Some Brief Post-Election Thoughts
2 Comments Published by Jason on Wednesday, November 05, 2008 at 11/05/2008 11:21:00 AM.
Whether your candidate won or lost, be thankful we live in a country where we can elect our leaders.
Whether your candidate won or lost, appreciate the genuinely momentous event in our nation's history we witnessed last night.
Obama supporters (of which I am one), enjoy his victory but don't gloat. When he takes office, don't expect perfection--we voted for an inspiring, gifted, and intelligent but nonetheless flawed man. But hold Obama to the pledges and ideas that compelled you to vote for him in the first place and do your own small part in helping fulfill those initiatives. No president is beyond reproach. For Christian Obama supporters (again, of which I am one), remember that we elect leaders, not a savior. Government can't begin to fix every problem we face nor can it change people's hearts.
McCain supporters, be rightfully disappointed but follow McCain's lead in accepting the disappointment with class and hope that Obama can provide strong, intelligent leadership for the country. I've never understood when supporters of the losing candidate in any election root for the failure of the President Elect. This isn't a heated sports rivalry where you embrace schadenfreude, delighting in your rival's missteps. This is our nation. To hope for the failure of a president so you can have an "I told you so" moment is to value petty personal vindication over the well-being of the country. Once Obama takes office, offer civil criticism when you disagree with him, but don't stoop to slander and baseless fear-mongering. Stay informed. And by informed, I don't mean listening to people like Limbaugh and Hannity and then feeling as if you've in any way objectively considered the issues (the same holds true for their counterparts on the left).
I posted this on my Facebook notes as well. Kester's response there was a salient one, so I'm including it here:
"For those whose guy didn't win, it is best to remember that our citizenship is in the Kingdom of God and that we don't panic or even sit the sidelines because of a Presidential victory or defeat. Our mission remains constant whether a Democrat is President, a Republican is President, or no one is President and chaos ensues. Our mission is the same if we live in the U.S. or Canada or Kenya or China. Our mission remains the same whether the world is a better place tomorrow or a worse one: To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. To love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourself."
Whether your candidate won or lost, appreciate the genuinely momentous event in our nation's history we witnessed last night.
Obama supporters (of which I am one), enjoy his victory but don't gloat. When he takes office, don't expect perfection--we voted for an inspiring, gifted, and intelligent but nonetheless flawed man. But hold Obama to the pledges and ideas that compelled you to vote for him in the first place and do your own small part in helping fulfill those initiatives. No president is beyond reproach. For Christian Obama supporters (again, of which I am one), remember that we elect leaders, not a savior. Government can't begin to fix every problem we face nor can it change people's hearts.
McCain supporters, be rightfully disappointed but follow McCain's lead in accepting the disappointment with class and hope that Obama can provide strong, intelligent leadership for the country. I've never understood when supporters of the losing candidate in any election root for the failure of the President Elect. This isn't a heated sports rivalry where you embrace schadenfreude, delighting in your rival's missteps. This is our nation. To hope for the failure of a president so you can have an "I told you so" moment is to value petty personal vindication over the well-being of the country. Once Obama takes office, offer civil criticism when you disagree with him, but don't stoop to slander and baseless fear-mongering. Stay informed. And by informed, I don't mean listening to people like Limbaugh and Hannity and then feeling as if you've in any way objectively considered the issues (the same holds true for their counterparts on the left).
I posted this on my Facebook notes as well. Kester's response there was a salient one, so I'm including it here:
"For those whose guy didn't win, it is best to remember that our citizenship is in the Kingdom of God and that we don't panic or even sit the sidelines because of a Presidential victory or defeat. Our mission remains constant whether a Democrat is President, a Republican is President, or no one is President and chaos ensues. Our mission is the same if we live in the U.S. or Canada or Kenya or China. Our mission remains the same whether the world is a better place tomorrow or a worse one: To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. To love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourself."
RE: "Stay informed." Which news and opinion sources do you recommend? Other than the Main Street Journal, of course. ;)
Ha! Personally I enjoy some of the fact-check websites and independent studies when it comes to policy examination. I use the Washington Post, NYT's, and WSJ websites. I'm also inclined occasionally to read unabashedly biased sources as well from both ends of the political spectrum--Huffington Post, The Corner, etc.
As I said in my last post, I'm hardly a political junkie, but I try to stay informed--more so on national politics, I'm woeful when it comes to local stuff.
I mentioned Hannity, Limbaugh, and their counterparts on the left--Olbermann comes to mind--because I think too many people use such hosts as their only source of information and accept what they say without question.