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I have been planning for some time to officially endorse Barack Obama on this blog. When trying to put my thoughts into words over this past weekend, however, I felt oddly stymied.  In my first draft of this endorsement I began by listing all the issues on which I believe Obama has a better plan for the United States than McCain does — issues like taxes and health care and foreign policy, and so forth.  While I believe Obama is superior on many of the issues, I also know that in my core I am not voting on the issues.  There is something else going on.

In 2000 many people voted for George Bush because he was a person of faith.  He listed Jesus Christ as his favorite political philosopher and the story of his faith helping him overcome alcoholism was widely cited.  But something has always bothered me about Bush’s Christianity.  It is not that I don’t think he is sincere – it has more to do with the fact that it was cited as a reason to vote for him.

Now here’s a rule of thumb: Whenever a person or group’s Christianity is cited as a reason to do something or buy something, beware.  Be very ware.

Let me give you a recent example from my own life.  This past Saturday I was encouraged to go to a documentary on Bob Dylan’s gospel period.  The movie was sold to me as something I should support because it was created by Christians.  I fell for it and… it was atrocious.  It was unprofessional, boring, included no Dylan music, and was all-around terrible.  I felt duped.  This is not the first time this has happened, incidentally.  I have been encouraged to see terrible bands because they are Christian. I have been encouraged to read terrible books because they are Christian. I have had dubious lawyers recommended to me because they are Christian. And so on. Invariably it is bad news.

dylan tattoo by Mez Love

A movie should succeed on its own merits.  A band should make engaging music.  A politician should have brilliant ideas and posses leadership qualities.  These are the reasons they should succeed.  Being a Christian does not make you a good musician, a good writer, a good businessman, a good politician, or, to be frank, a good anything at all.  It has to do with your personal salvation.  The fact that you are a Christian does not mean that I should patronize your business, listen to your music, or vote for you.  Moreover, those who resort to touting the Christianity in order to find patrons often seem to do so because they would not be able to find patrons on the merits.

But what of Obama’s Christianity?  It is true that Obama is a Christian and he would like people to know this.  Obama is not using Christianity as a reason to vote for him, however.  Rather, he is emphasizing his Christianity to make it clear that he is not a Muslim, which many people still seem to think he is.  In fact it is Sarah Palin who was put on the Republican ticket in order to excite evangelicals.  David Brody at the Christian Broadcasting Network ran a story on August 29th, the day of her selection, headlined “Palin Pick Causes ‘Elation’ among Evangelical Leaders”.  Here is a telling passage from that article:

What John McCain has now done is reinvigorate the Evangelical base. It appears from those I am talking to that Palin is a great choice because she is a woman of faith who believes deeply in the life issue.

Notice the line “Palin is a great choice because she is a woman of faith.”  That should set off alarm bells.  Being a person of faith does not imply any special abilities or talents in a person.  It does not magically transform you into a person who is capable of being president.

When thinking about why I am so impressed with Barack Obama it never occurred to me that his Christian faith had anything to do with it.  On further reflection, however, I realized that while Obama does not trumpet his Christianity as a reason to vote for him, he does posses the Fruit of the Spirit.  In case you aren’t up on the New Testament, the Fruit of the Spirit are described in Galations chapter five and are the attributes that a mature Christian is supposed to display.  They are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

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This is what I see in Obama.  His patience and self-control are becoming legendary.  He simply never loses his cool.  His faithfulness is nicely contrasted with McCain, who left his wife for a much younger woman after she became disfigured in a car accident.  His peace is evident in his self-assurance — I believe you simply cannot be as relaxed and self-assured as Obama always seems to be unless you are fundamentally at peace with your life.

I’m not sure, frankly, that I can make a strong case for Obama’s possession of every last one of the Fruit of the Spirit.  One would have to know someone personally for quite some time to ascertain their level of kindness and gentleness, for instance.  What I do know, however, is that Obama is a remarkably mature man.  He has balance and he is happy.  So in terms of his personal character Obama strikes me as further along the path toward maturity that McCain, Bush, Clinton (either one), Palin, or, really, any political figure I can think of.

Aside from his character and disposition, which are pure gold, Obama also possesses the actual talents that one would want in a president.  He is profoundly intelligent, he is a fantastic communicator, he is widely read and has a top-notch and highly relevant education, and he inspires people.

