OK, it's been awhile since any posts. I was inching towards political "out-of-controlness."
Now that the election's behind us, it's time to look ahead. Obama is in. Our next President and Commander-in-Chief. A good friend, Justin B, had written a wise statement (not sure if he had the original thought, but regardless, it's truth) about B.O. He said that if B.O. had tried to join the FBI, he would've been rejected based on his past associations. Well - now he's leader of the free world.
I got to thinking about the next 4 years. Here's what is worrisome. Because a large majority of the reason for Barack's victory is found in the so-called "youth vote," you can examine some of "youth's" negative tendencies and characteristics. Youth tends to be idealistic and sometimes arrogant (ignorantly casting a blind eye to wisdom). I sense that, because most of the youth will feel this is "their" President, anything said about Barack appearing to be critical will be defended out of pride. Not wanting to own up to any failure (surely this will be inevitable on some situations in the next 4 years, seeing as Obama is green as they come), they will fight, tooth and nail, to justify all of B.O.'s actions and decisions. It will become tied up in their own self-worth. You can bet on this.
The other thing, that has been cited before by many others, is the "racism card." I'm joining the chorus and agreeing that many, many viable disagreements will be written off as "racist." If you disagree or are critical of B.O., you are tagged "racist." Count on this happening. However, if Obama is to get any kind of respect, he will have to call this down and ask for some degree of rationality in judging people's critical eye. Unless he is off-the-charts arrogant (and I believe he's got the intelligence and discernment to realize it), he will do this early on in his administration to get it cleared off the table and dealt with. If he does not address it, I worry for a "bullet-proof" administration that will not accept any criticism and accept only the one-sided praise of its partisan base. That would truly be the "lone ranger" mentality that Bush has been accused of for the past several years.
I do trust that God is in ultimate control and authority. We survived Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. As another friend pointed out, we might do good to settle down and be patient; it takes a Carter to get a Reagan.
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3 comments:
Three things to note:
1. When FDR defeated Hoover in 1932, some people were sure it was the end. "We're heading towards socialism", they said. Even Charles Lindbergh stuck his foot in his mouth with the comment, "We have more to fear from Roosevelt than from Hitler" (I wonder how long it took "Lucky Lindy" to pull his appendage back out again after that). In the end, it didn't happen. We veered towards socialist programs from the 1930s to the early 1950's, then when Eisenhower was elected, we veered back the other way. That's one of the great things about American democracy: it's elasticity, from administration to administration. This is not the end of the world; nor is it the end of the country.
Breathe.
2. The second part of MLK's remark that his children "would not be judged by the color of their skin" was "...but by the content of their character"...words worth keeping in mind. If the forty-three presidents that preceded Obama have been subject to criticisms of their character, then it's only natural for Obama to expect the same. Some of it will be malicious (as it invariably is, regardless of what president is the target), some of it will be misinformed, and some of it will be honest and on-target. If Obama is a good as they say he is, he will take what's constructive and learn from it; if not, well, most likely he won't have a second term.
3. Youth may make noise...but it doesn't make policy. The power is still in the hands of the Washington "elite". So I'm not too worried about what the kiddy-boos think one way or the other about how "their" president is being treated; even if they don't like it, they really don't have the power to do anything about it.
In the end, life and democracy goes on.
Yes, Dan, I agree with some of what you say. I don't think it's "the end" and I don't despair. And I'm definitely breathing - don't worry!
I actually felt hopeful today (but hey, it's the "hope and change" variety!), because I woke up and it struck me how much God is the end-all, be-all. This is a small thing, in the grand scheme of world events. Obama is a man created by a Creator, ultimately. We are ok.
I think socialism and liberalism have a very close relationship, in today's age. It's not the same day as when FDR and Hoover were around. We are in a new era, with different challenges. Abortion is an issue close to me and I see that as something Obama's administration will push forward for even greater destruction on "fetuses." I fear for how much farther away we'll move from Biblical truth - although this is when the Spirit of God can move in powerful ways. I don't know if we'll hit "rock bottom" on the moral scale of things; however, when people become "bankrupt" in their lives and relationships, they are more likely to call on the mercy of God.
I know God works all things together for good!
Meant to say in the last post:
"(but hey, it's NOT the "hope and change" variety!)
Just wanted to clarify!
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