New blog dedicated to my endorsements

See http://votesharp2008.blogspot.com/

My Endorsements

Starting this weekend, I will be announcing my endorsements for statewide, local, and national office. I will announce one per post.

I'm pretty excited about it and I'm having fun researching the candidates. I hope you enjoy it and - more importantly - find it useful.

Stay tuned.

Sorry, but it is funny

And PG-13.

Sarah Palin's address to the RNC

Transcript from NPR

Note: We later learned that (like a certain other person is accused of frequently) she is great with a teleprompter. Without, not so much. I can hardly listen to her when she speaks extemporaneously. Having said that, this is still a great speech and she did a flawless job. It will be the apex of her political career.
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Palin is FFL member

I have long touted Feminists for Life as the model for pro-life activism. It is focused just as much on providing alternatives and practical support for women as it is on opposing abortion. It is led primarily by women and seeks their equality and empowerment while also giving voice to the unborn. I have long lamented the pro-life movement's fixation on elimination of the procedure itself with little regard to the circumstances that lead women to choose it. FFL addresses both ends of the situation.

Here is their statement on Palin's candidacy.

"Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, has been selected by Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain as his running mate.

"According to The Anchorage Daily News published August 6, 2006, "Palin said last month that no woman should have to choose between her career, education and her child." The article went onto say that "she's a member of a pro-woman but anti-abortion group called Feminists for Life." "I believe in the strength and the power of women, and the potential of every human life,' she said."

"Feminists for Life's policy is that all memberships are confidential. However, since Governor Palin has been public about her membership, we can confirm that Palin became a member in 2006.

"Earlier this week Feminists for Life reacted to the inclusion of woman-centered solutions in the Democratic Party platform, and the inclusion of FFL's trademarked message, "Women deserve better® than abortion,©" in the Republican Party platform.
FFL President Serrin Foster said "It is unprecedented to see the platforms of both major U.S. political parties incorporate key pieces of FFL's unique message."

"Of course there is a certain excitement about the recent movement toward FFL's woman-centered solutions and message by the parties, and now the selection of a pro-life feminist as the Vice Presidential nominee. But as a nonpartisan organization, we cannot endorse any candidates," Foster said.

“FFL members represent a broad political as well as religious spectrum, and we remain both nonpartisan and nonsectarian. There are many issues outside Feminists for Life’s mission. Feminists for Life is dedicated to systematically eliminating the root causes that drive women to abortion—primarily lack of practical resources and support—through holistic, woman-centered solutions. We recognize that abortion is a reflection that our society has failed to meet the needs of women and that too often women have settled for less. Women deserve better than abortion,” said Foster.

"As each party takes steps to acknowledge and meet the needs of women, Feminists for Life is prepared to work with our elected leaders on behalf of girls and women who deserve far better than abortion. FFL has a long track record of working with both sides of the political aisle on major legislation such as the Violence Against Women Act, Child Support Enforcement Act, and much more. Many members of Congress have already stepped forward to cosponsor the FFL-inspired bill with bipartisan support, the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act.

"We invite all parties, all public servants, and all people to join us on the bridge of woman-centered solutions," Foster said.

Sarah Palin pretty much, well ... rocks

Just finished listening to Sarah Palin's announcement speech.

One thing's for certain: She will go toe-to-toe with Joe Biden in the debates and not bat an eye. She's not a blow-dried policy wonk like Romney. She's not an oily car salesman type like many of the other GOP veep hopefuls. She's impassioned, forceful, and (according to her record) not afraid of anyone - even the Republican Party itself.

She's also a devout Christian and fervently pro-life but is not a Wall Street Republican (which anyone who's read a few post here knows I really don't like). She and her husband are union members and she has ruthlessly rooted out corruption in Alaska - and inside her own party! - since she was first elected to public office.

Sounds like a certain president I love. She was even a public service commissioner just like TR.

She's also willing to compromise on many fronts. She opposes gay marriage but she passed medical benefits and visitation rights for life partners. And, like Joe Biden, she has a son on active duty in the Army and her military advice will be extremely well-considered before it is given.

