Vote

I know this will come as a surprise, but it turns out 2020 is a presidential election year. Who knew, right? Kidding, of course. You can't escape it. So we now have two people we get to choose from -- Biden or Trump -- and you get to make your choice. Oh, that's called "vote." But just what is a "vote"?

According to the dictionary, a "vote" is "a formal expression of opinion or choice, either positive or negative, made by an individual or body of individuals." So, I don't plan to elect ... anyone. I plan to make a formal expression of my opinion or choice. For those who say, "My vote doesn't count," I suggest you are saying, "It just doesn't matter what I think." Maybe it's true, but if it is, you need to move. Find some island somewhere so you don't have to be a citizen of any country and "render to Caesar what is Caesar's" because that kind of thinking is neither biblical nor helpful.

So, let me lay down a few basics. First, there is no perfect candidate. Not one. Anyone that expects to find one is deceiving themselves. I don't. Not the point. Let it go. Second, no politician does everything right and no politician does everything wrong. As the saying goes, "a stopped clock is right twice a day." Similar to "no perfect candidate," then, it's important to note that everyone does something right and something wrong. Third -- and this is just me -- I do not have a representative government. By that I mean that there is no one currently in office or running for office that represents me. It's not there and I don't expect it. That's because a biblical worldview is not electable. Jesus said so (John 15:19). I'm not complaining and I'm not discouraged; it is what it is. No one represents me. Well, maybe a Mike Pence, but he didn't actually get elected, did he? He rode in on Trump's coat tails. I can't imagine the United States electing a Mike Pence for president, for instance. And, truthfully, doing politics changes you. It's hard to be there and maintain a Christian worldview and get anything done. In summary, then, I don't expect a perfect candidate and I don't expect a perfect performance and I don't expect someone who sees things as I do. None of the above. Ain't gonna happen.

So ... why can't I vote for Trump? He's imperfect. He hasn't performed perfectly the past four years. He doesn't represent me. Doesn't that qualify him? No, of course not, and that just my attempt to be humorous.

So, first, we need to be careful. We live in a loud "Trump-hate" world. For instance, the claim that "All living former presidents have publicly denounced Trump" is simply a lie. Bush didn't. (He has remained silent.) That leaves three Democratic presidents who, you would expect, would not endorse or defend the current Republican president. No surprise there. Further, despite claims to the contrary, the media is mostly left. Therefore, the political opinions expressed in those sources will, by definition, be opposed to anything right. Sources, then, are critical in the sense that they tend to be critical and critical in the sense that you need to be very careful about your sources.

There is the question of character. Trump was recorded in 2005 saying that he liked to grab women by a body part for which I won't use his word. That's not a left-wing smear campaign; that's Trump on Trump. The court ordered Trump to pay Stormy Daniels for his battle over hush money he paid. Oh, he paid it; he was just fighting that it was wrong for her not to hush up when he paid her to. No one really doubts that over his lifetime Trump has been an adulterer. There are lots of other questions of morality. It looks a lot like nepotism. It looks a lot like inappropriate relationships with family. It looks a lot like favoritism and cronyism. But we can debate that stuff. We can discuss the reasons, but it is undeniable that Trump's administration has been a "revolving door." They come and they go. Some leave out of disgust. Some leave out of disagreement (on one side or the other). Some even appear to leave from Trump's vindictiveness. It's disturbing the number of "pro-Trump" people who have come out of his orbit with a grudge. Trump's reputation from before his election was characterized in two words: "You're fired." It appears to not be a line from a reality show, but a character point. "Agree with me or face my wrath." And then there's Twitter. The worst place to look for Trump's positives is Trump's Twitter feed. Don't go there. Even the pro-Trump folk cringe from much of what he says there. The right mocks Biden for his verbal slip ups and, perhaps, rightly so, but it often is out of misdirection. "Don't look at what Trump said about drinking bleach; look at what Biden said about smelling women's hair." Not favorable.

Then there is his record. Pro-Trump folk claim, for instance, that "Trump has done the most to oppose LGBT issues." Really? According to USA Today, "LGBT Americans belong in Donald Trump's Republican Party." The author says, "Trump's agenda has been a boon to the gay community." The Federalist, a right-wing source, says, "Trump has been one of the greatest presidents for LGBTQ Americans in history." On his work for religious freedom, again, there is major disagreement. He's done some good and some harm. "'Far from protecting religious freedom, he's undermining it at every turn,' said Maggie Garrett, the vice president for public policy for Americans United for Separation of Church and State." The Frank Report lists "One-Hundred-Twenty-Five Amazing Accomplishments of President Donald J. Trump" including things like making animal abuse a federal offense and ordering his openly gay ambassador to Germany to lead a global initiative to decriminalize homosexual behavior across the globe. No president does everything right and no president does everything wrong, but raving about how wonderful Trump has been is more likely a "never Biden" call rather than a "he's our guy!" shout.

So, I'm going to vote. I'm going to express my opinion. I am going to deny that not voting for Trump is a vote for Biden because no one ever says, "Not voting for Biden is a vote for Trump" and because that is a fundamental denial of both "a vote is an expression of my opinion" and "Your vote counts." I'm going to deny it because it also assumes that God can't work without my vote in His favor. So I will vote. I will be disappointed in who wins. I will be castigated for failing to do what's right ... by people "on my side." I will be chastized by believers for trusting God on this. I get all that. I'm not upset; it's just the way it is. But my opinion still matters and I will express it. I will vote my conscience even if it doesn't agree with yours.