Politics

President Barack Obama’s first week in office is history. Because he is a relative unknown with a thin resume for the US presidency, there’s been a question in many minds whether he is really a centrist-pragmatist politician or an ultra-left ideologue. The early verdict is in–and the results are discouraging. Far-left ideologue fits the bill so far. Three first-week directives given by the new president bode badly for America’s safety, the struggling economy, and for the most vulnerable among us–little children.

THE WAR ON TERROR

President Obama’s first presidential oder set in motion the closing of the Guantanamo Bay terrorist prison within a year. This was a promise he’d made to his radical anti-war base, and he wasted no time in fulfilling it. Essentially the Obama administration is taking us back to the pre-9-11 days where enemy combatants are treated as domestic instead of terrorists. It was the policy of the former Clinton administration that encouraged the first Trade Center bombings, the attack on the US Cole, and ultimately set the table for the devastating attacks on September 11, 2001. In closing Gitmo, the new administration has no plan where the terrorists will go–they’ve just decided to give them rights and privileges that will probably bring them to our shores and assure that some make their way back to the theaters of the world where they can kill more people. Robert Gibbs, the administration’s new press secretary, was careful in his first press conference to not use the words “war on terror.” They either think the war is over or that there is a more humane way to prosecute it. Obama is not being very FDR-like here. Franklin Roosevelt interned Japanese Americans who were even suspected of being at war with the US. President Obama is giving privileges to those who killed three thousand of our fellow countrymen.

The president also moved quickly to disband the effective interrogation tactics that the Bush administration used to prevent another attack on American soil for the past seven years. Interrogation sites in Europe will be closed, water-boarding banned, and our military will now have to ask our enemies “Please” and “Thank you” in obtaining important information that could save lives. If one of the priorities of the US president is to “protect and defend” the people of America, then President Obama’s first week was a failure. We are now more vulnerable to attack, our enemies have been emboldened, and if–God-forbid–another 9-11 comes to our nation, there will be one person who is responsible: Barack Hussein Obama.

Some willing accomplices, who should also be held in contempt, are the New York Times, Washington Post, and other liberal media outlets who have cried foul against “torture” for years. They say we need to live out our values–take the high moral ground–treat people humanely. Well, we do. We’re Americans–and we believe in human life and its special creation in the image of God. The left has co-opted the torture issue simply because no one can clearly define it. Let me give it a try: Torture is inflicting permanent or long-term physical or psychological pain to a human being for the purpose of gaining their cooperation. We can all imagine, thanks to Hollywood, what this might entail including cutting, burning or tearing the body, or afflicting the mind to the point of mental damage or long-term affects. The US does none of these. We have used strong, but humane forms of persuasion to get our enemies to divulge secrets that have saved many lives. But no more. Obama’s first acts have gutted these necessary defenses. We are now less safe.

THE WAR ON THE ECONOMY

President Obama also continues to pursue a 850 billion to 1.2 trillion “stimulus package” to try and get the American economy back on track. But the approach is wrong and will only prolong and deepen the pain that is spreading through our financial markets and businesses. Obama’s economic team–supposedly very bright people (except one who cheated on his taxes)–want the federal government to “spend us” out of the recession. But as history shows, this is the wrong path to take. To get America going again we don’t need more federal fiat dollars. We need government, banks, businesses, and individuals to correct their debt-laden ways–and we need Uncle Sam to slash taxes and regulations that are  throttling both recovery and economic growth.

I’m reading a fascinating book right now called The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy If We Let It Happen. It’s written by three economists, one of which is Dr. Arthur Laffer, the famous originator of the Laffer Curveand the brains behind supply side economics. It was Laffer’s advice to Ronald Reagan on tax cuts in the early 80s that led to an unprecedented twenty-five year boom in the American economy from 1982-2007. During those years “America, Inc. climbed in real terms from $25 trillion in 1980 to $57 trillion in 2007. More wealth was created in the United States over the past twenty-five years than in the previous two hundred years.” This low-tax engine of growth included:

• Between 2001 and 2007  the number of Americans with a net worth of $1 million quadrupled  from 2.1 million to 8.9 million. The rich expanded their ranks.
• In 1967 only one in 25 families earned an income of $100,000, whereas today over one in four families do. The percentage of families with an income of more than $75,000 a year has more than tripled from 9 percent in 1967 to almost 33 percent from 1967 to 2005. The middle class grew.
• The percentage of families in income groups between $5000 and $50,000 has dropped 19% since 1967. The number of poor people is shrinking. (All figures above are adjusted for inflation.)