Based only on what i've seen and read so far, I wish SHE were running for president rather than McCain!

And on that tack, even if McCain loses she now has national name recognition for 2012. And she's only 44. It's win/win for her.

Wow.
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Signs of hope

I was struck by this interview with a disappointed Hillary Clinton supporter at the DNC following Clinton's speech there.



Three things I take from this clip.

First, I feel awful for this lady. She's obviously a very principled person and struggling mightily with her grief and her commitment as a good citizen.

Secondly, I'm proud as an American that not only have we reached the point where her political views are no longer presumed to fall along racial lines but also that she was able to follow another woman to such heights in our presidential race. That's very exciting stuff to me and should be for all of us, regardless of our political stripe.

Third, I want to emphasize that we did not get to that point by accepting status quo conservatism on social issues. Many rights that modern conservatives take as a given were fought against tooth and nail by their fathers and grandfathers only 30-40 years ago.

Bill Clinton's DNC Speech

I am going to edit this down and provide commentary but I wanted to paste it here while I had it in front of me. Check back for the real review! Thanks. - JS

I am honored to be here tonight to support Barack Obama. And to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden, though as you'll soon see, he doesn't need any help from me. I love Joe Biden, and America will too.

What a year we Democrats have had. The primary began with an all-star lineup and came down to two remarkable Americans locked in a hard-fought contest to the very end. The campaign generated so much heat it increased global warming.

In the end, my candidate didn't win. But I'm very proud of the campaign she ran: She never quit on the people she stood up for, on the changes she pushed for, on the future she wants for all our children. And I'm grateful for the chance Chelsea and I had to tell Americans about the person we know and love.

I'm not so grateful for the chance to speak in the wake of her magnificent address last night. But I'll do my best.

Hillary told us in no uncertain terms that she'll do everything she can to elect Barack Obama.

That makes two of us.

Actually that makes 18 million of us — because, like Hillary, I want all of you who supported her to vote for Barack Obama in November.

Here's why.

Our nation is in trouble on two fronts: The American dream is under siege at home, and America's leadership in the world has been weakened.

Middle-class and low-income Americans are hurting, with incomes declining; job losses, poverty and inequality rising; mortgage foreclosures and credit card debt increasing; health care coverage disappearing; and a big spike in the cost of food, utilities, and gasoline.

Our position in the world has been weakened by too much unilateralism and too little cooperation; a perilous dependence on imported oil; a refusal to lead on global warming; a growing indebtedness and a dependence on foreign lenders; a severely burdened military; a backsliding on global nonproliferation and arms control agreements; and a failure to consistently use the power of diplomacy, from the Middle East to Africa to Latin America to Central and Eastern Europe.

Clearly, the job of the next president is to rebuild the American dream and restore America's standing in the world.

Everything I learned in my eight years as president and in the work I've done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job.

He has a remarkable ability to inspire people, to raise our hopes and rally us to high purpose. He has the intelligence and curiosity every successful president needs. His policies on the economy, taxes, health care and energy are far superior to the Republican alternatives. He has shown a clear grasp of our foreign policy and national security challenges, and a firm commitment to repair our badly strained military. His family heritage and life experiences have given him a unique capacity to lead our increasingly diverse nation and to restore our leadership in an ever more interdependent world. The long, hard primary tested and strengthened him. And in his first presidential decision, the selection of a running mate, he hit it out of the park.

With Joe Biden's experience and wisdom, supporting Barack Obama's proven understanding, insight, and good instincts, America will have the national security leadership we need.

Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world. Ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States.

He will work for an America with more partners and fewer adversaries. He will rebuild our frayed alliances and revitalize the international institutions which help to share the costs of the world's problems and to leverage our power and influence. He will put us back in the forefront of the world's fight to reduce nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and to stop global warming. He will continue and enhance our nation's global leadership in an area in which I am deeply involved, the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria, including a renewal of the battle against HIV/AIDS here at home. He will choose diplomacy first and military force as a last resort. But in a world troubled by terror; by trafficking in weapons, drugs and people; by human rights abuses; by other threats to our security, our interests, and our values, when he cannot convert adversaries into partners, he will stand up to them.

