Enough is Enough
Every time I comment on political stuff someone gets mad at me, so I made a decision not too long ago to try to stay out of politics on my blog, facebook, etc.. I have a church full of members who are all over the political and social spectrum, and I have to be a pastor to all of them.
But enough is enough.
I recently had the misfortune of watching U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson's newest attack ads on his Republican opponent, Daniel Webster. In one, Grayson compared Daniel Webster with the Taliban, taking a short snippet from a Webster speech where he quoted the Apostle Paul from his letter to the Ephesians. All the ad displays is Webster saying, "Wives submit to your husbands." Here is the vile ad in it's entirety.
This is a sickening ad. I happen to know Daniel Webster personally, and even if I don't agree with him on every single issue, I know him to be a man of integrity and great character. I also know where Grayson got his one snippet of audio that he extracted to smear Webster. Essentially Grayson did the very thing that the Christian fundamentalists he rails against tend to do---take something out of context and twist it for their own purposes and goals. Here is the whole video:
First of all, let's be clear. Grayson got elected because he spent a ton of his ill-gotten fortune to get elected, and he was swept in on Obama's coat tails along with a lot of other Democrats. His opponent two years ago was almost as crazy as he is, so it wasn't like anyone had a really good choice.
All that aside, whatever Grayson might have been able to accomplish... whatever good that he might have been able to do during the last two years has been negated by his outrageous behavior, crazy statements, abusive behavior, and overall slimy-ness. You can find a litany of his buffoonery at this link: www.mycongressmanisnuts.com
I hate what has happened to our country, and what our political process has become. Lies, distortions, manipulations and outright devilry rule the day. There are only a handful of statesmen/women left in Congress---the kind of people who actually care more about their constituents than winning... the kind of people who would stand on their records and debate issues rather than lying through their teeth about their opponents. The kind of people who make a decision not to demonize the "other" in order to make themselves look "good."
Grayson's "Taliban" ad and the other despicable ad that he is airing that tries to label Webster as a "draft dodger" (as if Grayson ever even dreamed of putting on the uniform of his country) both assume that the voting public is full of morons. It displays the arrogance of a man who sees the electorate as pawns in his own little game, as cogs in the wheel of his ascendancy to power and television air time.
If Grayson is defeated, he will not qualify for the lifelong pension that is given to Congressmen/women when they are vested. I think that would be the best message that his constituents could send him.
Enough is enough. Our political leaders need to learn the art of decorum, the skill of real debate and the character traits of honesty and integrity. From where I sit as a pastor and a voter, Grayson displays none of these. But he is not alone. All across our country there are similar political battles taking place with similarly outlandish ads and accusations. And I need to be transparent... if Grayson was a Republican, I would be writing the same blog. In fact, there are Republicans who are guilty of this very thing. I just don't happen to be represented by any of them.
As Christians we need to demand of our elected officials---regardless of our political leanings or theirs---that they tell us, their constituents, the truth despite the costs, and treat those who disagree with them with respect. We should demand that they act with mercy, do justice and walk humbly---regardless of their religious leanings.
Tell Rep Alan Grayson what you think of his lack of integrity, and call him to faithfulness and repentance. Tell him it's not too late to repair whatever legacy that he might leave. You can call him at 1-800-403-0303
But enough is enough.
I recently had the misfortune of watching U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson's newest attack ads on his Republican opponent, Daniel Webster. In one, Grayson compared Daniel Webster with the Taliban, taking a short snippet from a Webster speech where he quoted the Apostle Paul from his letter to the Ephesians. All the ad displays is Webster saying, "Wives submit to your husbands." Here is the vile ad in it's entirety.
This is a sickening ad. I happen to know Daniel Webster personally, and even if I don't agree with him on every single issue, I know him to be a man of integrity and great character. I also know where Grayson got his one snippet of audio that he extracted to smear Webster. Essentially Grayson did the very thing that the Christian fundamentalists he rails against tend to do---take something out of context and twist it for their own purposes and goals. Here is the whole video:
First of all, let's be clear. Grayson got elected because he spent a ton of his ill-gotten fortune to get elected, and he was swept in on Obama's coat tails along with a lot of other Democrats. His opponent two years ago was almost as crazy as he is, so it wasn't like anyone had a really good choice.
All that aside, whatever Grayson might have been able to accomplish... whatever good that he might have been able to do during the last two years has been negated by his outrageous behavior, crazy statements, abusive behavior, and overall slimy-ness. You can find a litany of his buffoonery at this link: www.mycongressmanisnuts.com
I hate what has happened to our country, and what our political process has become. Lies, distortions, manipulations and outright devilry rule the day. There are only a handful of statesmen/women left in Congress---the kind of people who actually care more about their constituents than winning... the kind of people who would stand on their records and debate issues rather than lying through their teeth about their opponents. The kind of people who make a decision not to demonize the "other" in order to make themselves look "good."
Grayson's "Taliban" ad and the other despicable ad that he is airing that tries to label Webster as a "draft dodger" (as if Grayson ever even dreamed of putting on the uniform of his country) both assume that the voting public is full of morons. It displays the arrogance of a man who sees the electorate as pawns in his own little game, as cogs in the wheel of his ascendancy to power and television air time.
If Grayson is defeated, he will not qualify for the lifelong pension that is given to Congressmen/women when they are vested. I think that would be the best message that his constituents could send him.
Enough is enough. Our political leaders need to learn the art of decorum, the skill of real debate and the character traits of honesty and integrity. From where I sit as a pastor and a voter, Grayson displays none of these. But he is not alone. All across our country there are similar political battles taking place with similarly outlandish ads and accusations. And I need to be transparent... if Grayson was a Republican, I would be writing the same blog. In fact, there are Republicans who are guilty of this very thing. I just don't happen to be represented by any of them.
As Christians we need to demand of our elected officials---regardless of our political leanings or theirs---that they tell us, their constituents, the truth despite the costs, and treat those who disagree with them with respect. We should demand that they act with mercy, do justice and walk humbly---regardless of their religious leanings.
Tell Rep Alan Grayson what you think of his lack of integrity, and call him to faithfulness and repentance. Tell him it's not too late to repair whatever legacy that he might leave. You can call him at 1-800-403-0303
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