Democrats? — Voting Our Values — Republicans?
On Valley Radio This Weekend, Oct. 24-25
or Online HERE Anytime
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“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.” (President George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796)
“[W]e have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. . . . Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
(President John Adams, 1798)
“Without God, there is no virtue, because there’s no prompting of the conscience. … Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” (President Ronald Reagan, 1984)
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States when men were free.” (Ronald Reagan)
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The November Election: Why the Confusion?
With just over one week to go, some voters still remain uncertain about which of the parties and their respective candidates deserve our support and our vote. Which of them seems to identify most closely with America’s Godly Heritage, with our core values, and with our vision for the future of America and for our families?
So how do we decide when neither of the candidates has earned our total confidence? Do we just sit this one out and not even go to the polls on November 3? Or do we just close our eyes, cross our fingers, and mark our ballots for the one that seems least objectionable? Where can we go for help?
The Party Platforms – and Why They Matter
It is a challenge, but there is one tool that might help us make up our minds. That is the platforms that both the Republican and Democratic Parties adopted at their national conventions this summer. They do this every four years at the same time that they select who will represent them as their Presidential nominee in November.
— The Platforms: It is an important tool because these platforms clearly reflect the basic beliefs, core values, and fundamental principles on which each party and their candidates have taken a stand. They, perhaps even more than the candidates themselves, present two very different visions for America and the road map for how they plan to govern.
In that way, they present a very clear choice for all of us in November – not only for the presidency but also for all party candidates at the national, state, and local levels. And that is what Rita Dunaway and I will be presenting this weekend on our Crossroads radio program, drawing directly on language contained in each of the platforms.
— The Two Categories: To help us break down it down, we will look at the positions the platforms take in two basic categories that have provided the foundation for what has made America such an exceptional nation and on which it must continue to be guided for its continued prosperity, stability, and very survival.
— Our Judeo-Christian Values: This first category addresses our core values of Life, Faith, Family, and Freedom. These values go back to Bible times and were brought to us by the Pilgrims and Puritans 400 years ago. They continued to inform us through Two Great Awakenings, the Declaration of Independence, the War for Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and right up to the Present Day. They represent the very character of who we are as Americans.
— Our Constitutional Principles: This category describes the legal framework by which America has been and continues to be governed. It protects and transports our heart and soul, just like the frame of a car that carries an engine. In that role, it recognizes Biblical teaching about the depravity of man and sets up guard rails aimed at protecting us from ambitious leaders and abuses of power by one group or another.
— Our Grades for Each Platform: At the end of the program, we will give both platforms a numerical score of up to 10 points on each of these two categories as an indicator of where they stand — and we invite you to do the same. In that way, we believe it will provide a clear picture of the differences that set the two parties apart, and therefore provide a basis for how you should vote on November 3. You might be surprised at the scores we give them.
Here are the contrasting details for each platform, beginning with the Republicans.
I. Where They Stand on Basic Judeo-Christian Values
1. On Life:
Republicans:
— “We believe the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We also oppose use of federal funds to perform/promote abortion, or for organizations like Planned Parenthood, or for healthcare that includes abortion coverage. We support the appointment of judges who respect … the sanctity of human life.”
Democrats:
— “Every woman should have access … (to) safe and legal abortion. … We will oppose and seek to overturn laws that impede a woman’s access to abortion as well as laws that would defund Planned Parenthood. … We also believe that safe abortion must be included in America’s global health programming. … We will support sexual and reproductive health and rights around the world.”
2. On Faith:
Republicans:
“We believe that a good understanding of the Bible is indispensable for the development of an educated citizenry and therefore that it should be included in a literature curriculum as an elective in America’s high schools.”
(Note: The Republican platform includes 15 references to God as the source of our inalienable rights and for His blessing and His help in the days ahead.)
Democrats:
— “Democrats will fight for sex-discrimination laws to cover LGBT people … We reject the misuse of religion to discriminate (and) will fight efforts by any nation to infringe on LGBT rights.”
(Note: Their platform mentions God only one time in the entire 90-page document, and then only in a casual reference to “our God-given rights”.)
3. On Marriage and the Family:
Republicans:
“We urge reversal of the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage and oppose government discrimination against those who decline to participate in activities that violate their beliefs.
“The cornerstone of the family is natural marriage, the exclusive union of one man and one woman. Children raised in two-parent households tend to be healthier, do better in school, less likely to use drugs and alcohol, engage in crime, or become pregnant outside of marriage. Every child deserves a married mom and dad.”
Democrats:
— “(We) applaud last year’s decision by the Supreme Court that recognized LGBT people … have the right to marry the person they love.”
(Note: Their platform devotes a lengthy section to LGBT rights with repeated references throughout the platform, and includes “sexual orientation” as a protected category equal to that of race and religion. However, it makes no mention of the importance of God’s design for natural marriages that would give every child a loving father and mother.)