Barack Obama also will not allow the world's problems to obscure its opportunities. Everywhere, in rich and poor countries alike, hard-working people need good jobs; secure, affordable health care, food and energy; quality education for their children; and economically beneficial ways to fight global warming. These challenges cry out for American ideas and American innovation. When Barack Obama unleashes them, America will save lives, win new allies, open new markets, and create new jobs for our people.

Most important, Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are strong at home. People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.

Look at the example the Republicans have set: American workers have given us consistently rising productivity. They've worked harder and produced more. What did they get in return? Declining wages, less than one-quarter as many new jobs as in the previous eight years, smaller health care and pension benefits, rising poverty and the biggest increase in income inequality since the 1920s. American families by the millions are struggling with soaring health care costs and declining coverage. I will never forget the parents of children with autism and other severe conditions who told me on the campaign trail that they couldn't afford health care and couldn't qualify their kids for Medicaid unless they quit work or got a divorce. Are these the family values the Republicans are so proud of? What about the military families pushed to the breaking point by unprecedented multiple deployments? What about the assault on science and the defense of torture? What about the war on unions and the unlimited favors for the well-connected? What about Katrina and cronyism?

America can do better than that. And Barack Obama will.

But first we have to elect him.

The choice is clear. The Republicans will nominate a good man who served our country heroically and suffered terribly in Vietnam. He loves our country every bit as much as we all do. As a senator, he has shown his independence on several issues. But on the two great questions of this election, how to rebuild the American dream and how to restore America's leadership in the world, he still embraces the extreme philosophy which has defined his party for more than 25 years, a philosophy we never had a real chance to see in action until 2001, when the Republicans finally gained control of both the White House and Congress. Then we saw what would happen to America if the policies they had talked about for decades were implemented.

They took us from record surpluses to an exploding national debt; from over 22 million new jobs down to 5 million; from an increase in working family incomes of $7,500 to a decline of more than $2,000; from almost 8 million Americans moving out of poverty to more than 5 1/2 million falling into poverty — and millions more losing their health insurance.

Now, in spite of all the evidence, their candidate is promising more of the same: more tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that will swell the deficit, increase inequality, and weaken the economy. More Band-Aids for health care that will enrich insurance companies, impoverish families and increase the number of uninsured. More going it alone in the world, instead of building the shared responsibilities and shared opportunities necessary to advance our security and restore our influence.

They actually want us to reward them for the last eight years by giving them four more. Let's send them a message that will echo from the Rockies all across America: Thanks, but no thanks. In this case, the third time is not the charm.

My fellow Democrats, 16 years ago, you gave me the profound honor to lead our party to victory and to lead our nation to a new era of peace and broadly shared prosperity.

Together, we prevailed in a campaign in which the Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be commander in chief. Sound familiar? It didn't work in 1992, because we were on the right side of history. And it won't work in 2008, because Barack Obama is on the right side of history.

His life is a 21st century incarnation of the American dream. His achievements are proof of our continuing progress toward the "more perfect union" of our founders' dreams. The values of freedom and equal opportunity which have given him his historic chance will drive him as president to give all Americans, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability, their chance to build a decent life, and to show our humanity, as well as our strength, to the world.

We see that humanity, that strength, and our future in Barack and Michelle Obama and their beautiful children. We see them reinforced by the partnership with Joe Biden, his wife, Jill, a dedicated teacher, and their family.

Barack Obama will lead us away from division and fear of the last eight years back to unity and hope. If, like me, you still believe America must always be a place called Hope, then join Hillary, Chelsea and me in making Sen. Barack Obama the next president of the United States.

Obamanomics

An excellent look from The Weekly Standard at the strengths and weaknesses of the economic, war, and energy policies (and campaign strategies) of both Obama and McCain. My only gripe is the column is presented as - and in the opening paragraph reads like - a pro-Obama piece. But once you get further, it's obvious the writer (or his editor) just started the column in media res. In reality, each gets criticized and respected on different issues and tactics.

Read it
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Wow! An issues candidate! With experience!

