Why I voted for Obama...

One of the great things about this country is the right of every citizen to vote for their personal choice of  elected officials without having to give a reason or defend their position. I am writing this because many have asked me how a Christian can vote for a democratic nominee and I wanted to give my personal reasons as a possible basis for how a Christian could vote this way because above all I identify myself as a Christian. Voting Democratic is a first for me, I must confess, so I understand the concerns of Republican Christians.

First of all we all must recognize that neither party is the “Christian” party. Neither party guides their platform by the Bible though I believe major constituents of both parties are influenced by the truths of the Bible. My desire here is not to discredit McCain. He is a hero of our nation and I believe him to be a good man. I may compare him now and again but my main point is to explain why I voted FOR Obama not AGAINST McCain, a distinction that I feel is important.

My decision was the compilation of many pros and cons. Below I have briefly discussed several of the “hot topics” of the election so people can read that I am not just “uniformed” or making an “emotional” decision without a reasonable basis.

Redistribution – I have heard many Christians tell me that “Christianity is not a means of government” when it comes to this topic but you then cannot say you voted for government to reflect biblical principles in other areas if you don’t think government should reflect this principle. I believe the Bible is clear about caring for the poor and even mandating on a governmental level for the rich to give to the poor, whether they want to or not, and they do not have a say in what programs are valuable to them or not. It is taking from the rich and giving to the poor a redistribution of wealth. They have no authority over how the money is spent. We can see this principle in the local church today. We must give to the local church but most of us have no direct say in how the money is spent.

I don’t think people refute the concept of individual giving it is the concept of corporate/governmentally mandated giving that causes problems. The scripture that tells us to give individually tells us something about the preferences of God. When we read 1Jn 3:16 we also have to remember that although he is not mandating particular actions he is mandating a giving heart of compassion. This is not a new concept. This has been throughout scripture and started in specific mandates. The reason 1Jn is written the way it was is because many, like the Pharisees, obeyed the specifics but not the heart.

Giving is governmentally mandated in Deut10:18 – Foreigner, widow, orphan; Isa 58 as true worship; Lk 3:11 (reiterating Isa58); Acts 2:43-47 (albeit voluntary); 1Jn 3:16 among others. The most significant “socialistic” scripture of them all is Lev 25 and the years of Jubilee. The list just doesn’t seem to end when it comes to generosity toward the oppressed, the widow, the fatherless and the alien.

I don’t believe these commands are strictly for Israel but even if I did, the overwhelming slant of scripture is toward redistribution instead of only giving to whom you want, when you feel like it. People in general are selfish and do not want to share which is why this was mandated to the Israelites.

On a more pragmatic level, “Trickle down economics” is not working. CEO salaries have gone through the roof while blue collar workers are falling behind.

In 1970, CEO salary and bonus packages were typically about $700,000 - 25 times the average production worker salary; by 2000, CEO salaries had jumped to almost $2.2 million on average, 90 times the average salary of a worker, according to a 2004 study on CEO pay by Kevin J. Murphy and Jan Zabojnik. Toss in stock options and other benefits, and the salary of a CEO is nearly 500 times the average worker salary, the study says.

CEO Pay and Appointments: A Market-Based Explanation for recent trends, IZA Discussion Papers 2408, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

http://ideas.repec.org/a/aea/aecrev/v94y2004i2p192-196.html

 We are finding that wealth given at the top does not come down to the poor but rather stays at the top. I saw the end result of this kind of thinking first hand in Guatemala.

I believe that you should be compensated for what you do but even if you find a solution to all the world’s problems, no one needs billions of dollars a year. I am not trying to draw a line of what is “too wealthy” but only testing the principles of worth between employee and employer.

Abortion – I have heard all kinds of falsities about Obama’s stance here (He voted to kill babies after they were born, abortion should be used as population control…). Yes, he is very pro-choice, but when I actually checked out the stories I found that his aim is to lessen the number of abortions. Unfortunately, the day of outlawing abortion is gone. It was a hope of mine in my vote for Bush yet not achieved. I think this is because America has already decided. Colorado voted to consider life starting at conception (my personal view) which was defeated 73% to 27%.

I personally am very pro life but have a slightly different definition. I am pro ALL human life, if it is the unborn child, the elderly, the soldier over seas, the illegal immigrant, even the people of enemy states. Who can say that one life has more value than another? If I fight for the life of a helpless and innocent baby but neglect the life of other innocent and helpless people I would be a hypocrite against my own moral understanding of scripture. That makes the isolated issue of abortion fit into the picture of life as a whole and when seen in this light the decision is not black and white. In the end, I believe more innocent lives will be spared under the administration of Obama than McCain.

In our study of Joshua we found that God was very harsh with the leaders of Israel because they set the tone for the attitude of the nation. I believe this to be true today. The CNN exit polls showed that those whose primary concern was the war on terror or presidential experience, voted for McCain. Those whose primary concerns were the energy crisis or the ability to bring change, voted for Obama. The most telling one was in most every state the people overwhelmingly chose Obama as “cares for people”. It is this last one that catches my attention as the direction I want the attitude of the nation to move toward.  CARE for people so giving doesn’t need to be mandated by law.