Laffer, Stephen Moore, and Peter Tanous applaud both Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Ronald Reagan for understanding the keys to economic growth. Both cut tax rates that hindered entrepreneurs and capital investment. They also take to task Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter–two Ds and two Rs–whom they call the “Four Stooges.” These presidents didn’t understand economic principles and caused America to flounder during the sixties and seventies (the last major recession). The authors say that Bill Clinton eventually got it right with the help of Newt Gingrich and Co. and George Bush did the right thing on taxes, but not on spending.

They’re greatly concerned about Barack Obama and team: “If Washington turns all the policy dials in the wrong direction, just as sure as the sun rises in the morning, the US economic growth machine will grind to a halt. That is, in fact, the central premise of this book: Economic policy matters. Incentives matter (lowering taxes). Prosperity doesn’t happen by accident, and growth is not the natural course of events; it has to be nurtured and rewarded.” Their advice to President Obama: “Lower taxes–better yet, abolish the IRS, enact a 12% flat tax and champion free trade.” As of his first week, the president is acting like the fifth Stooge. He wants to secure his political base by distributing government pork all over the countryside–increasing government and its tentacles. It’s a recipe for another Depression.

THE WAR ON CHILDREN

Probably the saddest event of President Obama’s first week was expanding the death grip of abortion in American culture. Gone from the presidential web-site was George Bush’s encouragement on the Sanctity of Human Life Sunday or any other pro-life information.  In its place was language supporting abortion rights, including this passage:

“President Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Administration.  He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in that case.”

Thus, one of first presidential orders signed by President Obama was allowing federal tax dollars to be used for abortions and “family planning services” around the world. Though a clear majority in this nation are opposed to abortion on demand, your tax dollars will now be used to kill unborn babies in the womb. This is something that should lead us to weep for our children. I also encourage you to write President Obama and ask him to rescind the evil order. (Click HERE to send an e-mail.) Maybe we need to start another tax revolt to let our government know that  the Declaration of Independence asserts a God-given right to life and that we refuse to let our tax monies be used without “representation.”

It’s been a bad week for America.

• The nation’s less safe
• The economy’s less safe
• And the children are less safe.

Let’s pray for forgiveness, repentance, faith in God and his ways, and a change of direction. Otherwise, all we’re left holding is a change you can fear.

Now that the dust has settled on the 2008 presidential election, it might be helpful to analyze why Barack Obama was elected America’s 44th American president. As stated in a previous column, though I did not vote for Mr. Obama, I believe it is very important to pray for him, support his efforts when we agree, and wish him well in his new responsibilities. He deserves credit for winning a highly contested election and making history by becoming the first African American president of the United States.

How did he do it? Let’s look first at the positive things President-elect Obama did in defeating John McCain and the Republicans:

1. Big Vision – Barack Obama won the battle of Grand Ideas with his vision of hope and message of change. He began that journey with his book The Audacity of Hope and grew the message into the over-arching theme of “Changing the Status Quo in Washington D.C.” and leading the nation in a new direction. His big picture view resonated with the people of America and drew them to his side.

2. Communication Skills – Barack Obama is a gifted orator who drew massive crowds and support with his speaking abilities. His words were articulate, his style was personal, and he had all the good mannerisms of an African American preacher. Though Ronald Reagan is called the Great Communicator, Barack Obama certainly inherits that title with the new generation. His golden tongue was a major factor in building an army that would carry him to victory.

3. Disciplined Message– Barack Obama was also very careful to stay on message during the campaign. It was hope and change, hope and change, and more hope and change. He rarely got side-tracked from his political mantra or lost in petty details and arguments. His advisers should be given kudos for keeping him on message through the ups and downs of the long haul. He was the consistent candidate.

4. Strong Organization– He also formed a powerful political machine that brought him millions of donors and thousands of volunteers who turned out the vote. It was Obama’s organizational strategy of focusing on the caucus states with paid volunteers that led to his upset of Hillary Clinton in Iowa and eventually derailed the Clinton juggernaut. In the general election, he mobilized the strongest grassroots effort to share his message and get people to the polls. In many states, 40-50% of the population were personally contacted by Obama volunteers. The McCain campaign could only muster 30% in the best of states. And his use of the new media including texting, Facebook, and MySpace proved decisive. The young still didn’t vote in larger numbers in this election–but a sizable majority of those who voted cast their votes for Obama.

These positive qualities of vision, communication, discipline and organization must be re-learned by the Republicans and other candidates if they seek to win elections. Barack Obama has set a new standard in critical areas that bring victory.

