The other day Pattie wrote an article asking (or really telling us) that there are Christians on both sides of the fence and being liberal or conservative doesn’t a Christian make. What has ensued is an interesting conversations therein in her comments section. I’m actually going to address her article in two parts. However, the right to life debate is often at the forefront of election debates and it is, arguably one of the first things many conservative Christians want to know when choosing a candidate. Dare I say it? Many of you conservative Christians out there vote based on … Continue reading →

Good Christians should vote Republican. You hear this statement all the time from Christian people when asked why they voted for the president and other Republican candidates. We’ve seen it from time to time in our own forums. The Republican Party has done a great job of convincing otherwise intelligent people that they will burn in Hell, if they vote for Democrats. Just listen to the recent rhetoric from Sarah Palin in a recent interview with James Dobson for Focus on the Family. She said, “God would do the right thing on Election Day.” They have equated being a good … Continue reading →

As a mother of four and a certified teacher, the education plans of the candidates are always a big subject with me. This is a concern for families around the country as well. Barack Obama has come out with a three point plan to reform and improve education in the United States. The plan is broken down into early childhood, K-12 education and higher education. The early childhood education plan is called the “Zero to Five Plan”. The focus is on improving the quality and expanding Head Start and help states with funding to offer voluntary, universal preschool. This would … Continue reading →

Tonight, both presidential candidates were seen by millions of voters on television. One paid about three million dollars for the airtime and the other got it for free. Barack Obama’s special aired on seven networks and cable television stations at eight o’clock. At nine, John McCain was interviewed on Larry King Live. Although our decision has already been made, we watched both events. I noticed some striking contrasts between the candidates messages. Granted, the format was totally different. One was a professionally produced piece and the other was an interview, although not very hard hitting. Obama’s special was a mix … Continue reading →

The candidates’ tax plans have gotten attention during the debates, in stump speeches and in campaign ads. Trying to understand the plans from commercials and sound bites is difficult. What is true and what is rhetoric? The best way to learn what each has to offer is to read the full plan on their websites, as well as independent analysis of the plans. For example, Barack Obama has promised a tax cut to 95 percent of all American tax payers. Part of his proposal calls for a 3 percent increase in taxes for the top tax bracket. McCain and Palin … Continue reading →

In the closing days of the election, we will attempt to cover as many issues as possible and the candidates’ plans regarding pressing issues. One issue that is pressing for many American families is health care. Increasing costs and decreasing benefits puts the squeeze on the budgets of families across the country. Economic difficulties, including layoffs, bring this issue into the forefront as well. Each candidate has a distinctly different approach to the future of health care in the United States. Barack Obama’s plan lies in between health care run by the government and the current system, which many agree … Continue reading →

“Joe”, the 2008 equivalent of John Q. Public, has dominated some of the rhetoric in the current presidential campaign. The idea is that “Joe” is the every man, or the common guy. Where did this come from and is it an effective strategy? The first Joe we heard about was Joe Six Pack. This fictional caricature was made famous by Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Joe Six Pack has been referred to at most of her rallies, becoming fodder for Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live. The idea with Joe Six Pack is that the candidate, in this case … Continue reading →

Stories of ACORN in the media and McCain making accusations of voter fraud have made me feel a little dizzy in the past few days. Horrible memories of fraud, voter suppression and purging of voters in Florida in 2000 came flooding back. Surely we won’t have to deal with a similar mess this year? I decided to do a little reading about ACORN. The organization is The Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now. ACORN was founded in 1970. Here is the mission statement published on their site: “The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) aims to organize … Continue reading →

In recent weeks, the rhetoric of the presidential campaign has gotten more heated. McCain and Palin continue to recycle old news stories about Bill Ayers and Obama, in turn, has brought up McCain’s involvement in the Keating Five back in the late 1980s. Do these non-issues affect how people vote on Election Day? Well, that depends. Unfortunately, in past elections, this strategy has worked. Bush used negative campaigning effectively in both 2000 and 2004. Perhaps the most notorious example was in the attacks on John Kerry, a decorated war veteran. Coming from a candidate who had avoided Vietnam at all … Continue reading →