Special Bulletin 02-2012

    The response to my evaluation of the candidates on our TV show and in a previous Bulletin was far more than I was expecting. After having received many requests for an update, this is it.

    Of course, these are my personal perspectives, and we “see in part, and know in part,” so I do not claim to have the complete picture. The following is what I see at this time concerning the 2012 Presidential candidates, and then I will address the campaign itself.

 

Michele Bachmann

    Even though she has dropped out of the race, her campaign offers some important insights into the political landscape of this time. She is brilliant and insightful. She is a strong, tenacious, and uncompromising leader with a strong moral compass who could be an effective President one day, and maybe even a great one. I think the war between she and Pawlenty killed both of their chances for this time, though it took the tenacious Bachmann a lot longer to realize her campaign was dead. They made each other look silly, petty, and un-presidential in the way they went after each other. Because humility comes before exaltation by the Lord, I would not count her out for the future. I continue to believe she could be a great Attorney General.

 

Herman Cain

    He was the unpolitical leader who seemed to be a man especially for these times. The first sign that something was awry with his campaign came with the ad that finished with his campaign manager blowing smoke at the camera. Not only was this classless, but it focused attention on the campaign manager instead of the candidate. That is something no good campaign manager would ever want to do, and no candidate should ever allow to be done. This implies you can’t control your own team.

    The sexual harassment allegations did not ring true, but the sense that things were out of control enough in the campaign to let a campaign ad out that highlighted the campaign manager had people already thinking things were awry. The affair allegation did seem much more believable, and obviously did the campaign in.

    If this is true, it is a good example of how un-repented sin will find us out, and usually at a most inopportune time, such as bringing down a man who very well could have been President. We will reap what we sow, and the ultimate price of sin is never worth it. If the affair was not true as Cain still maintains, then it is an example of how the evil system, which has become the basis for politics in America, is destroying leadership in America and the country with it.

    Even though Cain won’t get the nomination this time, he was a refreshing, clear, insightful voice into some of the major issues of our times. I hope he is given a platform for continuing to speak out.

 

Newt Gingrich

    I have been a Newt fan for many years. I read his books because they have insights and solutions to some of our most pressing problems that are not only brilliant but practical. There may not be anyone else in the nation with the knowledge, experience, wisdom, and genius for seeing solutions to complicated issues. Even so, coming up with solutions is not enough to make you a successful leader. Two of the most basic characteristics of successful leaders are almost never mentioned in the evaluation of Presidential candidates, but they are crucial for success as a leader. They are as follows:

#1) Initiative:

    You’re not leading unless you’re going somewhere. To be a leader you must have a strong, clear vision of where you’re going and be engaged in getting there with focus, strategy, and resolve. Much more could be said about this factor, but in this Newt does rate very high. He did accomplish some amazing things as Speaker, and he has stayed engaged in the crucial issues of the times.

#2) Team building:

    You’re not a leader unless someone is following you. The quality of those who will follow you will determine the quality of what you can accomplish. Ideas do not get things done—people get things done. Therefore, attracting the highest quality people is crucial to effective leadership, but that is just the first step—they have to be built into a team. Probably no other job on the planet requires this skill more than the Presidency.

    The word from those who have known and worked with Newt for a long time is that this is where he has challenges. When we’re young, successful, and the smartest one in the room, this is a common problem. If you study the most effective Presidents, they were rarely the smartest or most knowledgeable, but they were leaders who drew the smartest, most knowledgeable, and most effective people to their team.

    Great leaders are almost always great listeners. They also motivate by giving credit to the team and individuals who deserve it. Napoleon endeared his men by calling himself “the little corporal,” often mingling with the common soldiers. There is a valley in Switzerland that Napoleon’s army often had to march through. It has an avenue that runs through it lined with some of the most magnificent trees that Napoleon had planted so that his men would have shade on those frequent marches. It probably did not help much on those marches, but it meant the world to his men that he cared so much about them that he would do this. True leaders care about those who serve them.

    Newt claims to have had a real conversion in the last few years that has resulted in a sincere faith. As Christians, we have to allow the grace for people to change because it is something we are all in pursuit of, or should be. However, the disruption in his staff recently seems to indicate that team building is still a challenge for him. To give him some grace here, politics in America today does not always draw the best people, but rather selfishly ambitious people with whom it is difficult to build a quality team. When you become President, you have a different level of people to draw from.