4. On Freedom:
Republicans:
“To protect religious liberty, we will ensure that faith-based institutions do not face discrimination by government. … We urge repeal of the 1954 Johnson Amendment (which placed limitations on the pulpits’ freedom of political speech and activity.) …
“We endorse the First Amendment Defense Act to bar government discrimination against faith-based groups. … We encourage states to resist (Obama era) guidelines that would allow men to use women’s restrooms. …
“The constitution gives the federal government no role in education. Therefore, we oppose national standards and Common Core. In its place, we support choice-based, parent-driven, local control of our schools.”
Democrats:
In the context of addressing persecution of religious minorities overseas, the platform says that “We will do all we can to protect religious minorities and the fundamental right of freedom of religion (and) bolster groups and individuals who fight for fundamental human rights.”
(Note: The Platform makes no mention of the need to protect the rights of Christians in America who oppose pro-abortion policies and LGBT activities that violate their conscience.)
II. Where They Stand on Enduring Constitutional Principles
On Limiting the Power of Government:
Republicans:
“We support independent institutions that stand between the citizen and the government and (which) create spaces where the power of government should not intrude. …
“We affirm the 10th Amendment defense of state sovereignty and condemn federal assaults on our liberties, including voter ID laws, immigration law enforcement, school bathroom policies, universal health care, climate change policies, judicial activism, and discrimination against those who refuse to participate in activities that violate their beliefs.”
Democrats:
— “We will ensure that any new spending programs are offset by higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy so as not to add to the national debt.”
On Securing Fundamental Human Rights and National Security:
Republicans:
“We uphold the 2nd Amendment right of individuals to keep and bear arms.”
Democrats:
“We support workers’ right to form and join unions and oppose ‘Right to Work’ laws, … and we recognize sexual orientation and gender identity as protected groups entitled to equal rights under the law.”
On Promoting Individual Liberties and Free Enterprise:
Republicans:
“We promote Right to Work laws and reducing the national debt, and condemn government’s actions to over-regulate all sectors, including a war on coal, blocking the Keystone pipeline and nuclear industry development, and imposing insupportable ‘climate change’ policies and regulations.”
Democrats:
(Note: The overall thrust of the Democratic platform is for bigger government, expanded powers, and thus a greater dependency on government at the expense of individual liberty and responsibility.
It will work to create a higher minimum wage and free tuition for working families to attend public colleges and universities.)
III. Scoring the Platforms
Now for the final assessment. Based on our comparisons of their adherence to or disregard for Judeo-Christian values and Constitutional principles, we scored the two platforms as noted below, on a scale between 0 and 10 for each category – with one exception.
However, please note that these assessments and calculations reflect only our own personal observations. They do not represent an endorsement by the Valley Family Forum of either party or for any of its candidates.
On Judeo-Christian Values:*
Republican Platform Rita: 10 Dean: 10 Total: 20
Democratic Platform Rita: 3 Dean: -10** Total: -7
On Constitutional Principles:
Republican Platform Rita: 7 Dean: 8 Total: 15
Democratic Platform Rita: 1 Dean: 1 Total: 2
Final Combined Score:
Republican Platform Rita: 17 Dean: 18 Total: 35
Democratic Platform Rita: 4 Dean: -9 Total: -5
* The low scores we have given the Democratic Platform in this category reflect in large part our belief that candidates or parties that fail to recognize the sanctity of life for the unborn, or that God’s design for marriage is exclusively between only one man and one woman, or that freedom of religion is one of our most sacred freedoms that takes priority over all others, do not deserve our trust and should not receive our vote.
**Although the score in most categories ranged from 0 to 10, Dean has given Democrats this negative score because they are not only silent on these important Judeo-Christian issues, but also because they have become actively hostile to them. Hence the score of -10.
For a clear summary of both platforms provided for us by FRC Action, the legislative affiliate of the Family Research Council. It is available at https://downloads.frcaction.org/EF/EF20I08.pdf.
Crossroads & the Party Platforms
For a more detailed review of all of this, please join Rita, Robby, and me this weekend at the Crossroads: Where Faith and Culture Meet. It will air on the following Valley stations: WBTX (1470 AM and 102.1 FM) today (Saturday) at 4:00 p.m. and again on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., followed by WSVA (550 AM and 92.1 FM) at 8:30, ESPN (1360 AM and 106.9 FM) at 9:00, and WNLR (1150 AM) at 11:30.
You can also listen online by clicking on the menu of Crossroads’ programs available on our home page at www.valleyfamilyforum.org.
Crossroads is entirely listener supported. Therefore, if you would like to help, please send your check to Crossroads at PO Box 881, Harrisonburg, 22803. All donations are tax-deductible.
Thank you, for God and Country!
Dean