One Last Pro-life and Presidential Post Before the Polls Open
It’s been awhile. To be completely honest, I needed a break. I’m just going to leave it at that.
Tomorrow is the big day. Like most Christians, I have been bombarded with emails and letters and links to videos all telling me why it is imperative that I vote for John McCain because of his pro-life record. Just about every major Christian ministry and organization is flooding the flock with emotionally charged pleas for the unborn, and it is starting to bother me.
Don’t get me wrong. You will have to look far and wide for someone more pro-life than me. If any issue deserves some emotional charge, it’s this one. But let me briefly tell you what is getting me so upset – and a little depressed.
I have written many pages on this topic over the last few days. I decided to shelve them for now, as it is too late for any of it to make a difference this election and, honestly, I haven’t got it in me to debate the issue anymore – not right now. I would like to make a few points, at this late hour, just so that I can say I got it out there before the polls opened.
So what’s got me bothered? Let me tell ya.
First, why is it that I have received dozens and dozens of emails, letters and links in the last three weeks leading up to the election but cannot remember a single letter I received leading up to the primaries? Sure, I understand the nature of last second pushes, but seriously, a last second push and waiting til the last second are two completely different things.
Second, you may wonder what the primaries have to do with anything. Well, maybe if these concerned Christian organizations would have begun moving their weight around 18 months ago perhaps we would not be left today with a choice between Obama, who I clearly cannot vote for, and McCain who I am apparently obligated as a Christian to vote for. I’m not saying they didn’t jump on the Huckabee bandwagon, but I am talking about more than hitching a ride. I am talking about building the cart. But more on that later.
Third, you may now be asking what I have against McCain. Well, apart from too many differences of opinion to count when it comes to limited government, non-interventionist policy, personal freedom and individual responsibility, I am not sold on his supposed pro-life record that I am now being told I have to vote for. And don’t miss this: The emails I get from Focus on the Family (FF), the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), and other Christian organizations are not saying that McCain is simply better than Obama (who isn’t?) but they are actually appealing to his pro-life record.
I have no doubt that fewer babies would be killed during a McCain term than an Obama term. That is not what I am getting at. I am simply saying that it’s a stretch to claim that McCain is actually pro-life and there is something dubious about the recent propaganda coming out of Christian organizations to support that claim. Without getting into too many details here, suffice it to say that the record they are appealing to can easily be checked out and when I do, I find that these Christian groups are not telling the whole story. Even worse, many of these groups were telling a different story not too long ago.
A lot of what I had written previously dealt with this issue. I’m going to keep a lid on it for now. Perhaps it will turn into something bigger in a few years. We’ll see. For now, instead of writing an expose on the McCain record, I am going to direct you to one of the only Christian organizations that has dared to say anything against McCain and his sanctity of life record: Vision Forum. Specifically, I would like you to consider their section, Biblical Principles for the Ballot Box. I am not directing you there so that you can agree with everything they write, nor am I suggesting that I see eye-to-eye with everything that comes out of Vision Forum (though I generally do). I am asking you to hear what other brothers and sisters in Christ have to say about an issue that has been largely censored, even by Christian organizations. It takes a lot of courage to do what they have done. If you do nothing else, please go read those articles.
Among other things, you will read about how James Dobson, until recently, had warned others of McCain’s questionable pro-life record. Dobson is quoted as saying he is deeply disappointed in the Republican Party, that McCain is not a conservative, that he sounds more like a member of the other party, and that for the first time in his life, given the choices, he would simply not cast a vote for president.
You will also read about how the NRLC once exposed McCain as a threat to pro-life issues, documenting his poor record and opening the eyes of millions of Christians to the reality of McCain. Then you will read how those reports have since been removed and a new report has been put up, ignoring the hard findings and highlighting the portions of McCain’s record that can be viewed as pro-life. The article goes on to say,
Regrettably, Dr. Dobson and the NRLC have done an about-face. Following Sen. McCain’s pick of Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, they – along with other consservative leaders and organizations who were previously hesitant to support McCain – have now actively come out in favor of the McCain/Palin ticket. On the day that Sen. McCain announced his pick of Gov. Palin, Dr. Dobson told talk show host Dennis Prager, “I can tell you that if I had to go into the … voting booth today, I would pull that [McCain] lever.”
What happened? Well, it’s not hard to tell. Our system is such that we constantly find ourselves having to make “best-of-the-worst” decisions. We manage to let things go until we have no choice but to play by the system’s rules. We then do whatever we have to, even if that includes a little deception and slight-of-hand, to win the game at the buzzer. And don’t think this is all about abortion. Just as the Christians out there are being flooded with pro-life propaganda, every other group is being hit with emails, letters and links that appeal to their interests. Dare I say it, even pro-choice folks are hearing what they want to hear from McCain (read more). These things are very telling.
Because we have let it come down to the wire, we are being told that our only choice is McCain – that a vote for anyone else is a vote for abortion. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a Christian voter guide listing anyone other than Obama and McCain. That may not sound all that surprising at this late date, but legitimate candidates have been left off of such guides since the primaries. Perhaps we really do only have two choices tomorrow, but over the last two years there have been others we could have at least considered. How many of them can you name? Not many? Something is wrong with that, no?
So, who would I have liked to have seen given more time? Before the primaries, Ron Paul should have been given a shot. I have yet to hear an argument against him from someone who sounded like they truly understood either him or the issues. But that’s over. Who would I have liked to have seen given a chance post-primary? Personally, I think you could do a lot worse than Chuck Baldwin.
