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This Diary Is For RedState Christians Only–Unless, Of Course, You Have Something Valuable To Contribute Anyway

By: westcoastpatriette (Diary)  |  October 21st, 2011 at 12:37 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

This diary is not meant to be snarky.  I am struggling with my own conscience and would like to hear from other like-minded RSers to see how they are dealing with this issue.

For the sake of context, a little more self-disclosure is in order.  I’m a fairly new poster to RS but more than that, I am one of the new Tea Party-type political activists.  In other words, I don’t know what the heck I am doing and feel really naive compared to the veteran activists who are regular contributors here.

Shortly after Obama was elected, I felt compelled to get involved to try to save our country from self-destruction.  I stumbled into the political process last year and for the first time ever, volunteered to help Meg Whitman get elected here in California.  (That was really disappointing as I watched her waffle into a RINO as soon as she won the primary.)  I am also involved in a new local Tea Party and plan on diving into the Republican Party ala Cold Warrior style soon.

So, let’s just cut to the chase.  What is my problem?  I am wondering how other Christians who have more than a superficial commitment to the Lord deal with all of the sleaziness and dirty word wars.  It seems extra apparent right now that we really have some fine Republican candidates running for president in the primary, but by the time we get done “vetting them” they seem to be no better than the most low-down low-life one could imagine.

This is vexing my conscience as I am gleefully joining in the process.  For those who aren’t Christians or who don’t know what the scriptures have to say about this, let me just say that it is highly frowned upon.  Since we have been graciously and freely forgiven of our shortcomings, we are admonished to overlook others faults, be kind and tender-hearted toward others and keep a guard over our tongue in terms of hastily accusing others or defaming their character.

Am I the only one feeling guilty about this?  Does anyone have suggestions for how we could improve things along these lines?  Given the nature of the game, it seems we almost have to join in the process as nothing is hidden from view these days but so much of what we are doing seems destructive and counter productive so I just thought I would put this diary out here and see if anyone has anything to say about the mess.

 

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  • wennejunk

    “by the time we get done

    • valrobex

      in this fallen world. We can not do that by hiding under a basket.

      We must get out and work for what is right given our limited understanding of the Truth.

      I don’t know if you’re old enough to remember Reagan but he was able to remain true to his principles and yet work with “dirty” politicians. He made mistakes but never compromised his principles. We would all do well to imitate that as best we can.

      And remember what wennejunk wrote above: “They (and we) are all flawed,” including the candidates. We must figure out who is, and then support, the best candidate we can, given our limited knowledge. But in so doing, remain true to our principles and the Truth as we understand it to be.

      If a candidate turns out to be dishonorable, but we supported him / her thinking they were honorable, the shame is on them – not on us. We did the best we knew how, given our understanding at the time.

      The task after that, is to learn and not repeat the mistake. We’ll eventually figure it out. Hope this helps.

      • westcoastpatriette

        ..

    • westcoastpatriette

      and maybe I should clarify my sentence that you quoted in your first paragraph.

      I was being a little facetious and did not really mean that I think they all seem “no better than the most low-down low-life one could imagine.” A better way to put it is some of the criticisms of different flaws sound so harsh that someone can go from being a really solid conservative to completely disqualified and held in contempt for the slightest deviation from what some or most think should be their position.

      Hope that’s a little clearer.

  • engineer4america

    I too struggle with my involvement. The problem I have is I don’t have the time to sit and study in depth all the issues involved. I’ve worked in government and I know the depths of depravity that can go on in the bureaucracy. My own department has had it’s dark days. But as a Christian and a government worker I see daily the critical importance of the involvement of Christians who have a real standard. So many people in government are consumed by the idea that there is no real right and wrong just what is either expedient or that it is all relative to the circumstances. My wife bought me a Patriots Bible and it has the most wonderful compilation of material that really brings home the critical importance of Christians bringing their standards to the political arena. If we don’t bring ours and promote ours and teach our standards then those who have no standards will bring and promote and teach theirs. We must step up and fight and teach and demand that we be a part of the process. If we don’t we will be pushed out and marginalized. Already there a re moves in government to ban us from speaking about our faith, our standards our beliefs. The left wants God stricken from the historical record of this country just as Mao tried to strike the history of China from the knowledge of the Chinese people. Speak up, participate, listen and pray. I started a blog Engineer4america.blogspot.com to put my voice out there. I have to figure out how to market it but it’s there for what it’s worth.

