*I'm a 34-year-old, white male with 3.0 kids, evangelical, college-educated voter. McCain should have had me. But he didn't. He had neither the vision nor the leadership to sway me. I voted for Obama. It's not just evangelical whites that cost McCain this election, but it certainly was a part of it.
*I voted for Obama, but I have to say that I paused as I filled in the bubble on the North Carolina scantron sheet. I wondered for just a moment if I was signing off on the death warrant for millions of un-born children. The abortion issue does matter to me. But abortion isn't going to go away no matter who's president. In the end, I felt like I couldn't vote for McCain simply because of the abortion issue.
*Pity poor G.W.B. Has anyone ever been so loudly booed on a national, public stage as he was last night by millions of voters? I seriously struggle with handling criticism (perhaps more on that tomorrow) and I just get it from the occasional student or co-worker. Mr. President has the lowest approval rating in the history of the approval ratings, and last night was a loud exclamation point on those numbers. Sure, he ran off every good and intelligent voice in his administration and got us into a couple of quagmire-esque wars and the economy is in shambles and....okay, so no more pitying poor GWB.
*This morning on the Today show, they showed a montage that mixed Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech with images of Obama last night. I have to admit, I was getting pretty choked up. Last night was a good night for our country. We're not done with race issues. But it's worth celebrating a big, big win.
*One last political word: Obama isn't Jesus. In the worship of the state, Obama has become something of a Messianic figure for those whose hope is in the American dream and the American way of life. The great hope is that he will redeem us, restore us, make us a great people again. I have hope that he will lead us, and lead us well.
But ultimately my worship isn't of the American dream--or even of the great bringing together of all peoples for some sort of global utopia. That won't happen until all things are brought together under the name of Jesus.
In the mean time, I'll take a little more justice, a little less brokenness in the areas of business, economics, and politics, and some wise decision-making in terms of international relations. That's plenty for Mr. President-Elect Obama to handle for right now.
3 comments:
First up, I have to say I THOROUGHLY enjoy your blog (discovered via your bro's blog)and often benefit from the thoughtful insights you bring.
But I really have to chime-in on this one. McCain didn't grab me either, but there are many more reasons for a Christian not to vote Democrat than simply abortion (though that is a biggie, and IS enough of a reason on it's own.)
Maybe you don't see much of it in the Carolinas, but there is a concerted campaign in this country to silence and marginalize Christian influence. It is led mostly by Democrat-appointed members of the judiciary, ably assisted by the massively well-funded ACLU. Their repertoire (often succesful) ranges from stupid stuff like getting xmas creches removed from street corners, to slightly more serious examples like the removal of crosses and bible verses from national monuments, to very serious endeavours, like making it a hate crime to preach the biblical view of homosexuality.
Contrary to his carefully-cultivated centrist image, Obama's views (and voting record) have proven to be completely in lock-step with this agenda.
McCain might not have gotten the Europeans excited (who cares?) but he at least he would not have turned the Supreme Court into a constitution-sidestepping weapon of the hard left, which is exactly what Obama will do when the opportunity arises.
grayson,
first, thanks for chiming in! good to know that some quality people find me via my bro's blog--even though i give him a link and he doesn't return the favor...little brothers...
secondly, i think that you've got some really important stuff that you've touched on here. i mentioned in the blog after the last debate my core angst: obama is the better candidate for now, but what does that mean in terms of the type of supreme court justices we'll be saddled with for the next fifteen years?
in the end, i felt like the issues of the now were significant enough that i didn't want to settle for a lesser candidate in order to protect a hypothetical future. in other words, where we are as a country is about as messed up as it's been in a generation: economically, militarily, you name it. we need real leadership now. there are battles we will have to fight with this president, but there are ALWAYS battles we'll have to fight. perhaps we gave bush too much of a free pass.
i think that the vote in california over gay marriage is indicative that social conservatives and christians aren't entirely being edged out of the political process. and i'm encouraged by obama's initial centrist selections for his transition team.
in the end, we'll have to see what happens. either way, the battles for marriage, unborn children, stewardship of the earth's resources, and the like are not going to go away any time soon.
Heh-heh. I have a little bro too. Nuff said!
I was somewhat comforted by the narrow success of Prop 8 in California. My hope at this point is that Obama's pragmatic side will keep his activist side in check, as it was, to some degree, with Bill Clinton.
However, his campaign promises point to the contrary. He has vowed to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which will roll away all existing prohibitions on partial-birth abortion, as well as eliminating all parental notification laws, waiting periods and full disclosure requirements. I think it's accurate to say that more children will be aborted under Obama than would have been under McCain. Which is why I can't really get past that issue...
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