Nov 2, 2008
Republicans Can Do Better: The Long View of an Election
A note: I share the following post with fear and trembling. As a Christian I care deeply about morality and ethics, and as an American I want to see our nation flourish under a healthy give and take among the various political parties. However, I have seen too many disturbing trends over the past eight years, and so I feel a burden to share the following thoughts on this year’s election. In the end, I believe politics are about choosing the best (and most moral) ideas and policies, not in our loyalty to one party over another.
I believe the best way I can help Republicans this year is by not voting for John McCain. It’s not personal John, I just believe that the best thing for your party right now is a good ole’ fashioned thumpin’.
Growing up in a Republican household and voting for more Republicans than any other party, it’s taken a while for me to reach this point. In fact, I stress that I have registered as an independent, and believe in voting for the best candidate. I am disturbed by the insinuation that Christians must vote for Democrats or Republicans. Neither party has the corner on morals or good ideas. Both are good at making a mess.
Having said that, I’d like to share some of my personal thoughts. I do not demand that everyone agree with me, but I think it’s worth scrutinizing the Republicans a bit after eight years of Republican rule. I feel especially burdened to do this since I’ve voted consistently for them until this year.
From what I can see, the Republican party is fracturing among the moderates and neo-conservatives. Hence, Colin Powell, a moderate Republican, is voting for Obama this year after the neo-conservatives threw him to the wolves with false intelligence reports prior to Iraq. Powell strikes me as a good example of a moderate who is pragmatic in world affairs, while adhering to generally conservative policies. His ideology and rhetoric are toned down. It is in this moderate camp where I see a future for Republicans.
However, it’s the neo-conservatives such as Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld that keep me up at night. They explain the world in terms of good vs. evil, making America the good guy at every turn. America is kept safe in a world crawling with evil by fighting wars and increasing our security.
Destabilizing nations is acceptable provided America wins and the evil-doers are killed or locked up in prisons that violate the Geneva Conventions. Never mind how many civilians are killed in the process, how many women must resort to prostitution, or how many families are utterly ruined.
Republicans also secure votes by saying they believe in the right to bear arms and that the life begins at conception. They promise tax cuts, but don’t get too specific about who will receive them–most folks wouldn’t be happy if they found out.
Climate change isn’t even on the Republican party’s platform this year, and “drill baby drill” is the solution to our dependence on foreign oil. Heath care is off the radar unless we’re talking about share prices on Wall Street. Need I even mention the fear-mongering and manipulation used to canvass for votes?
Bush did manage to address education during his presidency, even if his plan is the bane of teachers and under-funded schools. He also sent a great deal of aid to Africa–what some believe will be his greatest accomplishment as president.
Nevertheless, these two achievements do not erase the militarism of our foreign policy, the neglect of the poor in our nation, the use of abortion to win votes (not to save lives), and the utter disregard for climate change.
I’ve watched the Republicans closely for the past eight years, and now I believe it is my duty to not vote for them. I cannot support the disturbing trends I have seen. There is nothing I want more than to have a difficult time deciding between a Democrat and a Republican, but the Republicans this year have made it an easy decision.
Let’s start with the sanctity of life. It’s true that abortion claims somewhere around 1 to 1.5 million lives every year. But it’s also true that Bush did very little to end abortion during his presidency–save for his supreme court picks. I won’t even get into the complexities of whether or not outlawing abortion is the best way to save the unborn, but I will talk about sanctity of life. Close to 9 million people will die from starvation this year, while we dump our money into our ventures in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thousands have perished in these wars, to say nothing of the wounded, disabled, and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders. Prisoners have been tortured. It seems the sanctity of life must be defined in broader categories since there are plenty of ways to immorally kill people–abortion being one among many.
We could also talk about providing affordable health care, safe streets, and adequate education. In addition, should we allow climate change to continue, we could face a world with greater food shortages, the loss of millions of homes along coastal regions, wars over decreasing water supplies, and who knows what else. Climate change could ruin our economies, food supplies, and international stability. These are all issues of human life and dignity. These are complex socioeconomic and moral issues. These have been neglected by Republicans.
I wish the Republicans offered a vision for the future that didn’t involve pre-emptive war and ignoring climate change, health care, and the needs of women considering an abortion, let alone taking active steps to save these unborn children. Sadly, I don’t see the Republican stepping up to the plate this year.
