Wednesday
AFTER “SUPER TUESDAY”
AFTER “SUPER TUESDAY” (AND THE SUPER
BOWL!) THERE IS DISCUSSION ABOUT
REVISING OUR PRIMARY PROCESS
Just over a year ago, in January 2007, Michael Toner,
the Chairman of the Federal Election Commission
estimated that this year’s election would become a
“$1 billion election.” He was recalling the $650 million
expenditures in 2000 and the $1 billion in 2004.
Already millions of dollars have been spent, and more
millions more will yet be spent in the quest for the
presidential nomination and election.
After yesterday’s “Super Tuesday,” there is a growing
trend of thought that the present primary selection
process should be revised. The argument was well
summarized by Brett Winterble in Human Events,
on Jan. 31. After pointing out how essentially four
states by primary and caucus voting in January had
influenced the future trend of the primary selection
process, he (and others) have suggested that it is time
to “front-load the whole process into one due date.
Make every state vote on exactly the same day. Make
every candidate compete in every state at the exact
same time…”
The result would be that from that point on, the real
election campaign would begin and there would be
adequate time for each voter in each state to make his
or her decision as to their preferred candidate. And if
some states, like Iowa or New Hampshire for example,
object -- do as the Democrats did: refuse to seat the
delegates from those states. With a little two party
cooperation, we would soon have a primary selection
process which makes sense.
Instead, we have yesterday‘s “Super Tuesday.”
The often expressed expectation that at the end of this
massive series of primary elections and caucuses we
would have settled on the nominee for at least one
party -- some even predicted both -- just didn’t work
out that way, and so the selection process moves on.
On the Republican side, John McCain was the clear
winner and ended the night with 610 delegate votes.
The other two candidates in the Republican race, Mitt
Romney and Mike Huckabee had 257 and 202 delegate
votes respectively. The exact totals will have to wait
until the proportionate votes in some states have been
accurately calculated. Sharp expressions of bitterness
among the three candidates have been evident, and
prior to the “Super Tuesday” elections, Romney had
made the suggestion that Huckabee should drop out
of the race. By the end of the preliminary results last
night, Huckabee had made the same suggestion to
Romney, but both candidates at present plan to
continue. 1,191 delegates are required for nomination
in the Republican process. This race now depends on
statistical calculations, with McCain obviously
close to being declared the nominee, pending the
results in the next few elections.
On the Democrat side, the two-person race
between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama remains
a close one, with Clinton emerging as the winner, but
not decisively so, now holding 845 delegate votes to
Obama’s 765. The same delay in the final count as in
the Republican case is also true here. The Democrat
process requires a total of 2,025 delegate votes. This
is obviously an extremely close race, and no clear
winner is yet being projected.
This we can conclude: No matter which Democrat
ultimately emerges as the nominee, history will have
been made: In the November election, Americans will
for the first time be voting to elect either a black or a
woman as president of the United States.
As we move closer to the actual selection of candidates
at the Summer national conventions, the issues important
to the American voters, and the positions taken by the
candidates of both parties will take on major importance.
From the Conservative/Evangelical viewpoint we are very
much concerned about moral values, and believe a return
to this nation’s founding principles is absolutely necessary.
From one of the later “Founding Fathers” -- Dr.
Daniel Dorchester (1827-1907) clergyman and legislator,
speaking of the governments of the Colonies: “The key
principle was that government, civil and ecclesiastical,
is constituted and administered upon the Bible as the
source of knowledge and authority.”
Afterthoughts . . .
Thoughts about Al Gore’s “Global Warming”
theory: One is puzzled on how to relate the snowfall
in the Holy Land last week, the intense cold sweeping
across the American Midwest and East, and the recent
near record snowfalls and avalanches throughout the
Western states (and in China!), to Mr. Gore’s theory
that temperatures are rising all over the world. But
perhaps we should not be impatient; someday he may
get it right.
But Jimmy Carter thinks Gore’s got it right; at
the Convocation of Carter’s new Baptist denomination
in Atlanta last week, Gore was a featured speaker, and
was given an award as “Baptist of the year.” In his
sermon he cited Luke 12:54-57 for his Scriptural base,
claiming that it is dishonest to think that global warming
is only a theory and not a scientific fact. Quoting Gore,
“The evidence is there. The signal is on the mountain.
The trumpet has blown. The scientists are screaming
from the rooftops. The ice is melting. The land is
parched. The seas are rising. The storms are getting
stronger. Why do we not judge what is right?” Yes,
Al, and the snow is getting deeper, and temperatures
are falling all over the world.
Early in the 19th century, American essayist,
Charles Dudley Warner coined the phrase,
“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody
does anything about it.” He also originated a more
currently applicable phrase, “Politics makes strange
bedfellows.” We have just seen evidence of that in
the announcement of the 19th Annual Conference on
Preaching, April 7-9 in Washington, DC, where the
most publicized participants will be best selling author
and mega-church pastor, Rick Warren and presidential
wannabe, Mike Huckabee. Michael Duduit, editor of
Preaching Magazine said “Preachers look forward
to hearing Rick Warren describe what goes into
speaking on issues such as global warming, AIDS
and other provocative topics…” That should be an
interesting disclosure; Warren was once hailed as the
next Billy Graham.
Three news story announcements appeared in
one of our Internet news sources in this exact order; if
read carefully, they seem to share a common theme:
* Hillary suggests snatching wages - says income would
be garnished if workers refuse to buy health insurance;
*John Kerry’s sister mugged;
* Bush’s $3 Trillion Budget is US First.
Conclusion: A little humor brightens the day.
From the Founding Fathers: "All of us who were
engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent
instances of superintending providence in our favor.
And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or
do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance?
I have lived a long time, and the longer I live, the more
convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God governs
in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the
Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire
can rise without his Aid?" - Benjamin Franklin, 1787
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