Seeking Balance

A few years ago, I subscribed to a wonderful magazine (now defunct, unfortunately) called Life@Work Journal. The magazine was a Christian publication geared towards believers in the marketplace. Each issue would focus on a particular subject. One of the most memorable issues was the issue on balance.

In an article entitled "Juggling Life" (Life@Work Journal, November/December 2000), authors Thomas Addington and Steven Graves contend that we operate on an incorrect definition of balance based on ranking priorities of God, family, church, work and leisure. They contend that "balance is the ability to continually recognize and juggle the multidimensional assignments and opportunities of life". When we feel overwhelmed or stressed out because there isn't enough time to do everything on our "to do list" it's because our life is out of balance.

They go on to explain that balance is not a static issue. In other words, it is something we have to constantly strive towards. We also cannot do it alone as we each have blind spots that prevent us from seeing the total picture. As a result, we need accountability from family, friends, business associates, fellow church members, and others to help us see where we are out of balance.

They also contend that each individual has five multidimensions of life: family, community, church, work, and self. Each of these dimensions competes for our attention and energy. These are the balls that we have to juggle. Within each of these dimensions are assignments and opportunities.

An assignment is "something that we have no control over or that we cannot say no to without violating a Scriptural command or principle". For example, I am a father and husband. I'm also the breadwinner for my family. As a believer, I also must be involved in a church. These are all assignments that I have been given. Assignments are not necessarily the same for every person.
Opportunities, on the other hand, are optional items. They are things that I can choose to do or not to do. Sometimes an opportunity can help someone fufill an assignment. For example, if I go to a parenting conference it should help me be a better father. However, an opportunity can become a problem if it interferes with my ability to fufill my assignments. A good example would be spending so much time watching football on television that it takes away time I should be spending with my family. As a matter of fact, one of the reasons I don't spend much time watching sports anymore is because it takes too much time away from my wife and children.

When my wife and I were first married we moved to suburban Chicago. While we were there I got involved in a golf league with some of the guys at work. At least every other Saturday (and sometimes more often) I would be off playing golf with the guys at work and leaving my wife at home alone. Although it was a great opportunity, my marriage suffered because I was not devoting time to my wife and our marriage the way that I should have.

Juggling assignments and opportunities is not easy. It requires constantly evaluating where time and energy are being spent. It also takes a willingness to sacrifice my own desires in order to meet the needs of my family.

My wife once did this in a very practical way by taking Post-It notes and putting up on the closet doors everything she was doing. She started by putting every one of those notes on the left side of the doors. Then she would move the notes over to the right that represented the opportunities she was involved in. Once she was finished she realized she was involved in far too many opportunities and it was interfering with her assignments as a wife and mother. After praying over those opportunities for a number of days she decided to make some changes.

The bottom line is this: in order to keep our lives in balance we must first grasp what assignments God has given us. Then each activity we are involved in needs to be examined closely. We should be asking ourselves whether the opportunities we are pursuing are interfering with our assignments. If an opportunity is keeping us from completing our assignments then it's an opportunity we don't need to pursue.

What Evangelicals Want

Rooftop Blog has an excellent post on what exactly evangelicals are looking for from this election. This is an excellent summary of the issues we face as a nation. (Hat tip: Let's Try Freedom)

Now that the Election is over

The election is now over. Senator John Kerry, in a tremendous example of leadership for his party, has conceded the election to President Bush. We have been spared the anxiety and anguish that the 2000 election brought and can now move forward as a nation.

However, just because President Bush has won (in addition to Republican majorities being strengthened in the House and Senate) does not mean that our work is finished. In fact, it has just begun.

Kevin Triplett, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress, said in a speech last week that voters have a duty to hold their representatives accountable. Voters have to ensure that their representatives reflect their values and keep their promises.

I believe one of the reasons that Democrat Rick Boucher has been so successful in masquerading as a moderate is that voters have not held him accountable. Seven votes against the partial-birth abortion ban do no reflect Southwest Virginia values. Voting to authorize the use of force in Iraq and then voting against funding for the troops (including troops from his own district) does not reflect Southwest Virginia values.

The Ninth District of Virginia voted overwhelmingly to support President Bush's re-election bid by a margin of 59.50% to 39.37%. We are a conservative district. It is up to us as voters to hold our representatives accountable so that they represent the values of our district.

