Posts Tagged ‘politics’

The Most Important Issues In the 2008 Election

Thanks to Kelly Rogers for posting this on her Facebook page.

One thing that no one can deny any longer. It isn’t 1950 any longer. America is not like 95% of our churches. At the massive Obama celebration party in Chicago last night, it was a multi-ethnic, multi-socioeconomic, and multi-cultural blend of Americans.

For most of our churches, they find themselves on November 5 wondering how they grew to such irrelevance. They find themselves out-of-touch with the larger population, most wishing for a return to yesteryear. In pockets of America, there remains an ambivalence about true integration in worship.

The church of Jesus Christ can not be HIS church and not reach out to all ethnic groups, socioeconomic levels, and cultures. It has been content, for the most part, in preserving the comfort of its existing members. It has done this primarily by only reaching out to those that would help undergird its existing values and allow its current leaders to remain in control.

Just as the leadership of our nation was jerked radically away from one group on November 4, the church needs a radical jerk away from its love affair with complacency and selfishness. 

The heart of the Father is for all peoples, everywhere, to know and love His Son Jesus Christ. Our churches need to seek humility, forgiveness and begin the journey of joy by actively reaching out to all with the gospel of Christ. It’s not Jesus that people in our country have rejected. It’s the church’s narrow proprietorship of Him.

Other’s Voices: Mark DeYmaz

Ed Stetzer wrote an entry yesterday that I thought shared the appropriate spirit and tone for all of us who call upon Christ as Messiah and Redeemer – whether Red State or Blue State – in this significant political redirection for the U.S.

He quotes a letter from a Methodist pastor posted at Ben Witherington’s site:

There is always – always! – a “contrarian” bent to the Christian political angle. After all, in the Roman empire the complaint filed against Christians was “they are turning the world upside down” (Acts 17). In a world that does not love the Lord Jesus, we will expect to find ourselves at odds with business as usual; we shun a judgmental spirit, but we do not refrain from making judgments. “The Church is not simply a ‘voluntary association’ that may be of some use to the wider public, but rather is the community constituted by practices by which all other politics are to be judged” (Stanley Hauerwas).Abraham Lincoln told the truth about “sides” who boast of God: “Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; each invokes His aid against the other. The prayers of both could not be answered… The Almighty has His own purposes.” Knowing this, we treat each other charitably, and look to God for something better: “With malice toward none; with charity for all… to bind up the nation’s wounds – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

 

Stetzer goes on to say:

We’re about to choose a new leader for ourselves, and, regardless of who wins, some American Christians will be frustrated and disheartened. This is a difficult election for many Christians, but it should not– it cannot– eclipse our mission. And while politics and presidents can connect to the outworking of our faith, God uses the preaching of the gospel in word and deed to bring redemption to the broken, forgiveness to the sinful, hope to the lost and the real “change we need.” It is not an elected official who will transform the country, but the grace of God at work in his church– that is what changes lives, transforms cultures and turns cities upside down.

November 4th will come and go, but our mission remains the same, and our hope remains secure. That’s change we can believe in.

I wholeheartedly agree. After all, it’s not just wise and gracious, but as believers in Christ, we are citizens of another kingdom, with a higher loyalty. We must be able to minister to all peoples, and political polemic after an election cycle must be shelved in order to pray, encourage, and seek the good of the land we live in. This election may be about America getting what we truly deserve rather than what we want – whichever way we all voted.

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2.1-4)

Also, the people of Israel were told to pray for a culture that was not their own when they were living in captivity in Babylon. This is rather strange, all things considered. Rather than urging them to pray for “deliverance,” they were instructed to pray for the prosperity and success of the culture in which they lived in captivity. This may be a more appropriate perspective for all those who bemoan the results of any election, present or past…

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29.7)

I think Shane Vanderhart has an excellent post describing his reasons for voting for McCain. I encourage you to read it. Most of his reasons mirror my own.

You can also review my Tumblog for some recent links and items of interest.

I don’t see this as just another election. While I initially supported George W. Bush vehemently in the previous two elections, these past two years have seemed to indicate a wandering administration. I’ve been particularly frustrated with the confusion and insanity of the No Child Left Behind Act. While it initially was a positive effort, it seems like it has left many schools, states, and districts in a state of fear of reprisal rather than instilling a positive momentum for educational reform. Struggling kids are still left behind, but now smart kids are being overlooked in an effort to pull along the struggling ones. We’ve effectively dumbed-down our educational system.

