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The following is from my dad, Terry Wright. He is an evangelical Christian who is a former Baptist preacher but now attends a Dutch Reformed church in Boise and runs his own food marketing business out of his house. He is the father of my 5 sisters and 2 brothers, and has been married to my mom for 40 years.
The 2008 US Presidential Election
We live in a time when the majority of Americans read very little, spend little time doing critical thinking, and generally are very gullible of the glitz and glamour in the general 2008 Presidential Election. So I will be brief by giving 13 short recaps of why I support the Democratic Obama/Biden ticket in the upcoming election.
But first, one disclaimer by quoting, Michael Horton in an article he wrote 15 years ago in the magazine, Modern Reformation entitled, “Beyond Culture Wars”.
Horton writes, “Evangelical Christianity is now being widely perceived as one more dying gasp of one more ally of the status quo of middle American, white, middle class culture unwilling to let go of its power. The issue is whether we confused culture values with the gospel, not whether those values are right or wrong. Billy Graham said, ‘It is an error to identify the gospel with any particular system or culture, that has been my own danger. When I go to preach the gospel I go an ambassador for the Kingdom of God, not America. To tie the gospel to any political system, secular program, or society is wrong and will only serve to divert the gospel.’” (“Beyond Culture Wars”, Modern Reformation (May/June 1993).
America has never been a Christian nation and never will be, and those who argue such do not understand the Covenant with Israel and with Christ’s Elect Church, nor Christ’s Everlasting Kingdom as foreshadowed in the type of Israel. (But that is a lengthy and controversial subject in itself deserving another discussion.
With the above as my foundation, I will also say that it is right and good to discuss to politics as long as we don’t try to bring America back to God. The US is filled with predominantly unbelievers and is no different than living as a Christian in a pagan land. We wouldn’t, if we lived in Pakistan (for example) seek to bring a Christian President to Pakistan. No, this would be foolish and divisive. We would rather pray for good and honest leaders (probably Muslim) to lead the land. This is the primary problem with Christians trying to bring Christian teaching and doctrine to unChristian and pluralistic America. When you work for a non-Christian boss, or serve a non-Christian King (as Daniel did under King Nebuchadnezzar) you seek to walk humbly with your God and preach the gospel when given the opportunity.
No more of this, even though I know it raises many questions and potential controversy. These questions and controversy are legitimate and good and I would be happy to discuss them further at a different time.
So here goes my reasons for voting Democratic this year in the Presidential Election:
1. Republicans (in the majority) do not read carefully and seriously. They will absolutely not listen to what they consider as their enemies. (They close their ears rather than thoughtfully and critically listening.) Republicans rely on the flag and war as the principles of their party, rather than reason and critical thinking. To me, this is a very dangerous way to make critical judgments.
2. Closely related to the number 1, the Republicans are war hawks. I believe war is necessary but only as a last resort as was well illustrated when we entered WWII. If the military industrial complex of many generations succeed then the Republicans succeed, and their basic principles succeed. Republicans are never more content than when there is military conquest i.e. America at war somewhere! Their mantra is “the American way is the best way” and the more we can take and make American democracy to be the model for the world, the better off the world will be.
3. Republicans continue their political policy of considering themselves as the only true patriots, and ridiculing Democrats as liberals and leftists who care nothing about America or Freedom. I love America as I believe all Democrats do, but most Republicans really believe that Democrats don’t love their country, and suspect that if the truth be known, they are traitors and open to communism.
4. Senator McCain has chosen expediency over principle in picking Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. He wanted to pick Joe Leiberman but needed the so-called “evangelical vote”. The future of America (Palin as President in case of McCain’s demise) did not matter to him as much as his success in the upcoming election. This was the only reason he chose Palin. This is a classic example of the recklessness and selfishness of McCain.
5. Senator McCain, even though he said he would run a clean campaign, violated his word, once again, by allowing Karl Rove and his proteges to write outlandish speeches for Sarah Palin making simplistic, nauseously repetitive “one-liners” has been very divisive and proved she simply a “hatchet woman” for McCain.
