Examining the Presidential Candidates

 

Introduction

It is most important for Christians to gain an understanding of the issues, the different parties’ positions on them, and what the Bible has to say about them.  It is also important to remember that we are voting to put people in office to make decisions on our behalf, and not just voting on issues and party platforms (there’s a reason our Framers set up a Republic and not a Democracy).  We need to be primarily concerned with our values and how they will be represented, but we also need to be concerned with who will be representing them.

As a Christian, I recognize Jesus as the ultimate and perfect leader.  When determining a list of characteristics that a leader should have, we should look to Christ as our example.  Christ was someone who led by serving.  He led with humility.  He was singular in his focus, knowing what his goal was and never veering from the path to accomplish that goal.  He was in continual communication with the Father and sought His guidance when he needed it.  He led not for his own fame or glory, but for the glory of the Father and the welfare of those he was leading.  He was motivated not by his own vanity, but by his desire to serve others.  When seeking a leader, we should look for someone who has these same characteristics.

Barack Obama

 

Barack Hussein Obama (D) was born in Hawaii, has degrees from Columbia University and Harvard Law School (where he was president of the Harvard Law Review) , served as a community organizer and civil rights lawyer in Chicago, and he taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years.  He served three terms in the Illinois Senate before being elected as a US Senator from Illinois in 2004.  After four years in the Senate, he was elected as the 44^th President of the United States.

Record

If we take a look at Pres. Obama’s history, we will see that he has been incredibly consistent.  When he supports a position, he stays the course with that position, even if it is unpopular.  When he believes that he is doing the right thing, he is convicted enough to be unwavering in that conviction.  The most notable case is his steadfast belief that passing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is what was best for the American people, even though it was not a popular law with the American people.  He has continued to hold to this belief since it’s passing, even though it has hurt him politically.  The only instance I can recall where he has changed positions (likely for political gain) is on the issue of same-sex marriage.  While he believed that marriage should only be between one man and one woman during his first presidential campaign and during his first three years in office, he reversed his position on this issue and now supports the right for same-sex couples to marry.

Much has been made of President Obama blaming his predecessor for the economic climate we are in.  While it may not be fair to blame Pres. George W. Bush for all of the current problems (I believe that Pres. Clinton needs to shoulder much of the blame for repealing The Glass-Steagall Act), it is important to understand that the economic collapse did occur while he was in office.  The recession began in December 2007 and crashed in September 2008 (two months before Obama would be elected and four months before he would take office).  When Pres. Obama says that he inherited the worst economy since the Great Depression, he's almost right (it's really the worst recession since the one that followed the decline of government spending after World War II).

When Obama took office in January 2009 our Gross Domestic Product had gone down two straight quarters (Q3 and Q4 in 2008).  It continued to fall (but at a smaller rate) during his first two quarters in office.  Then it began to grow starting in Q3 in 2009, and has grown every quarter since.   In fact, our GPD surpassed where it was in the fourth quarter of 2007 (the highest it had been in our nation’s history, and right before the recession began) during the final quarter of 2009.  Of those twelve quarters of growth, six were when the Democrats had control of both houses of Congress, and the other six are with a divided Congress.  Four of the top six quarters of growth happened when the Democrats had control, and only two of the top six quarters of growth have happened since the Republicans took control of the house.  In fact, all of the quarters under Democratic control fall in the top nine quarters for growth during the past twelve quarters.

Beginning in February 2008 the US economy began seeing negative job growth (losing more jobs than were being created).  This continued every month for 25 straight months.  Under Bush there were 12 months of job losses totaling 4,672,000 jobs (or 389,333 jobs per month).  During the first 14 months of the Obama presidency (I’m counting January 2009 for both Bush and Obama) there were a total of 5,051,000 jobs lost (or 360,768 jobs per month).  Since then the economy has seen positive job growth for 31 straight months, adding 4,726,000 new jobs, meaning that nearly every job that has been lost since Obama took office has been gained back, and we are halfway to regaining all of the jobs lost during the recession.  Also, unemployment has now dropped to the same rate that it was when Pres. Obama took office four years ago (and the fact that some in the Republican camp would want to deny the unemployment rate and spin it for political gain is disgusting and shows that they are more concerned with getting elected than with actually seeing people go back to work).

