I am fully aware that the solution for America’s woes is spiritual, not political. But I have been thinking a lot about politics recently and so here are my thoughts. If you aren’t interested in politics, feel free to just ignore this one!
Back on June 8, I wrote an article with a tongue in cheek title, “Dear GOP, I Want to Fall in Love, But I’m Playing Hard to Get.” I made the point that I wanted to find a candidate I respected, someone I could get excited about this presidential cycle. It’s pretty trendy and hip to act like all the candidates are buffoons, like there’s nothing but numskulls out there, but I’ve been impressed, even through the idiotic questions asked by the CNN and CNBC Moderators, that there are some pretty good choices among the GOP contenders.
- No, I could not vote for a Democrat, as long as the Democrats are the party of death. They embrace abortion as if it is a virtue and they champion the butchers of Planned Parenthood. They promote and celebrate every form of perversion and so I simply cannot vote for anyone affiliated with that party.
- I am not ready to vote for an independent candidate. It is a waste of my vote. For the time being an independent candidate is not going to win. If Donald Trump would become the GOP nominee, then an independent would be the only resort – I won’t vote for the destruction of America and that is precisely what Trump would be.
- So, that leaves me to pick among the GOP candidates. There have been times when I’ve been disgusted by my choices, left to choose the lesser of evils. But I don’t feel that way this time. There are several people in this group I can vote for happily. In the last article, I mentioned at least 30 candidates, some of whom I’d never heard of and many I never heard of again. As time has gone forward a few of the candidates have dropped out and some have faded so far into the woodwork I’m not really sure whether they are actually in the running anymore or not.
As an Iowan, I’ve had a front row seat in the political wranglings of the GOP primary (much to Bart Barber’s chagrin!). I’ve met one candidate and been interviewed by the LA Times’ Seema Mehta who showed up during Sunday School last week, because she thought Mike Huckabee was going to be in church. Welcome to Iowa. The first Tuesday in February (according to Seema it looks like we won’t have to move the date up this year) I will head down to the Sergeant Bluff Community Center to caucus with the other registered Republicans in the neighborhoods near our home. For the last several months I’ve been reading, listening, and watching debates, trying to find a candidate I would “fall in love with.”
So, after all this time, I’m shopping for a ring. I haven’t popped the question yet, but my eye is on a candidate and I’m thinking of settling down. I’m not absolutely sure yet, but I’ve looked the field over and I think I’m ready to make a commitment.
- Marco Rubio is the best candidate!
I first heard Marco Rubio at the SEND conference in Nashville when he was interviewed by Dr. Moore. I was impressed by his intelligence and the way he answered questions. He moved up from “I don’t know a thing about him” to “hmmm, I want to know more.” Every time I’ve heard him speak I’ve been more impressed. This man knows his stuff. He is a man of conviction and he does not back down when challenged. I like where he stands on the issues. His debate performances have been uniformly impressive and intelligent. He seems to understand how to deal with the press.
Unless something changes, unless new information comes forward or he does something stupid, it is my intent to go to Sgt. Bluff for the caucus and speak for Marco Rubio.
If things don’t work out with Marco...
It’s politics, things can change. Someone can say something stupid. New information can come to the surface and my mind can be changed. If my opinion of Marco Rubio changes there are some fallback positions out there.
- Carly Fiorina is a close second.
For a few weeks I was trying to decide between Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio as my main candidate. My ideal ticket would have the two of them on it and I wouldn’t be too concerned who is the name at the top. I’ve come to think that Rubio may be the more electable and the better candidate in some ways, so I’ve settled on him as the top of the ticket. Carly may have some baggage from her time at HP that the press can use to drag her down. But I could enthusiastically support Carly Fiorina if the GOP nominated her.
- If Jeb Bush makes a comeback, I’m okay with that.
Lots of people hate him, or at least disdain him, because of his last name. I don’t mind him. I just don’t think its much of an issue. He’s sinking like a rock and it doesn’t appear he has much of a chance of making the Bush “dynasty” a reality. I think he might be a better president than he’s been a candidate, bur we are never going to find out.
In a pinch, I guess he’ll do…
There’s some other candidates that I’m not too impressed with, but if they get the nomination, I’ll support them.
- Ben Carson is a nice guy, but…
I think Ben Carson is a good man. I’m not sure about his Christian faith – we are quick to accept heretical doctrine when someone is politically sympathetic. But he is a good man who genuinely attempts to live out his faith. And he is a brilliant man. But he seems to have a tin ear when it comes to politics. He has made some statements that have blown up in the press – a wiser politician probably wouldn’t have made such statements. He has evidenced at times that he doesn’t really understand how government works. Granted, if he can figure out how to do neurosurgery, he can probably figure out the machinations of Washington. I just wonder if this is the job for him. I am not sure he is wired for the presidency. If he gets the nomination I will thank him for beating Trump and support him against Hillary.
- Ted Cruz had a moment!
Had the line of the year against the CNBC moderators and that almost pushes him up into the second category for me. He seems like a pretty smart guy, but sometimes he seems like he is trying to say the most extreme thing possible – pandering to the most extreme elements in the party.
- Bobby Jindal
I like what I hear from him, but the way he appeals to evangelicals makes me wonder if he is one of us or just pandering.
