Politics

I’m excited, are you? “Super-Duper Tuesday” is upon us, so I think I’d better get any political thoughts posted before results start coming in. This is only the 3rd presidential election in which I’ve been able to take part, but it is by far the most interesting. The field of candidates, though smaller now, is just fascinating, and some of the storylines have been book-worthy and terrific fun to watch. I haven’t decided who to vote for yet – one because we don’t even have a say until the general election, so even if I did pick one, he might not be a choice, and two, because even those who will be nominated have a long road ahead, with plenty of plans an policies yet to be explained. I can, however comment on what I see so far.

The republican side includes many of the more interesting plots going on. I like Mike Huckabee, for one. He has a sincere evangelical faith, and he applies it to many areas, even outside of the usual two or three usual values issues. He has spoken out in favor of compassion towards immigrants, caring for the environment, social issues related to poverty, and against torture. He has the audacity to say that Christians should be passionate about protecting life after birth as well as before. The irony is that the Republican establishment, which for so long has courted and used Evangelical voters, now finds itself with such a candidate, speaking faithfully on a number of issues, and it wants no part of him. Rush Limbaugh has said that if either Huckabee or McCain get the nomination, “it’s going to destroy the republican party”. This about the two candidates who oppose torture and want compassion for immigrants. So much for family values. Still, I was troubled to read of some comments Huckabee made – thanks to my friend Brian who pointed them out. Regarding the recent confrontation between American and Iranian ships, he warned, “…Be prepared first, to put your sights on the American vessel. And then be prepared that the next thing you see will be the gates of hell, because that is exactly what you will see after that,” as the crowd cheered loudly. It just seems a little out of line for a former pastor, someone representing Christians, to make such a flippant remark about hell. Shouldn’t we be praying for others all over the world, even if (especially if) they are our enemies, rather than joking and boasting about them going to hell? Disappointing. In addition, Huckabee’s foreign policy ignorance makes me wonder about his ability to conduct effective diplomacy and bring back some of our country’s respect around the world. In contrast, John McCain has extensive knowledge and experience overseas, and has impressed me more than any other GOP choice. He has strong moral conviction and generally sticks to it, even when it has made him unpopular in his own party – promoting a path to citizenship for immigrants, opposing tax cuts that don’t have corresponding spending cuts, and vehemently opposing torture. He mostly steers clear of nasty politics and has a long history of working across party lines to make things happen. His opponents, especially Mitt Romney, lack the ability to criticize his character, experience, or effectiveness, so they have taken to calling him a “liberal”, and hoping the slur sticks. Speaking of Romney, he certainly looks the part, but lately just seems like a desperate man, willing to say anything or change any position to appeal to the base. I can’t move on to the other side without making mention of Ron Paul. A few friends pointed me his way, and I must say, I was impressed. Very rarely do you see a politician who is so absolutely consistent to a set of principles – in his case, Libertarian principles. I don’t agree with all of his positions, but they certainly form an airtight, defendable political philosophy. I especially appreciate his consistent ethic of human life – opposing abortion, the death penalty, and unjust war. He doesn’t seem to have much of a shot, but I hope his “revolution” will at least contribute to the dialogue and inject some fresh ideas into the mix.

On to the Democratic side, where there is less difference in substance, but important differences in style. Here I have been most impressed with Barack Obama, and the vision he carries for our country. I very much agree with him on a host of moral issues, including the war, immigration, torture, poverty, diplomacy, and education – though I do not on others, like abortion. I realize that Hillary Clinton has many of the same positions, but the approach is completely different. The tone of political rhetoric, the ability to inspire, the moral leadership – in all of these Obama soars over the divisiveness and win-at-all-costs mentality of the Clinton camp. The country is in a very rough spot right now, where major progress needs to be made on some big issues, agreements need to be reached, and yet the political system is deeply divided. The bitter partisan shouting-matches that have passed for dialogue recently will surely get worse, not better with another Clinton in the White House. Obama has shown an incredible ability to break down barriers and elude narrow boxes, not just because of his skin color, but because of the way he listens, and reaches out to all kinds of people. Imagine, a democrat with significant Evangelical interest! He aims to change the whole tone of politics from combat to collaboration, and has mostly managed to stay positive in this campaign. Unfortunately, the Clintons have been successful in bringing him at times down to their level of bickering (that does include Bill, whose respect level as a non-partisan statesman/humanitarian is dropping daily). But I don’t think they can keep him down for long. I suppose we’ll get a little better picture today.

To sum up, I would love to see McCain and Obama nominated. They are very different, and while I don’t agree with everything they each stand for, I believe they would bring both integrity and competence to the White House. They have shown great leadership, and have transcended their respective parties. They each have significant personal experience that gives weight and credibility to their views on important moral issues – Obama as a community organizer in the south side of Chicago, and McCain as a POW in Vietnam. A contest between these two might be the most reasonable and civil one we’ve seen in a while. On the other hand, if it’s Romney vs. Clinton, I may look into blocking CNN for the next 10 months.