But our job does not end there. As Christians, we have a more important job ahead of us. We must train our children and ourselves in biblical worldview thinking. We must win the culture for Christ. We can't do the job if we don't train ourselves and our children to get it done.

This is the mission that God has given us:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:19-20 (emphasis mine)

Let's go to it.

Election night update

Mommypundit and I are over at the gathering for our friend Kevin Triplett tonight who lost his bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Rick Boucher for Virginia's Ninth District. Kevin very graciously conceded to the Congressman earlier this evening. He does not know what the future holds but God certainly knows what He has in store for the Triplett family. Kevin has at least made it clear that he plans to stay here.

When the votes are all counted, Congressman Boucher will have won again by a large margin but by the narrowest margin (at least for him) in recent memory.

There are some that will ask whether all the effort was worth it. I believe it was. I've believed from the beginning that it was possible for Kevin to win. I don't regret one minute I've spent volunteering for the campaign. It's been an exciting time and I'm glad that I had the chance to share this experience with my family.

Now our prayers are focused on the other races still to be decided. We'll continue to update through the night as results come in.

Election 2004 update

Daddypundit just called from our polling place where he is handing out sample ballots and asked me to post.

Turnout is now about 52% as of 3:00, but we expect that to be much greater as people finish work for the day and come out to vote.

Also worth noting--the Democrats left at noon, so our crew has been there handing out sample ballots all alone.

Mommypundit

Just got back from voting

Mommypundit and I took the kids down to our precinct and just voted. There was a steady flow of people going in to vote but no long waits. It took us about 10 minutes total to cast our votes for President Bush and Kevin Triplett for Congress. The interesting thing I heard while I was there was that as of 10am when we arrived approximately 700 voters out of a total of 2300 in the precinct had already voted. I spoke with a friend of mine who is working the polls for the local Republican Party and they expect 60-70% turnout. Since Virginia is considered to be safely in Bush's column, the heavy turnout may be due to the Congressional race. Hopefully this is a good sign for Kevin Triplett.

Some final thoughts before Election Day

A few final thoughts as we approach Election Day:

This election presents two presidential candidates who have stark differences. Voters will have to decide whether freedom is still worth fighting for.

The Mainstream Media can fairly be characterized as biased (hat tip: Instapundit). Their willingness to slant coverage in favor of John Kerry, to the point of distorting the truth, has kept him competitive in this race. If the media had applied the same amount of scrutiny to John Kerry's record, particularly his military service (which Kerry made a centerpiece of his campaign) he would be nowhere close to competitive in this election (Hat tip: Powerline). Here's another perspective on this issue.

John Kerry is a liability to other Democratic candidates (Hat Tip: Captain's Quarters). As a result, Republicans are likely to gain several Senate seats. On a local level, our 22 year incumbent Democractic Congressman Rich Boucher has stayed away from comparisons between his voting record and John Kerry's. He pretends to be a moderate but in truth is just as liberal as Kerry.

Even if President Bush is defeated, I believe he will be remembered as a President who has shown great leadership.

If John Kerry is elected, he will still be my president. Romans 13:1 says:

"Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God."

I believe every Christian should be involved in the political process. We should be examining the candidate's positions on every issue against the truth of God's Word and vote accordingly. If Christians believe that the Bible is true and applicable to their lives then it should apply to all areas of their lives, including how they vote. It is doubtful that you will agree with a candidate on every issue. However, you should, as Charles Colson suggests, "Choose men who love God and are able to govern well."

A Message from President Bush

Tomorrow, Americans will choose who will lead our country during a time of war and economic opportunity. And the choice on Tuesday comes down to a few issues of great consequence. The first choice is the most important, because all our progress depends on our safety.

Since September the 11th, 2001, I have led a relentless campaign against the terrorists. We have strengthened homeland security. We removed terror regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are on the offensive around the world, because the best way to prevent future attacks is to go after the enemy.

My opponent has a different view. Senator Kerry says September the 11th didn't change him much, and his policies make that clear. He says the war on terror is "primarily an intelligence and law enforcement operation." He has proposed what he calls a "global test" that would give foreign governments a veto over American security decisions. And when our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq needed funding for body armor and bullets, Senator Kerry voted against it.