I am voting for a certain local Republican candidate for county tax collector because she actually has a specific agenda and has experience in the department. Her name Angela Stafford and here are her primary goals:

• Cross-train satellite office tax personnel so that they can help license personnel at surge times (Currently, if you're in a long line to renew your license, the tax clerks can only sit idly by and watch)


• End use of county car for tax collector's personal business


• Make the position her full-time job, not a moonlighting honorific

The second two are modest goals and sound almost accusatory of the present collector. But I just find it refreshing that her campaign is not built on empty, meaningless phrases like "I share your values" and "We need to shake things up." Or, worse yet, phrases that exclude part of her (hoped for) constituency like, "We're all Christians." Case in point:



That ad tells me little about what Cheryl Baswell Guthrie plans to do or what qualifies her for the job. She's a local attorney and unsuccessfully ran for the state legislature in 2006. But I had to look that up. She obviously is independently wealthy or has friends who are because that spot runs every 20 minutes around here. But all it does is speak to the hot button issues that Obama complained that conservative politicians prey on without addressing the economy or any other issue - essentially proving his point!

Of course, she'll win.

Talking to Ourselves

Americans are increasingly close-minded and unwilling to listen to opposing views.

It's not often you see me quoting an outspoken secularist/atheist but this lady's absolutely right.

From The Week, May 2, 2008. (Abridged):

As an atheist who takes a dim view of the influence of religion, said author Susan Jacoby in the Los Angeles Times, I am greeted enthusiastically in nearly all my public appearances. I'm not bragging. It's just that everywhere I appear, "95 percent of the audience shares my political and cultural views - and serious conservatives report exactly the same experience." Indeed, it's getting harder to find anyone who's willing "to give a fair shake - or any hearing at all" to opposing viewpoints. "Whether watching television news, consulting political blogs, or (more rarely) reading books, Americans today have become a people in search of validation for opinions they already hold." So when Gen. David Petraeus testifies before Congress, liberals tune to radio or TV shows that mock him and insist Iraq is lost; conservatives, meanwhile, comfort themselves with echo-chamber pundits who proclaim that victory is at hand. Such close-minded stubbornness is not only lazy; it makes you very vulnerable to being duped or misled. "As long as we continue to avoid the hard work of scrutinizing public affairs without the filter of polemical shouting heads," we have no one to blame for our growing national ignorance "but ourselves."
- Full column

This isn't a new idea on this blog. I've been complaining about this idea - in one way or another - from the first post. Too many Americans have a mentality about political and cultural issues that seems more like blind devotion to a favorite sports team or an ancient ancestry than to any sense of rationality. They don't want to learn. They don't want to think. They want to cheer as their guy trash-talks the other guy.

Here's a breakdown of most talk radio:

"Us good. Them bad. Here am they bad ideas. All bad. Me shoot down all they ideas. Easy shooting. Bang. Bang. No need listen to them. I play sound bite. No need talk to they face. They morons. All truth you need am right here. We pause station identification."

If you're a liberal, would you please pick up a book by George Will or listen to Larry Elder sometime?

If you're a conservative, catch Alan Colmes online or read Jacoby's latest book. Check out her article on defiant ignorance on both sides here, too.

The other side occasionally has some valid points - many based on personal experience and logical thought - that can help this country.

Not perfect. But perfectable. - Pt. 2

Now for the downside of Obama's "More Perfect Union" speech:

He did not satisfactorily answer the questions about his knowledge and tacit approval of Jeremiah Wright's demonizing of America. At all.

I cannot believe that Barack sat for 20 years under that man's preaching and managed to always miss every declaration like the ones shown in the ubiquitous video clips. That is beyond my ability to suspend disbelief. Judging from the kind of response the congregation gave those comments, it is clear that they were used to and applauded such sentiments. I've been around enough preaching to know that Wright knew those statements would get a huge response. He had given them a taste of it in the past and they had enjoyed it. Many had probably approached him after the service to encourage him on that path.

In short, he felt safe making those remarks because there was a history of positive reception in that church. And for Obama to say he somehow missed out on every instance of such sentiment is just not credible.

