Politics
America’s Choice – Huckster or Hero?
The 2008 presidential election will soon be upon us–an election of a lifetime. I realize that some of you have already voted, and many of you will see this as preaching to the choir. But some are still undecided, and others have friends that could benefit from this analysis. If the following thoughts speak to you, please forward it on to those whom you might influence.
Some definitions:
1. Huckster – n. 2. One who uses aggressive, showy, and sometimes devious methods to promote or sell a product.
2. Hero – n. 2. A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life.
The American Heritage High School Dictionary, 4th Edition
There is a fire burning inside that demands that I speak yet again about the choice Americans face in Tuesday’s election. I felt this burden one other time–in the fall of 1976 when America was facing the choice of a center-right ticket of Gerald Ford and Bob Dole against the far left combination of Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. I spent that summer writing a book called What About Jimmy Carter which was published two months prior to the election. I then watched in anguish as the electorate foolishly chose Carter whose lack of leadership and deceptive policies brought us four years of misery. That was bad enough. This year there is much more at stake.
America is at a point in history where we could substantially lose both our national strength and God-given destiny if we lose our biblical foundations. In this year’s presidential race, we face a stark choice, and it boils down to this: Will we choose a political huckster who could rip America from its moorings, or will we choose a true American hero who can help reform our floundering nation?
After years of scrutiny and giving him the benefit of the doubt, I have come to the conclusion that Barack Obama is not who he appears to be. Rather, he is an amazingly gifted but calculating politician who is a political huckster–a phony. Using the definition above from “America’s Favorite Dictionary” I will make my case. Barack Hussein Obama is:
- Aggressive – There has never been a national politician so unwilling to build a resume and list of accomplishments than Barack Obama. He is in his forties. He’s never run a business–never authored significant legislation–really never done anything except run for office. Yet he has aggressively sought the presidency for nearly four years. That’s blind ambition.
- Showy – This epitomizes the campaign style of Barack Obama. Remember the international preening in Berlin? The Greek columns at Qualcom Stadium? And most recently the “Presidential Infomercial” where he appears in a setting that’s remarkably similar to the White House or Camp David? Obama is the consumate flashy politician who is big on style but small on substance. He’s a showman–a very good one. Unfortunately, the show has been slick and convincing to many.
- Devious methods to promote a product. This is the most suspect area of the Obama campaign. When he first burst on the scene, he appeared to be fresh and sincere, a new kind of politician that we could trust and believe in. But over the past few months, the real Barack Obama has emerged–and the picture is not pretty. The product he is peddling is himself–and here’s what we have learned about him:
1. He’s devious on moral issues. He says he is sympathetic about abortion, but defining when life begins is “above his paygrade,” he is the Senate’s biggest supporter of abortion on demand (100% Planned Parenthood voting record), and he even supported infanticide while in the Illinois State Senate. He says he supports traditional marriage, but he’s actually a champion for homosexuals forcing their morality upon this nation.
2. He’s devious on national security. He said he is for the troops and their mission, but he voted against funding their operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. He said in the Infomercial that he would “build up the American military” but in times of honesty he has stated that he will cut defense spending by 25%. He says he’s a strong supporter of Israel, but he embraced a PLO terrorist (Rashid Khalidi) who said that the creation of Israel was a “catastrophe.”
3. He’s devious on economic issues. He says he will give a tax cut to 95% of Americans. That’s a lie. First of all, 40% of Americans don’t pay any federal income taxes at all, so how can you give them a tax cut? Second, he will not restore the Bush tax cuts which are set to expire. That means everybody who pays federal taxes will see a tax increase. And we’ve recently learned through the “Joe the Plumber” incident that Obama is a quasi-Socialist. He believes in major government re-distribution of wealth–more in keeping with the principles of Cuba, North Korea, and the former Soviet Union–not the economic ideals that made America a model to the world.
4. He’s devious about his associates and friends. His youthful mentors were Marxists and radicals including Frank Marshall Davis and Saul Alinsky; He took a suspicious loan from convicted felon Tony Rezko; He sat for twenty years (twice a month according to his own words) at Trinity United Church hearing nearly 500 sermons from Pastor Jeremiah Wright but “never heard anything controversial”; He’s a close and present associate of unrepentant terrorist William Ayers. Obama said their kids went to school together (Ayers’ kids are adults and Obama’s are grade school age–go figure) and that he just “lived in the neighborhood.” Obama began his state legislature career at a fund-raiser at Ayers’ home. He also praised Rashid Khalidi in 2003 at a dinner party for the pro-PLO Columbia professor who hurled epithets at Israel (the LA Times is refusing to release the tape of the dinner). If Obama’s friends and associates give us a glimpse of who he really is, then Americans have reasons to be fearful.