    • westcoastpatriette

      I’m so glad I wrote this diary so I could hear from all of you who are answering and have more experience in politics than I. It is bringing me great encouragement and advice. Sometimes, I feel like a fish out of water but at the same time, I really feel it is the Lord leading me into all of this. And as long as I sense that He is with me and it is all for a purpose that I may not always understand, then I can press on.

      • westcoastpatriette

        Can’t wait to check that out.

  • http://whattoreadtoday.blogspot.com/ Paula

    It can be very frustrating and I’ve wrestled with some of the same issues. One book I’ve found especially helpful is Wayne Grudem’s Politics – According to the Bible. It’s a rather comprehensive book that addresses a wide range of issues, but I think Grudem does a great job of explaining the Christian’s role in politics as a way of showing love for his neighbor. You can listen to an interview with Grudem by the AP Roundtable here.

    Also, the AP Roundtable (a conservative public policy and education organization) has a great little book called Free Agents. It answer the question, “What’s next?” for the Tea Party and offers practical grassroots approaches to turning the tide and winning congressional seats.

    FWIW, while I think a lot (maybe even most) of those in Congress have had to pay a steep price morally to get and stay where they are, there are a few good ones who deserve and need our prayers and support (well, they all need our prayers, but you know what I mean!). Jim Jordan (R-OH) comes to mind. He has gone to war with the GOP establishment and has been a consistent, uncompromising conservative. Yet he’s done it without being nasty and resorting to dirty politics or angry rhetoric. Listen to this great interview with Jordan about life as a Congressman. I think you will be greatly encouraged by the role faith plays in his job as a legislator.

    • westcoastpatriette

      I will listen and check them out.

  • runner12

    First of all, we are only accountable for our own actions to God. If we carry ourselves with dignity and show respect to others, even when we disagree, we will be a light wherever we are.

    Politics can be a difficult place to be a light, which is why we as Christians need to be involved in it. I know there are many people who think these two should not be mixed, but I firmly disagree. This arena is no different than the business world, the medical world, etc. We are called to be a light in all areas of our lives, including our roles as citizens of the US. For me it is less about party affiliation, and more about principle. I just see the GOP being more open and closer in idealogy to the Tea Party than the Dems.

    That being said, the vetting process can be ugly and often can result in the disparaging of people’s character. I try to look at the facts and not the hype during the vetting process. I also try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I can certainly overlook past mistakes in people’s lives, provided they have shown that they have learned from it and made the necessary changes.

    Anyways, those are my thoughts.

    • westcoastpatriette

      that dirty as it can be, Christians need to be involved in politics. So many times we stay safely hidden inside our church circles where at least everyone is on the same page in terms of standards of conduct.

      I can see your fruit, by the way, as your posts are always laden with grace and respect. Keep up the good work.

      • runner12

        That means a lot. I do my best, but like everyone else I am not perfect. That is why need God’s grace :) .

  • lineholder

    is when it comes to shades of gray regarding the truth, dishonesty or deceitfulness. Part of that has to do with the fact that I was one of the simpleminded people (as in the Biblical definition of simpleminded, meaning that I was lacking in insight and discernment) for so many years that I left myself wide open to being misled and deceived by a lot of things. Even deceived myself by trying to justify my own actions in some cases, too.

    There’s a lot of dishonesty that goes in politics. It seems like people just see it as being part of the status quo in politics. I, on the other hand, as a Christian and because of my past experiences, have major problems with that. I really do, LOL.

    In some cases, I get angry about it and I’ll start typing something that is really short-tempered, ill-natured or just plain old ugly into the comment box. But it’s as if God taps me on the shoulder and says “What are you doing?” I’ll grab hold of the edges of my desk, take a deep breath, and cut what I was typing. Because it does no good to my own character to let it get the better of ME and I know that.

