Who you vote for doesn't change your value or worth, it doesn't reflect your intelligence, and it doesn't determine your salvation. So no matter what you think of my opinions and no matter what I think of yours, let's maintain a mature interaction and acknowledge that we can have differing opinions and not demonize each other.
With that out of the way...
We're just days away from Super Tuesday, and every time I watch the news, read the latest articles, or hear anything about the Republican Presidential race, I get depressed. We're only a few states in (with exactly 5.38% of Republican delegates assigned) and already they're calling a winner - Trump.
But I think we're being bamboozled. The race isn't over. It's hardly begun! The media would have us believe it's over despite the fact that only about 125 delegates out of 2,472 are committed to candidates.
IT'S NOT OVER - THAT'S A LIE THEY'RE TRYING TO CONVINCE US OF!!!
It takes 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination and Trump, the leader, has 82 at the moment. I wouldn't exactly call that a huge head-start.
I wonder how many of us are beginning to change our minds, "settling for someone who is electable," rather than standing behind who we really want in the Oval Office? Last night, I was in despair and almost swayed to do that very thing.
When I look at the current Republican primary field, I cringe.
- Trump - he's done extremely well in business (obviously), but I don't exactly see him standing with the Founders pledging his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor. In their time he'd be more likely running blockade runners of goods through embargos or own 1/2 of the cotton farms in the South. He's an opportunist, and I just don't see much sacred honor there. He's all sensationalism.
- Cruz - from all I've been able to find, he struggles to be able to bring people together. It's Cruz's way or the highway. Much as I want someone with strong convictions in the Oval Office, I also want someone who can stand in those convictions while still getting along with and finding common ground to move forward with people who disagree. I'm pretty sure the Declaration and the Constitution would never have been written if people with different opinions hadn't come together, conversed, made compromises, and found common ground.
- Rubio - he seems to me a young buck with a lot to prove and perhaps the moxie to do so, but he seems to have a chip on his shoulder, and a need to defend himself and sling a bit of mud, and a memorized schpeel rather than a reasoned, civil response.
- Kasich - I'll admit, I know very little about him, but I'm underwhelmed for sure.
- Carson - this guy is different to me. Here's why...
1. He didn't spend his life gunning for the Oval Office.
He didn't dream as a 25 year old of being President. He went to med school, became a leading physician in his field, did ground-breaking work, learned to work with and speak respectfully to those with whom he disagreed. In his career, he faced heartbreaking circumstances head on, and he knows, precisely, the value of a life. And he has held in his hands thousands of lives over the years. And in each of those cases he was held to the highest standard by his patient, their family, his colleagues, and his peers to do the right thing. If ever he didn't, someone died and his career was on the line.
People kept coming to him, and he kept getting put in charge of more and more, not because he was black, not because of his alma mater, not because he was impressive to look at or talk to, but because he was good at saving lives.
I realize there is a huge difference between a doctor and a general, and I'm NOT saying that I think doctors are the people who should, generally or by default, run for office. But in this case, this doctor has a lot in common with a general in the military - he had to bring teams together, make a plan of attack, work together to save lives, and he put himself in incredibly uncomfortable positions in order to do so. Those all seem like good qualities to have in our Commander in Chief.
Dr. Carson's track record shows that he's a lifelong learner, innovative, and that in crunch times he makes the right decisions. If that weren't the case, some 15,000 patients wouldn't be spread across America and around the world.
2. He makes the decision he believes to be right, no matter what, and I trust his gut because it's been conditioned to hold to a standard and make good decisions.
Doing what he believes is right is exemplified by the fact that he's still in the race at all. Conventional wisdom would have had him drop out long ago. He's only got 4 delegates to his name, and Trump has a whopping 82 at this point. But both are sorely short of the 1,237 required to earn the nomination.
I read an article in Time where one of Carson's head staffers was asked when Carson would drop out. The staffer responded that Carson would take into consideration the advice of his staff, what "We the People" wanted, and pray about it. Then Carson would do what Carson believes is right. The staffer said he had no idea when or even if Carson would ever drop out - it was entirely up to Carson and what he believed to be right.
That impressed me. To not be swayed by the masses, to buck conventional wisdom, and to do it because you believe it to be the right thing. And let me say here that I fully understand that you can sincerely believe you are right and in that you can be totally wrong. For example, you may sincerely believe with all your heart that Justice Scalia is still alive (oh how I wish that were true!), but you would sadly be precisely wrong about that. So a sincere belief isn't the thing that I love about Carson. I love that he derives his sincere beliefs from a relationship with the Lord.
How do I know he has a relationship with the Lord wherein the Lord reveals "right" decisions to him? I can't really say why I believe it to be true exactly. I can say that he's never been shy about his reliance on the Lord throughout his life. I can say he talked about it in his writing long before becoming a presidential candidate ever crossed his mind. I can say he's had some extraordinary experiences that either prove he's extremely lucky or Providence is guiding him.
So whether religion is your thing or not, it matters a lot to me, and he's the only candidate in the race whose faith I admire.
3. I trust Carson with my children.
Like, I would trust him to come to my house and babysit my 3 kids tomorrow night when Chase and I go out. This may seem like a weird one, or one that shouldn't matter that much - after all, we're selecting a President, not a babysitter. But if you want to know the most difficult job in the world to get, it's watching my kids. I am intensely protective of them, and I will stay home with them and send you on your way if I have even the slightest level of discomfort about you watching them.
We all know people (whether we know it or not) who have been or are being physically and sexually abused by people their parents knew, loved, and trusted. My circle of people who pass this test is very small.
And even within that circle, me loving you dearly and trusting you implicitly is not enough for me to trust you with my kids. You see, they are more valuable to me than my own life. I will do anything to provide them a safe place with reasonable opportunities to grow, develop, learn, and thrive.
And that last sentence is the most important reason I'm voting for Carson. When I go into that voting booth, I'm not picking a babysitter, but I am picking the person who will help shape the world in which my children will grow, develop, learn, and (I hope) thrive.
Carson values life, which means he will value my children's lives. Carson believes we can have different opinions and not blame, accuse, libel, or defame one another, which means he will not teach my children by his example to do those things. Carson learns and adapts as situations crop up, which means even if he hasn't been in politics all of his life he can be capable of being a good President.
I don't know if Carson will win or not. But I do know that someday I may have to explain to my children why I voted the way I did in this election. And the only answer I can live with is that as long as Carson was an option, I voted for him.
You don't have to agree with me. But if you do, please ignore the media. Put your money where your mouth is and give a little to the candidate who you believe will do the best job of securing the future for ourselves and our posterity. Because this democratic republic won't last forever on its own. It's up to us, one by one, to preserve it, one vote at a time.