The direction of the war on terror is at stake in the election of 2004. And when you go to the polls on Tuesday, remember this: I will do whatever it takes to defend America and prevail in the war on terror, and I will always support the men and women who do the fighting.
The second choice in this election concerns your family budget. As a candidate, I pledged to lower taxes for families, and I have kept my word. We doubled the child tax credit, reduced the marriage penalty, and dropped the lowest tax bracket to 10 percent. Now working families keep more of their paychecks, and America's economy is growing faster than any other among major industrialized nations.

My opponent voted against all our tax relief for working families. His votes would have squeezed about $2,000 more in taxes from the average middle-class family. Now Senator Kerry is promising to increase federal spending by more than $2.2 trillion. And to pay for all that new spending, he would have to raise taxes on American families. I will keep your taxes low because I know it's not the government's money, it's your family's money.

The third choice in this election involves your quality of life. As President, I signed historic education reforms to bring high standards to the classroom and make schools accountable to parents, and our children are making progress in reading and math. We've strengthened Medicare, created health savings accounts, and expanded community health centers to help more Americans get health care. I'm proposing a series of practical reforms to make health care more affordable and accessible by expanding health savings accounts, allowing association health plans, and protecting patients and doctors from junk and frivolous lawsuits.

My opponent has a different approach. Senator Kerry voted for the No Child Left Behind Act, but he has pledged to weaken the accountability standards. He's voted 10 times against medical liability reform. And now, he's proposing a big-government health care plan that would do nothing about rising health costs, and would cause millions of Americans to lose their private health insurance and end up on government programs.

Finally, this election presents a choice on the values that keep our families strong. I believe marriage is a sacred commitment, and I will always defend it. I will continue to appoint judges who strictly interpret the law. And I will keep working to move this good-hearted nation toward a culture of life.

On these issues, my opponent and I are miles apart. Senator Kerry was part of an out-of-the-mainstream minority that voted against the Defense of Marriage Act. He believes there ought to be a liberal litmus test for judicial appointments. He voted against banning the brutal practice of partial birth abortion. I believe that reasonable people can find common ground on difficult issues, and I will continue reaching out and bringing Americans together to protect our deepest-held values.

All of these choices make this one of the most important elections in our history. These past four years, you have seen how I do my job. Even when you might not agree with me, you know where I stand, what I believe, and what I intend to do. Soon, the decision will be in your hands. And however you decide, I urge you to get out and vote on Tuesday.

Hat tip: The Federalist

Character Counts, Part Two

This post from Lorie Byrd (who is a contributor over at Polipundit as well as her own blog) features a heartwarming story that provides insight into the character of our President. Then there's this story about the President comforting the daughter of a 9/11 victim. There's also this story about the President going on a jog with a soldier who lost a leg in Afgahnistan. Or this story about the injured soldier he saluted in the hospital.

This is an aspect of the President's character that is not often reported in the media because he does not draw attention to it himself.

On a more personal note, I had the opportunity to see a glimpse into our President's character thanks to our oldest daughter.

She just turned 9. All throughout this campaign cycle she has become very interested in the election. She's watched every single one of the debates. She watched the Republican convention with us. She's been very engaged in what's happening in this election.

Earlier in the summer, she asked me if she could write a letter to the President. She wanted to let him know how much she admired him and that she was praying for him. I said that would be fine. I was amazed that our daughter, on her own initiative, thought to write a letter of encouragement to the President.

I never imagined that she would get any type of response from the President. I suspect he is bombarded with cards, letters, and e-mail and it's simply not possible for him to respond. I also suspect that the amount of mail he receives is more than his staff could possibly keep up with. So I mailed her letter for her without any expectation of hearing anything about it again.

About a month later, a manila envelope arrived in our mailbox. The return address was The White House, Washington, D. C. I immediately knew that she had received a response. The President said he was honored to have the responsibility of serving as President. He encouraged her to become a good citizen, to study hard, make the right choices, and help others. By setting high standards, he said, you can achieve your dreams. Included was a picture of the President and the First Lady.

Cynics will say this was a mass produced letter. Cynics will say this didn't really come from the President. As I said, I don't know whether he actually saw my daughter's letter. However, I do know that his staff did not have to respond to my daughter's letter. I would be willing to bet that the letter she received is a result of the direction that the President has given to his staff.

The bottom line: Our President is a man of honor, who has a gentle heart and is full of compassion. This is the type of person I am proud to have as my President and that I can hold up to my children as someone to be admired. For this reason, I am proudly casting my vote to re-elect President Bush on November 2nd.

