Who I voted for......

A little bit about me. Most of my blogs start with a moment. Something to get this odd brain of mine working. Then my mind starts to create an inner monologue. Then I talk to myself. Eventually, the monologue spills out onto this blog for you to read.

This one was tough. I mean, a few weeks have past. The decision has been made. The people had spoken. And discussing politics can be dangerous. People get pretty emotional about what candidate they support and why. Plus the holidays are coming up. This may cost me a present or two. But I need to spill what has been swirling around in my head or I will risk walking around talking to myself indefinitely. I know Missy wouldn't be thrilled about that. So let the spilling begin. Here is my moment.

A day or two after the election, I read an article that Billy Graham would not be providing counsel to President-elect Obama once he was sworn in. Not because he was adamantly opposed to Obama's political positions but because his frail 90 year old body would not let him. His son, Franklin, said that even catching the common cold could end his life. Rev. Graham did say that he would very much like to meet with Obama and pray with him and for him. Then the article added a line that took me by surprise. It said that Billy Graham was a registered Democrat.

I'll be honest. I was one of those undecided voters. I guess that's why Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani kept calling and emailing every day. I went back and forth. Even once I had made up my mind, just before I pressed the glowing "Cast Vote" button, I took a few deep breaths. Then I pushed it. I voted for Barack Obama. (goodbye Christmas gifts)

I looked at this one from a lot of angles. As a father. As a middle class, tax paying U.S. citizen. As a registered Republican. As a Christian. And that is where I started and ended.

What one issue more than any other stands head and shoulders above the others when you look at Jesus' life? The economy? Health care? The war in Iraq/Mesopotamia (in Jesus time)? No. The answer is easy: the poor. Taking care of the poor is the number one thing that Jesus spends his time doing and talking about while on this planet. And what political party (at least in my estimation) does more for the poor? That would be the Democratic party.

Now are there people that take advantage of the programs put in place mostly by the Democratic party? Of course. Do people use welfare as a crutch? Absolutely. However, that is human nature. Do CEO's and large corporations use and take advantage of the loopholes put in place by the Republican party even to the detriment of their own company and perhaps the country? You bet your Enron they do. Humans will be tempted to be selfish no matter what tax bracket they are in. That is why we are a fallen people.

Now there is one big issue (and several smaller issues but that is for another time) that I disagree with PE (I can't keep typing President-elect, it's 11:07) Obama and it is the one issue that I think many intelligent Christians based their entire vote on. That, of course, is the issue of abortion.

Let me be the first to tell you that I am pro-Life. I have seen my son's 8 week old heart pounding inside Missy's belly (or wherever he was at that point). The life of an unborn child is of the utmost importance and should be protected. No question. God loves the life of an unborn child. But He also loves the life of the homeless orphan in Africa. He loves the life of the child in Afghanistan whose parents were just killed by a U.S. bomb. He loves the life of the child used as a human shield to battle U.S. soldiers in Iraq. My thought is God loves everyone equally even if they are not from the United States. WE may not love them or think of them as much but God does. I fully admit I don't. I see images of wheeping mothers holding their dead sons somewhere in the Middle East and I just change to the channel to ESPN. But I realized that God doesn't. And I SHOULDN'T.

To that point, let me say this. Many years ago, a man ran for President by the name of David Duke. He was one of those third party nut jobs that make Ralph Nader look like Lincoln. But he was way conservative and naturally pro-Life. He was also the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, just for arguments sake, what if he beat out John McCain for the Presidential nomination? Would he get the pro-Life vote? He supported the beating and lynching of African Americans but he also supported the lives of the unborn. My point here is that to me, finding a President who looks at ALL lives across the board (and across the ocean) is more important than one who would focus on only the lives of the unborn here in American.

Also, in my estimation, having a President who is pro-Life (and then who would presumably elect Supreme Court justices to overthrow Roe vs. Wade) would be great. However, even if that did happen, even if we outlawed abortion, would that stamp out abortions once and for all? Would there never be another abortion again? Of course not. We have outlawed underage drinking, marijuana and even more serious things like murder and rape. Have those things been eliminated? Have they even been reduced? Philadelphia had more murders last year than they have had in a half-century. To me, it is not about outlawing something, it is about getting to the source of the problem. And to me, that is loving those that need it. And educating them. (And goodbye stocking gifts as well).