5. He’s devious about his past. Why has Barack Obama, a man running for president of the United States, been unwilling to unlock his birth and educational records? What’s he trying to hide? There is a case winding through the courts that claims Obama has lied about his citizenship. This is not a Republican smear campaign–it was launched by a Democrat attorney who was once the deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania. Philip J. Berg claims there is reputable evidence that Barack Obama has lied about his birth and/or citizenship. To run for president there are three simple qualifications: 1) You have to be 35 years old (Obama qualifies), you have to have been a resident of America for 14 years (he has), and you have to be a natural born citizen. The last one is the question mark. Mr. Berg believes that Barack Obama was actually born in Mombasa, Kenya, and may have taken on Indonesian citizenship during his childhood years (in which he used the name Barry Sotoro). Either situation disqualifies from from running for president–just as Arnold Schwartzneggar could never run for president because he was born in Austria. The evidence is pretty strong: 1) an altered birth document that was recently sealed from public scrutiny when Obama visited his ill grandmother in Hawaii, 2) Two different names for the hospital he was supposed to have been born into in Honolulu, and 3) Obama’s Kenyan grandmother stating that she was there when he was born in Mombasa! If Berg eventually wins this case, and Obama is elected president, then he will have to resign and supporters will have spent $600 million dollars on a phony who caused a constitutional crisis. If you want to watch a video about this interesting case, please click here.
6. He’s devious about his faith. Obama calls himself a Christian and has actively courted the votes of evangelicals as Jimmy Carter did in 1976. But the more we learn about his faith, the clearer we see that it is a religious veneer that is anything but biblical. For twenty years he went to a liberation theology church in Chicago pastored by American-hater Jeremiah Wright. In a 2003 interview with his local Chicago newspaper, Obama admitted that he didn’t view heaven and hell as actual places, that there were many roads that lead to God, and when asked of his definition of sin, he gave this absurd and very revealing answer: “Sin is going against your own principles.” What? I know 2nd graders who understand that sin is breaking the commandments of God. Going against your own principles? Hey, Barack–Does it matter what your principles are? Does it matter if God shares those principles? According to Obama’s preposterous idea, Hitler would be sinning to decide not to kill Jews. In ’76 I did not question Jimmy’s Carter’s personal faith–just his worldview. I question many aspects of Barack Obama’s profession of faith.
On the other hand, though John McCain is not my first choice for president, I have grown to greatly appreciate him as a true American hero. He has consistent and principled character. You can trust his words. Even if you disagree with him on an issue (as he and Sarah Palin do on drilling in Anwar), you know where he stands and he doesn’t say one thing and do another. He has been noble in his legislative career, especially in crusading against wasteful government earmarks and spending. He has also authored many major pieces of legislation over the past twenty years. He has a record, principles, and a basic integrity and honesty that makes him a leader America can trust. And finally, there is probably no one in the entire nation who has risked or sacrificed his life more for his nation than John McCain did during his years as a POW in Viet Nam. That sacrifice and understanding of evil will make him an excellent Commander in Chief that will serve our nation well in a hostile world.
Barack Obama is a huckster. John McCain is a hero. It’s as simple as that.
Obama’s America: A Sobering Assessment
America will soon vote in one of the most important presidential elections of our history. The stakes are high because:
- We have not experienced a nation-wide spiritual awakening in many years.
- The tide of moral and economic disarray is accelerating in our nation.
- The next president of the United States will likely choose one to three US Supreme Court justices–setting the cultural course in our land for a generation.
- The choice of presidential candidates reveals a stark contrast in governing principles.
As I wrote previously, that choice is between a FAR LEFT ticket in Barak Obama and Joe Biden and a CENTER-RIGHT ricket in John McCain and Sarah Palin. Even the expremely liberal, pro-Obama Newsweek magazine admitted in last week’s cover story that America is a CENTER-RIGHT nation. So why would we vote for a FAR LEFT president?
