TAM,The Annoyed Man wrote:Let me start by saying that, while my personal opinions are largely informed by my spiritual faith, I fully recognize that this is not necessarily the case for a lot of people (thank God for the 1st Amendment!); but my worldview colors what follows:TexasTornado wrote:I'm not agitated at all. Not even my party that he's making look juvenile and foolish.parabelum wrote:TT,
Mr.Blanker is just trying to agitate. I'd just ignore him.
I'm one of those independent things nobody seems to believe Trump brings to the party.
I'm an independent too, and you're right......a certain number of independents who have not wanted republican membership will support Trump. The problem is this...... Independents now make up something like 43% of the electorate (LINKY) and that is higher than it has ever been before......and some independents vote democrat too. Independents elected Obama. Historically, the democrat party has outnumbered the republican party in terms of registered voters, but registered republicans turned out in greater numbers to vote than registered democrats - which made for close election results, regardless of which party won the POTUS race. It also points to republicans being generally more politically active and less apathetic than democrats. But both parties are bleeding members and losing them primarily to the independent fold, and I expect the number of independents to continue growing as the major parties continue to lose relevance for their more traditional bases.
But this election cycle is different than any I can recall in my 46 years of being a registered voter.....and only partly because Trump is a nominee. It seems pretty apparent to me (and probably a lot of other folks too) that a significant percentage of republicans have become so disenchanted with the direction their party has taken that they're not inclined any longer to take direction from or believe what they're told by their party's elites. In fact, I think that Trump's candidacy is - for better or for worse - is exactly a symptom of this discontentment with the party's direction. A lot of people, myself included, left the party after the 2012 election and became independents.
My personal political values lean toward the (small "L") libertarian, but I'm not a libertarian party member, nor do I have any intention of joining that party. I was a registered democrat for 23 years before joining the republican party in 1993, so twice burned, twice shy. I'm done with parties, because they have become more about the accrual of power than they are about proclaiming a set of standards (the talk), and then defending those standards (walking the talk).
My personal social values lean toward the conservative and are informed by my faith. But, there was a time when I thought of the republican party as the best political repository of that combination of libertarian political and conservative social values that I cleave to. I no longer believe that to be the case about the republican party. I know for a fact that I'm not the only one who feels this way. FWIW, the democrat party is in a mirror image of that same same boat, which explains the rise of the Bernie Bros......but I don't really care what happens to democrats if their party goes down the tubes. I DO care about what happens to republicans when their party goes down the tubes, because for all of its flaws as a party, republican ideals are still closer to my personal set of beliefs than that crap the dems are selling. If only the republican party still promoted and defended those ideals.
Regardless of how you or I or any other independents vote, one thing seems certain: the party elites for both of the major parties are directly responsible for the current state of their parties, and this is why independents now make up as much as 43% of the electorate. I've never seen the republican party as divided as it is today. But despite any ongoing tensions between the Bernie Bros and the Hillary Hagiographers, the party rebels are mostly unifying behind their candidate, even if she wasn't their first choice. For all of her many faults, Clinton is much closer to being a traditional democrat than Trump resembles a traditional republican. In fact, my observation is that Trump is the least "republican" candidate that party has ever produced, and consequently the traditional republican base is finding it very hard to unify and rally behind him.
One of the complaints I hear against him is that Trump was a democrat for most of his political life. Well, people change. When I registered as a republican in 1993, I had been a democrat for all of my political life up to that point. So I don't have a problem believing that Trump might have changed, but the problem is, "changed into what"? He certainly hasn't morphed into a traditional republican. As Ronald Reagan once famously said, "I didn't leave the democrat party, it left me". In my own case, I hadn't changed so much as the republican party had changed. And that is why I reregistered as an independent after the 2012 election. The republican party changed.......and I think that Trump's candidacy is proof of that.
So IF I decide to vote for Trump in November, it will NOT be motivated by any loyalty I feel to a party, but purely based on whether or not I can make myself pinch my nostrils closed in the voting booth. The one thing I know is this......Tuesday, November 8 is still 2-1/2 months away. Until then, I am under no obligation to declare in advance for whom I will vote. I will be considering all angles prayerfully, and seeking God's guidance first and foremost, and then I will make my decision on that day. But this is for absolute certain: IF I vote for Trump, it will not be motivated out of a spirit of fear over what will happen if I don't, but rather motivated by Holy Spirit - whose authority is sovereign over all things. God can use, and has used in the past, unrighteous people to accomplish His purposes, for His own glory. I have absolutely no faith in Trump being a righteous man. In fact, I believe he is more or less the opposite of righteous. So if Holy Spirit leads me to vote for Trump, it will be because He has told me that He will be using Trump for His purposes, and not for any other reason. I'm still waiting for that particular message from the Lord, but my decision will not be motivated out of a spirit of fear over the consequences of not voting for him.Personally, I think we may be under God's judgement at this point in our history, and even a Trump victory isn't going to delay or avert that judgement.The Apostle Paul wrote:Romans 8:15 (ESV)
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry "Abba! Father!"
2 Timothy 1:7
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control
I realize that these views are my own, and I'm not trying to convince you of anything. I'm just sharing my thoughts.
You are an excellent example of someone who goes at length to produce very informative and illuminating arguments supporting any of the issues being discussed.
For that, I respect you and give you a hat tip always, even when we disagree. It is because in your posts I see sincerity, however at odds it might be with my positions from time to time, it is always well crafted and cleverly delivered.
To that extent, hat tip to you,
