Every four years, I find myself consumed by politics. I love the whole process. It’s thrilling to live in a country where any citizen can run for President. So, why is it, if any citizen can run, that so many of the best of us do not even consider running?
Look at the current batch of Republican hopefuls. It’s doubtful that anyone would say that our best Republicans are running. It’s a sorry lot indeed. Where is today’s Teddy Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln? For those of you who know me, and know that I tend to vote for the Democratic candidate, you may be wondering why I care about the Republican candidate. Well, pure and simple, the Republican might win the election (or be given the election by the Supreme Court), and if that happens, then I want the best of the best running our country. But, where can we find the best of the best?
It just so happens that some of my friends would make an excellent President of the United States. Dave stands out as an superb choice, as does Tricia, John, Lisa, Nils, and Olga. Each is over 35 years old and a citizen, each is intelligent, thoughtful, and well-spoken, each is a people person and good at delegating (a useful characteristic because no one can do it all), and, best of all, each cares about ALL people (the 99% plus the 1% equals 100%). They are inclusive, not exclusive people. Each is attractive and charming, so why can’t any of these friends be elected President? Because not one of them is outwardly religious.
These friends, who are Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians, are agnostics, atheists, and quiet, non-church going believers. They act more Christian than most Christians I know, and certainly act more Christian than the current Republican Presidential candidates, whose aim is to divide rather than unite the citizenry. Even my church going Christian friends, Cliff and Jane, would make great Presidents, but they tend to put their faith into actions instead of just words, so the citizenry who vote in the primaries probably wouldn’t pay attention to them.
How did we get to this sorry state of affairs? After all, our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion as a basic right. Religion is defined as a personal set of beliefs, and, let’s remember, that means not just Christian beliefs but any set of beliefs. So, why do we ignore those among us, who may hold differing sets of beliefs, as potential Presidents? Because people like black and white answers and fear difference. This fear of difference and ambiguity is hurting our country. We are ignoring and dismissing excellent potential candidates at our peril.
If we continue to ignore individuals, who are not Christian (and specific types of Christians at that–because Mormons are Christians too) or who do not loudly vocalize their beliefs, as potential Presidents of our United States, then we are missing out on some of the finest minds and kindest hearts on the planet.
Take care,
Kate
An addendum: I'm a little bit of a perfectionist and by little bit I mean a lot. I hate making mistakes, hate getting in trouble and am not a bit fan of being wrong. However, I learned that the most useful thing I could do for myself was to all
Watermusic,
That is exactly what to do to keep your spirit and energy in harmony. Thank you for sharing. Letting yourSelf off the hook is the hard part. Good for you.
I want to share your story with a client that is coming next week who can ne
I guess it is your son or M. Obviously your son is into protecting you from further engagement in a destructive relationship. Your son is right, you did deceive him. Again, obviously he holds you in higher esteem than you hold yourself.
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Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a Conservative and always interested in politics. I totally agree that one of those Republicans may very well be our next president (at least I certainly hope so!), and, while I hate to say it, I tend to agree that we didn’t get the cream of the crop this time around. It’s really too bad, too, since what’s going on in the current administration needs to change.
The thing about religion is that, according to various surveys, around 90% of Americans believe in God. This country’s founding included God. Our Bill of Rights is based on our Creator. Some people look for similar beliefs, some just look to be sure that our God-given rights aren’t taken away. But, generally, God does fit into the equation one way or another.
I find it ironic that you believe the current GOP candidates are divisive. I, personally, have seen more dividing done – by party, religion, color and economic class – by our current president than I ever have in my almost 6 decades. It may make for good campaign slogans, but it doesn’t truly fit in with who most Americans are.
On Facebook, I have a great time interacting with a Democrat page (I must have some masochistic tendencies). They are often very divisive when speaking of Christianity – to the point where even some Christian Democrats are feeling it. The reality of it is that we are all human. Some non-Christians have a better code of ethics than some who call themselves Christians and some do not. While it should not necessarily be a part of a presidential election, it is. We, generally, notice things like a Thanksgiving address not mentioning who we are giving thanks to and many of us, even those who aren’t religious in any sense, prefer traditions.
Those of us in our age group may recall JFK’s Catholicism being an issue. We’ve been around long enough to see many changes in the US when it comes to religion. Without getting into a theological debate, most Christians do not see Mormonism as truly Christian, but I doubt that would hold us back from electing Mitt Romney. But, I doubt that an atheist would be voted in – at least not yet.
And, maybe, in another 4 or 8 years, the cream of the crop – Allen West, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul or others like them – will be running; if it’s not too late for the US of A. ♥
“It’s thrilling to live in a country where any citizen can run for President.” This isn’t the case as in the U.S. you must be born in this country to be president. I’m sure there are many fine people who came to this country who could be excellent candidates but will never be given the chance because of this condition. Many other countries do not impose this roadblock on their citizens.
Who wants to run for president when “everything” in the candidate’s past surfaces? No one is perfect, and yet the entire world finds out if the candidate has a personal mistake in his/her background. I think this humiliates the entire country. The world must think we’re all immoral.