In an interview I heard a few days ago, Newt Gingrich hit on a very interesting point.  He noted that the liberal left sees Governor Palin as threat to something they have sought to define for over 30 years – the Feminist Ideal.  After 30 plus years of liberal “progress” a woman from Alaska comes bursting onto the national stage and poses a real threat to redefine the terms.  He told the viewing audience to expect a war.  He predicted that because the other side cannot win on ideas they will seek to silence the message by destroying the messenger.  I felt Newt was right in making this point.   Since I heard his interview, I have been searching for Newt’s exact quote and have not been able to find it.  However, Doug Wison has made the same point in an excellent post today on his blog.  Below are a few excerpts.

Now consider Sarah Palin’s position — both her story and her gifts. Her story demolishes, in a way no syllogism could, the central appeals of the pro-aborts.

Wilson continues…

Jonah Goldberg at National Review exulted that Sarah Palin was put on earth for two reasons — to kill caribou and kick butt.  And she’s “all out of caribou.”  Allowing for how much fun such exuberant hyperbole is, social conservatives might still wonder if she presents something of a challenge to their ideals of social order. And she might. She might not. Let’s talk about that.

But in the meantime, we must not overlook the fact that she presents an absolutely devastating challenge to the feminist narrative for women, and there are no mights involved. Here is a woman who (for the sake of principle) has refused to sacrifice those things which feminists insist (in principle) must be sacrificed so that women can reach their “full potential.” As a result of refusing the central dogma of their feminism, she might well become the first woman president. That’ll do something to your little leftist narrative. Feminism has never been about advancing the cause of women. This reveals, as few other things could, that it has been about advancing the cause of commie women.

Granting that Sarah Palin does not look like June Cleaver, she looks a lot less like Hillary or Gloria Steinem. And, despite the differences, I can imagine Sarah and June having a very pleasant lunch together. If she tried to take Hillary or Gloria out shopping (for motorcyles, say) and a spot of lunch afterwards, all I can envision is stoney silences and a lot of glaring . . . and not from Sarah, who would be chatting happily. Sarah Palin ruffles the hair of some conservatives, but they can always comb it again. Doug Phillips will be all right in a couple days. In contrast, when it comes to the vampirism of the feminist left, let’s just call her Buffy. They won’t be all right in a couple of days.

Wilson also points out that the threat to the left lies not only in the person of Sarah Palin, but also in the voice of Sarah Palin and the ability of her voice to soar above liberal bobble-headed propagandist media.

The second thing is that she clearly has the ability to speak over the bobble-heads of the anointed media darlings, and take her business straight to the American people. And this is where the really potent threat to Roe lies. If she speaks on this subject, she does do in a way consistent with the Word of God, and she does so with personal authority. She obviously cannot speak with authority on the subject of how to keep your daughters from becoming pregnant out of wedlock. But she can speak with authority on how difficult circumstances of our own making do not ever justify compounding the mess with a murder.

She can say that having made a sinful or foolish choice as a woman is not a foundation for striking at womanhood itself. The establishment feminists have gone one step beyond Lady Macbeth. When she cried out, “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here,” she at least knew what her rebellion was and called it by its right name. In their high impudence, feminists have rebelled against the life-giving nature of woman, and have done so in the name of women. Sarah Palin blows all of that away, and she does not do it by means of a law or a court decision. That, God willing, will follow — but it cannot come first.

Jim Jordan has pointed out that the task of man was the protect and guard the Garden. The task of woman was to bear, protect and guard the Child. Independent of legislation, we now have someone of the national stage who is capable of addressing American women directly, and inviting them to return to something fundamental. Lady Wisdom says that all who hate her love death. Sarah Palin is now in a position to say to the American people that to be a woman of death is to deny being a woman at all, and that repentance means turning around. Before Roe can die in the courts, the Abimelech in the hearts of the people will have to die. And before he can die there, a woman will have to throw a millstone from the top of the tower.

I believe that this may well be what is happening. I may be wrong, but I don’t believe so. And if it plays out this way, I will bless the name of the Lord — the God of Eve, the God of Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, the God of Tamar, the God of Deborah and Jael, the God of a nameless woman at the top of a tower, may her descendents be forever blessed, the God of Rahab, the God of Ruth, the God of Bathsheba, and the God of Mary. And I will honor the God who gave us Sarah.

We all expect the attacks over the next weeks will aim at both the person and voice of Governor Palin.  The left will seek to deconstruct and objectify the person of Governer Palin in the eyes of the American people and forge associations with lies and half-truths.  They will seek to discredit her voice in any way possible.  I believe the attacks will prove ineffective and that she will fly above them.