The results of last night's caucus' in Iowa has me still walking a tight rope. I'm still undecided about who I'll vote for when it comes to Florida's primary. Still have lots of praying to do. I continue to try to be informed, but it ain't easy.
It seems like the more I listen, the more information I have to wade through in order to make an informed decision. I do not want to be a "low information" voter. That takes me back to prayer. That's the best way. I am constantly reminded of Psalm 118:8. "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in men." None of the candidates are perfect, and it may depend on which imperfections are dealbreakers as much who can lead our country out of the mess we're in now.
Mike Huckabee disappointed me one occasion as much as he encouraged me on others. There were other times he danced around the question rather than answering directly, but that's a typical political hazard. The one time he disappointed me was when he supposedly refused to let Ted Cruz on stage with the woman in Kentucky whose job was on the line for refusing to supply marriage licenses to homosexuals. Fat lot of good it did him. Conversely, I deeply appreciate his refusal to allow the media to harp on Social Security as an entitlement. It's an enforced savings account that Congress stole and continues to bankrupt. I appreciate you, Governor, and I thank you for what you were trying to do. Unfortunately, you just couldn't get the momentum.
On to the winners of the caucus, Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton. Ladies first. She's been declared the winner by .5%. In fact, by my math, 49.9 minus 49.5 is really .4%, but who am I to argue with the people doing the counting? A squeaker by anyone's count. Then, it's also been announced that 6 polling places were deadlocked and had to flip a coin. Amazingly, Secretary Clinton won all 6! Is that the .5? In my opinion, Secretary Clinton, that's not worth crowing about, especially when you think back to when you first announced your candidacy. Your numbers were higher than anyone in recent history. As a CHRISTIAN, conservative Republican, she will not get my vote, but if my opinion can cause anyone who expects to vote for her to stop and think, I'm happy.
Senator Cruz. I have to admit I blow hot and cold on you. I appreciate your testimony. I appreciate your stand on many of the issues that are important to the country, but I still have doubts. My biggest concern is that you, like Ron Paul, cannot get support for what you believe is right. How can you lead if no one follows? I'm also concerned about your electability. Can you win in the general election? I'm not sure the country will tolerate your brand of conservatism. Iowa did. Congratulations on that. However, Iowa has one of the highest percentages of Evangelicals in the country, but what about the rest of the country?
This morning, your campaign was accused of dirty tricks. Ben Carson claims your people told his people he had suspended his campaign. If true, not very Christian at all. It's that kind of behavior that makes unbelievers skeptical and call us hypocrites. With good reason. On the other hand, I find it hard to believe anyone in the Carson camp would believe he was dropping out on the very night of the decision making caucus. Perhaps the Cruz people remembered what happened in Florida in 2000 when Democrats claimed Gore won before the polls closed in western Florida. (Western Florida is in a different time zone.) People in that part of the state didn't vote because they believed it had already been decided. Regardless, if true, it's beneath you and your profession as a Christian.
I say again, dirty tricks may come back to haunt the perpetrator. If not, they will hurt the country. Where's our nobility? Where's our integrity? Speaking of which, does Donald Trump owe Mitt Romney an apology? He's castigated him severely many times because he "couldn't close the deal." It's not that easy, is it. Mr. Trump? Supposedly, your turn is coming for the hot seat. It's been said a documentary will be made, using only your words. Will they stand the scrutiny? Or will they hurt you like they have in Scotland? Will you skip the next debate if you are at podium #2 instead of number one?
Richard Nixon once said he didn't mind the media looking at him through the microscope, but when it came to using a proctoscope, well you get the picture. We do investigate our politicians more and more carefully today. John Kennedy Jr. said he doubted if his father would have run in this political climate.
Again, our vote often boils down to who's got the least imperfections rather than who's the best qualified. Ted Cruz was certainly tested by fire in the last debate and I applaud him for that, but can he win? Can he unify the party? Serious questions that I can't answer satisfactorily in my own mind, at least not yet. Am I leaving the impression I'm on the high wire?
Marco Rubio came in third. He's in a very good position, especially if Ted Cruz gives up on New Hampshire, as reported. Rubio was so very close to Trump and not that far behind Cruz. I have to say he has a lot going for him. He understands our world is changing very rapidly and we need people who can keep up. He said that in the very first debate. I was impressed. He's a uniter, not a divider. but how much of that is going along to get along and how much is genuinely being able to keep the country from falling apart? There are those in Europe who've been predicting that the United States will divide into four or five countries any day now. Do we really want America fractured?
I especially liked Rubio's strong statement in one debate when the moderator said he'd been called a savior and he shot back saying there's only one Savior and that's Jesus Christ. In some circles, that statement could hurt him severely, but he said it strongly. There's been complaints about his immigration bill. He emphasized that standards must be set and upheld. Can't argue with that. Parsing each candidate's words can be exhausting. Time to pray and turn the TV off.
The rest of the candidates fell below consideration and I'm sorry. Every time Carly Fiorina or Chris Christie speaks, I'm impressed. Same for Ben Carson. Even Jeb Bush although I didn't start out that way. What to do, what to do? Thankfully, there's still time to pray and seek God's will. We vote on March 16. By then, perhaps enough will have dropped out, making the decision easier. That's part of the reason I'm undecided. Each has strong points as well as weak ones. Regardless who wins the nomination, I want to cast my vote for the one I believe God wants me to support. When it's all said and done, it's the Lord who chooses our leaders. It's my job to trust Him no matter who or how He chooses.
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