Nope, drank no Kool-Aid here.

If you read the article carefully, there were lots of reasons I voted for Obama over McCain in this election. Does that mean I’m thrilled with everything President Obama is doing? Absolutely not. In the bi-partisanship promise, he seems to have done exactly what Bush did. He promised to to work across the aisle, but then governs with hostility toward those who think differently than he does. Am I disappointed? Yes. Surprised? Not really. This is the way Washington works, unfortunately. If anyone had the opportunity to do it differently it was Obama. And, yes, he has squandered that opportunity. But do I think we would have been any better off under McCain/Palin? No, I don’t. Not even close. The current state of our democratic republic is such that we don’t really have a choice anymore for anyone that will put country over party, mutual respect over partisan bickering. Sad, but true!

**On the day after the election, you said these things:

The stakes are high. The opportunity is great. I do pray that Obama will be blessed with wisdom and insight and that he will live up to his promise to not represent the narrow interest of party, but do work for a common good that offers equal justice for all.

Some day I’ll be able to tell my grandchildren that I voted for the first African-American president of these United States, not because he was black but because he held the best promise to reverse the course of our failed politics and open a new chapter on American public life.

I pray he lives up to that promise. If he doesn’t, it really can’t be any worse than the last eight years.

**Has he been wise? Has he gone beyond party politics and governed equally? And about looking at your grandchildren’s faces–instead of beaming with pride that you were a part of an historic election and voted for someone apparently at least partially because of his skin color, now you can look at those angelic faces and say “Back when American was free, Grandpa voted for the guy who caused you to pay $89,000 more in taxes and took away your liberty.”

**Worse than the past eight years? New chapter in American public life? Yeah, right. This man is dismantling everything this country was founded on.

You drank the Kool-Aid, Wayne.

I too believe America asked for a king and God delivered. Barack Hussein Obama has our prayers.

Steve

Upon hearing about this blog from my wife I was disappointed. I have spent quite a bit of time reading and posting over at Daily Kos (trying to understand what makes Obama supporters tick) and to be quite honest this looks like a blog entry I would expect to find over there. What I read here seems to be a lot of human reasoning that disagrees with my human reasoning and that troubles me. When I heard that you had voted for Obama I had initially assumed that it was God had told you to do so and that the reason that you had blogged about it was out of obedience to Him (thus confronting the fear and hatred that many of us on the political right might be experiencing).

After actually reading this though it seems that you are still placing some hope in the hopelessly broken political system in this country. I have been struggling with fear since Obama has been elected, as I struggled with it before he was. Ultimately, I know that the Lord’s will is going to be done and that the kingdoms of this world are going to give way to the kingdoms of our God. I don’t see how that means that I should vote for a man who openly declares his support for abortion and embryonic stem cell research. If the Anti-Christ also incarnates and comes with lying signs and wonders and the promise of world peace will you vote for him, given the chance, as well? Your logic baffles me and the fact that you put it forward here troubles me.

Wayne, does the Holy Spirit affirm this decision to you or is this an operation of your intellect and flesh? I know that you are not answerable to me but I ask you was this obedience or presumption on your part?

I can’t follow your logic….nor the “love” that by your books it seemed you had such a deep revelation on. Taking a stand for the lives of those that can’t defend themselves is about the most loving thing we can do. Also, you mentioned you were disappointed in McCain’s choice of VP due to “lack of experience”. That one really blew me away. We own a recruiting firm and work with resumes and make our living matching and qualifying people based on their resumes and experience. When you look at things “objectively”, Sarah Palin technically has more experience and is more qualified than Obama…So, that one was a stumper for me.

I feel there is a real “disconnect” here. I don’t believe in the “doom and gloom” and the “hopeless” message that many in the “church” have been speaking. But, neither do I agree with what seems to be a true “blind spot” in your reasoning, not to mention a few major contradictions. Just an honest heart, that felt an unexpected disappointment and a huge question mark….

May God’s grace continue to be where we turn to for all our needs and may we truly by that grace be taught by him.

Blessings,
Rebecca

I’ve been reading a biography of William Wilberforce, an evangelical and a British Member of Parliament who brought about the end of the slave trade. He was featured in the recent movie Amazing Grace, which is a must-see in my opinion.

I think this quote from Wilberforce puts it in perspective:

“…my only solid hopes for the well-being of my country depend, not so much on her fleets and armies, not so much on the wisdom of her rulers, or the spirit of her people, as on the persuasion, that she still contains many who love and obey the Gospel of Christ…”
-William Wilberforce, from his book A Practical View.

If you feel that his vote for Obama is an indictment of your vote for McCain, I would ask this: Did you vote for McCain because you felt he was the best candidate to run the country for the next 4-8 years? If so, then Wayne’s opinion shouldn’t bother you. You voted your conscience, and you have nothing to apologize for. If you voted for McCain because you think a vote for Obama is a vote against the Lord (or just as bad, that a vote for any Democrat is a vote for “baby-killing homosexuals”) then I would humbly submit that you may be a victim of special interest groups who are paid to prey on people’s fears of candidates and the future of our “culture”. These people count on Christians not to think for themselves and to vote for an entire political party all the time based on the false belief that that party unilaterally represents the moral high ground. It is too bad that so many Christians feel this way, because they cannot see to the heart of an individual, only to the bland and restrictive boxes they have placed people in.