If after reading this you're still not convinced that President Bush is the right man to continue to lead our country, then read this article on five questions you should ask before casting your vote written by another successful leader.

What's at stake in this election

Much of the focus this election cycle has been on the race for President of the United States and rightly so. However, there is much more at stake than who is going to be our Commander-in-Chief for the next four years. Although much of the media attention has been on the latest attacks President Bush and Senator Kerry have launched on each other, it is time to step back and look at the bigger picture.

We are a nation at war. This war we are fighting is different from any other war we have faced before. Consider this quote from Charles Colson who served in the Nixon White House at the height of the Cold War:

During my days working in the White House, I often came home feeling nauseated after meetings about national security. You’d feel that way, too, if you’d spent the afternoon hearing about possible nuclear attacks, first-strike survivability, and the policy of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), which shaped every decision we made. I used to come home and tell Patty, “I don’t know if I can take this, because we are making decisions that could, by one miscalculation, obliterate this country!”

Now consider: The entire MAD policy assumed that leaders on both sides of the Cold War—the Americans and the Soviets—were reasonable, rational people. Today it’s a totally different ballgame. With Islamic fanatics, you don’t assume that they are rational. You assume, based on their behavior, that they’re irrational—that if they get their hands on nuclear weapons, they’re willing to use them.

I have come to the sobering conclusion that we are in greater danger of a nuclear strike today than we were during the Cold War.

Colson makes an excellent point. During the Cold War, both sides understood the capabilty of each to destroy the other. That understanding is what restrained both sides from acts of aggression.

The question facing us this Election Day is this: Which candidate is best capable of protecting the United States from further attacks?

For me, the answer is obvious. President George W. Bush has clearly demonstrated his ability to lead our troops in the battle against terrorists. By waging successful campaigns in both Afghanistan and Iraq, he has shown that he understands the threat of terrorism and the necessity to eliminate the threat before the terrorists have a chance to attack us again.

However, who we elect President is just the beginning. We also have important choices make regarding who our Senators and Representatives are going to be. These choices are crucial because the members of Congress are the ones who will be charged with carrying out the vision that the President sets for our country.

In Virginia's 9th Congressional district (where I live), we have been represented by Democrat Rick Boucher for 22 years. Our local paper, the Bristol Herald Courier, endorsed the Congressman's re-election bid. In their endorsement, they cite the numerous government funding programs that the Congressman has been able to secure for the region. They failed to mention the fact that our Congressman also voted against funding for our troops, some of which are from our region. I pointed this out in this letter I wrote to the editor. Congressman Boucher has repeatedly voted against major defense initiatives. The logical conclusion that can be drawn from reviewing his record is that he does not make national security a priority. His record is typical of many Democrats.

This election is about more than just who we choose to be our president for the next four years. We need to also elect Senators and Congressmen who are going to support President Bush in his ongoing effort to keep our nation safe from global terrorism. We must choose carefully in all the votes we cast. If anything has been made clear in this election cycle, it is that Democrats cannot be trusted to keep our nation safe. As a result, we need to do all we can to ensure that Republicans are elected.

UPDATE: Osama Bin Laden has emerged to release this videotape and attempt to insert himself into our election. Charles over at Little Green Footballs nails it: Vote as if your life depends on it.

Does this mean John Kerry will lose the election?

Earlier this summer, John Kerry said this:

"We’ve been waiting since 1918 for the Boston Red Sox to win the World Series, and . . . if I had a choice between the White House and the World Series this year, I’m going to take the White House. How's that?"--John Kerry, 08/2004

Hat tip: Football Fans for Truth

Last night, the Boston Red Sox completed a four game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to win the World Series.

You make the call.

UPDATE: Red Sox Pitcher Curt Schilling apparently is urging fans to vote for President Bush.
(Hat tip: Powerline)

Letter to the Editor

The following is a letter that I have sent today to our local newspaper the Bristol Herald-Courier.


To the Editor:

I applaud the Bristol Herald Courier’s decision to endorse President Bush for re-election on November 2nd (“Bush has Proved His Leadership”, October 27, 2004). However, your endorsement fails to address the most important issue our country faces: national security.

Your article suggests that President Bush has “acted unilaterally”, “offered little rationale for his decisions”, and “slipped into partisan politics”.