What remains are the issues.  I won’t concern myself here with most of the issues.  Rather, I will just focus on the one issue that is of prime concern for people in the Evangelical community: Abortion.   Yes, it is true that Obama is pro-choice. He has made no secret of this.  Many Christians would like to see the next president appoint justices to the supreme court who will over turn Roe vs. Wade.  What those in the pro-life community often don’t understand, however, is that overturning Roe vs. Wade will not result in abortion becoming illegal.  This fact is so poorly understood that I will repeat it, this time in a paragraph of its own:

Overturning Roe vs. Wade will not result in abortion becoming illegal.

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The reason for this is that the decision in Roe vs. Wade struck down a Texas law that made abortion illegal.  Basically, it made it illegal to make abortion illegal.  If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, it will again become legal for a state to pass a law making abortion illegal.  But most states will not pass laws making abortion illegal. Perhaps Utah, Idaho, and Texas will pass laws against abortion, but California and New York will not. Florida won’t.  The net result is that women who want abortions will be able to get them.  The only difference is that some women will now have to drive a few hours first.   Let’s say you live in Salt Lake City, Utah and you want an abortion but a law has been passed making abortion illegal in Utah. What are you going to do?  Well, you’ll just drive three hours to Elko, Nevada.

So if you think that voting for John McCain may result in abortion becoming illegal, you are mistaken.  If that is the major issue holding you back from voting for Barack Obama, then it is important that you realize that abortion will remain legal in the United States even if John McCain is elected and appoints several justices to the supreme court.

So let me sum up the reasons to vote for Obama: In his character he displays the Fruit of the Spirit; In his abilities he displays the qualities we need in a president; On the issue of abortion it will make no difference whether Obama or McCain is elected because overturning Roe vs. Wade will not make abortion illegal.

There you have it.  Know Hope!

]]> http://jonti.org/politics/a-cruel-picture/feed 0 http://jonti.org/uncategorized/live-blogging-the-us-presidential-debate http://jonti.org/uncategorized/live-blogging-the-us-presidential-debate#comments Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:08:06 +0000 jonti http://jonti.org/?p=131 10:45 PM — I’ll end by noting that I have always liked McCain. For this point in our history, however, I think Obama is the better choice for president. I do think that we have two good choices this year, though. I wish McCain had run a more positive campaign and I wish he had not chosen Sarah Palin as his running mate, but I still think he would make a decent president. What I really wish, of course, is that he had defeated Bush in the 2000 primary. Obama succeeding president McCain would be a much better world than the one we have.

10:39 PM — I would call this debate a draw in debating terms. In terms of how the American people will respond, I think it is a clear win for Obama because he escaped unscathed and is well ahead in the polls. I think Obama responded very well to the Ayers and ACORN accusations and he sounded like a moderate on abortion. He kept his composure, he seemed to know a lot of policy details, he was courteous, prepared, eloquent, presidential. McCain didn’t embarrass himself, but I didn’t quite buy his claim of hurt feelings over John Lewis’s remarks, so he didn’t always come off as sincere to me. McCain sometimes seemed like the smaller man, although I may be influenced here by my strong support for Obama.

10:30 PM — McCain says “good job, good job” to Obama as they shake hands at the end. The candidates and their wives look good up on stage. American democracy in action! What we saw tonight was two heavy-weights slugging it out, and I am proud to be an American right now.

10:27 PM — Did McCain just forget Obama’s name at the beginning of his closing statement?

10:25 PM — Does McCain think that Palin’s child has autism? Trig Palin has Down Syndrome…

10:23 PM — Obama is taller and better looking. It just struck me anew.

10:17 PM — McCain points out that “the health of the mother” has been stretched to include anything at all. Nice catch. I missed that in Obama’s answer that I admired so much (originally I had “life of the mother” — I guess I heard what I wanted to hear). Seems like I may have been bamboozled a bit by Obama’s smooth talk there.

10:15 PM — Obama: “Here are the facts…. There was already a law on the books that required providing life-saving treatment… I am completely supportive of a ban on late term abortions as long as there is an exception for the health of the mother.” He really answered that one well, I think. A really good answer.

10:13 PM — Definitely a better debate than the last one, at least in terms of entertainment. Still boring, though.

10:08 PM — Schieffer brings up Roe v. Wade and the Supreme Court. Obama says he believes Roe was rightly decided. Obama says it is an issue that good people can disagree on. McCain says he has no litmus test for supreme court justices, but states that supporting Roe is obviously disqualifying.

