The People Vote For Fox News: Here’s Why
I was speaking in a Caribbean nation two weeks ago and enjoying fellowship with a long time US pastor friend, Dean Harvey, and a number of Latin leaders. Every evening before the teaching sessions, a few of us enjoyed dinner together in the central home on the campus, then slipped into a nearby room to watch the evening news.
Our Latin guests—and we two Americans—turned the channel to Fox News.
A number of evenings we watched Glenn Beck. All of us were amazed at how much he talked about God, faith, America’s heritage, and how important it was for the United States to experience renewal. During one commercial break, Fox ran a station message that made the eyes of our Hispanic friends bug out. The beautifully-photographed ad celebrated America’s faith, moral character, freedom, and commitment to fight evil around the world. Read More
Wake Up Left Coast!
I recently had lunch with a Washington State businessman who’s run a successful company for nearly forty years. He has fought many battles over those decades with county inspectors, state regulators, and cultural trends. He’s had his share of family problems, including some dark days when one of his children was far from God.
But I’ve always known him to persevere. He wants to make a difference in our world and is one of the greatest givers to God’s work that I’ve ever known. He’s a fighter, a scrapper, a man of his word that does not give in easy.
So I was surprised during the meal when he looked me in the eye and said that he was considering moving his entire family to another state for their spiritual and economic health.
He wants to get off the Left Coast.
I’m beginning to understand what he means.
Left Coast is a political term implying that the west coast of the United States is politically left-wing. This means the population is more secular and thus hostile to Judeo-Christian values. The implication is that the states of California, Oregon, and Washington (particularly, the coastal counties and cities within those states) vote predictably for the Democratic Party, or that the people who live there have a generally more liberal attitude than the rest of the country. The phrase plays on the fact that the west coast of the US is found on the left of the contiguous 48 states when looking at a map.
I would include the state of Hawaii as a part of the Left Coast. They have become another bastion of liberalism, including the 2010 election of Neil Abercrombie (D) as governor with a 58% vote and the defeat of many conservative Christian candidates around the state.
In the 2010 elections, many secular-liberal politicians were swept away in most parts of the country. Conservative Republicans picked up over sixty seats in the US House, but few of these were on the Left Coast. The governors map changed radically in the center, south, and east of the nation where conservatives won the states of New Mexico, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and even Maine. Overall, the Republicans picked up twelve governorships to the Democrats two (California and Connecticut)
If you need a visual, imagine a significant amount of “red” being added to the 2008 map that is shown above–but not on the Left Coast. In governor’s races, Jerry Brown won by twelve points in California and John Kitzhaber eked out a one point victory in Oregon. Washington’s governors race will take place in 2012, but liberal Democrats have controlled all aspects of Olympia for twenty years.
What does that matter, you ask? Well the secular-liberal stranglehold on the Left Coast brings some serious consequences.
Taxes. Left Coast states produce big spending governments that overtax and overburden their people. Hawaii is the number one taxed state (per capita) at $3,050 per person per year. California is number nine at $2391 and Washington is number thirteen at $2238. Washingtonians had the good sense to reject an income tax proposition this fall, but the Evergreen State’s gas and sales taxes are among the highest in the nation.
Jobs: Whereas states like Texas keep churning out jobs due to its conservative policies, Left Coast States are in the lower half of job growth due to their anti-business climates. Washington has an unemployment rate of 9.0 percent though it sports some of the great entrepreneurial companies in the nation (Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon.com etc.) Boeing has moved its headquarters to Chicago due to the bad business climate. Oregon has a 10.6 percent unemployment rate which ranks it 8th in the nation.
But California, which just re-elected Governor Jerry Brown has a whopping 12.4 percent unemployment rate, and for the first time in fifty years, more people and businesses are leaving California than arriving. California may face default this coming year due to a mind-boggling 500 billion dollars in unfunded pensions. That liability around its neck won’t create many jobs.