    Through the first debates, Newt came across as brilliant, and at times, the only adult in the room, staying above the fray and graciously but sternly chastising his fellow candidates for their infighting. It was not surprising to see him rise to become the frontrunner. It was surprising and disappointing when he got dragged down into doing the same thing. An angry, vindictive Newt is not a pretty thing and is not going to attract many followers. Even though he maintains a large following in the South, he could have recovered from the false accusations, but it will be hard for him to recover from this.

    If I were President, Newt would be one of the first I would seek as a Cabinet member to build a team around. As a part of the team, he could be an invaluable help in overcoming the crises we’re now facing. I think he not only deserves a seat at the table, but is needed there.

 

Jon Huntsman

    I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but he comes across like he’s trying to sound more intelligent than he is, kind of like the white cop on Sanford and Son. However, if you listen to him, he has some real depth and brilliant insights, especially on foreign policy. His track record as governor is impressive. Even so, he’s not likely to get the nomination this time, but he deserves to be heard on the issues and might be a future force.

 

Ron Paul

    If it were not for his extreme views on foreign policy, especially on Israel and Iran, and for legalizing drugs, he would be a serious contender for the nomination. He has faithfully sounded the alarm about the Federal Reserve and has been proven right. He has been the most consistent small government crusader.

    The racist elements in his previous newsletters that recently surfaced are alarming and were not adequately addressed. As I too come from the South, I know such sentiments were almost universal attitudes through much of the South at the time those newsletters were written. Hearing, “I’m sorry, but I used to feel that way and I was wrong,” goes a lot further than hearing that someone else wrote them.  

    Sarah Palin was right when she said Ron Paul’s followers are some of the most devoted and must not be marginalized by the Republican Party if it wants to win. Neither should many of Ron Paul’s ideas be marginalized. I disagree with some of Paul’s ideas, like bringing all of our troops home from every base around the world. However, there is some merit to considering whether there is continued need for all of the bases we have. Europe has been cutting their defense budget for decades because they knew we would take up the slack at our own cost, and we did. A lot of bases could be shut and many of our people brought home without jeopardizing our security.  

    Our entire foreign aid program should be challenged. Some may stand up under the challenge as being a good investment, but most should probably be cut, and some are even counter-productive to our interests and are going to our enemies.

 

Rick Perry

    It would take a miracle for Perry to win the nomination, but Tim Tebow is evidence that God still likes to do them!

 

Mitt Romney

    For confronting the main crisis we’re facing that could destroy our nation, the disastrous micromanaging and clogging up of our economy by an incompetent government that does not understand it, Romney could right the ship enough to at least keep us afloat. Whether he understands and has the resolve and courage it will take to deal with the root of the problems, which will require a head-on, facedown approach of public service unions, as well as other special interests, is not clear.

    The only signs that Romney could be the kind of decisive leader who would address these fundamental issues would be what Romney is now being attacked for—being a hatchet man at Bain Capital. It is remarkable and maybe despicable that other Republicans would try to use this against him, but this is exactly what needs to be applied to the Federal Government that no President to date has done. It is the size of government that is taking all of the oxygen out of the room for the entire economy.

    Bain Capital seems to have been very good at taking over troubled companies, discerning what the troubles were and how to correct them, and making them viable businesses again. When their business was not viable, they were shut down and the pieces sold off, which, like it or not, you have to do if you are going to have a free market economy. There is no entity on the planet that needs this as badly as the Federal Government, with the possible exception of some of the state governments.

    On the critical social issues, Romney seems to be a recent convert, and many question whether he is in fact a true convert at all, or just claiming to be out of political expediency. This is the most critical issue with Romney, and he has not done much to allay the fears of conservatives that he is a real conservative. If the base of the Republican Party had come out and voted for McCain, he would be President today, and Romney could be another failure like McCain if he somehow does not energize the base by convincing it that his conversion has been real.

    RomneyCare is a real issue that must be resolved with Republicans, and to date, it has not been. He could be in real trouble in the South if he does not do this soon, and no Republican has much of a chance without a solid South.

