Presidential Campaigns, Controversy and Leadership

by Dr. Phil Johnson

October 9, 2016

So, just a month before the U.S. presidential election, we’ve more controversies and scandals than ever. The obviously biased media is full of commentary.  Some members of the Republican party have now withdrawn their support of Donald Trump. (They will regret this later.) Things are as chaotic as a presidential election could get. And there are probably more “surprises” to come.

It’s a strange state of elections in the U.S. – and many Americans don’t want either of the choices with which they are being presented.

Donald Trump is painted as racist, bigoted, anti-Muslim, anti-immigration, arrogant, filterless, and he has said indefensible things about women (and others).

Hillary Clinton is a career politician who is perceived as a pathological liar, has admitted to saying one thing to certain groups (Wall Street folk with money and donations) and different things to the rest of the pubic. Transcripts of her speeches reveal that she wants open borders and free trade. She kept her government computer server in her basement (while serving as Secretary of State) allowing classified documents to be hacked by foreign governments. And she has lied about it repeatedly. REPEATEDLY. She has also never given a credible defense for what happened in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 when four Americans were murdered by terrorists, including a sitting U.S. Ambassador.

Here are some things to think about when making your decision to vote:

1.) If you want Hillary Clinton, you have to accept a more progressive America, different views and standards on immigration, liberal judges appointed to the Supreme Court and free trade.  You’ll have to acknowledge that no matter what she says about protecting the middle class, she’s gotten rich through the Clinton Foundation by taking money from an interesting array of foreign governments.  You have to remember her treatment of women during the affairs her husband had before, during and after his time in the White House. There are even accusations of rape from Bill Clinton and the bullying of these women by Hillary. You will also have to accept that nothing that comes out of her mouth will be the truth. I’m not sure she even recognizes the truth. But the mainstream Media want her. Barak Obama wants to protect his legacy (which Trump would dismantle) and Hillary will do anything  to win this election.

2.) If you want Donald Trump, you have to understand that he is not and has not been a career politician. There are probably all kinds of unacceptable comments he has said in his 70 years. He is unfiltered – for good and bad. He has made fortunes, and lost fortunes and remade fortunes – and has taken legal advantage of tax laws. He is strong on the issue of illegal immigration. He has proposed a list of conservative Supreme Court justices from which he would choose to place on the highest court in our country. He has promised to bring jobs back to the US, to negotiate better trade deals and take care of the U.S. military and veterans. He has said he would deal with the Iran deal and ISIS  and do something about the awful results of Obamacare. You will also get someone who is not controlled by the big money of businesses and lobbying groups. And also someone who will not always control what he says – but who is smart enough to surround himself with smart people.

3.) If you’re looking for the next leader of the free world to be flawless, you’re not going to find it in either candidate. If you feel that your vote MUST go to a person of character, sorry – but you don’t have that choice this time around.

4.) But you’ve probably never had that choice when it comes to politics. Just look through history and you will find sexual infidelity, drug use, womanizing, lying, behind-the-scenes deals, betrayal, manipulation and deceiving the American public. It’s politics –  what exactly did you expect? We’re not naming the “Pastor or Priest” of the year.

5.) Yes, you can sit around and pontificate on the weaknesses and flaws of each candidate. You can rouse your indignant anger and declare that “on moral grounds” that you will “sit out” this vote or vote for a third-party candidate. You can do whatever you’d like to do (God bless America). So sit around and make yourself feel quite virtuous in your public distancing from either or both candidates.

6.) But I will leave you with this thought – we’re living in a post-Christian America where few of our “leaders” adhere to traditional Christian, godly values. (Even some of the ones who say they do – don’t really.) What am I most interested in? Smaller government, safer borders, and most of all, whoever will protect my freedom of speech. So, stop agonizing over the the flaws of each candidate – they’re not new, and most people are thanking God that their private conversations are not aired on TV.  Now it’s time to decide what kind of America you want for the future and get back to the primary issues. We’ve got two less-than-desirable candidates – but they are distinctly different in their view of America’s future and what they pledge to do. (And you’re going to get one or the other – whether you vote or not, whether you vote for  a third-part candidate or not.)

7.) And in the meantime – let’s take advantage of what freedoms we have left and let’s use that freedom to teach real leadership skills, develop people of character and attempt to impact our culture from the ground up – while we still can.