Positive Liberty

While showing a video about FDR to my presidency class today, I was struck by the narrator’s statement that, “despite the pressing issues facing the country in 1932, the campaign was based almost entirely on personality.”

I’ve been steamed lately about McCain’s faux outrage over Obama’s lipstick on a pig comment. The Republicans, lately, seem to have consistently avoided real issues and focused instead on manufacturing such faux’t rage, and turning the election into nothing more than a personality contest.

So it’s good to get a little perspective and realize that our politics really hasn’t sunk to a new low–presidential elections have nearly always been about personality rather than issues. (Hey! Did you hear Jefferson’s been miscegenatin’!?)

Of course it’s impossible to judge the ultimate effect of this type of political event in real time, which is why pundits–which I seem to have become–are so often wrong. But Obama’s campaign raised between $8 and 10 million just in the 24 hours following Palin’s speech, equalling in one day what the Republicans claim to have raised in the week since Palin was announced as the veep nominee. Given that Obama’s fundraising kicked into high gear after her speech, rather than after she was introduced, I’d say the nastiness Jason and I both sensed was sensed by a goodly number of others (note: I wasn’t moved to contribute to anyone except my local beer distributor).

No doubt she’s energized the Republican base, but she’s been a great energizer for the Democrats, too, which I don’t think is what McCain had in mind when he picked her.

As I said, judging these things in real time is tricky. It’s possible Palin has the charm to bring in enough voters to help McCain win a couple of key swing states. But I have a feeling in my gut that I’m watching a slow-motion train wreck, the unfolding of a classic political blunder that we’ll be talking about for years to come.

Hi. My name is Jim, and I have a political addiction. I can’t stand any political party. I don’t like either of the major candidates. I’m so disgusted by the process that I rarely vote for humans (I don’t trust their kind; but I do vote on ballot initiatives, particularly when I can vote against a levy). However, I can’t help watching the coverage and offering my opinion. It’s a disease. And I thank you for being part of my therapy. After I write this, I’ll be able to go back to work!

Last week, I wrote that gridlock was the best of bad alternatives (“Why I Don’t Want United Government”) — that both candidates represented great evils, but McCain would accomplish less with a Democratic Congress (Democrats controlling Capitol Hill seems inevitable). This is an argument that I think the Republicans could use to great advantage.

Jack Welch, former CEO of GE (who thinks Clinton was a good President), appeared on CNBC’s Kudlow & Co. last night and he too made a case against “united government.” He said the worst alternative was Continue Reading »

This post is really about the importance of Ohio and Colorado. These are the two states to watch in this Presidential election. If Obama wins either state, it probably means that he wins the Presidency. Continue Reading »

Much has been made, already, both on TV and the Internet, about Sarah Palin’s support for “teaching creationism.” I’ll come back to her in a moment.

I believe Darwinian evolution is the best explanation of humanity’s natural history. I didn’t arrive at that view easily. I was raised to believe in a literal six day creation. But as soon as I investigated a bit, I found out how unlikely and untenable this idea is.

However, I didn’t stop my investigation there. When I realized that six day creation didn’t happen, I began reading up on Intelligent Design. I had high hopes for this viewpoint. Long story short, in the Summer of 2005 (I know, such a long time ago, right?) I figured out that ID was bunk.And I endeavored to begin to understand better how “Darwin’s Machine” worked.

I am not alone. As I’ve written about on this blog, tens of thousands of conservative Christians have made a journey similar to mine during this 21st century. We recognize evolution is NOT a threat to our faith (much as some might wish to make it so).

Fresh from my enlightenment, I outlined some of the things that were influential in that process on my old blog. But I’d like to say something more philosophical here. Continue Reading »