I can think of a few possible reasons: 1) The triumph of style over substance. Obama is young, charismatic, and an incredible speaker. However, his policy positions are socially immoral, economically socialistic, and militarily naive. But his likability quotient trumps those concerns with many people. 2) Intellectual ignorance. Many people no longer understand the Judeo-Christian principles that made America a unique and blessed nation in history. Those principles include rights to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, limited government, hard work, personal responsibility, low taxes, secure borders. sound money, and a national destiny. 3) A growing welfare mentality. In an insecure world we want the government to provide health care, manage the economy, oversee my social security etc. Unfortunately, human governments, by design, uniformly fail in these functions (eg. the demise of Europe and “Exhibit A” – the former Soviet Union). But many of us no longer understand this. 4) The historicity of electing an African-American. I, too, could get excited about this possibility if it was the “right” black man or woman. I would enthusiastially support candidates such as Michael Steele, Thomas Sowell, J.C. Watts, or Condeleza Rice for president of the United States. They share America’s historic values and are clear-thinking leaders. Barak Obama is not.
So many people are inclined to vote for Obama–including some evangelicals. What’s an evangelical? A person that believes in the authority of God’s Word and the necessity of sharing his or her faith. This is the scariest part of the 2008 election: It could be the votes of Obama-infatuated evangelicals that put him over the top. In the 2004 election, 22% of professing evangelicals voted for John Kerry–a Far Left politician. Right now the polls show 30% of evangelicals may be inclined to vote for Barak Obama. If that stat is true, then the extra 8% could be the margin that carries Obama to victory.
Then Christians would be responsible for electing an anti-Christian president (in worldview and policies). That’s an extremely scary thought. Can you imagine standing before God one day and explaining how your vote helped bring down a once great and godly nation?
If you think that last point is extreme and far fetched, then you might want to read the following article called “Letter From 2012 in Obama’s America.” It’s fairly long, but it is well researched and reasoned, and is the best article I’ve seen this year on the consequences of the 2008 United States presidential race.
If you are a Christian, please read it with an open mind and heart. Your future may depend upon it. Here’s the link. May God speak to you.
Far Left or Center Right: Choose Wisely America!
As we move into the final weeks of the American presidential campaign, I want to urge my fellow Americans–especially the people of faith–to look carefully at the choice before them. Every election is important, but this one is extremely pivotal because of the issues at stake and the place in history in which we find ourselves. Only one other time have I felt this urgency to speak out boldly about choosing our nation’s highest leader, and that was thirty-two years ago. 1976 was eerily similar to 2008. The Democratic ticket contained a professing liberal Christian in Jimmy Carter and another strong liberal in Walter Mondale. The Republican side boasted two conservative-moderates in Gerald Ford and Bob Dole. I wrote my first book that year on the Carter candidacy (What About Jimmy Carter -published by Third Century Publishers) and accurately predicted that his presidency would be a disaster both socially, economically, and military-wise. During the “malaise” of the Carter years, most of what I warned came true–and fortunately the nation awoke from its slumber and elected Ronald Reagan in a landslide in 1980. Reagan brought “Morning in America” back to the US, started the longest economic expansion in our history and laid the foundation for the fall of Russian Communism.
That was a generation ago. In 2008 the choice that we face is stunningly similar to 1976. At its most basic level, the presidential race boils down to this:
Do we want to “change” into a FAR LEFT (secular) nation or renew and expand our CENTER-RIGHT (Christian) foundations? When it’s all said and done, that’s the choice. It cannot be stated more simply or or clearly. Our choice is either FAR LEFT or CENTER-RIGHT. Which will America choose?
FAR LEFT – Barak Obama is a talented politician. He’s charismatic, energetic, likable, and certainly one of the best orators America has heard in a presidential campaign. After the struggle of the Iraq War, it became easy to believe in him and accept his message of hope. He was young, fresh, ambitious, and he wowed us with his sermon-like message of “Change We Can Believe In.” I totally understand why millions of people–including many people of faith–were drawn to him and his message.
But Barak Obama–regardless of his skin color–is a FAR LEFT politician. he’s a quintessential liberal, in fact, the number one liberal in the United States Senate. He’s to the left of Jimmy Carter and also George McGovern. What does that mean in terms of where he will lead us? Here’s what will happen:
- Abortion will be re-affirmed as a “fundamental right” and Roe v. Wade put in political cement for the next 20-50 years. Obama will choose one-to-three Supreme Court justices who will turn the Court leftward for at least a generation. Barak Obama has said that one of his first acts as president will be to push through the “Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA) which would strike down most of the state restrictions on abortions. Instead of turning the tide in the battle for the unborn, millions more children would needlessly die–adding to the already 45+ million person holocaust. If you are a Christian, how can you vote for a man who is a strident enemy of life?