Obama says he always dismissed it as mere eccentricity or residual bitterness. Now, those concepts (of themselves) are somewhat understandable. I've winced a few times as older pastors made comments they saw as harmless but would be perceived even among conservatives today as being unenlightened or insensitive at best. But those are usually offhand comments that aren't part of the message. One shrugs and moves on.

But, for example, if my pastor were to start saying - nay, screaming - that all married women who don't stay barefoot and pregnant are raging Jezebels, I would leave the church. That's the equivalent of what Wright has done.

I did not stand in the Military Entrance Processing Station in Nashville in June of 1983 and promise to support and defend the Constitution of the USKKK of A. I gladly protected Wright's freedom to say that. But I also expect our presidents, regardless of political stripe, to repudiate any sentiment that would undermine the belief that we are the still the best nation on the planet. If a man doesn't believe that in his gut, he cannot fight for it with all his might.

As the rest of Obama's speech pointed out accurately and eloquently, my country isn't perfect (nor is it above criticism) but it's light years ahead of where it was.

Not perfect. But perfectable. - Pt. 1

Plenty of press has been given to Barack Obama's 'More Perfect Union' speech. After George W. Bush's address to Congress in September 2001, it may be the most important American speech of the decade. If you've not watched or read it in its entirety please do so. I had initially only heard sound bites and read snippets. They leave out many of the most important parts and are used to slant opinions.

I can only give my personal impressions of the speech and I have too many, both approving and ambivalent, to cover in one post. Since it is a speech primarily on race I've decided to first address it from a white perspective. And all I can say is that I've never - ever - heard a black politician show he understands the legitimate concerns and observations of middle-class whites more than Obama did in this passage.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

This is where we are right now. It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naive as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

See the full text at Obama's site - Text

Or watch it now:

Hating Hillary

An excellent editorial from Christianity Today:

Hating Hillary
Getting to the bottom of a cultural trend that has seeped into the church.

Also interesting are the comments. All the editorial says is that we should not be hateful toward Clinton. It does NOT say we shouldn't criticize her. But there are too many who think treating her as a fellow person for whom Christ died is tantamount to endorsement.

Yes We Can

In a sea of talking points and focus group-tested phraseology, Barack Obama is certainly a breath of fresh air.

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

Yes. We. Can.

Now, I can see some of my fellow premillenialists reeling from this one. When they see words like, "Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world," they recoil in horror.

"No, we can't!" they cry. "We shouldn't even try! It's only going to get worse and worse until Armageddon. We can't postpone that. We should hide in a bunker until the rapture and just let the world fall apart. The sooner the better!"

But if that's the case, then why are you fighting to get your candidate(s) elected? If, deep down, you didn't also believe you could - and should - make a difference, you wouldn't even vote.

Good news: Yes you can!

Jesus and the GOP

As Alabama approaches Super Tuesday, I am reposting my very first entry here. It's still the bedrock of my political feeling at this point.

I must have missed a critical Sunday School lesson somewhere along the way. I know I learned that Jesus loved me. I also remember reading about his kindness to those who were outcasts such as tax collectors and prostitutes. I vividly recall the story of his death and resurrection, his visit to the disciples afterward, and Thomas touching his scars and believing.

But I must have been out the day everyone else read the verse about Jesus registering with the Republican Party and adopting a platform just this side of Barry Goldwater.

It could very well be true. There are plenty of lessons I learned by inference and the example of others rather than in church or from the Bible. This is how I found out God is not too keen on seeing movies at theaters but you can watch them at home anytime. He especially detests smoking but will let gluttony slide. And beer sold on Saturday at 11:59 p.m. is tolerable but on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. it's an abomination.

So it is not altogether unreasonable to deduce - what with the political ads implying so - that Jesus is a Republican. With conservative Christian values, of course.

So, if I'm getting straight what I hear from Christian TV and radio, Jesus is a laissez-faire free-market capitalist who detests government regulation of business. He thinks anyone who considers the environmental impact of manufacturing is a tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing pothead. He's never seen a weapons system he didn't like. He figures cutting government contract deals with cronies is just part of doing business. He thinks poor people are only poor because they're lazy and that they could be success-driven yuppies with cookie-cutter clothes and cookie-cutter houses if they'd just get off their butts.

