I am an evangelical Christian.
I am an Independent voter.
I am afraid.
Big News Flash: Ugly things go on in politics. Political spin (code for “sanctioned lying by omission”) abounds, and manipulation rules the day. A few years ago a friend of mine was running for a United States Congressional seat, and I was brought in at the last minute as an organizer to try to help him get the people-part of the organization functional again. I knew nothing about campaign strategy, and boy, did I ever see first-hand about ugliness that can go on behind the scenes in a political campaign. I personally have no stomach for it.
In my few short months in that organizer role, I learned these two important things basic to any campaign:
First, the candidate needs “handlers,” people whose job is in part to help the candidate prepare for and navigate through each day’s schedule. The handlers play most crucial roles in a campaign because the candidate must trust that their judgment on how to deal with situations is sound.
Second, even though there are handlers, the candidate is ultimately responsible on a day to day basis for setting the tone of the campaign.
There were times in my short stint in the campaign where a reasonable, yet manipulative, strategy idea would come up during brainstorming meetings, the idea would be presented to the candidate, and the candidate would say something like, “No, we’re not doing that. I couldn’t sleep at night if we did that.” Someone might say, “All is fair in politics,” to which the candidate would say, “But it’s just plain wrong.” He required us, rightly so, to become familiar with his own moral compass, and use that as the ultimate guide in campaign decisions.
Now let’s turn our attention to the McCain / Palin ticket, and why I am so confused and appalled at the direction the Republican campaign is taking.
Video after video on YouTube shows interviews with some McCain/Palin supporters outside rallies where many of them are calling Obama a “terrorist” or a “one man terror cell.” Palin says in speeches that Obama is “palling around with terrorists,” and the angry mob erupts in boos, hisses, and shouted threats of “Traitor!” or “Kill him!”. This scenario is repeated at rally after rally.
Perhaps I’m a dense evangelical Christian, but is this really what God wants? Not to be cliche, but is this really what Jesus would do? Seriously? Aren’t we known as Christians not only by our words, but even moreso by our acts? Aren’t extremist Muslims in Mosul at this very minute threatening to kill Christians? And these Palin-driven Republican rallies are different… how?
Bringing up Bill Ayers is fair enough in politics, though saying that “Obama is palling around with terrorists!” is tantamount to finding a picture of McCain shaking hands with former Florida Republican representative Mark Foley and saying, “McCain is palling around with pedophiles!”
It crosses the moral line. It’s just plain wrong.
Dear Lord, deliver me from some of the Christians, because they are scaring me to death.