When the US was attacked on September 11, 2001, our President offered a clear vision not only for our country but also for the entire free world on how to combat the rising threat of global terrorism. It is time to stop using the word “unilaterally”. The United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Poland, and many others have joined in this war with the United States. To say that we have acted unilaterally diminishes and denigrates the sacrifices of our allies.

For a brief period of time, this country was united. We were not Democrats or Republicans. We were Americans united in purpose. But it was not the President who “slipped into partisan politics”. It was the Democratic Party, seeking to make political hay of any negative news from Iraq.

To make matters worse, Democrats who supported the President’s decision to go to war in Iraq turned their back on the military when it came time to fund the war.

One of these Democrats is John Kerry who wants to be our next Commander-in-Chief. Another is Virginia Congressman Rick Boucher. Congressman Boucher voted in favor of the authorization of war (vote #455, October 10, 2002) and then voted against the supplemental appropriation for funding the war (vote #601, October 31, 2003).

Your endorsement of Congressman Boucher (“Boucher the best choice for region", October 25, 2004) outlines his accomplishments. But when the time comes to choose whether our national defense would be a top priority, he turned his back on our troops including those from our own region who are serving our country.

The Congressman’s record on defense has been miserable at best. In the past, such positions did not seem critical. September 11th changed that forever. Our national defense must be the priority for every lawmaker we send to Washington.

President Bush has daily made it clear that he will hunt and destroy the terrorists before they will destroy us. Our President needs a Congress that is willing to stand in support of him in the global war on terror.

Congressman Boucher has not supported our military. He has not supported our President in defending our country. For this reason, Congressman Boucher does not deserve to be re-elected.

John Kerry IS Wile E. Coyote!

Watching John Kerry trying to find something, anything to attack President Bush with that will help him garner enough votes to win reminds me of Wile E. Coyote from the Looney Tunes cartoons. Little did I know that when I took a look at Wile E.’s official biography that the similarities between him and John Kerry are striking. Consider this statement:

The luckless Wile E. comes up with increasingly elaborate and seemingly foolproof schemes to snag Road Runner who, oblivious to the danger, always eludes the pathetic coyote's painstaking plans.

I also discovered that the cartoon’s creator, Chuck Jones, and his cohorts wrote some simple ground rules for the creation of these cartoons. A few of these rules sound a lot like Kerry’s campaign strategy:

Rule 2: No outside force can harm the Coyote -- only his own ineptitude or the failure of Acme products. Wile E.'s ineptitude, possibly a by-product of his distracted obsession with catching Road Runner, is compounded only by the Acme company's products - which may work for other customers, but seem never to work for Wile E., who repeatedly risks life and limb counting on their effectiveness.

Which has been more damaging to Kerry’s candidacy – the efforts of Bush campaign or Kerry himself? I think Kerry has done as much if not more damage to his candidacy through his own incompetence than what others have done to him.

As far as the failure of Acme products, see Rule 7 below.

Rule 3: The Coyote could stop anytime -- IF he was not a fanatic. (Repeat: "A fanatic is one who redoubles his effort when he has forgotten his aim." - George Santayana) Of course he can't quit; he's certain that the next attempt is sure to succeed. He's the personality type that twelve-step programs are made for. Of course, first you have to want to quit.

Kerry’s willingness this week to continue to hammer President Bush on the missing explosives in Iraq – a story that has already proven to be bogus – is a sure sign that he doesn’t know when to drop back and change his strategy.

Rule 7: All tools, weapons, or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from the Acme Corporation.

Substitue the New York Times, CBS, or any other mainstream media outlet for the Acme Corporation and you get the idea.

Rule 9: The Coyote is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures. Easy for you to say.

Get the picture?

Apparently I’m not the only one who believes this comparison is valid. Look here.

Your Vote Matters

For those who believe that abortion is not an issue that needs to be considered when deciding who to vote for in this election, take a look at this testimony from a father who used to be pro-choice (Hat tip: Stones Cry Out). Also, take a look at this picture.

More evidence that the media is biased

La Shawn Barber has a great piece this morning on the media. She's a professional writer, by the way, not an amateur like me. Her site is a must read daily.

Brent Bozell, as always, has a great column today. If you have ever doubted whether the media is biased, go over to his site to get the real story. Here is their take on the explosives fiasco.

