Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Dobson and McCain and Evangelicals and Voting and . . .

James Dobson has released a short statement listing reasons that he will not vote for John McCain if he is a candidate for President. (BTW, I have just now seen theology professor Wayne Grudem's townhall article reasoning that evangelicals should support Romney. It's worth reading, but we seem to be beyond all this by now. HT: wife)

The early unwise and indiscriminate latching on to Huckabee by evangelicals, so many open primaries favoring "crossover" candiates, and the heavy role of the press have pretty much taken the debate over vision and ideology right out of the picture. I think this is bad; maybe I"m wrong. I'm just saying.

This nomination process, regrading both parties, has felt more like a hype-fest crap shoot than it has in years past. Maybe I'm getting older and it has always been that way. But sound bites, image, and press cred is a lousy way to select a presidential nominee. I think the most exciting event of the politcal season will be seeing who the Dem nominee selects as his or her running mate.

2 comments:

Cordell P. Schulten said...

Mike,
Seems to me like all this raises a more fundamental question -- the one Prof. Stephen Carter, Yale Law School, raised some years ago in his book, God's Name in Vain (2000). Does involvement in partisan politics put at risk the best that one has to offer when that he is seeking to be guided by his faith while engaging the issues of the day?

I think we would be well-served by revisiting Prof. Carter's critique of religion and politics.

Mike Schutt said...

"At risk" is right . . . !