Morality:It’s hard to place a rank on these categories, but it’s beyond question that the sexual mores of San Francisco and Seattle have made them a hot-bed of immorality and the push for gay marriage–which would totally unravel the moral fabric of America. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is being challenged in California (of all states), and two of the three states in the nation that allows its people to kill themselves with the help of doctors (physician assisted suicide) are Oregon and Washington. The third is Montana–which is almost a bed-room community to the Left Coast.
This list of the consequences of secular-liberalism could go on–but I think you get the point. The liberal worldview does not create prosperity or strong families. It leads down a road to tyranny, poverty, in-ability to economically compete, and moral confusion.
So, with much of the nation in 2010 turning back to Judeo-Christian principles and conservative applications in government, why is the Left Coast still stuck in the grip of liberalism?
That’s the million dollar question–and I don’t profess to have the answer. I do have some hunches that might be contributing factors.
First, the independent spirit of the West fosters a tendency to reject God and his principles for living. The cowboy mentality can easily morph into a spirit of rebellion that displays itself in humanistic laws and sexual dysfunction. On the Left Coast, I believe that demonic powers have been given a stronghold that impacts the lives of our people and political leaders (Ephesians 6:12).
I remember flying out of the Soviet Union in the 1980s while it was under communist oppression. On one flight, the experience of leaving “tyranny” and heading into “freedom” caused spontaneous applause on the aircraft! You could “feel” the leaving behind of demonic dominions and traveling into “freer space.” It was a tangible experience, undoubtedly related to the reality of spiritual warfare.
Many people say the same thing about the Left Coast. They feel a heaviness and discouragement here that is not felt in other parts of the nation. It’s not just the clouds (in Washington). The peoples of the Left Coast have attracted the presence of demonic principalities that are affecting this region of the country.
Second, the Christian foundations on the west coast are much weaker than any area in America. Many of the Left Coast states are later entries to the Union. California was 31, Oregon 33, Washington 42, and Hawaii 50. We missed most of the spiritual awakenings in our history; We didn’t have Pilgrims or Puritans to lay our social foundations; Our governing documents don’t contain phrases and concepts that pointed to God’s sovereignty and his natural laws; We were the “younger spoiled kids” of the Republic who did not form our corporate character at Valley Forge or Gettysburg.
Thus, our foundations are not as rooted to the rock of Christ as in others states. We were planted on wild, slippery soil, and our roots don’t go as deeply into the truth of God’s Word.
Third, there is the reality that actions have consequences. For example, Washington is the only state in the nation that legalized abortion via a vote of the people before Roe v. Wade in 1973. Activist judges didn’t send our innocent babies to their deaths. We the people, voted their demise at the hands of abortionists–the only state to do so.
That was a horrendous decision that opened us up to the presence of evil and judgment of God. In many societal realms, are we simply reaping what we sowed? Only God knows, but there is certainly room for state-wide repentance on this and other moral issues.
But there’s another interesting theory that I learned from a respected scholar.
Dr. Gregory Boyd points out in his insightful book God at War: The Bible and Spiritual Conflict, that Satanic power and presence have been historically associated with raging, chaotic waters–in particular, the raging seas–especially oceans.
Boyd says, “The authors of the Old Testament shared significant elements of the common Near Eastern perspective that the earth was part of a cosmic war zone. The chaotic waters and sea monsters were demonic creatures against whom God had to fight…The Israelites believed the earth rested upon waters, but that Yahweh pushed back the waters to make dry land appear. ..Something about the cosmic environment of the earth–the waters–was, and still is, hostile toward God and humanity.”
It’s a much bigger discussion (three chapters in his book), but Boyd says that in the Old Testament, water was either a symbol of demonic chaos, or even a place of demonic habitation.
In the New Testament, when Jesus cast out a legion of spirits from a man, the demons specifically asked to not be sent to the “waterless places” but rather into some pigs, who stormed down the bank and were drowned in the water (Luke 11:24-NASB). When the Book of Revelation describes the new heaven and earth, it specifically says “and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1). The only water mentioned is the River of Life whose trees bring healing to the nations (Revelation 22:1,2).
