As I've mentioned in
a previous post, John McCain hasn't always been my candidate.
But he is now!
It has become cliche to say, "I vote for the person, not the party." Well, in this year's monumental election, that is the exact mindset that we should adopt.
Although many true Conservatives may take issue with McCain on certain policies and his history of playing ball with Senate Liberals, John McCain stands much closer to the ideals of Conservatism in comparison to the alternative candidate. For me personally there are four important areas where the candidate's values are most important to me in this election:
- Iraq / The war against Islamic terrorism
- Abortion
- Supreme Court nominations
First, McCain--not Obama--knows what it means to persevere in spite of difficulty. He knows what it means to fight hard for the sake of individual and national freedom. He knows what it means to sacrifice for the greater good. Barak Obama thinks that he knows about sacrifice because he has worked in the southside of Chicago; McCain knows that he knows about sacrifice because he almost gave his life for the sake of his country. because of his experience as a soldier and his years in American politics, McCain knows how serious a threat Islamic terrorism is to the safety of this country and our allies (particularly Israel, of course). With this sincere understanding, McCain will continue what the current administration has begun by using America's great military power to root out terrorism in all parts of the world, thus keeping this country safe and strong. In the process, McCain will continue to work with the country of Iraq to fully rebuild and strengthen its government.
Second, McCain--not Obama--understands and believes in the value of human life starting from the time of conception. As President, I trust that McCain will not allow any legislation to pass that further opens the door to more abortions, while an Obama presidency could indeed see a rise in late-term, partial-birth abortions. This too boils down to a fundamental difference in each man's values. Simply put, McCain values the life of the unborn; Obama does not. I often wonder how this fits into the
Third, McCain--not Obama--holding closeer to conservative values will therefore nominate Supreme Court Justices who will be more likely to uphold the original meaning of the Constitution should the seat open during his presidency. This is important for every possible reason--abortion cases, 2nd Amendment issues, gay marriage rulings, and any other cases dealing with individual freedoms.
I appreciate a recent post by Douglas Groothuis over at the
Constructive Curmudgeon. He writes about how, now that Hillary is another part of the 2008 Presidential Campain history, Obama is the Democratic party's presidential nominee (and if you ask any true Democrat, he's America's Savior, too). Yet Groothuis gives an honest, but critical look at the dangerous implications of an Obama victory on November 4th. I especially enjoyed his description of the Democratic candidate:
"...an inexperienced, pro-abortion, tax and spend, internationalist, racially confused (think of his church affiliation) extreme liberal who does not understand Islamic fascism or how to deal with it. "
Obama is younger than McCain.
He is black.
He has younger children.
He's a wonderful orator who inspires audiences everywhere.
And he can definitely bring change to America.
...But how many of these things actually qualify Obama to lead the greatest nation on the earth for the next four to eight years?
If these truly are the qualities that many Americans respect in the man, why him? I'm sure there are many other young, well-spoken, black, American men with young children who could also change and inspire America as Obama proposes vaguely to do.
So what sets this candidate apart as a qualified future U.S. President? Is it his Senate voting record? (I hope not!) Is it his economic or foreign relations experience? (What experience?) Is it the innocence that has followed him throughout his campaign? (Don't forget Tony Rezko and Rev. Wright!) Is it his value-system? (You mean the one that values baby-killing?) Or is it his enthusiastic charisma? (DING! DING! DING!)
I hope that on Novemeber 4th, Americans everywhere remember the importance of values and character and vote for the better candidate, John McCain.
Groothuis ends his post on a strong note with the following encouragement:
"Christians should wake up, get in gear, and make a difference. In this election, to my mind, this means: pray for, vote for, and contribute to John McCain for President."
Amen to that!