Rich Galen has an interesting idea on how to respond to the latest attempt by the media to manipulate the outcome of the election. I wonder if it will catch on?

Check out this.

Just wondering: how did the Kerry campaign manage to get this ad put together within a day of the New York Times breaking the story on the "missing" explosives? Can anyone say coordination?

Is it just me or does John Kerry seem remarkably like Wile E. Coyote?

Does the "Old Media" matter anymore?

The last two years have not been kind to what some of us in the blogosphere have referred to as the "old media" (ABC, CBS, NBC, and major newspapers such as the New York Times, USA Today and the Washington Post). First we had Jayson Blair faking stories for the New York Times. Then Jack Kelly at USA Today was discovered faking stories. Then we had the whole Rathergate fiasco over at CBS. Now, the New York Times is at it again with its story on HMX explosives that turns out to be completely false. Not to be outdone, CBS was planning to run the story on 60 Minutes. (Hat Tips: Michelle Malkin and Captain Ed) Further evidence of a possible media conspiracy is here at Broken Masterpieces. And this video is worth watching. (Hat tip: Kerry Spot)

The question is does any of this really matter? True, John Kerry was playing up the HMX story yesterday as further evidence of President Bush's failures in Iraq. There's even a plan to run ads based on this story (just goes to show how desperate they are to win). However, what he's really doing is just proving his an opportunist who is unfit to be Commander in Chief as I wrote in my previous post. The truth doesn't matter to Kerry, only getting elected does.

Hugh Hewitt believes that this story will cause a backlash against Kerry. I'm not so sure. I think this whole controversy just affirms what we already know: the "old media" (or MSM if you prefer) are biased and are willing to do whatever they can to destroy President Bush and see that Kerry is elected.

My question is whether anyone who is still on the fence about who to vote for is going to be swayed one way or another by this story. I believe most Republicans don't trust the MSM anyway and don't put much stock in what they report. I also believe that most Democrats (at least those who are the "true believers" who are willing to ignore truth in order to get their candidate elected) will still rely on the MSM for their ammunition against the President.

Cal Thomas has weighed in today and believes this is the last election in which the old media will have any influence on the election.

One more thing: haven't CBS and the New York Times learned their lessons yet? How can they ever expect to restore their credibility?

On a lighter note, Sistersophist tells us what's really going to happen to the Kerrys after the election.

UPDATE #1
An alert reader over at Captain's Quarters has done the math and has thoroughly debunked the original story from the New York Times.

UPDATE #2
Apparently The Kerry Spot has military readers, too. See this post and this post for further details on why this whole missing explosives story is simply not true.

UPDATE #3
N. Z. Bear also has a great take on the implausibility of the explosives story.

Why President Bush will win

I've been checking around several of the blogs today for reaction to this article which appeared in this morning's Washington Times and (according to the buzz) was going to deliver a huge blow to the Kerry campaign. The reaction I've read has been at best mixed. Here is what The Kerry Spot, Hugh Hewitt, Captain Ed, Evangelical Outpost, The Blog Hill, Redstate (their take and the article's author Joel Mowbray weighs in here and here), Roger Simon (Hat tip: Powerline), Stones Cry Out, and Michelle Malkin (here and here) just to name a few.

The bottom line is that I don't believe the story by itself will be as devastating to the Kerry campaign as some have speculated. I doubt that the MSM is going to spend any time on it given the other news of the day. However, if the story gets legs (certainly talk radio and the blogs have been covering it) then there may be some impact.

But apart from Kerry's own strengths and weaknesses as a candidate, there are other factors to consider. Rich Galen made an excellent point recently about the hurdles the challenger faces in defeating an incumbent President:

• However. A challenger has a higher hill to climb than an incumbent. The challenger must not only show that he has the potential to replace the incumbent. He must make a compelling case that the incumbent should be replaced.
• On the other hand, an incumbent President has only to get a positive answer to the question: Shall he be retained?
• Kerry, in my mind, has not met that second test. Nor do I believe he will ever meet that second test.

In our country's history, an incumbent president has only been defeated seven times.

