survey sez!
Reader's responses to The Big Question.
The Question:
A reader wonders, “Does the Republican
Party use our religious convictions against us to keep our votes when sometimes
a Democrat is better for the job?"
The Answer:
“Absolutely not! My registration as a Republican goes way beyond my moral
stance. I am a Republican for economic and other social issues, as well. I am a
Republican because I am more concerned about building a better tomorrow for
everyone than I am about feeling good today.”
The Answer:
“I
think either political party uses whatever they can to keep our votes. However,
I do not vote along party lines, but for whomever I feel is the best candidate."
The Answer: "My
problem is with the question. The question acts like there are actually
times when a Democrat is better for the job. This is an impossibility.
There is no Democrat that will ever be better for the job than a republican.
While there are obviously problems in the Republican party, Democrats have a
mind set which does and always will involve pitting the poor against the rich,
taxing and spending, redistribution of wealth and much much more.
Democratic economic & foreign policy is always wrong. And how about that
National Security? Democrats always want to reduce the military. In
this day and age, Democrats pose nothing but problems for the progress, security
and safety of the United States."
The Answer:
“I
think we use them against ourselves. How many times have I heard people who vote
only on the issue of abortion? How many times have those same people preached
that if you vote for a politician who is pro-choice, you are going to hell? The
pro-life candidate might do a whole stack of things that are wrong, but that one
issue, tied to religious convictions, does it for them.”
The Answer:
“Yes
and no! I don't vote for a person solely on their religious ‘platforms.’ Just as
some Republicans and Democrats may lie about what they are going to do in office
(i.e., taxes), some will lie about what they believe. Voting for people just
because they say they believe in something is not a smart way to vote. Look at
their history. What things have they stood/voted for in the past? Weigh what
they believe versus what they do and find the right man/woman to vote for.”
The Answer: “I think most politicians are
all jockeying for positions and trying to get whatever vote they can. The only
reason the gays don't have the
right to marry in this country
(besides the fact that God is hearing the prayers of His children and holding
back the tide of hell) is that the politicians know the conservatives and
homophobes would wildly protest.”
The Answer:
“Democrats are never better for the job.”
The Answer: “I am racking my brain trying
to figure out when a Democrat is better for any job? Oh, wait. Yes, they
do have their ‘special’ abilities. Generally speaking, they are excellent at
being anti-war protestors who destroy public property, they make fabulous
communists and fascists, and they are perfect at being un-patriotic. They are
usually anti-Israel, pro-abortion, and pro-New Age. I'd say they are a sorry
bunch. Are Republicans perfect? Not by a long shot. Only God is, but I choose
Republican because as far as God's precepts, they are closer than the Demos ever
will be. The Democratic Party is not what it used to be and that's a real
shame.”
The Answer: “Ah, politics?”
The Answer: “No, God made [us] to have a
free mind to make decisions on our own, even for voting for an elected
official.”
The Answer: “I have got one big
three letter answer for this question—Yes! They take the Christian vote
for granted when they themselves don't follow the moral and ethical guidelines
that we follow in our everyday lives. I don't vote for parties; I vote for
whomever I feel will do my community justice. Morally, people will do what they
want to do. Why waste a vote on moral issues? The biggest impact we have now is
economic and if you don't own your own large corporation, then Republicans don't
care about you.”
The Answer: “No. It's a free country.
Vote for whomever you choose.”
The Answer: “I've been a registered
Republican for almost 40 years. I have lived long enough to see my party change
into a mean-spirited, self-righteous organization. I once admired its fiscal
responsibility, but the current deficit proves that no longer is true.
Jesus preached loving humanity and taking care of
it. Seems more Democrats think that way. The real bottom line for me is to
examine each politician's platform/record and decide on the person's merits.
A curious side-note: I find some Pentecostals
promoting, ‘We must hold up our President because he is our leader.’ Why didn't
those same people say that during the last presidency; he was still ‘our leader’
no matter what his moral values might have been?"
The Answer: “I believe the Republican
Party is a political entity. As such, it is manipulative by its nature. Politics
is the science of mass manipulation. So, yes, I believe the Republican Party
panders to the Religious Right as an important part of its base. However, the
Democratic Party does likewise. I have voted for Joe Lieberman before (I'm from
Connecticut), because the Republican running against him held the same core
beliefs the Senator Lieberman did. I felt Senator Joe was better qualified under
the circumstances. Having said that, I have prepared my Republican Party
membership card for shipment back to headquarters.”
The Answer: “Yes. I think nowadays it
comes down to voting your conscience or voting your pocketbook.”
The Answer: “Care, care, care.”
The Answer: “The vast majority of the
churches where I am from are Democrats, not Republicans. Since the Republican
party does not represent the needs of the American people—and if you do not
believe me, just check out your representative's voting record—it is unclear why
anyone would vote for people who are anti-environment, anti-small business,
anti-education, anti-farmer, in fact anti-everything except the oil and big
money interests.”
The Answer: “I say look at the candidates
themselves (character, integrity, honesty, etc). It doesn't matter what party
they belong to—if they are the one for the job, then vote for them.”
The Answer: “If you want to vote for a
godless, liberal, socialist Democrat...go right ahead. Otherwise, vote
for a party that traditionally supports protest views and conservative actions.”
The Answer: “Yes, I believe they do. All
too often they create a social culture war to rally us to their rescue when they
are only interested in protecting the interests of corporations and the rich.”
The Answer: “Good question. All
politicians have agendas (that's what politics are about), so it's undoubtedly
true.”
The Answer: “Politicians are politicians
and only politicians.”
The Answer: “I've never yet heard of a
Democrat that was good at anything, unless it was illegal or immoral. That
having been said, the answer is, ‘Of course not!’ The Republican Party is made
up of many people that are different from myself; it is also made up of me.
Whomever we vote for in a primary is the Republican candidate. You just
can't manipulate that. Besides, there is a giant, clear, and unmistakable
crystallizing issue dividing Democrat and Republican: Democrats, almost without
exception, endorse, condone, and even encourage the wholesale for profit
slaughter of unborn children. Republicans, by and large, are trying to stop it.
How much ‘better for the job’ (which is a media manufactured lie) does a
candidate have to be to make up for that?”
The Answer: “How does the Republican
Party use ‘our religious convictions against us’? That is a rather loaded
question based upon a presupposition that we are bound to vote party line. Look
at what the candidates say, how they live, and compare it with what you believe,
then vote based upon that.”
The Answer: “Einstein has a good response
for this—relativity. The question posed already has an implied answer. Why is
the Democrat better for the job? Religious convictions usually affect our social
policy, but fiscal interest could be liberal or conservative. In my opinion, a
fiscal conservative is also better than a liberal. It is a matter of what you
think works best for the economy. Our social interest should be placed with high
priority lest God and morality be totally removed from the public square.”
The Answer: “Please tell me most of your
answers are ‘Democrats are Satan’s tool’ caricatures, because the privilege of
voting also means the responsibility of staying informed locally and nationally,
something the caricature crowd rarely does.”
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