My Political Rant

I began watching last night's debate, but simply couldn't sit through the whole thing.The constant flow of rhetoric and promises, the appeal to hear out the candidate's whole plan for fixing just about everything, the puffed chests and subtle digs... I'm just tired of it. I'm tired of this whole political season. And I'm convinced that Washington politicians simply don't get it anymore.

A couple of weeks ago, I made a comment about an unnamed individual who is running for federal office. I described the individual as holding onto the spineless, stupid position of believing that life begins at conception but also believing that it is not his responsibility as a lawmaker to protect what he believes are innocent children. That ridiculous logic would prevent our lawmakers from doing anything to protect anyone! Why stop at the issue of abortion? Why not say that they believe all motorists are living beings but it's okay to run a guy off the road if he's slowing you down on your way to work? Why set policy to protect people if it infringes on other's sense of convenience?

What amazed me is how many people assumed they knew who I was talking about. Now, I know a few folks were aware of the news story I was referring to, because the subject came up at a recent college Bible study. But of all the folks who came to me and tried to guess which candidate I was referring to, nobody pegged it correctly. Even more astoundingly, both of our presidential candidates received about equal number of guesses.

The truth is that I'm absolutely sick of this presidential race, and I find myself feeling frustrated that there isn't an individual that I can really get behind with my vote.

On the one hand, we have Senator Obama running on a platform of change. But if you listen to all the things he's proposing for change, they're almost all issues that would need to be addressed at a legislative level rather than an executive one. After his years in the Senate as a member of the legislative process, if he's not acted to bring about these changes then, what makes anyone think that he'll be more successful over in the executive branch? I suspect that if Obama becomes president, he'll quickly discover that Washington is such an entrenched, stubborn monster that most of what he proposes will be impossible. Certainly that was the discovery of our current president, who began his first time with a startling effective bi-partisan effort but was then swept into an entirely different agenda after the attacks of 9/11. (Hmm. Perhaps Senator Obama would be wise to read James 4:14-16 and rephrase his promises a bit?) Besides, as I've said, I will never again cast a vote for any politician who will not courageously stand against the holocaust of the unborn in our nation, much less a president who will not appoint Supreme Court judgest capable of establishing new precedent to protect innocent children. Over 1.5 million babies will be killed this year alone in the name of convenience, and I won't extend my vote to anyone who is accepting of that.

On the other hand, we have Senator McCain running as a maverick promising reform. But I was a resident of Arizona for 10 years and have had an opportunity to already grow disappointed with McCain's leadership. I believe McCain used Arizona as a platform in his pursuit of federal power without really caring about his constituents or their concerns. And when I compare the McCain running this year with the McCain running 8 years ago, I see two totally different presentations. McCain has sought to redefine himself in order to win popularity and thus greater power. He has a track record of recklessness that goes back to the naval days of his youth, and his efforts to "stir things up" in Washington have resulted in more animosity than unity. Besides, as much as I find Sarah Palin charming, I believe McCain placed her on the ticket for the simple purpose of mobilizing a conservative, mostly religious Republican voting base even though she clearly lacks the experience to sit in the Oval Office should something happen to him. Well, I'm part of that conservative, religious voting base, and I'm not that easily fooled.

What's more, I'm fed up with Republicans and Democrats altogether. Here we are in what may be the most treacherous financial situation of my lifetime, and the House Democrats vote down a bailout package (er, excuse me, apparently they want us to call it a "rescue package" now), and then point the finger across the aisle at the Republicans for letting the measure fail. Excuse me, but don't the Democrats have a majority in the House right now? If their own party could have pulled behind the bill (and weren't afraid of re-election troubles in some districts because the idea of a bailout is so unpopular), it would have passed. And don't get me started on the Republicans who voted against it as some kind of punitive action against Speaker Palosi. Hey, we already know that Palosi has a habit of shooting off her very partisan and divisive mouth in public; did it really surprise anyone that she would try to pin all our troubles on the Bush administration?

Meanwhile, over in the Senate, they take up the issue and try it again. But this time they decide that it's the perfect opportunity to tack on a zillion other little projects that need to pass as well. After all, the second attempt at a bailout... er, rescue package is bound to pass, so why not slide in other stuff and turn a simple proposal into a 400-page monstrosity?

Personally, I'm sick of all the bickering and blaming. I'm sick of politicians promising to accomplish something as president when their own records show little effort to accomplish something with the power they already have. I'm sick of presidential candidates setting 10-year goals when they know they can only serve for 8 years (and thus, if their plans fail, they can easily blame their successors and protect their own prideful legacies). I'm sick of television ads that spent 30 seconds telling me why the other guy is untrustworthy rather than simply presenting an idea or solution to support. I'm sick of news reporters acting as if their own educated opinions should be respected above the opinions of the average voter. I'm sick of networks and magazines trying to hide their obviously partisan leanings as they report the news. I'm sick of the entire process that has begun to feel like little children squabbling in a sandbox rather than dignified leaders presenting options to respectfully consider.

I'm ready for something entirely new. If there were a way to overhaul our system and dethrone both the Republicans and the Democrats in favor of people with intelligence, integrity, and a genuine servant's heart (instead of a quest for personal power), I'd eagerly throw my vote that way. In the meantime, I sit here a month away from an election with absolutely no candidate that I can get excited about.

Yet I'm also completely confident that no matter what happens in the voting booths next month, God's sovereignty will continue as it has since the dawn of time. Though the world walk through turmoil, though the nations continue to war against each other, though the markets crumble around us, the Lord still reigns and is worthy of praise. And I'm committed to the simple instructions of 1 Timothy 2:1-4, and I will pray for our leaders (whether I personally am excited about them or not) and for our nation. Our leaders deserve our respect, encouragement, and prayers not so much because of their performance but because of the position God has allowed them to hold.

Lord, be gracious to us. Forgive our nation of our sins and failures. Be glorified in our midst. And draw us into the new kingdom as it is unveiled around us. To you be the glory and the honor and the dominion now and forever. Amen.