• In 1800, Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in a four-way race for the presidency. It was so close that Jefferson and Aaron Burr (who were also both Republicans) tied with the same number of electoral votes. The tie was eventually broken by the House of Representatives on the thirty-sixth ballot. This electoral crisis would lead to the passage of the Twelfth Amendment which provides for the separate balloting of the President and Vice-President.
• IN 1888, Benjamin Harrison defeats Grover Cleveland even though Cleveland won more of the popular vote (this had happened 12 years earlier when Rutherford B. Hayes defeated Samuel Tilden after a partisan electoral college battle in Congress). George W. Bush's victory in 2000 would mark only the third time that the winnner of the presidential election would win the Electoral College but lose the overall popular vote.
• In 1912, Woodrow Wilson defeats William Taft. A Republican, Taft narrowly won a bitter primary battle against Theodore Roosevelt who decided to come out of political retirement to run for the presidency again. Following his primary defeat, Roosevelt decided to run as a Progressive and split Taft's Republican base.
• In 1932, Herbert Hoover loses to Franklin D. Roosevelt. The onset of the Great Depression and Hoover's inability to cope with the crisis causes his defeat.
• In 1976, Gerald Ford, who had been made President when Richard Nixon resigned in the wake of Watergate loses to Jimmy Carter.
• In 1980, Jimmy Carter loses to Ronald Reagan. Two major issues: the economy and the failure of the Carter Adminstration to cope with the Iran Hostage Crisis are seen as the causes for his defeat.
• IN 1992, George H. W. Bush loses in a three-way race to Bill Clinton. H. Ross Perot, running as an independent, takes 19 percent of the vote whicle Clinton garners 43 percent and Bush 37 percent. A recession and a broken promise on taxes lead to his defeat.

(Historical data drawn from "Don't Know Much About History" by Kenneth C. Davis)

In summary, an incumbent President runs the risk of losing his bid for re-election when:

1. There is a viable third party candidate (1800 and 1992). Ralph Nader is the closest thing to a "viable" third party candidate (a real stretch) and he's more likely to pull support away from Kerry than President Bush.
2. A major scandal (1976). Despite Kerry's best efforts to create the image of scandal tainting the President, there has been nothing on the scale of Watergate that would cause the type of voter revolt that not only defeated President Ford but also lead to major victories for the Democrats in the House and Senate.
3. A foreign policy failure (1980). President Carter's inability to resolve the Iran hostage crisis (combined with a lousy economy) led to a resounding defeat at the hands of Ronald Reagan. Even the Iranians realized they would be dealing with a much more formidable enemy in Ronald Reagan. They released the hostages on January 20, 1981 - the day Reagan was sworn in as President. Although Kerry would argue that the President's foreign policy has been a failure his accomplishments (the liberation of Afghanistan and Iraq, elections successfully held in Afghanistan and Iraq on track to hold elections in January) far outweigh his failures.
4. An economic crisis (1932, 1980, 1992). Although Kerry continues to hammer the President on economic issues, none of his claims (lost jobs, increased healthcare costs, etc.) amount to an economic crisis of the magnitude that led to the defeat of Presidents Hoover or Carter. In addition, instead of increasing taxes (like his father) he has remained steadfast in cutting taxes. Other factors such as inflation, unemployment rates and interest rates are also in the President's favor.

If we apply the test outlined above, Senator Kerry fails on both prongs of the test. First, Senator Kerry has failed to prove that he has the potential to replace President Bush. Although he looked presidential during the debates (his brightest moments of the campaign, in my opinion) when you look at his entire pattern of behavior over the course of the campaign it is clear that he is unfit to be our Commander in Chief. Kerry is better described as a prevaricator (a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly)and an opportunist (one who takes advantage of any opportunity to achieve an end, often with no regard for principles or consequences).

Even if you give Senator Kerry the benefit of the doubt on the first prong of the test, he undoubtedly fails the second part of the test. This is the part that is no doubt the most frustrating for his campaign. There is no major reason to vote against President Bush. And that's what a vote for Kerry (or for Nader, for that matter) would amount to: a vote against the President. Granted, there are issues that even the President's staunchest supporters could look at and take issue with the President's actions. But when we view the President's record as a whole, there is nothing that suggests he should not be allowed to serve a second term. In fact, when you examine all the candidates, the only choice to make is to re-elect President Bush.

Character Counts

Much has been written about the importance of this election. By following the news and the constant flow of opinion polls it's easy to be overwhelmed with information. But this election really comes down one basic question that can be applied to almost any race: what is the character of the person that I am voting for?