I’m not thrilled about fighting in Iraq either. However, I’d rather be fighting there than here. Make no mistake. Radical Muslims HATE America. They will not lay down their arms against us. Bush was right to take the fight to their region. Yet, I remain ambivalent over the Iraq issue. I don’t blame him for it. I don’t think it should be a political football.

The economy… well, yes it stinks. But I hardly feel like that’s Bush’s fault either. The best minds on both sides of each political spectrum have punted on true fiscal accountability for so long that neither wants to claim responsibility. The burden has been passed off on the tax payer through a bailout that still no one can tell you whether it has worked or not. Both McCain and Obama have proposed budgets that will increase our national deficit. Neither wants to face the hard, cold facts that the next administration must necessarily tighten the government’s belt and work to reduce spending, cut programs, and bring our nation to a fiscal viability.

It crystalizes for me in the morality and faith commitment of each candidate. Obama is unashamedly one of the most liberal interpreters of when life begins. He’s downright frightening in this regard. If you have children or love them, it should concern you that this candidate has a complete disregard for the life of a baby and has refused to consider the implications of his stand. 

While I could run down a list of more reasons, the most disconcerting reasons to NOT vote for Obama involve the ambiguity on exactly who the man is. He is one of the most vague, slippery un-characters that I’ve seen in many years. Who is he really? For all the media attention and hype, we have yet to really understand what he stands for and what he really thinks apart from the liberal machinery of the Democratic Party.

• I have not forgotten Jeremiah Wright.
• I have not forgotten Bill Ayers.
• I have not forgotten the grotesque support for partial birth abortion.
• I have not forgotten his difficulty in expressing his Christian commitment, particularly in confessing the name of Jesus Christ.
• I have not forgotten his outrageous refusal to seek campaign finance reform after initially hinging his campaign on it.

This one candidate has outspent every other single candidate in history. McCain has kept his promise to not raise more than what was allowed, but Obama bypassed his early commitment to campaign finance reform. 

Obama, the first major candidate since 1972 to use only private money in the general election, termed his decision “difficult” and blamed it on a public financing system that he says is “broken.”

Critics say his record $639 million fundraising total so far — compared with McCain’s $360 million — could very well be the end of a public financing system that has prevailed for the past 34 years.

“It’s a mess,” said John Samples, a campaign finance scholar for the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C, speaking of the public financing system. “It’s certainly not serving any of the purposes it was supposedly set up to do.” [Source.]

$639 million. Of course, I’m not thrilled about $360 million either. Does Obama honestly think he represents the little people of America? If he has spent so freely with other people’s money to get elected, what makes us think he will curb that when he is elected?

In addition, I am ardently opposed to the massive government growth – in welfare, insurance and other intrusive programs  - that the Democratic Party has demonstrated. I am not in favor of government being my Savior. It seems that a bigger centralized government is the only strategy the left wing of that Party (who is now entrenched in leadership) know. Hello socialism.

I’ve already heard a few stories of ardent Democrats across the nation who have vocally supported him for fear of retaliation – either political or social – who simply have not been able to actually vote for him.

No one sees who you vote for in the booth. I would urge all voters who have sincere doubts not to take a gamble on this election of great significance. Let’s not roll the dice on issues like partial-birth abortion, redistributive wealth, shady alliances and friendships with America-haters, and vague personal histories.

In addition, though he claims to be a Christian, there are literally dozens of YouTube videos of Islamic leaders voicing their support for Obama and claiming that he is Muslim – either faithful or an apostate. His redistributive philosophies are certainly socialistic. (Yet we already become socialistic in many of our government handout programs). 

As far as Obama’s primary competition – John McCain, I really haven’t been inspired by him. However, at least I know what I’m getting from him. I know he loves America and its people. I know that he has served us faithfully for many, many years. I know that he has suffered for freedom. I know that he has put his administration in touch with average Americans by selecting Sarah Palin as his VP candidate. I like his stand on the issues.

I also like what Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said recently as he introduced John McCain in Ohio:

John McCain served longer in a POW camp than his opponent has in the United States Senate. Ladies and gentlemen, I only play an action hero in my movies, but John McCain is a real action hero.

