I thought yesterday’s voting in the Pastor’s Conference elections was a little unusual. The last time we saw anything like this, that can was staring under his glasses examining hanging chads in Florida. What was wacky, wild day in St. Louis!
Poor Scott Gordon. I think he’s still sequestered in the Green Room waiting to make a nomination for the very wonderful Jose Burgos for 2nd VP, which frankly may never happen.
Permit me a word about three things that happened today.
1. No one won any election today.
I saw a commenter in William’s post demanding JD withdraw. He can do that, if he wishes, but he is under no obligation. Steve Gaines didn’t win the election.
- All proper procedures were followed in the election. No one was treated unfairly. The rules were carefully followed and fairly applied.
- The rules require a president to win 50% plus 1 of all ballots cast. No one did that. Gaines came close, but our rules do not say the president should come close. He has to win. So, we have another vote tomorrow. If Gaines wins, he is president. If JD wins, Gaines (and his supporters) should graciously congratulate the duly elected president and we can move on to other business.
- I don’t think it is much of a secret that Gaines is a close ally of the current president, Ronnie Floyd, who strongly encouraged him to run. You can be assured, Gaines supporters, that there is no skullduggery going on to keep your man from office.
- Please, people, fill out your ballots right! It’s not that hard. Take the proper ballot, Mark it like they say. Let’s not have a fourth and fifth ballot. GET SCOTT OUT OF THE GREEN ROOM.
2. Ronnie Floyd and Barry McCarty were 100% correct in the way they handled Judge Pressler today.
Judge Pressler was a hero of the conservative resurgence, but he had a bit of a temper tantrum today when he did not get to speak to the confederate flag issue. Evidently, he’d notified Barry and Ronnie of his intent to speak and was waiting (along with several others) when the time ran out for debate.
Convention rules require that when time runs out, debate ends and the vote is taken. The judge lodged a point of order and angrily accused Ronnie Floyd and Barry McCarty of keeping him from speaking. Barry had his mic cut off and made a strong statement, which offended some.
HE WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!
At the SBC Annual Meeting, you are not supposed to get special favors because you are Judge Pressler. He was in the queue to speak, but when time ran out, he and everyone else who was waiting to speak lost their chance. No special favors.
He was out of order and he was dead wrong.
It was a sad a moment when a hero of the CR behaved badly. But the bylaws of the SBC do not allow the president to bend the rules just because a man like Judge Pressler believes he should have a special right to speak. It does not work that way. The SBC owes him a debt for his life’s work, but Barry McCarty was 100% right on this one.
3. James Merritt had THE MOMENT.
Sometimes, it is about one word, one phrase, or one sentence. The committee had absolutely gutted Dwight’s resolution on the Confederate flag and brought forward a pathetic substitute. Had it not been amended, I was considering going to the mic to recommend we vote against it because it mocked racial harmony instead of advancing it.
I was very disappointed in the resolutions committee.
Essentially, instead of calling on people to stop flying the Confederate Flag, they asked them to be more careful and sensitive about flying it. It was a mockery of Dwight’s resolution in my opinion.
James Merritt stood to the mic and offered an amendment that restored language calling on us to abandon this symbol of racism and to stop flying it. Then, he made this statement.
All the Confederate Flags in the world are not worth one soul of any race.
The place erupted and the debate changed from the weak excuses offered in defense of defeating even the gutted resolution to overwhelming support for Merritt’s strengthened amendments. When time for debate ran out, the amendment passed by a vast majority and the resolution by an even greater majority.
Dwight McKissic, this one’s for you, my friend!
My hope is that tomorrow we’ll be able to elect a president and a couple of VPs. Who knows?
The resolutions committee declined Bart’s resolution against sexual predators. We can’t understand why and we aren’t sure if there will be time for Bart to resurrect it. How could they oppose that?
A good resolution on refugees is also coming up.
Also, I have a long drive home!