Getting out the Vote
by
Denise Morris
on Feb 7, 2008 at 9:51 AM
I went to my caucus Tuesday night. Apparently, I was in a good citizen-y kind of mood.
I had never been to a caucus before, and it was quite interesting. We voted for our presidential choice, but then we also voted for people to represent our precinct at the county, state and federal level, if needed. We had some people with strong opinions, some people with caucus experience, and some who never had come out for any kind of primary event before.
There were lots of people out to vote -- on both sides. And as we could see from the reports yesterday, nothing is clear yet. The Democratic race is as close as ever, 11 million votes had been cast for one of the two Democrats and there was only a 22,000 vote difference. Crazy.
The Republican side of things showed McCain as the front runner, but Huckabee taking a lot more states than anyone had bargained on.
As I was sitting at the caucus, I really was impressed with our country. We proposed resolutions that could eventually become law. We voted for the person we thought would best represent our views. We sat and discussed issues. Plain and simple, I think the whole process is fabulous. We will elect a new president in November, and some people will be happy and others not so much. But either way, the people will have spoken, which is not something every country allows.
Pretty cool.
1. Christina had the following to say on Feb 7 at 10:09 AM:
I would love to participate in one of those...how did you find out about your's?
2. Denise Morris had the following to say on Feb 7 at 10:58 AM:
Christina,
You can check out Rock the Vote to see when your state's primary/caucus is. It may have already happened, but there are a few states that haven't voted yet.
3. Eliza had the following to say on Feb 7 at 11:28 AM:
As crazy as people think our election system is, I love it. America is extremely diverse, so it is really difficult to pick just one leader for all of us. At the end of the day, only a small portion of citizens will have really wanted the guy (or gal!) who eventually gets elected, but everyone had their say. And we had to pick one of them. I like that it's so complicated. It shows that we care enough to try to get at this thing fairly, even if it means making a really complicated system:P.
4. Andrew R. (aka Canadian Boy) had the following to say on Feb 7 at 11:33 AM:
And Romney is out.
5. joshMshep had the following to say on Feb 7 at 9:20 PM:
I was also at the caucuses Tuesday night, very fun experience.
And now... we conservatives are faced with a decision.
The talk of Pat Robertson endorsing Rudy Giuliani now means nothing (not that it ever did!)
Neither does anyone care about the wide evangelical support that Mitt Romney won over.
We now have, on the left, Senator John McCain whom Dr. James Dobson says "is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are. He has sounded at times more like a member of the other party." John McCain promotes amnesty for illegal immigrants, he called Samuel Alito "too conservative" (a good indication of the judges he would appoint), he supports embryonic stem-cell research, and he has little regard for freedom of speech.
On the right: Governor Mike Huckabee, with 10 years of experience governing, a staunch pro-life record, and a proven force for defending marriage and religious liberties. During those 10 years, he reduced welfare roles by 50%, returned $400 million to taxpayers, and was named "One of America's Best Governors" by TIME Magazine.
Governor Huckabee's platform calls for secure borders, supporting the military, and reining in the rising costs of healthcare and energy through practical, market-driven methods.
And today, there is finally justice as Dr. Dobson endorses Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Conservatives need to back Governor Mike Huckabee for the good of our nation. Or do we have Hillary or Obama fans out there?
The lack of enthusiasm for Huckabee is baffling and, frankly, a betrayal of a man who has faithfully served his country--with conservative principles guiding his every step.
Can conservatives of all stripes unite around what we're FOR, rather than what we're AGAINST? If so, our values just might be represented in the White House come '09.
If we just want to sulk on the sidelines of this political race, then forget it. Let the 4 years of disaster begin, as some commentators have put it.
Vote Huckabee! And support his campaign!
-joshMshep
www.myspace.com/joshmshep
www.mikehuckabee.com
6. huixin had the following to say on Feb 8 at 3:52 PM:
I don't find the election to be in the people's hands...after all, the popular vote doesn't REALLY count. The electoral college vote isn't always a good representation of the popular vote. Also, issues of abortion and gay rights aside, why do so many Christians choose the conservative/republican side/party when the liberal/democratic side/party often supports funding to low-income families, national healthcare, foodstamps, etc. To me, this seems much more of something Jesus would advocated...why doesn't the church do it today? (I know there is such a thing as charity, but to me, it doesn't seem enough to fulfill the needs of the country). Just curious, want to hear some discussion and opinions, not anger at me for asking this.
7. John D. had the following to say on Feb 11 at 8:29 AM:
huixin wrote,
"To me, [welfare] seems much more of something Jesus would advocated...why doesn't the church do it today?"
First, Jesus never advocated government welfare, which is a socialist idea that amounts to the government taking your hard-earned money through the coercive power of the state (i.e., essentially at gunpoint) and giving it to people who may not deserve it, and who thereby lose their incentive to work and take care of themselves. The multi-generational effects of welfare are not pleasant,and not Godly. (if you don't believe me, check out your local public housing project sometime, and try not to get shot.) Government "charity" is neither charitable nor compassionate. It's a way for politicians to appear compassionate while buying other people's votes.
Should the church do more? Absolutely, and perhaps the church's failure to do so is one reason that the government has stepped into the void. While the church's first priority is not to be a relief agency but to share the Gospel with the world, we could probably do a lot more in that area.