Evangelicals Getting Interested in Campaign ‘08
Nothing like getting “backs agains the wall” to shake a person up and make them realise that they’re in the fight:
Two influential American Evangelical leaders have taken a new interest in the 2008 presidential race, with one saying that he leans toward the presumptive Republican nominee, Senator John McCain, while another plans to host the first head-to-head meeting of the two leading contenders for the White House.
Dr. James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, told a radio audience: “While I am not endorsing Senator John McCain, the possibility is there that I might.” Dr. Dobson, who commands a wide following among conservative Evangelicals, had previously said that he could not support McCain because of the senator’s support for embryo research and his failure to back a constitutional amendment protecting marriage.
However, Dr. Dobson said that the “radical positions on life, marriage, and national security” taken by Senator Barack Obama were pushing him toward McCain.
Meanwhile Rick Warren, the leader of one of America’s largest “mega-church” congregations, the Saddleback Church in California, has announced plans to hold a forum that would hear both Obama and McCain. Warren, the author of The Purpose-Driven Life, will bring the Democratic and Republican candidates together for an August 16 event that, he says, will be “an unprecedented opportunity for America to hear both men back-to-back on the same platform.” Warren, who has not previously taken an active role in partisan politics, will be the only person questioning the candidates at the August 16 event.
There was much talk as McCain emerged the clear front runner for the GOP nomination about sitting this one out - Evangelicals because McCain wasn’t 100% (in their view ) and movement conservatives because, once again, McCain wasn’t 100% (in their view). My grandfather had a saying that I’ve laid to heart - better to have 10% of something than 100% of nothing. Whatever McCain may or may not do in the White House, we can rest assured that Obama will be worse for Christian conservatives and movement conservatives….there is, actually, not one position Obama has staked out which can be called by conservatives and conservative Christians better than the McCain position.
As for me, I’ve grown “re-comfortable” with McCain - he was, after all, my main serious choice for 2000 (Bush came in after him, one other person came in front of McCain, but mostly for fun on my part). McCain did much to annoy me since 2001 - most notably on refusing to back the tax cuts and the “gang of 14″ nonsense in the Senate (immigraiton reform? Sorry, but I backed the McCain/Bush proposal, and still do), but I am one of those who understands that people are, well people and I’m certainly not perfect and if I’m going to refuse to support anyone but the perfect conservative then I’ll never be able to support anyone. McCain is a good man, a war hero, a solid patriot, a man of moral courage - these are the qualities I want in a President and, at any rate, I love a respectful, intra-party fight anyways, so I’ll still battle President McCain on such things as CFR. For me, McCain wasn’t my first pick, but he’s an excellent pick, all the same.
Given such things as Obama’s support for the fanatic, pro-abortion proposals and other Obama policies directly contravening basic Christian teaching, it is no surprise that Evanglicals are starting to swing behind McCain in a serious way. America can’t afford four years of Carter, Part Two. Obama is a catastrophe in the making - but one we can un-make, if we’ll just rally ’round the man who is best for President in 2008, John McCain
26 comments July 24th, 2008