The emphasis on war even war on terror focuses on adversarial relationships. I believe Obama will bring a national and international air of cooperation and peace. This may be naïve, I have been known to be so and hold it as one of my best qualities.

Gay rights – marriage, military – First, I don’t care if Gays are in the military. In other nations they have been known to be more dedicated warriors because of their attachments. My concern in this area is not to keep gays from being together in a “marital” relationship. I don’t see that as the goal of those who stand for gay marriage. I see it as a sly move to make it seen as normal. I do believe Obama will work toward an amendment allowing gay marriage which is a big negative for me. I don’t think McCain or Obama can either stop this or make it go on their own. This is a cultural issue that will find its way into mainstream culture. I could vote against it and stay it off for a short time but although it is a definite Biblical principle, it falls to the background.

Appointment of Judges – This was my primary CON against Obama. I feel his appointments to the Supreme Court may be even more lasting a decision than his presidency. The Supreme Court has had a nasty habit of making laws by decree instead of legislature which I hold to be a violation of the balance of power. I hope culture will correct this flaw in our government. I don’t have much to say here because I do not support Obama here. My hope is that he will be moderate in his appointments.

Energy crisis – The American public as a whole is changing its paradigm when it comes to oil and energy. The fact that a hybrid is much more of a status symbol than a muscle car. I think America came to this crossroad once before in 1973 with the oil crisis and culture was not “forced” to move away form oil so in the end, it didn’t. Obama’s path will be harder than McCain’s, but in the end I think it is more forward thinking especially when the political stakes are so high in supporting nations involved in terror (I do feel we need to address terror but in ways other than war, if possible).

Economy – I believe the economy will be hurt in the immediate future by Obama. This isn’t much of a negative for me. Correction usually hurts and this countries current definition of capitalism needs to be reworked in my opinion. I have already discussed much of my opinion above regarding this issue. I think that in the long run, the wealthy will be hurt but the middle class and poor will feel validated and become a much more active participant in the economy rather than being controlled by a few major players. People may think about their purchases more instead of being blind consumers. (Again, naivety creeps in)

Health Care – I am not sure Obama’s solutions will cure our problems with health care but the path we are taking is deteriorating quickly and I believe continuing to do the same thing will only take us further down the path we are on. I am ready for a change and try risky things if need be. My view is also more socialistic so universal health care is within my desires. I feel the primary problem with health care is litigation and the need for insurance. People will sue for anything and it has gotten unreasonable. Insurance is a death spiral. I feel robbed by how much I pay in insurance premiums so when I go to the doctor, I get whatever I can regardless of the cost because, “that’s why I have insurance” the problem with this line of thinking is, insurance companies WILL make a profit, they will just raise premiums in order to do that. Doctors raise prices because the consumer doesn’t mind. People sue thinking the medical community is just raking in the money. These things have fed each other and gotten out of control. I am ready for something new, I am ready to roll the dice. This may sound reckless but I see an eminent crash if we maintain our current course.

Democratic republic – I feel the governance of the two candidates can be placed into two general categories I believe Obama will lean to follow the will of people and McCain, Like president Bush will lean on his own moral compass. Both of these have advantages but I feel McCain will find more advisories than comrades and I see the definition of the republic falling more in line with the direction of Obama. Which leads into…

Concept of Unity – Those who have complained against Bush have no more basis for complaint. Those complaining about racial lines are quieted and satisfied. I see Obama having a better chance of uniting the country and healing world opinion. Built up cultural lines and adversaries now have to join a common pot again. The escalation is gone. The country needs to have unifying work or it will tear itself apart. Charisma does play a role. People are inspired by Obama and will be more apt to follow. A unified country is best for us all even if we don’t fully agree with the leadership. Being a minority also plays a role. The world has seen us as the oppressors, and in many ways we have been. I heard on NPR last week that a culture reveals its shift in paradigms when it shifts its metaphors. In the 60’s we changed the laws of this nation but the election of Obama was a change in metaphor which makes it so important. I heard the French saying “we wish we could be American so we can take even just a bite of this liberation”. I voted for Obama in part because I am tired of the racist baggage and am ready to move on. The world now sees us as a leader in human rights because we have elected a minority.

The summary of it all is that I felt that a vote for Obama was being able to tell the poor we care; tell the country, we need come together and change; tell the world, we are not the monsters you think we are. It is our opportunity to be better. All of which are integrated into my view of biblical principles. I don’t want to rule the world, I want to love the oppressed.

Even if you disagree, at least you can know I did not take this vote lightly and I gave it much thought. If you still need any clarifications, I always welcome interested dialogue. Remember this is just my personal view and interpretation of scripture, NOT the right view or the biblical view. These are all areas we must wrestle with and discuss together in LOVE.

In HIS Grip,

Eric Haddox

Mic 6:8