Some other rambling thoughts: I really resent Obamaniacs insinuating that the reason “red states” are red is because of racism. If you have done any reading whatsoever of conservative and liberal blogs and sites, you’ll notice a definite tone difference. Obama supporters often are quite vicious to anyone who does not support him. I will concede that there are idiots out there that support McCain. However, on the average, red states are being painted “white” with remarks like “looks like it’s the Civil War that is determining this election more than anything else.”

I appreciated this well-written conclusion to a recent article:

Barack Obama’s mixed race background may be the only [italics mine] thing he ever had in his favor. Americans want nothing more than to see minorities succeed, but such a desire can never outweigh their need to elect a responsible commander-in-chief — a leader sympathetic to our cause who will defend our country from its enemies without qualm or apology. Such a man is not Barack Obama and no amount of media distortion can ever change this fact.

Other recommendations:

• There is also an excellent article here about the issue of race and racism in this election.
• Hot Air offers The Comprehensive Argument against Barack Obama; it’s an in-depth, well-considered piece that doesn’t smack of fear-mongering.

As you prepare to vote Tuesday, I urge you… if you’re undecided or in doubt… vote for John McCain. Vote for certainty, experience, character, and life. Barack Obama, if he is the real deal, will not go away. And maybe after a few more years of public service and promise fulfillment, he will be more prepared to lead – maybe. He has a lot he needs to clear up. 

I’d be curious to know who you’re voting for and why. In this election, it may be who you’re voting against.

I mentioned last week that many of the “fact”-checking sites are proving more and more to be exceptionally biased in which facts they report (or don’t report). Senior Research Fellow at the University of Maryland John Lott has written an excellent article on this all-out effort by the MSM (main stream media) and supposedly objective “fact” check sites to skew their selection and interpretation of election year data to favor the Democratic ticket.

In addition to that is the stunning and willful refusal of the MSM to report the impact and message of McCain’s huge speech on the economy yesterday in New Mexico. Constantly criticized (even by me) for not outlining more vigorously his ticket’s economic plans, McCain is ignored and slighted when he does do so. This article shows that even what was reported intentionally omitted the most significant part of his speech which focused on the economy.

Going back to Lott, he said in his article:

Where is the outrage over Biden not understanding what vice presidents do? For Biden, his inability to correctly say what vice presidents do was surely his “gotcha” moment.

Yet, this mistake during the debate was hardly unique. Biden got a lot of things wrong in the debate that are going unnoticed by the fact-check media. Take just a few:

Lott goes on the name several instances. This coincides with another piece (“Biden mangles the Constitution”) written last week about Biden’s inept interpretation (and apparent ignorance) of the Constitution’s description of the role of the vice president. While chiding Palin about Cheney being the “worst VP in history,” aspiring VP Biden obviously doesn’t even know what his own job description will be. 

To be fair, he admitted during the debate that should he ever assume the highest office in the land, it would be “a national tragedy of historic proportions…” (Yes, I know that’s out of context, but it’s still funny).

If you haven’t called your legislators yet to voice opposition to the bailout, do it NOW! Don’t give up just because you’re tired and think they won’t listen.

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The Baseball Crank began a 3-part series yesterday called “The Integrity Gap” and as a first installment has a long piece on Sarah Palin. Part 2 will be about Obama, and Part 3 will be about the senior members on the ticket, Biden and McCain. Interesting way to structure things.

 

However, if you have time time, you simply must sit down and read Part 1. It’s a well-researched piece about Palin and her career. If integrity is a significant issue – and I believe it’s one of the only one that matters, you may find your vote changing.

Without integrity, how can anyone be assured that all the rhetoric, promises and roadmaps will lead to anywhere? Without integrity and moral tenacity, how can the American public know that a President and Vice President won’t spin and dodge their way into a White House that flips so much it ought to be known as a Huddle House?

For what it’s worth, I thought Palin did exceedingly well last night. I wish she’d jumped on Biden’s 14 misrepresentations/lies. However, Palin misstated herself several times as well, though not as patently misleading as Biden did. If you go to FactCheck.org, you’ll see them basically saying that both candidates were equally deceptive. However, even FactCheck.org has been questioned in recent weeks and unfortunately may be guilty of bias itself. Arrgh. Who’s going to Fact-Check the Fact-Checkers? It all comes down to interpretation and the worldview you bring to the table.