The Democrats and Barack Obama are the party in this election who are at least focusing on the real issues and taking swipes at them, even if they may not be the best plans. Choosing diplomacy over war, providing green technology and programs to stop climate change, and setting up affordable health care are just a few of the ways Democrats are engaging the issues of our times.
The Republicans could learn a thing or two. They could take note of Obama’s talking points rather than chanting “Ayers! Ayers!” or insinuating that Obama is dangerous. If they looked at Obama’s points, they could think of their own solutions for health care, climate change, and rebuilding America’s image in the world and our tattered alliances.
Democrats clearly have the better overall plan this year, even if I agree with the Republicans on several points. In the long view, the best thing that can happen is the end of the neo-conservative dream of pre-emptive war and failed domestic policies with the end of Bush’s presidency. Republicans needs to reevaluate America and their policies. They need to see where they missed the boat, where they didn’t connect with the majority of Americans. Even if they can get close to 50% of the vote on election day, they have lost control of the Senate and stand to lose even more seats on November 4th. The leaders of the Republican party are out of touch with the issues of our times, even if they can rally the base to show up on election day.
The worst thing right now is keeping this neo-conservative dream on life support. In the long view, Republicans must reinvent themselves. The best way I see this happening is if they lose big in 2008 to the party with better ideas. They just may learn a thing or two and then come up with some good ideas of their own.
Hi, Ed! While I agree a good “thumping” would probably benefit Republicans in the long run, I disagree with your assessment about why. John McCain is not a true conservative and, from my perspective, it’s one of the reasons the base has been un-enthused and he’ll probably lose this election. Staying to the right is what Republicans need to learn, not going further middle, as you suggest. In fact, the reasons you cite for your disenchantment sound, strangely, like liberal talking points. For example, you mention the thousands who have perished in Iraq and Afghanistan, the civilian causalities, those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders, and prisoners being tortured, but never once mention the freedoms rendered to those who were brutalized by Saddam’s tyrannical rule. A similar myopia is evident when you address the issues of abortion and global warming. Selecting pro-life Supreme Court justices may have been the “only” thing Bush did end abortion, but it is the most important thing. Are you suggesting the unborn will benefit more from an Obama appointment? While I agree that no party has the corner of the market on truth, your arguments are for more tilted toward the Left than the middle. Anyway, thanks for the post!
Thanks for your comments Mike.
I suppose I should have been a bit more blunt. If it’s conservatism that’s guiding Republicans away from addressing climate change, poverty, and health care, then I think the conservatism of Republicans is the problem here. While I want to see abortion done away with, we need to talk about more than abortion. We could talk about Saddam’s regime, but I still disagree with Bush’s approach and McCain’s follow up plans. I’m not sure what I’m missing on the environment. However, I think the Democrats have a better understanding of the issues and have real plans. So while I don’t want conservatives to become liberals, I think the liberals are dealing with the real issues.
Instead of simply acting like global warming isn’t happening, ignoring renewable, clean energy, using bombs instead of education and diplomacy to deal with terrorists, and dropping the ball on health care, I’d like to see how Republicans would actually do something about these issues. So while my list of issues may look very liberal, I’d like to hear how a conservative would address them, instead of simply saying, “What we really need to talk about is William Ayers.”
I’m not saying I agree with everything coming from the Democrats, but I think they’re on to something and I wish the Republicans did a better job of addressing these deeply moral issues.
And on abortion, I’d say Obama is just as likely to reduce abortion in some sense, though I have my reservations about his record. He has said:
“I don’t know anybody who is pro-abortion. I think people recognize what a wrenching, difficult issue it is… Our goal should be to make abortion less common, that we should be discouraging unwanted pregnancies, that we should encourage adoption wherever possible.” – Christianity Today interview, January 2008″
Have a look at Tony Campolo’s take:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/09/in-books-and-speeches-i.html
All that to say, while I’m registered independent, I am far more impressed with the Democrats this year. It’s about issues for me and I’m giving my take on which issues are most important. At this point, I don’t see the Republicans stepping up to the plate, and John McCain has definitely failed to step up to the plate with solid plans and policies in these areas. Each voter has to decide which issues matter most and decide accordingly. For myself, the Democrats make it an easy decision this year.