Yes, the recovery is happening slowly, and we all wish that it would be happening more quickly, but recovery almost always takes longer than collapse.  Perhaps had John McCain been President the past four years then things would be better right now, but we really have no way of knowing.  The fact is that the economy is and has been recovering.  GDP has risen to the point that it has surpassed where it was before the recession began.  Jobs have been created the past 30 months, recovering nearly every job lost while Obama has been in office and unemployment has dropped to the same rate it was when the President took office.  The fact that GDP is at an all-time high, corporate profits are at an all-time high, and the stock market has more than doubled since Obama took office shows me that companies are making money and the wealthy are investing, yet unemployment is remaining high, showing that companies don't feel the need to hire more workers while making more money with a smaller labor force.  Indeed the recovery is happening slowly, but we are recovering, and I believe that the policies which have led to this recovery can continue to work.

Religion

To be candid, I really struggled with whether or not to include an examination the candidate’s religious beliefs.  I decided to do so because it has been a prominent topic of discussion and is especially important for us to consider as Christians (especially because of rumors that Mr. Obama is a Muslin and because of Mr. Romney’s unique faith).  In all honestly, it makes me a bit uncomfortable to talk about their beliefs because it is not my place to judge the level of someone’s religious convictions, yet I still feel it is important to talk about.

There has been much debate over Mr. Obama’s religious beliefs.  Many believe that he is a secret Muslim because of his father and step-father’s past Muslim beliefs and the time he spent in Kenya.  However, there is very little evidence to support this claim, and if he is a Muslim, he’s a very poor one.  There are several myths that have been circulated to support the claim that Mr. Obama is a Muslim, and I will do my best to debunk a few here.

One popular myth is that the President has failed to declare a National Day of Prayer and instead has participated in a Muslim Day of Prayer at the Capital.  The truth is that he has declared a National Day of Prayer every year he’s been in office, served as the defendant in a suit challenging the constitutionality of the NDOP, and was in Pittsburgh when a group of Muslims organized an independent day of prayer on the Capital in 2009.  It is true, however, that he has not hosted a formal prayer event at the White House on the NDOP, as his predecessor did every year, but before that, there had only even been two White House NDOP events, once under President Regan and once under Pres. Bush.  (Source)

It has also been claimed that he attended a Muslim school as a child while living in Indonesia.  While it is true that he attended a predominantly Muslim school, he also attended a Catholic school there as well.  Another claim is that he was raised in the Muslim faith; however, as he writes in his 1995 book Dreams from My Father, his mother believed that “a working knowledge of the world’s great religions was a necessary part of any well-rounded education,” and that she exposed him to the beliefs and traditions of many religions, but didn’t endorse an adherence to any specific religion.

Mr. Obama was sworn in on the Bible, has never been seen praying toward Mecca, or expressed in any way that he is a Muslim.  The best arguments I’ve heard that he is a Muslim are arguments from silence (just because no one has ever seen him pray to Mecca five times a day doesn’t mean that he doesn’t do it secretly) and the fact that he is respectful of the religion of Islam.

Mr. Obama has stated numerous times that he is a Christian.  While those who raised him identified themselves as atheists or agnostics, Mr. Obama was raised with a great respect for all religions.  He has said that he accepted Christ as an adult and was baptized in the Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988 and was an active member there for 20 years (although he did withdraw his membership in 2008 after controversial remarks made by the church’s pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, became public).  Some may argue that he was baptized and joined a church because of the political benefit of being a Christian; however he was baptized eight years before his political career began.  He has stated publicly that his Christian faith was his personal choice and that he has an understanding of the salvation that comes through faith in Christ.

Mitt Romney

Willard Mitt Romney (R) was born in 1947 in Michigan, has degrees from Brigham Young University and Harvard University, served as a Mormon missionary to France, was the head of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and was the founder and CEO of the private equity firm Bain Capital.  He began his political career in 1994 when he ran against Ted Kennedy for the US Senate, but was defeated.  He was later elected as the governor of Massachusetts in 2002, but did not seek a second term as he began a bid to be the Republican presidential nominee, a bid which he lost to John McCain.  In 2012 he won the Republican nomination for President.