So, in the Bible, large amounts of raging waters are associated with evil. Fertile land is associated with blessing and good.
What’s the point? It’s interesting to me that the regions of our nation near the large raging waters (the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and the Great Lakes region) appear most susceptible to liberal influences. The states that are inland–closer to the soil–tend to be more conservative.
And in 2010, the only region that resisted the conservative tide was the Left Coast. Is this just coincidence, or is there something even in our geography that we don’t fully understand?
Regardless of the true reasons for our troubles, what should we do about the secular-liberal stronghold of the Left Coast? Should we all pack our bags and leave for inland havens? Should we follow my businessman friend to greener pastures elsewhere?
God may lead some to go, but many of us must stay and fight for freedom and God’s blessings:
- We must participate in an empowered prayer movement that will bind the principalities and powers that are deceiving and impacting the Left Coast.
- We must mobilize the Church to care for, educate, and encourage our fellow citizens to embrace a new heritage in God.
- We must get involved in the political process, and work for good candidates who can help us change our laws and culture. Reformation is one of the gifts of God. It can come to the peoples of the western states.
Gregory Boyd comes to the same conclusion: “All who name the name of the Lord are called to identify and resist, in the power of God, the structural forces of evil that work to thwart God’s plan for the earth…When we fight, we do not do so in our own power, but God Himself reenacts his primal victory over these destructive forces through us.”
So let’s get to work.
I’m not going anywhere.
Our most important response is to reject discouragment and not give up. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He can bring it in our individual lives. He can also “wake up” the Left Coast with his grace and power.
Send this article to your friends on the Left Coast. Ask them to pray and act.
Let’s make the Left Coast the “Righteous Coast” of the United States of America.
Rejecting Socialism – What We Learned from the Mid-term Elections
Tuesday, November 2, saw a political tsunami wash across the America nation. It’s biggest waves were felt in the American heart-land and southern states, but much of the surging tide reached New England and parts of the West.
Let’s thank our gracious God who heard our prayers. Credit a spirited Tea Party movement that renewed a sizable portion of the Republican Party. Credit also the average American citizen who got involved in the political process because they knew the future of America was at stake.
What was the thunderous message?
We reject socialism.
We want to remain America-the land of the free.
I’d like to highlight ten lessons that we’ve learned from the 2010 Mid-term elections. First, let’s survey the changed political landscape through the eyes of individuals or groups that played a leading role in the political tsunami.
One of the most pro-active faith & family groups in the United States is the Family Research Council led by Tony Perkins and headquartered in Washington, D.C. Their extensive “bus tour” of Iowa during the month of October was probably the single largest reason that three notorious, incumbent, activist judges were defeated in that state. 155 out of 182 of FRC’s backed candidates won. If you don’t receive FRC’s daily “Washington Update” alert, you can sign up for it here.
Tony Perkin’s take on the historic mid-terms:
“On November 2, 2010, the Republican Party made its largest single day gains in the House of Representatives since 1948 and, I have been told credibly, the largest gains of any political party in local, state, and federal races combined in more than 100 years.”
“The last time the GOP controlled this many state legislatures, the year was 1928–and the only thing flying higher than the Republican Party was Amelia Earhart. Call it a tsunami, a bloodbath, a good-old fashioned spanking, but any way you slice it, Tuesday was a population explosion for conservatives via the Republican Party. In state legislatures alone, Republicans picked up 680 seats, the highest gains for one political party in two centuries. Sixteen states are now completely controlled by the GOP, meaning that it dominates the Governor’s offices and both chambers (with the exception of Nebraska, which only has one chamber to begin with).”
