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Presidential candidate Joe Biden remarked recently that this election is a “battle for the soul of America.” He is right: more so than in nearly every other election in our history, the outcome of this election season could result in massive change to America’s soul.
Which makes it urgent that we each vote our values at every level of public office.
Political campaigns may start nobly with discussions of ideals and platforms but typically devolve into brutal mud wrestling. This year’s campaigns are no different. The “mud” can be both an effort to discredit and an effort to obscure. Mud works. The most discredited often lose.
Mud can also be a strategy to obscure. If the conversation centers on mud, the slingers of it can gloss over the values of their own candidates and party, thereby misleading voters. Political mud will fade away, but once in office, it is the legacy of a politician's values that will remain.
When we vote our values, we are freed from the small tyranny of having to vote “for” a candidate. It’s ideal when we can support a candidate. In my city, I am giving my time and resources to support a woman running for re-election to the City Council. I like her values, and she is a powerful force for good in our community. I will be voting “for” her.
In other elections in this season, I will be voting “against” some candidates and the “soul” of their parties. That does not necessarily mean I am “for” the candidates I select on my ballot. It means I am looking at values. In some cases, the candidates I select will be the ones who least violate my values.
In the case of the candidates for president, I am unable to vote “for” either major candidate. Looking through the mud, however, I can see which candidate and party least violates my values. That’s the one I will select on my ballot.
The chart below shows my own briefly stated views of how I believe American conservative and liberal politicians approach issues of the day, and what would be the result of their governance. I understand there are nuances that I have not included, or that I have not fully known or understood. Nevertheless, this is how I see the way each end of the political spectrum will try to mold the soul of America. Red Line Issues are those deeply rooted in my convictions.
All this said, one last thought: governments can make things better or worse for us, but my hopes do not ultimately rest in the hands of politicians or governments. My hopes rest in Jesus, the risen Savior and in the righteousness, peace, joy and power of His Kingdom that is advancing now across the Earth, and the more of that Kingdom that is yet to come.