While looking up the word character , I ran across some interesting definitions:

• The combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another
• Moral or ethical strength
• A description of a person's attributes, traits, or abilities.
• Public estimation of someone; reputation
• Status or role; capacity

The positions candidates take during the course of the campaign are certainly important. So are the decisions that they have made about which political party they choose to be affiliated with. But most important to me is the individual's character because it reflects who they are and what they truly believe in.

An essential ingredient of a person's character is their faith. A person's faith (or lack of it) will form their worldview which is essentially how they view the world and themselves in it. The Dawn Treader has a great article on worldviews and why they matter. (Hat tip: Evangelical Outpost).

A lot can also be learned about a man when you look at his wife. Choosing who he will marry is one of the most important decisions a man can make. In fact, how he treats women in general is equally important.

You can also learn a lot about someone when you listen to what others have to say about him. (Hat tip: Stones Cry Out)

Finally, is he someone who gives others hope?

UPDATE: The guys at Powerline posted this item which should cause the Kerry camp even more heartburn. Memo to the Dems: when your guys in the MSM write stuff like this about your candidate you can kiss your hopes of winning goodbye.

UPDATE AGAIN: Several blogs had been abuzz all weekend about this story that will appear above the fold on the Washington Times in the morning. Kerry's finally been caught in a really BIG lie. (Hat tip: Powerline)

Thoughts on the World Series

Deacon over at Powerline has a great post on the World Series which got underway tonight. As a longtime (and long-suffering) Cubs fan I find all the "woe is me" talk from the Red Sox fans a little tiresome.

My wife asked me tonight who I was going to root for. I confessed that I had been very conflicted on who to pull for this year. On the one hand, the Cardinals and Cubs have almost as intense a dislike for one another as the Red Sox and Yankees. So it would be difficult for me to pull for them. On the other hand, I'm a National League guy and prefer their brand of baseball (especially playing without a designated hitter) so it's difficult for me to feel good about pulling for the Sox. Of course, I'll still watch and just enjoy the games. Regardless of who wins this year, baseball couldn't of asked for a better matchup. My prediction is that it will go the distance. I have no idea who will win. This is a contest that is truly "too close to call".

On a somewhat related note, the gang over at Powerline have produced further photographic evidence that John Kerry still doesn't know how to throw a baseball.

Update: Even more photographic evidence that John Kerry is no sports guy.

Politics and Church

For many years, there has been controversy over what role, if any, the church can play in the political process. Because the tax code specifically prohibits a church or other 501(c)(3 ) charitable organization from engaging in partisan political speech, many churches have been hesitant to engage in any activity that is remotely political. Consequently, Christians do not hear from their own pastors to get involved and be engaged in the political process. Much worse is the tendency for churches to be unwilling to tackle matters of public policy and the biblical response to issues we face in our culture for fear of running afoul of IRS regulations. The IRS issues a letter at the start of each presidential election season reminding the candidates of these regulations. This year's letter can be found here.

Even more frustrating for Republicans has been the double standard in the media on this issue. For years, Democrats have been using churches as political platforms. If a Republican were to dare to make a political speech from the pulpit the media would crucify him.

Now the tables have been turned. John Kerry made news earlier this week when he appeared at a church in Ohio. Today, Americans United for Separation of Church and State (a liberal watchdog group) have filed a complaint with the IRS stating that Kerry's appearance amounted to an illegal campaign rally.

The whole argument that the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of religious expression provides for separation of church and state is completely bogus. A thorough examination of this issue is included in the book "Original Intent" by David Barton. By examining the writings of the Founding Fathers, early court cases, and state constitutions, Barton makes the case that the Founders simply wanted to make sure that the government did not endorse a specific religion or denomination. It is through multiple rulings from activist liberal judges that the meaning of the First Amendment has been twisted to suit the liberal political agenda rather than being interpreted as the Founders originally intended it.

However, I find it refreshing that liberals are now being held to the same standards as conservatives on this issue. If we are going to have laws prohibiting churches from engaging in political speech then those laws should apply equally to everyone.

The church still has a duty (and Christians individually) to be engaged in the debate over matters of public policy. It is up to us to present a biblical worldview in addressing important issues that we face as a nation.

UPDATE: The guys over at Powerline have the latest on this. Now Teddy Kennedy is getting in on the act. So is Al Gore. I wonder how supportive these churches will be of the Democrats when the IRS comes in to take away their tax-exempt status.