Record

Mr. Romney has a history of holding one position on an issue, then changing to another position on that same issue when it is politically advantageous to do so.  On the issue of abortion he had stated while running for the US Senate and for governor of Massachusetts that, while he was personally pro-life, that he would fight to uphold Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose because he didn’t believe that it was the government’s place to impose his private religious beliefs on others..  Now he has said that he will appoint judges to the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe and that he would gladly sign legislation outlawing abortion.  He has stated in the past the he would not undo tough gun control laws and even signed an assault weapons ban into law while governor of Massachusetts.  He now opposes gun legislation, including laws that would ban assault weapons.  In fact, he joined the National Rifle Association in 2006 in order to garner support from gun owners and in an attempt to get an endorsement from the NRA in the 2008 presidential election season.  In terms of health care reform, Romney had said that he was in favor of an individual mandate and he believed that what he accomplished with health care reform in Massachusetts was a model for the nation.  Now he plans to repeal most of the reforms (including the individual mandate) passed in Obamacare, even though he believes that his incredibly similar plan in place in Massachusetts is a great plan and a model for the nation.

Mr. Romney's record of changing his position his very troubling to me (and these are only some of the major issues where his stance has changed).  I see three possible reasons why his stance on these issues has changed, and it is possible that any or all of these reasons have been the case for one issue or another.  First, it is entirely possible that his position has legitimately changed.  It's possible that his fundamental belief on an issue has shifted, and therefore his stance has changed with it.  Second, it's possible that his current view has always been his real view, but that he previously took a different stance because it was politically beneficial.  The third option is the opposite, in that the former view reflects his real feelings, and his new view is the one that is the most politically beneficial right now.  It is also entirely possible that on some issues he has no real conviction, and just always takes more most politically adventageous stance.  Whatever the reason, it should raise great concern that the stance he has taken whenever his stance has changed, has always been the one that was most politically expedient.

If we look at Mr. Romney’s record, we will see that he has been an incredibly successful businessman.  While there were companies that Bain Capital invested in that eventually closed, Bain invested in failing companies.  Bain Capital certainly saved and created more jobs than it eliminated.  It is a sad thing whenever jobs are lost, but not every company will be successful.

For me personally, looking at Mr. Romney’s record as the governor of Massachusetts is a better indicator of the type of president he will be than looking at his business record.  He was governor from 2003-2007, a time of economic growth and prosperity in our nation.  Under his predecessor Massachusetts had ranked 37^th in the nation in job creation.  During his time in office Massachusetts ranked 47^th in the nation in job creation.  However, he did move the state from being 50th in the nation in the year he took office, to being 28th the year he left office.  While the state did improve in job creation during his time in office, both his predecessor and successor had better overall records when it came to job creation, and both held the office during recessions, while Romney was in office during a time of economic growth.

Massachusetts lost manufacturing jobs at a rate almost twice the national average while Mr. Romney was governor.  When he took office unemployment in the state had been below the national average, but was higher than the national average by the end of his term.  Even though he promised not to raise taxes, the AP reported in 2005 that he raised taxes and fees affecting the middle class and costing tax payers nearly $75 million, while benefiting nearly 300 of the state’s wealthiest residents (I had this article open on my computer at one point, but closed the window before inserting this citation.  I almost removed this sentence because I don't have the citation, but I'm confident that I'll be able to find the article again, and will include the link once I do).  Mitt Romney added $2.6 billion in debt, increasing the state’s debt by 16% while he was in office.  Massachusetts had the highest amount of debt per person of any state when he left office.  State spending also increased by an average of 6.5% per year (1.1% when adjusted for inflation) while he was governor and the state had a $1 billion budget deficit when he left office.

As a candidate who has promised to cut taxes, reduce the deficit, balance the budget, and put people back to work, his record as the governor of Massachusetts doesn’t bear out that he will be able to do that.  Given the fact that he has held multiple positions on many issues during his political career and his lack-luster record while serving as the governor of Massachusetts, I have little faith in him to lead this country in the right direction and to help continue righting this economy and bring increased and more rapid growth.

Religion

Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and more specifically, he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the largest denomination within the Mormon religion, abbreviated LDS).  He has been very active in his church, embarking on the traditional two year missionary journey that Mormons take before beginning college (he did his in France), holding the post of stake president, and bishop, the highest priestly office within the Mormon Church.  Understanding this unique religion is important, especially in a discussion of the relationship between religion and politics.

