Yes, that Alan Grayson.

Mrs. Sullivan is exactly the type of woman that I’m always hoping will run for office. She’s a staunch conservative, a Christian and a homeschooling mother of four.

Calling herself a “defending mother,” Mrs. Sullivan said, “We need conservative women in congress who can multitask with common sense. We need watchmen to say no. Moms are good at saying no.”

If the treatment of Jim Bunning is any sign, we definitely need more men and women who can say no in Congress.

Going into 2010, it’s exciting to see a groundswell of grassroots candidates running. They’re distinctly different than the typical people who run for office. After working in DC for a number of years now, it is almost strange to encounter them. While talking with Mrs. Sullivan, I asked how fundraising was going. She replied that, “DC people always ask about fundraising, but is that the most important thing?”

I had to admit that I was taken aback. As hard as I try to stay un-Beltway, it creeps into your soul. That’s another reason why we need more candidates like Mrs. Sullivan. Even people who purposely try to avoid becoming part of the system end up doing so.

As we chatted, Mrs. Sullivan shared that she had made the decision to run only dif her entire family was on board. After discussing it, her 14-year-old son was reluctant. They decided to take additional time for consideration, and the son went on a missions trip. When he returned, he started reading a book that a friend had recommended. By that time, the family was once again sitting down to decide if an election was in their future.

Mrs. Sullivan shared that the book completely changed her son’s outlook. After praying about it, he knew that it wasn’t right for his mom to miss this opportunity if God was opening the door. She started to tear up while telling me this.

As I sat on Blogger’s Row typing, Mrs. Sullivan’s story took on a personal turn. I asked what the book was. I’ve worked with teen boys. Not many books change their lives.

“In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day,” she replied.

My jaw dropped, and I stopped talking. In shock, I looked up and said, “My pastor wrote that book!”

Surprised, she asked a few details about it. I told her that I attend National Community Church and Pastor Mark Batterson wrote that book several years ago.

The interview went from talking about her race to sharing how much this book had influenced her son. I told her a little about NCC and promised to share the story with Pastor Mark. She was excited and said something that only Believers can understand, “It wasn’t a coincidence that God brought us here to talk about the race.”

That evening, I excitedly got to church. As a hospitality co-leader, it is my job to make sure that everyone is welcome and has bulletins, chairs set up, information available and tithe collected. I serve on the team that makes sure that the service goes smoothly, and I love it. Working in the background to make sure that everything gets done has always been my major gift.

Normally, the evening flies by, and I’m running like crazy. (Church also doubles as a cardio session for me.) Normally, I don’t get a chance to talk to Pastor Mark except to wave and say hi. That Saturday, he walked up while I was discussing something with Pastor Ross, the campus pastor at Ebenezer’s. I seized the opportunity to share the afternoon’s experiences with him and saw him light up with the story that his book had helped a 14-year-old boy. He asked for the family’s information so that he could follow up.

To be perfectly clear, NCC stays apolitical. As a church that meets on Capitol Hill, you have to. I may be a staunch conservative, but I do believe that Democrats can be godly Christians. I know Democrats who are better Christians than many Republicans.*  Pastor Mark and the church leadership do an amazing job staying above the fray on political issues. NCC is a refreshing escape from the polarizing and often depressing issues we deal with each day. (I’m not sure what I would do if my church were political. I need a break from it all.) He was excited to hear that his book had helped a 14-year-old boy, not that In a Pit is influencing conservative politics (although both sides could probably benefit from reading his books).

I write this to 1) highlight an awesome candidate like Mrs. Sullivan. 2) encourage other women to run for office and 3) share how God orchestrates strange meetings. Out of the 10,000 people at CPAC, what are the odds that Mrs. Sullivan would meet someone who knew the author of the book that helped her decide to run for public office?

Take a few minutes to learn more about Patricia Sullivan. We need more people like her in Congress. Moe Lane at Red State did an interview with her during CPAC.

Also Smart Girl Nation interviewed Mrs. Sullivan last year.

*Sometimes I wonder what the New Testament would have looked like if Jesus had come to DC and not Israel. Hypocrisy and evil exist on both sides of the political aisle. Political systems are designed by humans and are therefore imperfect, but I do believe capitalism and democracy are the best systems that help the most people at once.)

I keep seeing examples of women who were inspired to enter the political debate because of Sarah Palin. Tabitha Hale and Smart Girl Politics are two well-known examples. Remember that young girl who MSNBC attacked? She’s a 17-year-old blogger who was inspired by Palin. Conservative Girl With a Voice is another example. Smart Girl Nation also profiles Patricia Sullivan who was inspired by Palin to run for congress in Florida.

Why? What is it about Sarah Palin that which resounds with so many women on the right and infuriates people on the left beyond comprehension? What has motivated women on the right to suddenly mobilize? Is Palin the link?

This is one of those trends/phenomenon that is ripe for study by academics. Has there ever been a situation when a survey wrote itself so easily? Focus group participants would be fighting to get in.  Oh wait. That can’t happen. It’s up to bloggers and those on the right to explain this one.

This is an issue with a number of levels that should be explained in much further detail. The Palin Phenomenon is a complex topic that crosses many issues — feminism, gender roles, identity politics, faith,  GOP establishment, working mothers, elites vs. provencials, sexism in politics and the media and Beltway politics vs. grassroots — the list could continue. There’s no shortage of commentary. There’s a terrible shortage of understanding and study.

The role of women on the right has intrigued me for years. Unlike many of the examples above, I’ve been mesmerized by politics since the first grade. Growing up as a conservative female has been an interesting adventure. I never quite felt at home anywhere. I knew that I didn’t fit in with liberal feminists. I was too religious and pro-life for that. Plus, I liked men and had no problem with traditional gender roles. I also didn’t feel completely at home within Republican politics. I knew that we should rise above the shallowness of identity politics, but where were the conservative women like me? A political movement should not be built on labels and stereotypes, but it would be nice to see someone who I could identify with occasionally appear. Was I alone? Did other women agree with conservatives but not feel included?

Then I ended up taking a job with an organization that had adopted many feminist beliefs in their mission, and I didn’t know what had hit me. I toyed with the concept of “conservative feminism” for a while. I’m not the only one. A number of other blogs and organizations support that niche. At CPAC last year, I decided to take a more active role. I had just seen Palin burst on the scene. My suspicions were confirmed that other women like me were out there. I ended up stopping by the Eagle Forum booth and purchasing Phyllis Schafly’s Feminist Fantasies. It was a good starting point, but it didn’t answer all of my questions. What did feminism actually teach that was so offensive? That led me down another rabbit hole that I”m currently exploring, particularly over at Fourth Wave Woman. Even among educated women working in politics, not many people know what feminism actually advocates and how successful it’s been at infiltrating our society.

Somehow Palin seems to be the catalyst behind this. Is this a short-lived moment or the beginnings of a fourth wave of feminism as Rachel Campus Duffy writes (H/T Republican Women of the North)? Will conservative women take a more prominenent role in conservative politics? At what point will feminists and women’s studies admit that something is going on and examine it?

Right now, there are too many opinions, too many knee-jerk reactions and a dismal lack of examination of what’s going on beyon the latest blog post or headline in the media. Palin is forcing society to answer questions that have been boiling below the surface for too long. When all the Tea Parties are over, and Obama is hopefully out of the White House, what will happen?