- Mike Huckabee
I like Mike, but I’m just not feeling him this time around.
Well, at least he’s better than Hillary…
If you look up “lesser of two evils” his picture appears.
- Chris Christie.
Maybe I should like him more, but I have doubts about his pro-life credentials and his integrity is at issue.
- John Kasich
I know little about him, but he comes across as sanctimonious and arrogant in debates. He might make a great president, but he annoyed me.
- Rand Paul
I like a few things about him, but his foreign policy is not for me. Isolationism SOUNDS good but it would be a disaster for America, so he slips down the list.
- Lindsay Graham
Is it Lindsey? I don’t know. He’s really non-descript and I can’t imagine him inspiring America to reject Hillary.
Is he still running?
- George Pataki
Well, is he? He’s pro-death, so he doesn’t get my vote anyway. I don’t think I’ve heard a single thing about him in the entire campaign.
- Rick Santorum
I actually caucused for him last time, but he is getting just about no traction this time. I don’t think he’s dropped out but I’m not sure.
Not in a million years….
- Donald Trump.
No way. I would not vote for an immoral, megalomaniac, narcissist even if he is my party’s nominee. He has no solutions other than his own inflated ego. I will either find a third party/independent to waste my vote on as a protest or I will leave that part of my ballot empty and vote only on the other issues. The good news is that the GOP is waking up and Trump’s act seems to be growing old. His poll numbers are slipping.
So, after a lot of thought, I’ve settled in as a Marco Rubio supporter. Carly is close second and a Rubio/Fiorina ticket (or vice-versa) would be great. That’s where I am these days.
Where do you come down?
I like Ben Carson and what he stand for but, I believe that in Mike Huckabee we have a godly candidate with executive experience in government. Therefore, Huckabee is my first choice. It’s going to be a tragic situation if we end up with an ungodly President when we did have godly choices. I hope Evangelical Christians don’t sleep through this next election.
I like Huckabee, but a) I don’t know that he is electable – he’s barely registering in polls and b) he seems more interested at times in taking controversial “moral” stands than in offering solutions. I am certainly not against him but I don’t think he’s going to make a solid run. With both Carson and Huckabee, my deep-seated fear is that they are better people than candidates and perhaps than they would be presidents. By all accounts Jimmy Carter is a good person. I thought he was a terrible president. Good person and good president are not necessarily the… Read more »
I think that Huckabee would be more akin to Reagan than Carter. Reagan was successful in getting things done with a Democrat controlled congress. Huckabee was successful as Governor of Arkansas under similar circumstances. Neither one compromised on core values. I used to worry about the electability issue but, now I believe that I should vote for the right candidate and let God handle the rest.
Are you reading my mind on Rubio and Fiorina? I could have written almost the same description you did on both of them. Bush would be farther down my list. I was pretty neutral about him for the most part but when he attacked Rubio during the last debate my opinion went way negative—because I thought his line of attack was knowingly disingenuous. It might as well have come from a CNBC moderator.
As far as Bush goes, I think he paid dearly for his swipe at Marco, who nailed it. Someone convinced him he needed to get tough and he tried an attack and got smacked down for it. It was badly conceived and badly executed.
Yeah, I’m with you: Rubio and Fiorina.
Wish Graham would make the big debate panel. Here’s his quote on ISIS (with slight adjustments for this forum): We need to go into Syria and “kill every one of those b******* we can find.”
Bush just doesn’t do it for me.
I could easily vote for Kasich. He’s seasoned, sensible, and knowledgable.
If Cruz would smile once every decade or so, I’d like him better.
My sample size on Kasich is very small. He may be lots better than what I’ve seen. But my experience with him was only focused on his kind of condescending lectures at the last debate. And I didn’t get to watch that debate, but snippets of it. So, he may be much better than my gut reaction to him.
I’d pick Ted Cruz. His proven leadership, his economic policies and tax plan, and his stands on religious liberty make him my first choice.
Not that anyone much delves into the tax plan details but Cruz (and Paul) propose a value-added tax (VAT), called by National Review “the revenue engine of big-government welfare states, not a proper funding source for the small federal government that both senators favor for America.”
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/426469/ted-cruz-rand-paul-vat
Most of the big tax ideas are DOA anyway but a VAT hides taxes from taxpayers by indirectly raising prices of everything.
I agree that these proposals should be reviewed carefully. See http://taxfoundation.org/comparing-2016-presidential-tax-reform-proposals
However, we’d be much better off with a flat 10% personal income tax and cut out all of the IRS and congressional maneuvers to favor one group over another. Treating everyone the same is the definition of justice, right?
We will see. Sort of like the CP, lots of powerful constituencies.
I have to say that Cruz went WAY up in my esteem at that last debate.
Also, Bush slipped a lot.
I think circling one candidate’s name as the Chief of Narcissists is fair. But suggesting the rest aren’t affected by an inflated view of themselves just because each other candidate manages his/her public image better might be naive. I’m now a Texan and I’m thankful to be out of the caucus fishbowl and think it is a hyper-artificial show that overemphasizes the “salt of the earth” nature of Iowans to hold forked branches in their hands who then “discern” when those forked branches deflect towards particular candidates. Therefore I’m almost more interested in early comments on how your prayer life… Read more »