10:05 PM — A long back and forth on the mind-numbing details of the alternative health care plans. McCain says the average cost of health insurance is $5,800 a year. Obama just said the average cost of health insurance is $12,000 a year. Who is right? Who knows.

10:03 PM — Obama is explaining McCain’s health care plan, and it sounds like he understands it.

10:00 PM — McCain brings up Joe the plumber. sigh

9:58 PM — Obama claims he will allow the average person to buy the same health insurance that US Senators get and no one will be excluded based on pre-existing conditions. Wow. Too good to be true.

9:53 PM — Obama distinguishes between the Colombian and the Peruvian free trade agreements. Policy wonkery at its best.

9:51 PM — Obama is talking about energy, the auto industry, and trade. I’m bored, which is probably good. I don’t want to be not bored during this final debate.

9:48 PM — McCain wants to build 45 new nuclear power plants right away. This is a great idea and I’m all for it. This is the one area where I clearly like McCain more than Obama. I think Obama is too scared of the anti-nuclear wing of his party.

Joe The Plumber

9:45 PM — Obama says he thinks that Palin’s work with special needs children is commendable. What work? I am not sure what she has done other than have a special needs baby recently.

9:43 PM — McCain: “Sarah Palin is a role model to women.” He calls her a reformer. I roll my eyes.

9:40 PM — McCain is still pushing Ayers and ACORN and claims his campaign is about getting the economy back on tracks. Obama chuckles in disbelief. Obama flatly denies that he launched his political career in Ayers’ living room, but doesn’t get a chance to elaborate. Just as well. Better for Obama to get back to talking about issues.

9:37 PM — Obama is responding to the Ayers and ACORN accusations. It is clear that he has no substantive association with Ayers and ACORN. He has done a decent job in defending himself against McCain, I think.

9:35 PM — Wow. McCain just brought up Ayers and ACORN. Said ACORN is pulling off the biggest voter fraud in history.

9:33 PM — This debate seems a little livelier than the last one. I like the back and forth a bit. Obama needs to watch out, though. He shouldn’t get dragged into this bickering about who has been running the more negative campaign and who has the weirder fringe supporters at rallies. He is better off focusing on more presidential issues.

9:32 PM — I don’t know who Joe the plumber is and I don’t understand his economic situation well enough for these comments about him to make any sense to me. I don’t want to hear anything more about Joe the plumber.

9:30 PM — McCain attacks Obama for not repudiating the remarks made by John Lewis. Lewis is a prominent black congressman who has compared McCain to segregationist George Wallace. Obama to McCain: “100% of your ads have been negative.” I think I was falling for McCain’s spin for a minute there. There is absolutely no doubt that McCain has been running the more negative campaign. I didn’t know what to think when I heard him attack Obama for running negative attack ads.

9:26 PM — Schieffer: “Will you say it to each other’s face?” — in regard to attack ads.

9:25 PM — Obama: “Even Fox News disputes it” — in regard to the accusation that he wants to raise taxes on people who make $42,000 a year. He gets a chuckle from the audience. I tend to believe Obama on this. I expect that it is only through ridiculous contortions that McCain can support that claim.

9:21 PM — McCain: “I am not president Bush. If you wanted to run against president Bush, you should have run four years ago.” A nice jab!

9:20 PM — Schieffer wants specifics on how they are going to cut back spending in the face of record budget deficits. Obama wants to eliminate $15 billion in subsidies to health insurance companies. Sounds good to me, but who knows what the real detailed truth is. McCain wants to get rid of subsidies for ethanol. Also mentions getting rid of corruption and mentions that stupid planetarium projector again that Obama supposedly voted for.

9:17 PM — Obama is attempting to be a super-boring policy wonk, I think. Not a bad strategy when you are way ahead in the polls and the country is in a financial crisis.

9:12 PM — McCain brings up a plumber, Joe, who is “trying to realize the American dream” but can’t because of Obama’s proposed tax increases. Obama agrees that he and McCain differ on tax policy — they disagree on who will get tax cuts. Obama says Joe the plumber needed a middle-class tax cut five years ago (?). My take: basically they are each making claims and I don’t know who to believe.

9:00 PM — I’m here at my desk, iMac in front of me, beer at hand, the debate streaming live on the CNN website. Go Obama!