Sure, there are plenty of articles talking about his lack of electoral experience, etc. Those are valid points, though not nearly as terminal as some would make them out to be. Let’s face it, “experience” has done little more than get us deeper into trouble, and offers little that advisers and a good cabinet can’t make up for. Heck, it’s getting to the point where I would consider a lack of electoral experience a positive.
That said, Baldwin has taken a stand on issues that others are afraid to talk about. While the major candidates are offering up sound bites and a whole-lotta-nuthin’, Baldwin is not afraid to talk about the things that need to be talked about and he is not afraid to get down to nuts and bolts. To be fair, neither was Ron Paul (who has officially endorsed Baldwin), or Ralph Nader, or some other third-party candidates. Say what you will about some of these folks, you cannot deny that they are in it to bring real change and not this empty Obama rhetoric.
Not only has Baldwin taken a stand and faced the real issues, but he has done so in a decidely Christian way with the conviction of an unapologetic Christian worldview. And don’t make the mistake of thinking he is for some sort of Theocracy. What Baldwin desires is the Constitutional Republic that our founders envisioned, and that was designed to guard against tyrants, protect liberty and encourage responsibility. It just so happens that these tenets and such a government is uniquely Christian and he knows this. But it is too late to campaign for Baldwin now, so I will leave it at that, except to say one more thing.
Baldwin is running for president, he will be on the ballot or an official write-in, and he is truly pro-life. Maybe that doesn’t mean anything to you. Maybe it would mean something if we were not so close to the election already. Perhaps you believe that we must play the game, like it or not, and that means voting for McCain and even fudging the details a little. Maybe it is worth voting for the “lesser of two evils” if it means fewer abortions in the years to come. Maybe the judges Obama will appoint are enough reason to do whatever we have to to get McCain into office. Maybe.
I know that most of you are not saying, “maybe.” I know that most of you who read this are saying, “definitely!” I’m still saying, “maybe.” I know that most of you believe that a third party tally is a wasted vote, or worse, as good as a vote for Obama. I know that most of you believe that it is impossible for a third party candidate to win. Maybe you’re right.
I do know something, though. You are not voting for a pro-life candidate in McCain, except by comparison to Obama. If you’re cool with that, then cool. I’m still trying to figure out if I am cool with it. But don’t think that McCain is truly pro-life in the sense that I hope all Christians are pro-life. He’s not, regardless of what Dr. Dobson and the NRLC are saying today.
Furthermore, there is something wrong with the questionable tactics and even deceptive propaganda. That really bothers me and appealing to an “ends-justify-the-means” things doesn’t cut it with me. If you want to change your mind about someone, then just say you have changed your mind. It’s that easy. Also, hopefully you will have some decent reasons.
Finally, (and this is part of what may turn into something more in a few years) I am not convinced that a third party tally need be a wasted vote or that a third party candidate cannot win. It is going to mean loosing ourselves from the current two-party system mindset, and deciding to play the game on our own terms, but we can start a revolution. There are enough Christians still to steal an election and take back our country. It may not happen the first time around, or even the second, but it can happen. Ron Paul did the impossible and there are more Christians out there than Ron Paul Revolutionaries – and many of us are both.
We need to stop voting for David’s brothers and vote for David. We need to put our money on Joshua, and Gideon. We must disregard the power and numbers of Rome and endorse Jesus, the Apostles and the Early Church who, while in a seemingly hopeless situation, had the God of hope on their side. We have to remember that the God of providence is on our side still today. We need to stop talking about what can’t happen and pray for what can. We have to stop living with some supposed escapist hope and start living as Christians in the here and now. We have the resources. Do you want a revolution?
It doesn’t have to be this way. Or if it does, then we don’t have to like it and we can – we must – fight it to our dying breath. We don’t have to vote for the best of the worst, or the lesser of two evils. We need to ask ourselves whether we would rather vote for someone we think has a better shot and is at least not that bad, or vote for someone who best represents our views and God’s law, regardless of his chances. That may sound silly to some people, but David’s brothers certainly looked more qualified and better suited for the job. No one gave David a chance. Finally, we need to be prepared to account for our choices before God. Try to imagine some of those possible dialogues.
So, with less than 8 hours until the polls open, who am I going to vote for tomorrow? To be completely honest, I am not positive. Furthermore, it’s none of your business. : ) There are some fairly reasonable arguments out there for the “lesser of two evils” approach and perhaps we will come to find that doing whatever we can given the system we have is the best way, although I am starting to doubt it. An Obama presidency will likely lead to the single greatest change in American life we have ever experienced – much of that change directly effecting me. I have only recently begun to truly consider these things in depth and I am still trying to figure all this out. I’m sure I will move around a bit, change my mind a few times, run into some roadblocks and have some epiphanies.
It may be another four years before I finally come to some solid conclusions. I hope you will bear with me, appreciate that I am sharing this out loud, respect the fact that I am exposed and a little vulnerable here and stick around to find where all of this is leading.
post scriptum – I realize there is much more to all of this than I have included here. If you think this post is long, you should see what I deleted. I am also aware that I am still learning and that there are things I am not yet aware of or have not completely worked through. Thanks for your patience and understanding. The time will come when I will gladly address and debate the many other issues related to these things. Not now, though.
If you have not followed the links to the Vision Forum articles, please do so now. I believe they are important articles you will not get anywhere else.
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