    In other cases, it just makes me really sad to see it. I think it hurts us more than it helps in a lot of ways, because it becomes such an obstacle.

    So I know where you’re coming from in questioning what would or would not be pleasing to God for you to do in how you respond. I guess the only thing I could say is to be aware of temptations and resist what temptations you can. That’s what God asks of us. That’s what we’re responsible to Him for.

    • westcoastpatriette

      And I’ve had to delete before posting when I feel my ire rising to the top.

      I guess it’s pretty safe to use Jesus as our role-model, huh? Think of all the viciousness that he endured. Sometimes he spoke up and sometimes he stayed silent. And he warned us of the hatred we would have to encounter as his disciples. “If they hated me, they will hate you,” or “Rejoice when men speak all manner of evil against you on my account for great is your reward in heaven.” Those kinds of reminders should keep us going.

  • CincoSolas_del_Bronx

    These are vital questions which have been addressed here by some of us from time to time, but it is certainly not too early to do so again. A great place to start would be these two interviews* of Os Guinness on “pursuing civility in a Post-Christian culture. How are we best to make our case in the public square? In what ways have Christians failed as they have attempted to do this in recent years?”:

    The Case for Civility, Part 1
    The Case for Civility, Part 2

    Hoping to compare notes with you after you’ve listened to them!

    * conducted by Mike Horton of The White Horse Inn

    • westcoastpatriette

      I listened to both and found myself in agreement with Guinness’ take on how to interact with those in culture or outside the walls of the church. Specifically, the biblical examples in 1 Samuel and when Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal.

      I have used similar kinds of reasoning when discussing the abortion issue with fellow believers by telling them, when all is said and done, God is prochoice–and he wants us to choose life. That is not to say that I think abortion should be legal because I don’t. But, God knows how deeply flawed and rebellious we are and sometimes we have to come to the end of our rebellion before we see the wisdom of his ways. And I think Guinness’ examples reflect that wisdom.

      I will continue my soul searching and hope to keep growing in terms of making a positive difference in the political realm. It is a new challenge for me and this diary was a way for me to open up discussion to hear how others deal with it or, like myself, are learning how to deal with it. It has been a bit of a shock as I have spent the last twenty years of my life very involved inside the church and as I stated, at least there, we have the same “teacher’s manual” to refer to as our anchor. Not so in politics.

  • abeldred

    that pushed me into the political arena a few years back. We live in a world consumed in cultural rot, vindictiveness and riddled with more liars than truth tellers. The Word tells us we are not to be of the world. It is more than a tall order not to get sucked in and it happens to all of us. But, we are God’s army and we must rally behind the truth. I try to always remember why I felt the need to jump in to this mess; it was to use my voice and my talents to defend the inalienable rights God has given us and the liberty He has endowed us with. And though the temptation to sling mud is alway there (and sometimes succombed to) seek the truth. I am God’s ambassador and I pray a lot to help me with my direction.
    You are right about the candidates. All of them are flawed, but they are all good people who want to do the right thing. The business of politics is tough and ugly. Egged on by the media and exacerbated by the knowledge this is a turning point in America history adds extra pressure which has caused many of our candidates to forget the objective: defeat Obama (a man who I believe truly does dance with the devil) and begin to eject the evil in our nation. Individually we must refuse to allow ourselves too get caught up in the ugliness and communicate in an honest manner those things that we find good and decent about the candidates. If you have chosen your candidate, instead of criticizing the others, honestly articulate the message of your person rather than running the others down to make yours look better.

    • westcoastpatriette

      It is so good to hear others understand what I’m trying to say. Thanks so much for sharing.

  • rightwingmom52

    I’ve been at redstate for about 2 years (I think). I started out reading it weekly and didn’t comment much at all for the first several months. Over time, it became my favorite site, and I read it every day. Couldn’t get enough and joined in the comments. I attended the Redstate Gathering back in August and loved every minute (my first diaries were about that experience).