6. For 8 Years President Bush has shown absolutely no fiscal (financial) responsibility adding massively to the national debt. President Clinton showed great fiscal responsibility during his tenure.
7. President Bush has added to that debt greatly by leading America into a war with Iraq (while not pursuing terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan as he originally started and was his reasonable duty). The untold loss of American and Iraq lives while adding also the maimed, and our veteran’s that have not been adequately provided for by our government is unconscionable.
8. President Bush has not been forthright with the American people nor with people that worked with him in his cabinet and administration. An open minded person would at least read Bob Woodward’s four Books on Bush who spent many, many hours interviewing President Bush. As Bob Woodward substantiates, President Bush would not even come to many meetings that were critical as the war lengthened and worsened. It was obviously painful meetings with his subordinates, and yet he was the commander-in-chief and should have been honest and carried out his responsibility by seeking “the whole truth and nothing but the truth” and conveying that to America. He made a gigantic mistake by taking America to Iraq and he should have been man enough to admit it. Bob Woodward makes this very clear in his interviews with the President that this evasiveness and hiding from his responsibilities and meetings was exactly what took place.
9. Senator McCain does not talk or explain where he stands on the issues. In fact, he is evasive. He is far more interested in show and appearance as evidenced in Palin’s continued one line assaults on Obama interspersed with one line accolades of McCain. Oh yes, he has a couple of issues that he talks about over and over—strong security and the economy. and “drill, baby, drill”. There is nothing fresh or thoughtful in his speeches, but rather the same old “one-liners” over and over again ad nauseaum Does he care about our decaying infrastructure? What are his plans for revamping our terribly weak schools in America? What about our borders and immigration, what is he going to do? What about racial tensions in America? What about our poor in America? How can we educate them and bring them into the middle class? What about the outsourcing of our economy to Asia? What about the lobbyists of oil and pharmaceuticals? 7 of 8 of McCain’s top advisors are paid lobbyists by giant American corporations. Why wasn’t President Bush invited to the convention, let alone Vice-President Cheney?
10. Senator McCain says the election is about popularity and character. He is right, and he has clearly disqualified himself in this area by his breaking his word, with his weak character assassinations performed by his hired gun, Palin, and also, by his political expediency in choosing Palin.
11. In all the above, Barrack Obama has taken opposite and honorable positions. He was against the Iraq invasion and war from the start and he was right. He was for intensifying the attacks in Afghanistan and he was right. He is for rebuilding our infrastructure and our educational system and he is right. He is for alternative energy and making a gigantic expenditure to get America back to work. How will it be paid for? By closing down the war in Iraq, and taxing the major corporations in the way they ought to be taxed while lowering the taxes on small businesses and 98% of the average taxpayers. He is honorable in all his speaking engagements, and makes quiet and reasonable arguments.
12. I don’t support Obama’s position on abortion, but, it is not the church, it is pluralistic America, I am a pragmatist in politics. In politics, you compromise for the best of choices.
13. I don’t support Obama’s position on gays. But at least he wants to represent all minorities. And once again, this is pluralistic America, not the church.
In conclusion, I would appeal to moderation, not reaction. I especially liked what happened the last night of the Democratic National Convention. Susan Eisenhower who was a staunch Republican for many decades and granddaughter of Ike, told how only a few days before she had left the Republican party where her grandfather, Dwight D. had served as a decent and fair minded moderate. Her recent departure from a being a registered Republican, and re-registering as a Moderate is one of but, many clear warnings that emphasizes the intellectual and moral vacuum currently festering in mainline Republicanism.
Susan told the story that when Ike was running for President, Robert Frost, one of America’s greatest poets and thinkers, met with Ike and told him that he had his (Frost’s) support because he felt he had the temperament to be President. Frost told Ike that he was convinced that he was not a reactionary, but would deliberate and make calm and reasoned judgments. That, above all, is why I support Obama for President. As Susan Eisenhower said, “Obama has the temperament to be President”. I would also add, “He has the judgment to be President!”