- Gay Marriage will continue its steady march toward public acceptance. What’s the big deal you ask? It’s this: Every state in America will go down the “Massachusetts road” of teaching the normalcy of gay sex in the government schools, confusing our children and forcing a mass exodus of Christian families from that domain (please go to our website and click on the “Vote Yes on Prop 8” video to educate yourself on this issue). Churches will eventually be targeted for speaking against homosexuality–and will be punished for their “bigotry” and “intolerance.” And if immorality becomes fully accepted in society–our social end is near as the family disintegrates and judgment falls. As a Christian, can you really vote for a man who is radically committed to changing the moral foundations that made this nation great?
- Government will grow exponentially in size, regulation, taxation, and control. This is the essence of liberalism: the government will control us and provide for us. Barak Obama WILL raise your taxes–that’s simply reality. Liberals believe in freedom in morals (behavior) and restrictions on business. Conservatives believe in freedom in commerce and constraints on morality. The recent economic troubles have already pushed us toward a controlled economy. An Obama presidency would thrust us in the direction of European-style socialism. As a person of faith, do you really want the Government to be your Provider and Savior?
- America will also weaken as a nation militarily–and possibly be attacked–with more people dying. Be honest with yourself. For all the faults of George W. Bush, he has kept us safe since the 9-11 attacks. That’s an incredible feat in the era of global terror. It would certainly change under an Obama administration. The military doesn’t respect Obama, he doesn’t respect it, and our defense capabilities would go down hill under his tenure. The same thing happened during the Clinton years and paved the way for horrors of 2001.
- And then there’s Joe Biden. He’s the number three liberal in the Senate. Do I have to say any more? Number One and Number Three (Ted Kennedy is Number Two). This is the most far left, liberal ticket in the history of the Republic. As a Christian, do you think FAR LEFT is the answer to America’s problems? I hope you can answer that question with a clear and discerning mind. Our future may depend upon it.
And now to the other choice.
CENTER-RIGHT – John McCain was never my first choice for president. He has been a centrist moderate much of his life though his core values (such as on issues like abortion, taxes, and the military) are fairly conservative. He’s the only moderate in this race. In a brilliant and courageous move, he chose conservative governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. She has the most executive experience of anybodyon either ticket, is the highest rated governor in the entire nation, and is a non-elite politician who has a Reagan-like charm to her personality. In the same way the liberal press tried to marginalize and destroy Ronald Reagan, they’ve attempted to do the same to the Alaska governor. But it didn’t work. She did well in the VP debate and is currently drawing bigger crowds than Obama around the nation because of her spunk, values, and down to earth likability. Sarah Palin represents the traditional conservative values of America–and along with John McCain, creates a balanced center-right Republican ticket.
Where would McCain-Palin lead America?
- They would likely appoint one-three Supreme Court justices that would bring the Court back to its normal and historic center-right position. Roe v Wade might be overturned for the despicable law its always been and abortion rights sent back to the States. Babies would live, not die. Judgment would be lifted from the American nation if accompanied with repentance and renewal. Life and not death would make a resurgence in our back-slidden nation. As a Christian, wouldn’t you like to see our Constitutional right to “life” restored in this nation?
- The tide would also turn against the social tinkering of moral relativism. Gays could be gay but not force their views on the rest of the nation. Kids would be less confused and families could be strengthened. Schools would stop being a social battlefield and could be revived and changed for the better. As a part of the faith community, don’t you want the 2000 year moral underpinnings of our nation to be strengthened to bring blessing and stability to children and families?
- Taxes would be lowered for all Americans. Government would still be large–but not the controlling Behemoth of the alternative party. Many restraints would be taken off small and large businesses, and America could begin to soar again. As a Christian, don’t you believe also in economic “liberty and the pursuit of happiness” which has been the basis of the American Dream?
- The military would proudly serve a man who is truly their hero. Their president wouldn’t blink when faced with foreign dangers–and the terrorists would fear America and her God. No one wants war–and fighting in wars is a difficult, but necessary evil. But wouldn’t you want a man in the Oval Office who has fought and suffered for this nation, and understands more than most people the need for peace through strength?
America–the choice is very clear in 2008. What kind of change do you want?
FAR LEFT or CENTER-RIGHT?
Choose wisely–for your children, your grandchildren and the glory of God in these United States of America.