November 9, 2004
Election Fallout
To all those priests, pastors, and bishops who urged their flock to vote for George Bush:
I hope you enjoyed your foray into politics, the Kingdom of this World.
From you I heard several non-Biblical claims during the course of the 2004 campaign:
1. That opposition to abortion is the greatest commandment, that it should take precedence over all other considerations when selecting a candidate to vote for.
Why not elect Jack Ryan as U.S. Senator from Illinois? He's against abortion. He just has this little problem of taking his wife to strip clubs.
Apparently the directive to oppose abortion takes precedence over the Pope's strong opposition to invading Iraq.
2. That it's okay to withhold Holy Communion from politicians who don't oppose abortion in public policy, and from members of your congregations who don't vote for anti-abortion candidates. (I wonder, are some parishioners required to tell who they voted for?)
3. That the ongoing presidency of George Bush will somehow overturn Roe vs. Wade; despite the fact that he has no plan to ban abortion, as he stated in the Tempe, Arizona debate: "no, I will not have a litmus test. I will pick judges who will interpret the Constitution, but I'll have no litmus test."
Well, you got what you wanted: George Bush is president for four more years. If you are correct then we should expect to see Roe vs. Wade overturned by Election Day 2008, or the abortion rate drop significantly, or at least substantial progress made in those directions. Put up now or shut up the next time around.
The calling to Christian ministry includes accountability by the leaders. I will be watching.
I'm aware that overturning abortion depends on more than just the president. Another principle of accountability is this: You get credit or blame for whatever happens on your watch. President Harry Truman had a placard on his desk saying, "The buck stops here."
We need one of those tire-ripping devices that they put on the entrance to rental car lots, to keep people from backing up.