The Mormon religion was founded in New York State in the 1820's by Joseph Smith.  Smith is said to have had an encounter with an angel named Moroni, who told Smith that God was displeased with how far Christianity had veered from what He had originally intended.  The angel then directed Smith to a series of golden tablets written in a secret language that chronicled the history of God’s people in North American and contained teachings and prophecy, which Smith was allowed to translate.  Smith then dictated what he had translated, and this dictation was written down and recorded as The Book of Mormon.  The basis for the founding of the church was that no Christian denominations accurately reflected what God intended for His people, and that God was going to use Smith as His prophet to restore the Christian faith to the way God created it to be.  This is why Mormonism is considered a sort of restored Christian primitivism.

I don’t have the space here to discuss all of the finer points of the Mormon religion, it’s relationship to Christianity, or its history, so I will focus on a few points I find relevant for Christians to know and consider in this election.

First, it must be said that while Mormons consider themselves to be Christians, they are not part of orthodox Christianity, and can best be described as a Christian cult (a cult here being defined as a group within a larger religious context that hold beliefs different than orthodox beliefs that distinguish them from the larger body, different from denominations which agree on the core beliefs (Nicaea), and differ in practice and on minor points of theology).  It is also important to understand that Mormons believe they are the only true Christian denomination, which makes Mormonism and orthodox Christianity (Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy) mutually exclusive.

It is widely known that the Mormon faith used to practice plural marriage (or polygamy), but that the practice is now largely a relic.  The practice has been formally banned by the LDS church since 1890, so fundamentalists within the Mormon faith have continued to practice plural marriage.  The practice likely began in secret among members of the church very early in its existence (possibly beginning in the early 1830’s), and while Joseph Smith denied and condemned the practice, there is much evidence that he had multiples wives.  The practice became part of official church doctrine in 1876, after being publicly announced in 1852.  The practice was banned when the US government made it illegal (a decision upheld by the Supreme Court) and dis-incorporated the Mormon Church (removing them as a legal religion).  Once the church officially banned the practice in 1890, they were reinstated by the US government.  The Supreme Court ruled that while the government cannot interfere with religious belief, they may pass laws which interfere with practices.  While Mitt Romney obviously does not support the idea of polygamy, as the LDS church has banned it for well over 100 years, his great-grandfather was a polygamist, and his family moved to Mexico as part of a Mormon colony, in part because of the US government’s prohibition of polygamy.

In the Mormon religion, God refers only to the Father, because they believe in a Godhead, where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and distinct individual gods.  Unlike the orthodox Christian view of the Trinity where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are separate and unique personalities of one entity, the Mormon view sees the three parts of the Godhead as distinctly unique individuals that, while physically separate, are unified in will and purpose.  They also believe that both the Father and the Son have perfect physical bodies and that the Father is the head, presiding over the Son and Spirit, unlike Christian theology which states that all three members of the Trinity and co-equal.  It is also their belief that adherents to the Mormon faith will become co-heirs with Christ, making them gods as well, as they will inherit all that the Father gives.  According to Mormon doctrine, God the Father was once a mortal man who was the first to complete the process of becoming an exalted being.

Mormons also believe in American exceptionalism, and that the American Constitution was inspired by God.  Along with this, they believe that Jesus appeared to the indigenous people of American after his resurrection, and that the Garden of Eden was in North America and that the New Jerusalem will be in Missouri.

Conclusion

A presidential candidate’s religious beliefs are important, especially for Christians, as we believe that our religious beliefs inform every aspect of our political views.  However, that does not mean that a Christian cannot vote for a Mormon (or a Muslim, or an atheist, etc.).  As my father commented to me recently, being a Christian doesn’t mean that some is the best choice to hold public office, and not being a Christian doesn’t mean they aren’t the best choice.  While a candidate’s religious beliefs are important, I believe that it’s more important for a Christian to look at the candidate’s character, their leadership ability, and how well they fit the model leader we find in Jesus.  It is also important that we look at the candidate’s stance on the issues and how those stances align with Biblical teaching on those issues.  Outside of Jesus himself stepping down out of heaven to run for office, I don’t believe I will ever see a candidate that I will agree with or support 100%.  This leaves me with the choice to not participate in the process and abstain from voting, or choose the candidate that best represents my Christian beliefs and vote for that person.  Since I believe that Christians should participate in the American political process as informed and conscientious voters, I must choose the candidate that I feel best represents my Christian beliefs.  Given the choice between these two major candidates, it is my belief that Barack Obama is that candidate.