 | I have been thinking a lot about this the past few months, and I'll bet every Christian voter out there has as well. This will be my first presidential election since accepting Christ into my life, and so of course I am looking at things in a slightly different way. I have always done one of two things when I choose which candidate to support- either I choose the candidate who will benefit ME the most (usually a Republican), or I vote straight Republican. In 2004, I voted for John Kerry simply because the Bush administration scares the hell out of me- in every conceivable way. This year, my vote goes to Obama for mostly the same reasons. Now, when Obama gets the presidency, this will personally affect my family and I negatively in terms of finances. But, I still know that we will be able to pay the bills and live a relatively comfortable lifestyle. If McCain would get elected, many Americans who are already struggling financially will be struggling considerably. They will lose their health insurance benefits, pay more taxes, and overall be in a worse position than they would under Obama. Of course, I'm simplifying here, but everyone already knows the outlined tax plans by now, right? So, it confounds me when I see people already hovering so closely to the poverty line supporting McCain. Frankly, for anyone making less than $150,000 annually, it seems like a stupid choice to elect another Republican right now. But then there are always those who will vote based on insipid reasons, like being put off by Obama's middle name (or dare I say, race?), or simply because Sarah Palin is a woman (no matter that she is the intellectual equivalent of Lenny to Hillary's George)....and I accept that as their right. Many others will vote based solely on social issues- the "faith issues", if you will. Now, in the last few months, I have gotten guff from a few people because I am a self-proclaimed Christian and yet, "(I) don't care about innocent babies being murdered every day!" The fact is that I do care. I just happen to care about other issues just as much. I also realize that Jesus Christ is not going to be on my election ballot tomorrow and so I have to instead choose between two mortal men, neither of which I believe will make any huge strides towards getting Roe v. Wade overturned by 2012. In the next four years, I will pray about this issue and also continue my 29 year streak of not undergoing or performing any abortions...but I simply can't be a single issue voter right now. For me, poverty and the Iraqi war are my faith issues. This may seem simplistic, but I want to support our troops by bringing them home. I mean no disrespect to my brothers and sisters in the military when I say this- I think they're all heroes, and I realize that many of them think they are fighting for a just cause. And even the ones that don't are going to fight anyway, because they are that kind of man or woman.* I do respect that- I do NOT respect the underlying reasons that caused them to be there in the first place. I've said it since day one and my mind is made up. You see, I am pro-life...and that means I am for ALL life- unborn children and soldiers alike. I am even for the life of death row inmates because, well, I am not God, and neither are you. When it comes to poverty in America, I am simply appalled at how many people are living here in absolute destitution. Perhaps the abortion rate would be affected if women had the money to care for their unborn.** Perhaps if our nation's poor saw hope at the end of the tunnel they would consider options other than drug dealing and gang banging. Perhaps if we treated politics a little more like preventative medicine, we wouldn't have to spend so much money addressing these issues down the line. Then again, we are the fattest nation in the world, so perhaps we should first consider preventative medicine as a viable option. Maybe Mike Huckabee was on to ONE thing. ;) Now, there is another non-negotiable that my Christian acquaintances like to bring up to me when they want to make sure I know my beliefs are less than Godly. That is, of course, gay marriage. Here's the deal- I think our country should do away with marriage completely- just throw it out the window and call every pairing between two consenting adult humans a civil union. Then, those of us who want to be married can do it in the church, and it would be a RELIGIOUS ceremony. Let's face it people, most of us are in marriages that are displeasing to God at times, whether we're gay OR straight. I know I'm not perfect, and just because you aren't an adulterer does not mean that your marriage is without sin. So yeah, maybe I'm against gay marriage, but I'm all for everyone having equal civil rights regardless of sexual preference and that will NEVER change. So until our flawed system is corrected, or the nomenclature is amended, I will be forced to support gay marriage. Taking away a person's human rights because they are a sinner, like we all are, is not, and will never be a "loving" gesture. Once again, folks need to stop playing God. So, those are my faith issues and those are my feelings today. I can take a Biblical quote out of context as well as anyone, so those aren't going to sway me. I feel convicted to look at the bigger picture. *Remember, McCain's voting record is nearly always anti-veteran. **Remember, McCain's voting record shows he does not support equal pay for women.
Friday, November 7th
I, like many, approached November 4th with a feeling of cautious optimism. Now that the day has come and passed, I can say without a doubt that I have never been more proud to call myself an American. I have felt a subtle "high" in the past three days, and am aware that others are feeling it too. The cultural and political sea change that this presidency represents is bigger to me than any single political issue that stands before us right now. The fact that a country that only four years ago re-elected Bush has now, with an overwhelming majority, elected Obama, sums up beautifully the exact thing that makes America great. We are a nation of doers, of revolutionaries, of intelligence. We saw our mistakes and stood up to correct them, proving once again that the U.S. is a nation that is willing to make dramatic shifts in order to maintain its position as THE global superpower.
I'm frankly worn out discussing the issues of the day over and over again with no resolve (abortion, anyone?). This next four years will be much greater than the sum of its parts. Anyone expecting Obama to make discernible changes right away will probably be disheartened. Don't forget that it took Bill Clinton a few years to make a dent in the scene after 12 yrs. of a Republican administration. But the change in our collective national soul is already apparent. I have seen the wealthy put their personal gains on the back burner to make strides as a country. I think we've all seen celebrating in the streets, as if the overthrowing of a dictator was taking place! And, while the global impact of this election will remain to be seen, the indelible mark it has placed upon America's identity is very apparent.
God Bless America, indeed.
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1 comment:
I couldn't have said any of it better.
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