Politics & the Art of Compromise

Politics is the art of compromise {see Laura Bush’s stance on abortion/Reagan’s or Clinton’s on abortion/Death Penalty}, a strategic game of give or take/flip and flop. Faith is heart felt beliefs in absolute truths that should never be compromised-Thou Shall not kill; love your neighbor & enemy, servant leadership, etc. Trying to mix the two is messy/risky/and potentially heretical business.

Elections are a compromise in and of themselves. Presidential elections highlight this fact every four years, when our national moment of civic participation is called upon?! Two people/parties that we end up having to pick from {both sponsored (on loan) heavily by the biggest corporations} is all we get. They practically tell us which orchard, they tell us which field, they show us the two trees to choose from and we have to enjoy the fruit that we pick, regardless if it turns out sour or sweet or even rotten.

Within each camp, each politician tries to woo the undecided voters (us common folk) into their corner by truths/half-truths/promises and more promises-this is how it is...a 100% media driven frenzy based typically more upon personality than policy. Each camp does actually have specific stances on economic/social issues like foreign policy, environment, social services, social issues like abortion, etc. This is a huge task and role for one person- The leader of the most powerful/wealthy nation the world has ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER seen. Fortunately we have a system of check/balances to oversee this extremely important position {the House and the Bench}, right?

Most people don’t want innocent people to die, whether the case is genocide, tribal warfare, gang violence, random/urban violence, domestic violence, war or abortion. What are we the people supposed to do? How are we supposed to protect those innocent lives? Through direct outreach? Legislation? Obviously all these issues are entrenched in our political/social/cultural/religious groundings.

What is our civic obligation? Our moral obligation? As Christians- our Sermon on the Mount obligation to these horrific daily occurrences of innocent deaths?

Each issue is complex, to say the least. Politicians have it that much harder trying to tow party lines/voters lines/any lines… to get our vote. Well, what are we supposed to do with our vote? Some issues like a consistent life-ethic/abortion/war are more personable to us than other issues.

As the voter, with wisdom/faith one must look deeply into all the issues collectively and decide based on the over-arching platform/issues. Being focused on just one issue turns this whole, huge, entire process {electing the next leader of the most powerful/rich nation of the world} into an either/or debate on just one issue-this potentially results into a reductionistic/ minimalist/cursory approach. In fact, once elected, Congressional officers typically serve us by working on both sides of the aisle in hopes of uniting not dividing people over complex, multi-layered issues like abortion through legislation that works on protecting all of life. (http://timryan.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=64)

Perhaps the conversation shouldn’t be absolutely and entirely wagered on one specific, exact issue within this huge, complex, multi-issued, multi-layered important election year and we should re-frame important issues like the abortion conversation into: How can we best reduce the number of abortions? {Within the last couple years have the number of abortions declined?} This approach opens this deeply/partisan wedge issue into more of a proactive, less divisive, unifying approach. This conversation protects the issue from being used as a wedge issue to divide people around this serious topic.

Sanctity of life, being anti-death, pro-life are what most of us want in all areas of life. We prefer life over death for ourselves and others. Abortion is an issue that is typically used during this season as a wedge to pit one into an either/or dilemma, highlighting one issue and hiding all others. Either you are for or against- is the rhetoric that we hear attempting to force our hand one way or the other on this one issue. Now I’m no expert in the field of abortion but this issue opens conversation on the complexity of an issue like abortion, for instance, the role of contraception/ morning after pill, women’s choices, unwanted pregnancies, stem cell, rape & incest, partial-birth, adoption, solid child-support policies, inequality&poverty, a consistent life ethic/war, death penalty, etc.

Being wise, faithful and committed we must take all these issues within their context and soulfully ponder them in relation to the entire platform, before being wedge into one way or another. There are multiple issues that deal directly with life/death scenarios so as good stewarts we need to consciously engaged in ALL of these conversations.

These issues should be dear to all of our hearts/minds and our obligations in electing the next leader of the most powerful/rich nation of the world should be approach with humility, wisdom and hope. Having the freedom to exercise our democratic privilege with a vote should at minimum motivate us into investing how each and every one of these issues within each campaign’s platform hold to our moral/civic/common bonds as individuals within our great and diverse country. It is easy to be swayed by partisan politics, suave-half truth TV ads and the like but our duty as citizens of this world and beyond should be to fully engage in all the issues of the platform/s or risk losing one of the greatest privileges of our democratic process-the responsibility of the vote.