But there were also a number of negative factors that contributed to the 53% to 46% Obama victory. Based on Obama’s positives and circumstantial factors we we will mention later, this race should have been the biggest blow-out in history. It wasn’t. It didn’t come close to Reagan’s 1984 electoral landslide nor LBJ’s 1964 popular vote victory. That’s because quite a few people were concerned with the negative aspects of Barack Obama the person and the candidate. These include:

1. Deceptive Imaging – The Obama election was a victory of style over substance. For all his quirks, John McCain had the greater substance–he was a war hero who stood for a strong military, tax cuts for all, judicial restraint, and pro-family-pro-life issues. But Barack Obama had the better style–with the soaring rhetoric, special effects, and glitzy advertising. In terms of historic American positions, he was all bun and no beef. He even pretended to be center-right on numerous issues, when his record had been nothing short of 100% liberal. He also posed as bi-partisan and inclusive while his actions showed that he rarely crossed the aisle to listen to the other side. If a lie is defined as “an intended deception,” then the Obama campaign was littered with them. It was very reminiscent of the nation’s last Democrat in office, Bill “it depends on the meaning of the word IS” Clinton. Liberals call it nuanced and thoughtful. Most of us call it lying.

2. Covering up the past – Barack Obama was also very clever about covering up his suspect and radical past. His birth and education records are all sealed. What’s he trying to hide? He spent twenty years in a liberation theology church, then cast his spiritual father off the boat when he threatened his campaign. His formative years were filled with radical friendships that he mostly denied or shrugged off as meaningless and distant associations. In 1984, an affair derailed Gary Hart’s path to the presidential nomination. Barack Obama’s ties to an unrepentant terrorist didn’t cause a blink of an eye to 53% of Americans. If a person is “hot,” do we no longer care who they really are or who they work with?

3. Racism – There’s no doubt that Barack Obama received 95% of the black vote in America because racism still exists–just in reverse. Blacks voted for him because he is black. If whites vote for people because they’re white, then it’s racism. But not the other way around. Obama also exploited the issue by playing up the race card on a number of occasions while John McCain chose to take the high moral ground. Dr. Martin Luther King wanted people to vote for individuals on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. That lesson remains to be learned in 21st century America.

4. Media Bias – Sean Hannity called it “the year that journalism died” and I tend to agree. From the moment Barak Obama announced his candidacy, the main stream press backed him without shame all the way through election day. They didn’t vet him. They rarely reported negative stories. They actively campaigned for him. His smiling face was everywhere. This was a huge reason he defeated Hillary Clinton and it certainly propelled him in the general election. He was the “media’s candidate.” And just who is the mainstream media? They’re the Big Three broadcast stations (ABC, NBC, and CBS), cable network’s CNN, the three leading national newspapers and their affiliates (New York and LA Times and the Washington Post), and the AP wire service. These news organizations, though in decline, still control the majority of news reporting in America. By everyone’s count, they were about 70% pro-Obama and 30% pro-McCain. This alone was probably a $200 million advertising gift to Obama-Biden. Why did they support him? Because these news outlets lean leftward. For example: Only 8% of them weekly attend church, as opposed to 40% of Americans. So their view is limited–and the only person in their sights was Barack Hussein Obama.

There were also a number of large circumstantial factors in Barack Obama’s election victory. The unpopularity of the Iraq War was big, though the issue was on the backburner. The hatred of George Bush and incompetence of the Republican Party was a big part. Another factor was the lack of a strong conservative alternative to run against Obama. Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee canceled each other out in the primaries and the mantel fell to John McCain. Sarah Palin brought back the conservative enthusiasm with huge crowds and All-American appeal, but she was in the number two slot. And then there was the biggest circumstantial factor–the economic meltdown which was blamed on the current administration. John McCain was ahead
by ten points in September, but after the disastrous bank bailout, Barack Obama surged to a lead he never lost. People blamed the Republicans for the mess though many of us would argue that liberal politicians over the past sixty years are primarily to blame. (Click here to see my October 7 article on this subject.)

But the greatest single factor in Barack Obama’s election as the 44th president of the United States is something you probably won’t hear on CBS. Here are some sobering statistics:

• In 2004 22% of Christian evangelicals voted for John Kerry. In 2008 32% of them voted for Barack Obama–a ten point increase.
• Protestants as a whole cast 45% of their votes for Obama.
• Catholics gave him 54%.

That was the ball-game–the margin of victory. It was professing Christians–especially evangelical Christians, voting for a far left, anti-Christian president that determined the 2008 election. God gave us who we wanted–with Christians casting the deciding votes.

Now you know why “judgment begins with the house of God” in the coming years (1 Peter 4:17) and why the greatest need in America is the spiritual revival of the church. It’s also our greatest hope–not the election of a man–but the hope of nationwide revival of the people of God through the power of Jesus Christ.