORMON.
Don’t give up your blog just yet!
coltakashi on 02 Sep 2008 at 9:52 am #

Sarah Palin, as praiseworthy she might be as a governor in Alaska, has not come to the national stage on her own merit. I suspect a lot of people in the Oprah demographic will be caught up in the idea of a woman VP, just as many people are supporting Obama because they like the idea of a black President, without knowing much about the individual. However, it looks mainly like stunt casting. I personally think that McCain has demonstrated that he did not want to be outshone by his VP. Palin will be totally dependent on McCain for any political influence at all.

I remember meeting a woman who was a political appointee, a former congressional staffer, who had been placed in the position of General Counsel of a major government agency, despite her lack of knowledge of the work of the agency and her general lack of experience. She visited our office, and was made welcome, but I think it was obvious that she had no special merit for her post other than political connections.