    I have certainly made some comments I regret, one in particular where I joined in a pile on of sorts. I did apologize but I have no idea if the person saw it, and it still bothers me to think that he didn’t. There are other comments of which I am very proud. Some I’ve read and thought, “Wow, did I say that?” (good and bad). LOL.

    Sometimes it’s difficult to get a read on the personalities of the people behind the curtain of the net, but I’ve seen comments made lately by some that I held in very high regard that have caused them to slip off their perch. Perhaps I expected too much, but isn’t it better to have high expectations? Doesn’t having low expectations indicate we really don’t think we deserve all that much?

    Politics has definitely been an eye-opener for me, and after seeing all the “it’s just politics” stuff that’s been going on in this cycle, I might have gone back to the couch if so much weren’t at stake. But Cold Warrior got to me, too, so I go to my tea party meetings every month, and continue to get more involved in my local GOP.

    Anyway, I do not believe the ends justify the means, so personally, I’m trying to stay with a positive approach that does not include name callling, distortion of records, smearing, taking words out of contest, guilt by association, etc. Granted, that’s often difficult, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to build up by tearing others down, in politics or otherwise.

    • rightwingmom52

      the backspace and delete keys and “Click here to cancel “reply.” Can’t even count the number of times I’ve had to step away from the keyboard, not to mention the times I should have and didn’t.

    • westcoastpatriette

      I relate to everything you have said here. And on the positive side, I really love RS. One of the main reasons for that is that Erick and the moderators respect Christians and I feel like we can openly talk about how our faith impacts how we approach the public square. This is very, very important as it is impossible to separate our love for God and his word from everything we think and do. So, it feels really good to be able to be open about it and have so many sojourners understand where we are coming from.

      Thanks for sharing so much, and I am looking forward to getting to know you better as we trudge on through the next election.

      • Wubbies World

        All front page posting privileges go only to “Pro-Life” people here.

    • Doc Holliday

      but I just decided to jump off this treadmill for some rest. I feel like one of those teetotalers at a kegger, watching this from the sideline, it even looks worse lol.

      Post after post of “Cain sux”, “Perry sux”, “Romney sux”, I couldn’t take it any more, I don’t know how people are doing it. Hundreds of posts a day and not one person changing their mind, wow.

      I can’t say I haven’t been there before because I have. But then again, that is probably why I see the futility in this and I am getting more done around the house. If I really felt passionately about one of these guys, I guess it would be different, but I don’t. All I want is to send Obama packing and his little liberal friends too!

  • Change Jar Conservative

    While I do not always do it, I think praying before you sit down to redstate that God would give you the right attitude (putting Him first, care for the country second) and the right words.

    And then trying to focus on the positive of your candidate and if you are saying something negative about another candidate, making sure that you are sticking to the fact that bothers you and not generalizing beyond that.

    • westcoastpatriette

      Good feedback. Thanks.

  • hoosierchristian

    ….God’s Word is the key.

    Christians should…
    (1) …follow the “Golden Rule”
    (2) …conduct ourselves with humility
    (3) …avoid the appearance of evil
    (4) …love our neighbor
    (5) …seek to be peacemakers
    (6) …avoid useless quarrels

    Those being said, it is right and proper for us to…
    (1) …discern the truth and pursue wisdom and understanding
    (2) …judge all things according to God’s Word
    (3) …express righteous anger against sinful actions and attitudes
    (4) …forgive the repentant brother
    (5) …speak out against sin, calling a spade a spade
    (6) …have zero tolerance for persistent unrepentant sin

    As Jesus did, we should be emulating God, the Father. If, in any circumstance, we are unsure how best to do that, we have God’s Word to direct us. After all, ALL scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness! Remember: the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom!

    • westcoastpatriette

      .

  • irishgirl

    First of all let me say one of my biggest problems in life is that I still have not learned not to speak (or post) before stepping back and counting to 10. So I can certainly relate to some of the posts here. I have been reading Redstate since 2008, plus others, but one of the biggest influences in my life since around that time has been AFR, American Family Radio. It is talk radio that combines the Christian influence toward politics and news of the day. I encourage you to find it in your area.