“Democrats have coughed up 19 chambers to conservative Republicans. The takeover was so complete that the GOP even snagged Minnesota. Talk about a conservative drought in the state of 10,000 lakes. This was the first time in U.S. history that Minnesota’s chambers flipped Republican. And while Americans didn’t have the option of electing a new president, they did manage to choose seven chief executives, as the GOP stormed to power in a majority of governorships, bringing the grand total to at least 31.”
Erick Erickson’s Redstate.com put the political landslide in these terms:
“Nineteen state legislative bodies ultimately flipped to the GOP. Of the 18 states that will gain or lose seats in Congress for the next decade, the GOP controls 12 of the 18 Governor’s Mansions. The Democrats have been wiped out except among coastal elites and majority-minority districts. The GOP, long said to not be able to make inroads in New England, now controls the Maine Governor’s Mansion, the Maine legislature, the New Hampshire Legislature, a New Hampshire Senate seat, and several congressional seats.”
I recently read one of Newt Gingrich’s novels on America history. To Try Men’s Souls is a gripping treatise on the turning point battle of the Revolutionary War–Washington crossing the Delaware at night and surprising and routing the Hessian mercenaries at Trenton. It was courage and conviction that won that battle. Here’s how the former Speaker of the House describes the mid-term wins:
“Congress wasn’t the only thing Republicans gained in last night’s election. The Republican State Leadership Committee reports that the GOP also took control of nineteen state legislative chambers with the election of over 500 new Republicans to state houses across the country – the largest GOP gain in state house seats in history. The GOP will control the Minnesota Senate for the first time in the state’s history and the Republican Party will hold majorities in the Alabama and North Carolina legislative chambers for the first time since the 1800s.”
“Republican gains were particularly strong in the south where the GOP now controls 18 of the 28 legislative chambers and a majority of all southern legislative seats for the first time since Reconstruction. At the same time, Republican Gubernatorial challengers earned victories in ten states, including the key swing states of Ohio, Florida, and Iowa that play such an important role in presidential elections.The GOP now controls 54 out of 99 statehouses–and it could go as high as 59.”
Another organization I highly respect and encourage you to join is the Heritage Foundation. They possess some of the clearest thinkers in America today. Their Morning Bell daily blog gives pertinent facts each day on the issues facing our nation. You can sign up for it here.
Heritage gives some wise advice for our newly elected leaders:
“If Republicans are smart, they’ll see these victories–not as an endorsement of their leadership, but a repudiation of Obama’s. At its core, this is a center-right country where things like “hope” and “change” are still measured against our greatest ideals. It’s still a place where freedom matters more than “progress.” Where faith is fought for, not against. And where standing for life means not standing alone.”
“Voters are looking to the GOP to take us–not down the path of least resistance–but the road less traveled. But let’s be clear, now we must all get to work. The new Congress has a choice: answer the call of renewal or betray the hopes of the American people.”
So what did we learn from the 2010 mid-term elections? Here are my top ten:
1. The Biggest National Loser – President Barack Obama, whose policies and national priorities went down in flames. Defeat was not a communication problem, the stupidity of the voters, or just a bad economy. President Obama’s socialistic policies were repudiated. And though the president campaigned for thirty different candidates around the nation, less than 10% of them won =.100. That’s a lot of strike-outs.
2. Biggest Question going forward: Will Barack Obama pivot and move toward the wishes of the America people as Bill Clinton did in 1994? Early signs appears to be no. Obama is an ideologue who cares less about popularity and more about taking the US in a social democracy direction. He’s not going to change course–and will probably be defeated in 2012 due to his stubbornness. Jay Leno put it this way: “Americans thought they were voting against George’s Bush’s third term by rejecting John McCain. Instead, they were voting for Jimmy Carter’s second term in Barack Obama.”
3. Biggest State Winner – Ohio–with a new Republican governor, a GOP-controlled House, a new US senator, and come January, many other statewide offices will be a sea of red. John Kasich took the governorship away from Ted Strickland. The GOP also won: secretary of state, state auditor, attorney general, and state treasurer. Leadership also changed hands in the Ohio House of Representatives. Republicans picked up a dozen seats to give them the majority in the House. They also managed to extend their already-strong Senate majority. On the national level, Rob Portman comfortably beat Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher to capture a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Guess which state is the pivotal state in presidential elections (i.e. 2012)? Ohio.