When these “fact-checking” sites aren’t botching the facts, they can sometimes be found dressing up opinion as fact. (Source)

Biden came across as being more factual because he threw out numbers, stats, years, etc. However, most of those have been “Fact-Checked” today and come up as misleading. Palin stuck to her guns and presented a positive, hopeful face for change with broad, government-reducing idealogy. 

However, I think the McCain ticket needs to re-articulate itself as to what its plans are for reducing government, waste, corruption, etc. I know it is published and promoted, but apparently not to the extent that it is getting to the American people. Surveys still show that folks have no idea what the McCain strategy is. That’s probably because the MSM is a multi-billion $ ad campaign for Obama. McCain has had to resort to YouTube and the blogosphere to communicate his message effectively.

As for the integrity issue, even Clinton supporter and former Special Counsel to the White House for President Clinton Lanny Davis said this in August 2008:

 “You know, I would consider voting for McCain on character and on the kind of human being he is because I have great – I know him – I have great admiration for him. I would sleep well at night if John McCain is President. But on the issues, Barack Obama is for the issues that I care about.” (ABC Radio’s “The Sean Hannity Show,” 8/25/08)

Does it have to come down to character vs. issues? I don’t think so. After hearing Biden extoll some of the issues of his ticket last night in the debate – global warming (which he said is 100% caused by mans’ activity – can we say naive?), same-sex couple rights, punishing successful people (he calls them “the rich”) with higher taxes (since when is it wrong to be successful?! And don’t the rich create MORE jobs, businesses, and pour more money into our economy?), I just don’t know that there are any issues that they support that could possibly lure me to their ticket.

And by the way, if you’re receiving all your political information from the TV or newspaper… don’t. You’ll be sure to get Obamified. At least get on some political blogs – both conservative and liberal – and read well. Tell me what you notice in tone, spirit, and insight and information in those sites.

Here are three I read almost daily. The first two are conservative, and the third is more liberal:

• The Townhall – I usually read Hugh Hewitt’s material
• Powerline – Latest entry: Biden Mangles the Constitution in Debate
• Daily Kos

What blogs or sites do you read for news and informed insight?

If you ever had a helping of asparagus or brocolli or beets on your plate as a kid, you have heard that phrase before. “You’re going to eat this… and LIKE it…” It was always followed or preceded by explanations of how good these things were for you. Of course, in the dietary world, things that taste bad actually do wind up being good for you sometimes.

In the financial world, that analogy doesn’t carry over. I like how Michelle Malkin put it in her entry this a.m.: Crap sandwhich 2.0 with sugar on top. It doesn’t matter how the deluded D.C. dipwads coat this bailout. It’s still a crap sandwich. I’m incensed that they are voting for this in spite of the clear wishes of the American public. The MSM refuses to report on the deluge of response, in phone calls and emails that brought down Congressional websites and servers this week. I’m incensed that this sandwich is being forced down our throats by our Congress with the aid of the MSM. Shawn Barnard in a Facebook update yesterday said the revolutionary words, “Taxation without represenation.”

There have been several cogent and considered alternatives proposed. They apparently have been ignored in favor of spending taxpayer money. Mandy pointed out the sheer immensity of $700 billion by showing how, if that amount were given to individual tax payers, it would amount to “a nice sum of around $450,000″ for each tax payer from 2007. Now that would be an economy-injection right there.

The burn-down of Western society’s way of life that was predicted to happen Monday never occurred. The markets bounced back due to bargain hunters. A lot of people lost a lot of money on Monday. A lot of people made a lot of money on Tuesday. It’s a free market. Those who are swayed by panic and fear will lose. And perhaps our very D.C. leaders are using the panic and fear against us? I’d be curious to know how many Washington-ites bought and sold stock on Monday and Tuesday. Are they allowed to do things like that, being privy to such significant information?

Conclusion

Please, get back on the phones one more time and urge your Congressman to vote against this bailout package once more. Every single Arkansas Congressman and Senator have voted FOR the bailout each time it’s been voted on. As soon as I have a legitimate option, I will be voting against them. They have made it plain that their attitude is a “Big Brother knows best.” I’m sorry, but this isn’t 1984.

