Politics...

Most of this post is inspired by a comment I made on Derek Maul's blog, "The Life-Charged Life" entry of Oct 31st, "The Last Post You Need to Read About This Election".

I hope readers will take time to pray about their decision making process before acting on their civic duty on Tuesday.  My thought is that regardless of which candidate(s) you support, the most important part of being an American is to make your voice heard through voting.  It is our opportunity to weigh in; to support individuals who have decided to submit themselves and their families to public scrutiny through public service as well as, initiatives and causes in the public sphere. 

Politics...it's a dirty, slimy, backstabbing exercise in character assassination.  

Whoever escapes the vitriolic rhetoric and becomes the last candidate standing, emerges as the office holder accountable to the entire electorate.  Sometimes it's with a mandate, sometimes it's not.  Since 2000 the nation has become split between the so-called 'red' states and 'blue' states as a result of not only Bush v. Gore decision, but because of a whole myriad of other issues and topics.  All too often people now wear their politics on their sleeve and I'm not talking about the generic candidate sign in your yard or bumper sticker on your car.  

Sadly, the one important topic that has been thrown under the bus that should trump all of the ideological extremes and philosophies is that of the dire need for cooperation and compromise through respectful civil discourse.  Until politicians and the general public alike recognize that we can't have one party rule exclusively without the other and that compromise is not a dirty word we cannot move forward.  Compromise has been and must continue to be an essential part of this nation’s history; toward getting things accomplished, but without it we will continue to wallow in the endless bickering of gridlock that leads us nowhere. 

So...support your candidate because you truly want that cooperation; support your candidate because, although you perhaps don't agree fundamentally with the other candidate's philosophy, you don't harbor ill will or disrespect toward him or her.  Remember, these individuals, more often than not, are willingly submitting themselves to the most rigorous, most intrusive review of themselves, their families, close friends, old flames, and general acquaintances they will ever undergo.  And...perhaps this is precisely why there are few willing to take the plunge into public service...it's too invasive, too intrusive, too disrespectful, the media too relentless and the public too hungry for emergence of any skeleton lurking in any closet they can find in order to scandalize, derail and destroy a human being. So I'll say it again...

Politics...it's a dirty, slimy backstabbing exercise in character assassination.  

Tuesday, vote because your proud to be able to and vote because so very many have sacrificed in so very many ways for your right to do so. 

Government(s) can indeed be a bad thing, but government too can be a very good thing as recently been exemplified as a result of Hurricane Sandy.  Let's all try and remember that.

Today a political commentator made a prediction that the losing side, whichever it is, will not accept the outcome; will not accept the legitimacy of the winner and thus lead to more entrenchment and disfunction. 

Let's all exercise our civic responsibility and be respectful of whatever the outcome(s) may be and honestly, and truthfully commit to working together to move forward, but to also quell those elements who will put political expediency and authoritarianism before the common good.  

As you make your decision remember to discern the words from the ‘sermon on the mount’.  Hear them in your ear….those words from undoubtedly the most authentic, most accurate stump speech in all of history. 

“Then – and from the depths of all I have ever tried to tell this world – check out what Jesus (my son) said; it’s a no-brainer. In fact, Jesus may possibly have addressed a couple of these issues in a little thing we like to call, THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT!!!" – God

Peace,

Ray