3. Biggest State Loser – California. It’s hard to fathom that the nation’s largest state elected as governor, for the second time, the man who helped create their 100 billion dollar pension problems in the first place (Jerry Brown). They also re-elected Barbara Boxer over successful entrepreneur and executive Carly Fiorina. What are they smoking out there? It must be a stupifying mix of Hollywood values, union control, and illegal (entitlement) voters. For the first time in fifty years, California is losing people and businesses–with a corresponding loss of congressional seats. California is in deep trouble–and desperately needs a heaven-sent revival.
4. Biggest National Winner – Sarah Palin – she won 66% of her House race endorsements and 60% of her Senate endorsements giving her a combined batting average of .630. And most of those picks were challengers, not incumbents. Quite a feat. Maybe those Mama Grizzlies do understand the issues that most Americans care about.
5. Second Biggest National Winner – Conservatives. Conservatism is the political expression of Christian ideals (faith, family, freedom, work, justice, responsibility, accountability, compassion, etc.) A new generation of conservative leaders are emerging in the United States. Keep your eyes on and focus your prayers on numerous conservative governors or former governors such at Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, John Kasich, Haley Barber, Nicky Haley, Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry, Chris Christie, and Bob O’Donnell. They are the future. Also rising Congressional stars such as Michelle Bachmann, Mark Rubio and Rand Paul.
6. Third Biggest National Winner – The Grand Old Party. They re-took the US House of Representatives by historic margins (could be as high as 66 seats), added at least six seats to the US Senate, and gained 680 state legislative positions nationwide. Even more importantly, the Republican Party will also control re-apportionment (re-districting) for the next twelve years. That fact alone will re-shape American politics. Let’s hope they understand why they’ve been “re-hired.”
7. A Providential Loss? – Harry Reid’s win in Nevada. This can probably be attributed to a weak Republican challenger, tons of money, and a great ground game. Still, I’m stunned that Senate Majority leader Harry Reid could be re-elected in a state with 14% unemployment – and it’s his Big Goverment, anti-business policies and that are prolonging it. However, here’s what’s interesting. If Harry Reid had lost, and the Republicans taken over the Senate, that would have made 2012 a much easier year for Barack Obama. He could blame many things on a Republican-controlled Congress. Now he can’t. Harry Reid’s still in control. This might prove extremely providential for the 2012 election
8. The Blessing of Gridlock – If a car enters a freeway going the wrong way, the best thing that can happen is for traffic gridlock to be occurring to slow down and stop its destructive path. Don’t buy the lie that “gridlock” is now bad for America for the next two years. No, it’s extremely good. The speeding socialist jalopy will be limited by the traffic jam until the right direction can be re-established in 2012. Praise God for gridlock. It will save many lives.
9. The Danger of Compromise – The losing side desperatelywants to keep America on the socialist path. Their new strategy is to encourage our leaders to compromise and join them in re-shaping America. Pray that our new senators and representatives will not budge an inch. Freedom won. Socialism lost. Bi-partisanship is negative if it doesn’t include right principles and policies. In politics and in life you compromise on minor items, never major ones. For example: On keeping tax rates where they are for all income groups, we must not compromise. We are already over-taxed. The problem is spending. We can compromise with the president on minor details. But not on the principle of over taxation–especially during a recession. Memo to our newly elected leaders: Stick to the principles for which the American people sent you into office.
10. Biggest Ultimate Winner – Freedom and the American people.
In historic fashion, we prayed, gave, voted, and worked for positive political change in 2010. God honored our faith and action. But this is only one victory in a much bigger war.
The American people rose up and rejected socialism in 2010. We must continue the march of freedom through 2012 and beyond.
“In God We Trust.”