    • westcoastpatriette

      …

  • Wubbies World

    I have been here for a little over 5 years now. However, due to work and family demands, I comment and post only rarely now. I still read everyday, at least the items that catch my eye. I still have to be selective due to time constraints.

    Faith and politics is an interesting combination to intermingle in ones life. One of the things to keep in mind is that all our founding fathers were devout Christians and they sought His guidance in creating this nation.

    The perspective I keep in mind is that, as in all things created by God, satan is relentless in trying to destroy God’s gifts and people. Then I also keep in mind that God sent us out into to the world to not only be the light of the world, but also to be the salt of this world to prevent the rot and decay that satan uses to corrupt and destroy.

    Jesus dined with sinners because it is they who need healing not the righteous. Politics is one of the most fertile fields known to exist. Keep your Bible front and center in your life. Pray unceasingly everyday and speak softly and with wisdom. God will be with you in your works. The most important part is that you let God work through you.

    There is a famous quote from St Francis of Assisi. I am not sure if it is true or not, but it is a true statement in our walk of faith. I paraphrase here, “Go forth and preach the word of God,, and if necessary, use words”. In other words, let your actions be your message.

    When it comes to politicians being held to the standards of perfection. Remember there is only one person who can survive that kind of scrutiny. That person is Jesus himself. The rest of us will all fall short. That includes all the presidential candidates. So, I just watch and ask myself the question when judging a candidate for my vote, “is this person the kind of person God will use, and even more importantly, do they want to be used by God”?

    Not all Christians make good politicians. So, it comes down to knowing if this is a politician who can most effectively be used in that position. We have learned many times, a person can have the greatest looks, the perfect policies in their speeches, but if they are not an effective executive manager they will still fail. That is why Governors do so well as president (usually).

    The bottom line is that we all stay in prayer – always and unceasingly praying. Let God guide you.

    Always remember, In Matthew Ch 20 Jesus said, “I came to serve, not to be served”. It should be the same with us as it needs to be with our leaders. I look for that too.

    God’s blessing on you and thank you for the post

    • westcoastpatriette

      Your words brought comforting tears to my eyes.

      With respect to front page posting and the Pro-Life stance, I completely understand. I am assuming you must have read my comment to CincoSolas about God being pro-choice. And I was afraid it might alarm someone. It was a round about way of saying that from God’s perspective, he wants us to choose life.

      Deuteronomy 30;19 “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life,…” So, I was reversing the meaning of pro-choice as meaning “to choose life.” Sorry if I caused alarm and I assure you I am 100% pro-life and want to see legalized abortion stopped.

      • avgjo

        to look to Jesus.

        I don’t mean this in a hyperspiritual, pie-in-the-sky way.

        Were He on earth today, Jesus would clean the clocks of the political establishment, just as He did the religious establishment (which was in bed with the occupying Roman government) of His day.

        How did He do this?

        Well, of course, He was/is God. But He set an example we can follow.

        The Lord was:

        -blunt, without being crude
        -honest without being unnecessarily offensive. (Those offended by Him were offended merely by the truth).
        -incisive and logical, without sophistry
        -UNCOMPROMISING in His message.
        -exceedlingly brave, and yet, as someone once said, He would not have torn a bruised reed. He did not walk back His statements, and He made them boldly and publicly.

        I could go on and on about the practical aspects of the Lord’s operations on earth as gleaned from the NT, but I think you get the point.

        Jeremiah 17:5 ‘ Cursed is the one who trusts in man…’

        All the things you discussed are the result of this axiom of the universe. The Christian worldview you possess helps you with this. As a Christian, you believe the nature of man is corrupt and, without God, irredeemable. You also understand the concepts of mercy and grace. Your understanding of the fallen nature of man leads you to not be surprised when you find out that a candidate (or any human being, myself at the top of the list) is not that great. Your understanding of Mercy and Grace, as manifested by God sending His only begotten Son to die for us, leads you to view these folks as the same as you, a fallen creature who needs God’s grace. You don’t tolerate their wrongdoing (just as you don’t tolerate your own) but you see it as a natural consequence of their humanity, not as diminishing it. You see that wrongdoing as an opportunity for rebuke, correction and hopefully, improvement.

