Wednesday, November 03, 2004
November 2nd Most-mortem
Is the new American voter the values voter? And, does this mean anything for our nation?
This morning there is a lot of talk about what this election turned on. Clearly Iraq was a major issue, probably driving many young people to the polls and turning some Republican votes to Democrat. Terrorism seemed to be an issue, but based on Kerry?s strong showing in New York and New Jersey indicates that it may not have been the issue many thought it was. The economy was an issue, though probably only on the margins ? especially among union voters who have suffered from the new globalized economy.
But what we are finding out today is the reason that most Americans voted for Bush is that they were voting values. A month ago I read a great book review on the new book, What?s the Matter with Kansas, stating that the author misses the point that many people do not vote strictly on pocketbook issues (putting aside the real question of whether either party is really interested in the common person). Sometimes people vote for something more important than money (now that is an American heresy if there ever was one). Last night may well have been one of those occasions.
Do values matter? Is there a connection between heart-felt values and the quality of society we live in. I was watching MSNBC last night when Michael Reagan spoke about how horrible it was that all of the anti-gay marriage initiatives (eleven of them, including in states like Oregon) passed by large margins. ?It doesn?t impact even one of those voters? he said. But there he is wrong. What is at issue is whether marriage is primarily about my personal satisfaction (which is the point too many heterosexuals as well as homosexuals make) or isit about something bigger ? providing a stable environment of commitment and the best most natural place for raising of children. Marriage, many of the values voters know, is about the health of society, not any one person. After thirty plus years of no-fault divorce having caused chaos on the American family and social scenes, perhapas Americans are really beginning to wonder that ?personal liberty? cannot be had at the price of societal destruction.
But gay marriage was but one of the social issues. Another big one was abortion. Florida passed a parental notification law last night, which those on the extreme pro-abortion side see as tantamount to ?raping young women.? This election provided the first real opportunity that a Surpeme Court may be in place to overturn Row vs. Wade. This will of course not make aborton illegal, but it will throw it back to the states to decide. Moral arguments (which have been slowly changing over the past three decades back to the pro-life side) will be shared, from both perspectives. We have seen the number of abortions drop in the past decade, largely it appears due to better contraception (taking of personal responsibility if one is going to have sex), a growing reluctance to kill a life (amongst those who are pregnant) as well as facilities and outreach to care for unwed mothers and women in difficult situations, and finally thanks to the growth of the abstinence movement. As one who wants to see a day when there are no abortions in our nation (note that is not the same as saying abortion is illegal ? one is the representation of a culture of life, the other a simple legal mandate that may not impact behavior at all), I think we are heading the right direction.
One final note. Many Americans, no matter how many bad television shows they watch or horrible movies, are not satisfied with the state of the culture in America. I am the first to point out the incredible hypocrisy of the 1950s television shows. But, if you had to ask me which world I would prefer ? the world of The Dick Van Dyck Show or that of Sex in the City, there is no doubt in my mind. Dick?s world needed more honesty, more facing of the truth of society. You can teach people to see the world, its sin and its beauty. Carrie?s world is one of dehumanization, of sex as a desperate replacement for truly being known, of a world where pleasure is all there is ? be it sex, shoes, or money ? but no real life. I do not want to go backwards to the 1950s. I want to help build a society that increasingly represents the values of the Kingdom of God, where each person is respected as an image bearer of God, where justice, truth, love, mercy and holiness are the values that mark our communities and our relationships. The forward is not back, nor is it into the inner sanctum of the happy nihilism of the ?elites? of our nation. I would like to think that many American voters were hoping the same thing.
Some will say that the election was still too close to say there is a sea change in our nation. 51-48% is not a huge victory, I grant you. But remember that a large number of Kerry voters are life-long Democrats, many of whom share the same hope I just mentioned. They are committed thought to either party identification or to the belief that the Democrats represent the best path to bring justice to all people. I respect them for that. I am a strong proponent of labor, of farm conditions, of the environment, and of many similar values of the Democrats. While I have reinstated my Republican party identification, I do not vote for the party ? I vote for the vision of the person. I would gladly vote for a Democrat who shared the vision I outlined (yes, I am one of those who wishes Zell Miller was ten years younger and could save the Democratic party). I want to help the Republican party to see the importance of bringing a culture of life to business, to immigration (a future policy paper on this site), to the environment, to the death penalty (hey, if Jesus did not use the death penalty when warranted in John 8, I don?t think we should either), and many more places. I sense the growing mood of a respect of life in the Republican party, and it seems the best place to work in the political realm (which is not the most important realm ? personal and community transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit is) to accomplish those goals. I do not place my hope in political power ? but I do respect my responsibility as a Kingdom citizen to do so.
The only candidate I voted for who lost last night was Pete Coors. I was originally against him, largely due to the dehumanizing commercials of his company (I am not against ale though, as judged by my tabs in British pubs). But through the days and weeks leading up to November 2nd I saw a man who was being transformed, who cared about life, and was willing to learn. Alas, I think he lost for two reasons. First, he didn?t want it bad enough. He has the worlds greatest job, according to him, he gets to live in the great state of Colorado (trade Golden, CO for Washington, D.C. ? perish the thought). His family is here, he wants to see his grandkids grow up, to be part of something bigger than himself. He clearly didn?t want to give that up for the allure of D.C. But second, and equally important, many Coloradoans saw Ken Salazar as a man who shared their values. A Catholic, a son of the mountain values, a family man. When it came down to it, people of this state just saw someone they could trust who wanted the job. While Salazar is a Catholic, he is also pro-choice (one of those ?can?t impose my beliefs on others people?). I wonder personally how committed he is to that position though. Will he be tipped more and more to uphold the values of his faith and his constituents? I will pray this is the case. He seems like he has the capacity to be a decent man in a cesspool city and a great senator. Let?s hope this happens.
I mentioned the abhorance of the nation at large with the values of the New York and L.A. elities. To back this up, if you remove CA and NY from the vote totals (as of 10:00am today), here is the final count
Bush 51,151,659
Kerry 45,425,771
This represents a difference of almost 6 million votes and a 53-47 vote differential. For the 48 states of the union aside from the home of Big Media, the outcome is much clearer. Additionally, if you look at counties and how they voted, it will end up being something close to 2000, when well over 90% of the counties and 95% of the land mass of our nation voted for Bush. This doesn?t mean that lots of people don?t disagree with the President, it simply means when you think about the average American, there seems to be a genuine openness to increasingly doing the righ thing?not the expedient thing. Int hat environment, if the Church lives and shares a Gospel of the Kingdom that brings transformation and hope for today and not simply a ?Get out of Hell free? message, the nation may be interested in hearing it. As I always say, ?Hear the Gospel again?for the first time.?
