Because It Needs to Be Said

Like many Americans I have been following the presidential campaign closely. I've heard the arguments and accusations on both sides. There's no doubt that this election cycle is very different from the ones we have witnessed in our lifetime. There is also something that is very clear (something that quite honestly should have been a part of every election): We Need to Vote the ISSUES.

I've often said since Obama was first elected that we have seen what I like to call the American Idol effect. Where the American people have tended to vote for the most popular, the most attractive, and the most charismatic. Substance has been thrown out the window. If that is the case, then what are you and I supposed to do when neither candidate is popular? How do you vote when neither candidate for president is your first choice? Answer: You vote the ISSUES.

Honestly, we should have been doing this all along. I realize that those who are old enough to remember "The Moral Majority" believe that if they vote republican then they are voting on the issues. They actually hold to the position that God is on the side of the GOP. However, I've also talked with people who are believers in Jesus Christ and they cannot believe that anyone would vote for a republican. They hold to the position that the liberal agenda is more in line with the teachings of Jesus. The problem for me is that our faith was never meant to endorse one party over the other. What we should always focus on are the ISSUES. What does each candidate stand for? How will this person lead our nation? What are their convictions in the areas of security, morality, fiscal responsibility? For a lot of Christians the big ticket items are abortion and marriage. But what about all the other problems that we face as a nation? How do we vote in this election?

First of all, you need to know that I've already made my mind up. I know who I'm going to vote for. In fact, I made up my mind a long time ago. There are things that I believe that are needed in our nation right now. We have lacked leadership. We have lacked transparency within our government. The voice of the American people doesn't seem to be heard in Washington D.C. I believe that needs to change. I believe that we need to get back to a government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. All things that should matter to us as Americans and as Christians. In this election, you are going to have to answer the question: What ISSUES Matter to Me?

Neither party can take the moral high ground this year. Neither party can talk about a candidate who is above controversy. Neither party can claim to have the popular candidate. Which means that this year - more than any other - the ISSUES REALLY MATTER. Some people have said that they need to vote their conscience. Which has typically meant that they are going to go third party with their vote. A position that I understand. I've wished for a long time that American could actually get out of this two party system. Until that happens I have not found a third party candidate that I believed could actually win. Nor have I found one that lines up with the things that I believe are important for our nation. We have to be careful with this approach since we know that in the current system a third party vote is a throw away. The reality is that one of the two main candidates is going to win. So...we do need to decide who we do not want leading this nation and vote in a way that ensures that does not happen.

"I feel like I'm voting for the lesser of two evils."
If that is how you feel, then please vote for the lesser of the two. Less evil is a good thing.

While I'm at it, let me just go ahead and get this off of my chest. During the last presidential election (for example) the GOP nominated Mitt Romney as their candidate for President. The evangelical vote did not come in for him. They stayed at home. They chose to not vote for someone who lined up with them on these big moral issues simply because he was a Mormon. A major voting block did not participate in the last election and they are the same ones who complained the most with the direction of our country. What this group of people did not take into account was the fact that the ISSUES are what really matter in each and every election.

Regardless of which side of the aisle you choose to stand, can we please stop with all of the moral grandstanding? This election is about the ISSUES. And each of us have to determine which candidate has the best policies for the future of our nation. This is more than a moral responsibility. It's an American responsibility. While I would love to be going to the voting booth and know that I'm voting for someone who has the ethical standing I believe a President should possess, neither of these candidates do. Therefore, the ISSUES are what matter to me. The direction of this nation is at the forefront of my thinking. I'm not here to defend or promote either candidate. I'm simply saying what needs to be said. There is an election in 27 days. We need to make a decision. May the ISSUES guide you in your decision.

I saw a t-shirt that says exactly what needs to said:
Pray
Vote
Pray