        Because we are fallen, and because Adam and Eve’s sin caused corruption to seep into our cosmos, chaos is a part of our existence. In that chaos, even the best of us will make decisions we regret. Couple that with the high stakes involved in engaging evil (as we do with the liberals), and all of us will have to repent when all is said and done. But God assures us that if we seek FIRST His kingdom, He will take care of the rest. (‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all these things shall be added unto you.’) Doing this requires us to hold ourselves and each other accountable. Hopefully…

        • westcoastpatriette

          and I am quietly weeping again after reading your words. Thank you so much for taking the time to say things I needed to hear.

      • Wubbies World

        … I had not seen that post or comment about pro choice. My comment was just an affirmation point to this being a good site for Christians/Social Conservatives.

        The give and take in the comments can be challenging, even here, but I view that as the winnowing fire of our ideas. The fire purifies and if you ideas and ideals endure in the comments here, you know your going to do fine in debates.

        Also. let me provide you with a good source of government knowledge you can put to good use. Use this web site for research. You will find it invaluable.

        http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/

        Have a blessed day!

        • westcoastpatriette

          I wondered why you would put the comment beneath my discussion with rightwingmom instead of under Cinco’s. Talk about over-analyzing. But that’s nice to know I wasn’t being gently warned.

          And thanks for that link to a good site for government research. Nothing like facts to under gird a debate.

          • westcoastpatriette

            Sorry, I just woke up from a nap and am a little groggy still.

  • YnotNOW

    I put my thoughts in a diary a couple months ago:
    http://www.redstate.com/ynotnow/2011/08/18/what-to-do-about-the-dilemma-of-voting-for-the-less-bad-candidate-vs-the-3rd-party-protest-vote/

    Bottom line: 3-pronged strategy
    – Short term, Vote the best you can for now
    – Medium term, Work to improve the party and the quality of future candidates
    – Long term, Impact the culture (be Salt and Light)

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  • beach91

    I understand the issue you are talking about. I have been on RS since 2008 but got really bummed when Obama was elected and took a ‘break’ of all things political. I think being a Christian and with the corporate church structure these days being politically correct has become mainstream. It has also become a huge liability I think.

    I think to tell people truth is no problem at all and why should you not? When you try and tell something to someone by ‘beating around the bush’ they probably will not understand. Jesus did not do this but instead spoke the truth in plain language. It is not crossing a line to tell the truth in plain terms. It is also not un-Christian to do this either. Were we get off is when our emotions get riled and we let them take over. That is when the nastiness takes over. So, I pray about things and comments that I make. I also try not to post when the conversation is heated. I hope that helps.

  • westcoastpatriette

    It does help. Especially, the part about not letting emotions rule. There is no delete button once you post–so waiting to calm down before you post can save one from “writer’s remorse” in the morning.

  • dajeeps

    I *try* to deal with things on an intellectual level and just lay out the facts. It’s a tactful way of presenting a case, letting the intended audience draw their own conclusions. If the facts don’t tell a story, it shouldn’t be told; at least that is my personal standard. Name calling doesn’t get anyone anywhere, and if someone wants to try to drag me down into the mud I just don’t go with them, ignoring personal attacks as if no one said anything at all. It takes a little practice, and I’ve had plenty from where I spent most of my career, tech strategy in a former Fortune 100 corp that is now addicted to Federal handouts. Everything there was turned into a political exercise and the only way to get anything done was to just stick to the facts and avoid personal issues as much as possible.

  • jackdaniels11

    The fact that American’s were ready to elect someone with no leadership experience was so disheartening to me that I took a long break from politics.

    I woke up in time to vote in the 2010 midterms. I still didn’t think that Obama could be beaten in 2012. Now, I’m starting to believe.