    I’m one from the South who still needs a lot of convincing, but I am willing to be convinced. I don’t mind recent converts because recent converts tend to be the most passionate if their conversion is real. I would like to see real evidence of his conversions on the social issues.

 

Rick Santorum

    Rick is now the favorite of the social conservatives, and he does have a strong and consistent track record that we can trust there. I have not personally reviewed his economic plan because until recently it did not seem that he had a chance, but those who have reviewed it thought highly of it. Now it is looking like he does have a chance, especially in South Carolina where I’m writing this from, and where the focus is now. It does seem that Santorum has the biggest buzz now. The more people listen to him, and the more they find out about him, the more they like him. He is still a very long shot to get the nomination, but it is not out of the question.

     

Summary

    The debates have gone from exciting to boring to discouraging. When The Oak Initiative was asked to consider sponsoring a debate, I could not find anyone excited about the idea, and neither was I. This does not bode well for the general election. As Jesus said in The Book of Revelation, it’s better to be hot or cold, but He would not tolerate the lukewarm (see Revelation 3:16), and right now the voters are sliding into indifference, at best.

    So many Republicans and Democrats are fleeing their parties that news just came out that Independents are now the biggest voting bloc—40 percent. Usually in election years, parties gain members, not lose them. This is evidence of how disgusted the American people are with what politics have become in America and also with their leaders.

    The candidates do need to be vetted, and whoever faces Obama will have to face the most effective gangster politics ever used by a President. They need to be able to take the heat, but that does not justify lying, which is what almost all of the candidates have fallen to in order to bring down their competitors. It has been ugly and demeaning and should be disqualifying for the highest office in our land.

    In 2008, we started praying for the Spirit of Truth to come upon our Government, and it seemed that every week there were new revelations of how we were being lied to, how the numbers were being cooked they used in reports, or in other ways hiding the truth from the public. We need to continue this prayer, but I’ve also started praying for the Spirit of Truth to come upon the Republican candidates as well. It has become more than embarrassing.

    I keep being told by operatives that this is just politics as usual, but politics as usual have led us into the worst crises we may have ever faced as a nation. We will not get out of the mess we’re in by following the same road that led us here. We cannot survive the corruption in our politics and Government much longer. How can we expect anyone to clean it up who gets there by using the same methods?

    Right now negative ads and negative campaigns are more effective than positive ones. That does not make them right, and it does not make them necessary. However, being negative is not as bad as being dishonest. Knowingly twisting the truth is the same as lying. Right now America has no reason not to believe the old adage about how you can tell if a politician is lying—their lips are moving!

    We are in need of possibly the greatest President in history to face and overcome some of the greatest challenges in our history. True greatness always begins with integrity. If it is now true that an honest person could not get elected, then the Republic is already doomed. However, I’m not buying that. We need honest change that begins with honesty. 

    We need very radical campaign reform that would promote the most accurate evaluation of candidates and attract the best leaders to be candidates. Right now the best do not want to have anything to do with such a perverted system. We need term limits on every seat so that there are no professional politicians, just servants who will be sincerely dedicated to do what is good for the country. That is the way our Republic was designed, and every problem we now have is the result of departing from that design. We can still get back to it, but if we don’t start soon we may not be able to.

    My conclusion: The right person is not on the radar screen yet. I’m looking for someone with the basis of knowledge needed for the job—understanding, wisdom, uncommon courage and resolve, and above all, integrity because they have the Spirit of Truth. Maybe we’ll have to settle again for someone far less than we were hoping for, but I don’t think we can settle for much longer and survive as a Republic.

Tebow, quarterback for the Denver Bronco's was denied his College-born tradition of wearing 'John 3:16' as a
part of his silent Christian witness.  So he bows.  He wanted to display the love message of John 3:16 and was
denied - but God!.  During a recent game it was reported by major media that he was responsible for 316 yards
gained, for an average of 31.6 yards each and the overall ratings were 31.6   No one tells God He cannot speak
and when He does, it becomes prophetic.  As a result of this, over the past 10 days, there has been over
110 million google searches for 'John 3 16'  - see Washington Post and the Christian Post story here. 

Google for others!

 

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