And then there is the thought that we need to put a good Christian (which usually translates in most peoples' minds to a Republican) in the White House with good family morals. Because he will lead this country the way it should be run. A strong Christian like:

George W. Bush

When he was first elected, I read countless stories of how he would share his testimony with people. How he would profess his faith at any and all times. And I think that is awesome. But:

How many people would say that our country over the past eight years has grown by leaps and bounds and has become the beacon of hope and life that the rest of the world longs to be? Anyone? Anyone? Beuller? During the campaign, they locked the President up and kept him as far away from John McCain as they could.

Believe me, I WANTED to like this guy. I mean he is a Christian (so by the way was Jimmy Carter). He drives a pickup. He can throw out first pitches better than any other President. My Secret Service buddy says he is a nice guy. But how many people will look back and say that he was a great President?

Did Jesus campaign to overthrow Cesar because he was not converted to Christianity? No. What does He say about government? "Give to Cesar what is Cesar's and give to God what is God's." And that is pretty much it. He was smart. He didn't blog about politics.

Do I agree with everything that PE Obama believes and has voted for? No way. But unless the candidate is me, I will never agree with everything a candidate believes. And even that may change. I simply felt, standing in front of that board of choices, that in this election, at this time, with these candidates, PE Obama would be the better choice to lead our country for the next four years. And apparently so did a few other people.

Do I regret my decision to cross party lines and vote for a Democrat? Ask me in four years.

And while your at it, could you spare a Christmas gift?

Best Laid Plans (Part 2)

Please read Part 1 before you read this one. It won't make much sense if you don't. Though, it may not make sense anyway. But that is just my writing style. Sorry about that.

Once I realized that I would spend my last night (and most intense studying night) watching my team possibly win the World Series, I mapped out my days like I was escaping Alcatraz. I calculated every second of every day so that I could allow for a 2-3 hour window to watch the Phillies play. RIGHT after the game was over, I would go back to studying flood and personal umbrella policies.

When the night actually came, everything went according to plan. I studied up until 8:37 and then turned on Fox. I then spent the next few hours sweating as the Phillies went through a sprint of a game. I cheered. I yelled. I stood up. I sat down. I ran to the bathroom during commercials so as not to miss a single moment. All in a hotel room. In Allentown, PA. By myself.

When I had envisioned watching my team win a championship, I had thoughts of high-fiving a group of people. Hugging everyone in the room. Clinking bottles with friends and family. So when Brad Lidge struck out Dave Linske for the final out, I cheered. But there was no clinking of glasses. No high fives. No hugs. But there were phone calls. Before catcher Carlos Ruiz even got to Lidge to hug/tackle him, my phone was ringing. It was Missy. I think she had her finger on the "Send" button for the entire 9th inning. We talked a little bit. But most of the time, we spent in silence. We both just watched the TV, with smiles (I assume she was smiling) on our face. We did the best we could to enjoy the moment together. Then I told her I had to call my dad.

I went to my first Phillies game with my dad. I have been to countless games since then with my dad. I went to Game 1 of the NLCS with my dad - maybe you read about that. I had to call him. We talked for a little bit and then WE just sat in silence and took in the moment.

Then I called my grandfather. I wanted to catch him before he fell asleep. As big a fan as my dad and I are of the Phillies, my grandfather might be a bigger fan. I don't know if he has ever missed a game. He is such a big fan that he has converted my otherwise disinterested grandmother into a fan simply by osmosis. Every time I talk to him, we discuss two things. Golf and the Phillies. So I had to call him and congratulate him. I asked if he was going to spray champagne around their living room. He said Grandma already had on her goggles.

In addition to talking Missy, Dad and Pop, I got a call from my friend, Tim and a text from my brother in law Scott. Long distance high fives. I couldn't be in the same room as these people but we were able to share the moment nonetheless.

I finished up my conversation by telling my dad that I loved him. Because watching sports isn't just about watching your team play and win. Even when they win it all as the Phillies just did. Watching your team is about the bonds that are created with friends and especially family. I think winning a World Championship is such an incredible experience for fans because you get to share it with the people you love and who have suffered through non-championship seasons (in this case 25 years) with you. The difference is that you don't have to talk about next year. You can savor this year. At least for a little while.

I didn't study any more that night. I couldn't. I did however take a picture of the TV screen to prove that this wasn't a dream. The two words that I was so used to seeing attributed to other teams - the Red Sox, the Yankees, the Patriots - were now being put after my team's name.

Philadelphia Phillies World Champions

(This picture, by the way, is an overhead shot of Broad St., Philadelphia after the Phillies won - they estimated close to 10,000 people were there and it was one of about 15 different locations around the city that had a scene like this, you don't think this city was starved for a championship? The best way I heard it described was that it was New Year's eve but only in Philadelphia)