In my area, Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross’ phone is 1-800-223-2220. You can find your Congressman’s contact information by going to Congress.org and typing in your zip code.

Thanks to Malkin for providing this image of the Senate’s vote:

The SEC stepped in today and eased or clarified the mark-to-market lending rules. This has the immediate effect of freeing up credit for businesses and individuals. Doing so cost the taxpayers nothing. While they didn’t suspend it entirely, they have, by clarifying the rule, given the industry some breathing room.

Even with this action today, the Senate still seems intent on spending $700 billion dollars of taxpayers’ money! Outrageous. This MTM solution was partially proposed by Dave Ramsey (and many others have suggested the same thing) yesterday in his Common Sense Plan, item II:

MARK TO MARKET 

a. Remove mark to market accounting rules for two years on only subprime Tier III bonds/mortgages. This keeps companies from being forced to artificially mark down bonds/mortgages below the value of the underlying mortgages and real estate.  

b. This move creates patience in the market and has an immediate stabilizing effect on failing and ailing banks—and it costs the taxpayer nothing.  

Powerline says, “If revision of the mark to market rule has as much impact on credit markets as many have predicted, it may strengthen the resolve of those who think there are better solutions to the problems in our financial markets than a $700 billion bailout.” See the article here.

Please call your U.S. Senator on Wednesday and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Arkansas Senators:

• Mark Pryor (877) 259-9602 (Toll Free from Arkansas)
  D.C. Office (202) 224-2353

• Blance Lincoln 800-352-9364
  D.C. Office (202) 224-4843

In what appears to be a never-ending cycle of determined effort to ignore the wishes of the American citizenry, who have voiced almost 1000 to 1 that we are NOT in favor of a bailout of irresponsible business dealings, the Senate has now scheduled a vote on the bailout for tomorrow afternoon/evening that only needs 60 votes to win. It has been said that they have enough votes to pass it this time around.

Please call your U.S. Senator on Wednesday and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Arkansas Senators:

• Mark Pryor (877) 259-9602 (Toll Free from Arkansas)
  D.C. Office (202) 224-2353

• Blance Lincoln 800-352-9364
  D.C. Office (202) 224-4843

In addition, noted financial planner and consultant Dave Ramsey posted an alternative solution to the bailout today on his website. I encourage you to check it out here. You can read his plan here: (more…)

As I was saying in the last post, Hugh Hewitt’s book Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation was a challenge and provocation for me. The more I reflected on it after reading it, the more I realized that in many ways my blog was, well, bland. 

I hate to admit that to myself, because I feel that I’ve been pretty informative, encouraging, challenging and even edgy (heck, who else do you know that writes about butt boils?). However, I have rarely written about topics that are controversial. I have for the most part steered clear of politics (except for last year’s sales tax debacle). And I have been very vocal about my faith and love for Jesus Christ. It is the absolute foundation of all that I do.

Yet, Hewitt’s book bothered me. In a nutshell, it caused me to consider whether my writings were really influencing readers – or if they were merely informing readers. 

When I was running MonticelloLive.com, I chose to not only report news but to dig deeper beneath our community’s noise and try to see what was making things “tick” and “go bump in the night.” I learned a lot about some people’s motives, ideals and agendas. Some of those were encouraging; some were disconcerting.

The times that I wrote editorials (1, 2, 3), I got quite a bit of negative feedback from some leaders in town and even from a few Christians. The gist of their complaint was that I was a pastor, and that I shouldn’t be saying the things I was saying. It’s quite a turn of events to realize that just 100 years ago, pastors were the moral leaders and opinion influencers in their communities. Heck, 500 years ago, pastors were the primary civic leaders and engines of community life. (Can you say Martin Luther or John Calvin?!) Imagine what things would be like politically and religiously if they had listened to folks tell them that pastors should just preach and not get involved!

That brings me full circle to what I am have wrestling with. It’s been obvious over the past year that local news outlets choose simply to report news. It’s like a reflex. Something happens; someone writes about it. There is not much of an effort to dig deep and find news. Truly getting involved and seeking to contribute to community life, however, requires more than that. 

Edmund Burke said, 

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”  (Wayne Greeson has an excellent sermon on this topic here.)

It’s not just evil that triumphs when good people do nothing. Ignorance prevails. I think it’s time to do something. How about you? (to be continued)