Noah Webster wrote: “…if the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded.
During the Clinton re-election campaign of 1996, Republicans made the slogan popular “Character Counts”. That should still matter to Christians.
I fear we are fast approaching an election where neither major candidate has the integrity to lead our nation. With the Iowa Caucuses within just a few days, Iowa Christians should consider what their public caucus vote says about their Savior.
Don’t Reward President Trump For Denigrating Governor Reynolds
Conservative Iowans have grown to love and be grateful for Governor Kim Reynolds. I personally remember the first time I heard her speak. It was when she was running for Lt Governor with Terry Branstad. She was being interviewed about her views on abortion. She was asked pointedly what the penalty should be for abortion. She answered with a question of her own. It was fearless, rational and spoken with great candor: “What is the sentence (or penalty) for murder?”.
It is with that courage that she has governed us since 2019. She has lead the way in expanding gun rights, school choice, protecting women’s and girls sports, and supported free speech rights. She also refused to join liberal state governors in opposing some of President Trumps policies. Although she campaigned with and for Donald Trump in 2020, this time she has chosen to throw her support to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the upcoming caucuses. What was President Trumps reaction?
- “She is now America’s most Unpopular Governor….That’s what happens when you are disloyal to those that got you there!”
- “Kim Reynolds apparently has begun her retirement tour early as she clearly does not have any ambition for higher office,” his campaign wrote in a press email.
- Trump said her decision would mark “the end of her political career,” adding that “MAGA would never support her again.”
A friend suggested that the word “narcissist” is not a strong enough word to describe President Trump. Perhaps a better word would be “solipist”: one who doubts or denies the existence of anything external to their own thoughts and experiences.
One of the reasons, Reynolds endorsed DeSantis was his strong stand on abortion, citing his support of the so-called fetal heart beat bill, which Iowa had passed earlier (though struck down by Iowa Courts). Trump called the six-week abortion ban a “terrible mistake.”
In addition to the lies told about Reynolds, Trump has resorted to childish name calling, calling Gov DeSantis “DeSactimonious” and Nikki Haley “Birdbrain”. And for his Christmas wish, he wished that those who oppose him would “rot in hell”. Does this follow the command of Christ to love our enemies and do good to those who would persecute us? (Matthew 5:44)
It would be my hope and prayer that the nation is strong enough to rein in an out of control president. But I can certainly understand why some rank and file Democrats think that democracy would be under threat with Donald Trump at the helm, even if one grants that most or all of the criminal actions brought against him are politically motivated.
I can also picture the crumbling of our nation under the leadership of liberals in the White House as they seek to control speech and disinformation (which for them is anything they disagree with). But those arguments are for another day. Right now, any candidate in the GOP has a good possibility of defeating President Joe Biden.
I believe a President Ron DeSantis would do for the country what he has done in Florida. Christians, in particular, should pay attention to DeSantis on the moral issues of the day. An upset win or even a close race by DeSantis in Iowa could make a huge difference.
Four Principles to Ponder:
- What a Leader Does is a Fruit of What He Is (Proverbs 16:12; 29:2; 8:15f) From a sermon by Pastor George McDearmon
- The vote is really a test, not of our own wisdom in figuring out what a candidate will do, or how our vote will affect the election, but it is a test of our obedience to God.
- Because Christ goes before us, we can even use a flawed system and expect the blessing of God when we do what is right and vote on principle. Neither they—nor we—should think that they are our last hope.
- When we go to caucus or vote, we need not be confident that our vote will “count” in the eyes of men, but rather that it counts with God.
I close with two thoughts from John Quincy Adams:
“Duty is ours; results are God’s.”
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”