Had enough sarcasm?

My point is that we all say (I hope!) that God prefers neither dominant party or ideology - Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal. But Christians got suckered into acting like He does about thirty years ago, give or take. Before that, evangelicals were largely populists - social conservatives and economic liberals. The Republicans co-opted our vote primarily by opposing abortion and supporting school prayer (without actually doing much about either). We've been a lock for them ever since. But instead of us influencing them, they've influenced us. Evangelicals now support the party line on everything - from the economy to social security to oil policy - simply because the party courted us on two issues, got what they wanted, and comes back wrapped in the flag and God's name every two years to get more.

Should we tell injured parties that corporations must operate unchecked and that over the course of decades market forces alone will eventually make these businesses public benefactors rather than threats? Doubtful. Do we really want to tell our children that we take little thought of the environment they will inherit or the resources we squander? I don't think so.

Yet we do it every time we support politicians who make corporations immune to lawsuits in exchange for campaign support, future board positions, and exotic travel opportunities. We send that message every time we defend energy policies that foul our air and avoid new power sources strictly out of blatant subservience to huge oil conglomerates. And we repeat it every time rights and liberty are eroded in the name of security.

It is wicked and abominable that we allow them to use us in this way.

Am I a Democrat? No way. Their capitulation to the abortion industry and militant secularism is abhorrent. But I refuse to make the blanket judgment that anything that comes out of any Democrat's mouth is wrong. Or, conversely, that everything a Republican says is right. That's utter foolishness. Wisdom is in a multitude of counsel, not in a gang of people who already agree with me.

We should not be married to any party or political ideology. Read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Can you honestly say - without qualification - that Jesus would be completely endorsed on every count, in practical application, by either side of our system? Not in a million years. And that's because He isn't about warring philosophies or beating the other guy or proving He's right. He's just Himself.

He is the truth - take Him or leave Him. But don't try to graft Him onto your politics. He transcends your ideology. And in many ways He will contradict your ideology. Please remember that the next time a politician tells you he's a God-fearing across-the-board conservative. Sometimes those two things are mutually exclusive.

Please leave comments

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Please weigh in on this clip of Tony Campolo on a Canadian talk show.

Operators are standing by.



I think Tony's been reading my blog!
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I hate the horse race

The horse race theme of the presidential candidate coverage reminds me of the guest stars on The Love Boat or the contestants on TattleTales. It's about being famous for being famous. (Seriously, what did Dick Gautier do for a living?) Or, in this case, being in the lead because you've been in the lead. The news coverage is all so self-fulfilling it is frightening.

Even McCain pollster Bill McInturff laments the vicious cycle of the poll-driven nomination process, “Polling affects press coverage, which affects your name recognition, which affects polling.” Which affects voting. When people hear "current front-runner" tacked on to every mention of a candidate's name, it can heavily influence voters to pick the horse who seems to have the best chance of winning.

I'm still convinced this dynamic accounted for Bush winning the GOP nomination in 2000. He was one of the least substantive candidates in the field (he couldn't pick out many countries on a map) but he had constant early press coverage (and the front-runner label) for his gigantic fundraising results as far back as 1998. That gave him a tremendous advantage going into the final year.

I find it ludicrous that the news media treats each individual state as if it's make or break when only two states have even voted! Someone wins Iowa and they are trumpeted as the frontrunner: "Smith Takes the Lead!" Then the same person loses New Hampshire and the headlines scream "Smith Campaign Reeling! Will It Survive?" It's only two states! There are 48 more to go!

I believe there should be a nationwide primary. It would put an end to all the false do-or-die drama and give every candidate a chance to receive votes in every state. This is also important to me because I live in Alabama and our turn comes so late that I can't recall ever having voted in any primary where the nominee hadn't already been decided. At the very least, my preferred candidate as always out of the race by that point.

It would also spare us watching the candidates going from state to state and lying about everything they're going to do just for that state - as if it were their first priority.

Yes, I'm talking to you, Mitt.