    Obama is less popular right now than Bush, Clinton, GHW Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, or any other recent president in his third year.

    He is beatable.

    As to WCP’s question, I’m not sure that I understand it. It seems to be a concern about “dirty words” and defamation. But there are no dirty words allowed on RS, right?

    So the concern must be more about defamation than profanity.

    So what, exactly, is the concern? Is it that candidates are defaming each other or that RS posters are defaming the candidates? I’m not sure.

  • westcoastpatriette

    That one is worth remembering. Thanks, dajeeps.

  • lastgopinillinois

    Reagans 11th Commandment a couple of times over the past few public debates and more importantly has led by example (by not violating it).
    The other candidates have not heeded to his request. To them, it seems more important to get one over on the other guy to get ahead in the polls.

    Maybe it is harder for some of them just to state an issue of contention with one of the other candidates and back it up with facts and tell the public where they can find the proof that it is true. Everyone has their own way of trying to get their point across.

    To me, it is forgivable if someone doesn’t always have the tactfulness to pull off a dis-agreement without throwing a little mud. Where I have to draw the line is when someone tells a bald-faced lie to make the other guy look bad. We have already seen all these things happen during the debates.

    Politics stinks. Politics can be done away with just by telling the truth.

    Our entire society is being destroyed based upon lies, fraud and propaganda. Thats politics in America. If people knew all the facts about whats happening to america and why it is happening, there wouldn’t be a snowballs chance the democrats would ever have any power in this country again. Thats why I am so critical of the MSM and the fact the Republicans in office are so scared to tell the truth for fear that they will lose a few votes from unions and minorities. They wouldn’t lose anything if they got the message across properly.

    We out here must do the best we can to help deliver the conservative message and PRAY.

  • redmymind

    I greatly appreciate your bringing up this most challenging of subjects and being open enough to share your experience. It’s certainly not easy living our Christian vocation when expediency almost compels us to live in an ideological duality of sorts where our Christian witness is more often shunted to the side, that we may go about our day’s activities relatively uninhibited.

    Being that reciprocity is only fair as far as self-disclosure, I must confess that I don’t have a ready solution to present to you in this entry. Besides, it looks like the folks before me have already put together some very excellent advice and suggestions.

    Our Lord certainly holds us to a high standard, most aptly formulated in the simple but equally rigorous commandment that we love our neighbors as ourselves.

    As we each labor in our own unique ways to best observe this commandment (some of us more “painlessly” than others), I would only add that we never lose sight of just how much Jesus loves each one of us.

    This unspoken realization, sometimes derived through a mere moment of purposeful reflection or silence is sometimes all that is required to steer us in the right direction, for when we realize that we already possess the greatest gift ever in the person of Our Lord and how much He, in turn, rejoices in possessing each one of us in all our uniqueness, the heaviest of our disquietudes have a tendency to settle back into its own proper place and perspective,

    God bless you! . . . God bless us! . . . God bless America!

  • westcoastpatriette

    I will be clearer on how a principled person should handle the smears and slander that has become the norm in politics today.

    I definitely don’t think a candidate or public official should just ignore most of the attacks as that shows weakness and I believe in setting the record straight when lies are being tossed around. OTOH, I think I am even more concerned–at least at this point in time–about all of us on the outside doing the vetting.

    As I said in my diary, the part that bothers me the most is that some very wonderful and decent people are running in the primary and the standards we use to judge them are making it nearly impossible for them to be human and have any faults. I am afraid we are boxing ourselves into a corner sometimes and I don’t like some of all of this.

    Maybe I’m not a natural political junkie like so many others seem to be.

    In any event, appreciate your feedback.

  • westcoastpatriette

    Sometimes it’s good to hear from others who don’t necessarily have answers but just identify with the struggle. And God bless you, too.

  • westcoastpatriette

    The main emphasis of my concern, though, is how the RS posters–myself included–are judging candidates. And that sometimes it is troubling to me that we are too harsh and careless with our words. Or are quick to write someone off for fairly minor offenses.