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From Our MMI Exit Poll:  80% of You Voted for McCain… Now What?

Orginally published on Wednesday, November 05, 2008 at 7:50 AM
by Todd Rhoades


What are your thoughts this morning? Do you think this election will really have that big of an impact, positive or negative, on your life and ministry?


This post has been viewed 1054 times so far.


  There are 54 Comments:

  • Posted by

    I did not know who won until I got home about 11pm last night.  My day was that crazy.  When I got home I posted this on my Facebook. 

    Today something historic happened. Many people I know will miss it because of politics. Our country, my country just elected an African American as president. WOW! Think about this for a minute.

    Were it 145 years ago the man who is president would be property. The man who is president would have no education except what was done illegally as it was against the law to teach a black person to read or write. The man who is president could not vote, move, go to school and a whole list of other restrictions all based upon the color of his skin, were it 145 years ago.

    Were it 100 years ago, he would not be able to own property, he would not be able to sit in the same church as a white person, he could not look a white person in the eyes, play sports with a white person and I am sure you get it.

    Today is hugely historic. I am so proud to be an American. I did not vote for Obama, his ideas and his ideology are not mine. His politics are not in line with what I hold to be true, but I will say this. I will pray for MY president.

  • Posted by

    Well put, Leonard!

  • Posted by Brian L.

    I agree.  He wasn’t my candidate, but he will be my president come late January.

    I will pray for him (not against him as many Christians did against Clinton and will do against Obama), just as I did for Clinton and Bush.

  • Posted by Derek Vreeland

    Right on Leonard!  That was well written. (Hey send me a friend request so I can follow you on facebook.)

    Neither of the candidates for president were mine. I did vote for one of them, although I am choosing to keep that private.

    How will this election effect our church? Good question. For me it will have a positive effective, because it will get our attention back on the work of the kingdom. I have heard and participated in too many political conversations in the last few weeks. I am ready for us to gain our bearings (again) and reinsert our faith in the kingdom of God and not the policies of man.

    Derek

  • Nice post! Well written.

  • Posted by

    If he enacts into legislation that which he has said he willenact: federally sanctioned gay marriage, expanded and federally funded abortion rights, higher taxes, the fairness doctrine regarding radio talk shows and Christian programming, as well as funding a private security force, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this could bring down all kinds of open persecution to the church through fines and restricted realms of speech.  I know this sounds crazy to many, but it’s already happening in Canada, where pastors have been prosecuted and are imprisoned for hate speech when they have spoken out against the homosexual life style, as well as in England where it’s illegal to teach homeschool childen that gay marriage is sin and wrong. 

    To be proud that a black man has been elected president is nothing but racism at work within the electorate.  If our votes weren’t based upon morality and the policies that protect our freedoms granted us, then we will pay a terrible price over time.  I predict that within six months there will be a tremendous outpouring of buyers remorse.

    I have already spoken to several small business owners re. Obama’s tax plans, and they are looking at laying people to meet the increased tax burden.  So, the finances of churches will be stretched and challenged even further.  As energy bills rise, with his plan to tax the coal energy plans out of existence, due to new enviornmental laws he wants to enact, how are the open-minded and the narrow-minded going to afford to keep their lights on? 

    Will his policies have a negative impact on the Church.  Religious freedom to the “right of conscience”, and to Biblical teaching will be stripped from the people in time.  There have already been two law suits against Bible publishers for hate speech because of its position on homosexuality.  When Obama seats over 1000 federal judges, who disregard the Constitution and make up laws as they go along, how long will it be until the Church and its theology end up in the courts for hate crimes?  To deny it could happen, one doesn’t know his history well, Germany started out this way eighty years ago, and the Church of Germany has never recovered from its passivity to Hitler’s socialistic policies, and Hitler made friends with the Church at first, but then turned on them when they spoke-out.  Does anyone remember Bonhoffer?  It could easily happen in the United States, as well.

  • Posted by

    Jim,
    I am not sure where the racism comment is coming from.  I am proud of my country that would allow someone who 145 years ago would have been property and today He is the president.  Politics aside, this is a huge thing.

    To put Obama and Hitler in the same paragraph is offensive.  I care deeply about his politics, it is why I did not vote for him.  But to cast the two in the same light as you did, that is ignorant of history.

  • Posted by Andy Rowell

    The 80% is remarkably similar to Christianity Today Politics blog findings at

    The Evangelical Electoral Map (Updated)
    http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctpolitics/2008/11/the_evangelical.html

    Exit polls say 26 percent of American voters called themselves evangelical or born-again Christians, and of these, 74 percent voted for McCain, with 25 percent voting for Obama. (Another measure put the percentage of evangelicals at 23 percent, with 73 percent voting for McCain, 26 percent for Obama.)

  • Last night I decided to write a letter to President Obama.  If you would like to read it in it’s entirety feel free to shoot on over.  Below you will find the beginning.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear President Obama,

    Congratulations.  It seems like just yesterday that you gave your key note speech at the Democratic National Convention.  I remember watching you thinking to myself, “this guy is going to president one day” - If I’m honest, I had no idea it would be this soon.

    You should know upfront that I didn’t vote for you.  It’s not a personal thing, it’s just politics.  I disagree with a lot of things that you stand for, however, your idealism is inspiring.  You see, I’m a dreamer.  I believe that the impossible is possible.  I believe that things don’t have to be just because they have always been.  I relate with your optimism and your desire for change even if I disagree with some of the particulars.

    It is true that I am a Christian, a pastor in fact, and according to some I am supposed to loath you.  I am supposed to disagree with everything you stand for because you are a democrat, and a liberal one at that.

  • Posted by

    I think “right sizing” one’s elation or disappointment is healthy today. There’s no way Obama can live up to the expectations some people have of him and it’s unlikely he’ll be as bad or evil as some people fear. My life hasn’t been all that different yet this morning!

  • Posted by

    To Leonard (and all MMI bloggers):

    Thank you for recognizing, embracing, and celebrating this moment in our history as Americans. 

    I, as a Christian African-American, am very encouraged to know that there are other brothers and sisters in the Lord who are willing to step back a moment and to see how great of a moment this is for our country, whether you voted for President-Elect Obama or not.

    Thanks Leonard and I would hope that others would join in with you. 

    And to Jim, you have every right to express your views.  All I will say is that I disagree with much of what you said, especially the fact that being proud of a black man being elected as the President is “racism at work in the electorate.” I am, quite honestly, shocked that you would say something like that, knowing the history of this country regarding blacks.  That is not racism, Jim, that is simply being proud that our country has progressed to this point in terms of race. 

    You know, I would encourage all Christians, if you haven’t made this a practice already, to sit down with other brothers and sisters in Jesus who are not of your race, denomination, political party, etc. and build a relationship with them.  I think that would do us, the Church, a world of good in terms of how we view things, as well as how we express things in blogs, sermons, etc. 

    The thing that I hope we all remember to do is to not speak presumptously because we are not God, therefore, we honestly do not know how things will turn out.  That is why we should pray for our leaders and continue to pursue Jesus and His mission for us as a church. 

    Let’s continue to place our hope in Jesus and not in the government.  But let us also not bury our heads in the sand and not recognize this moment in history. 

    Thanks again, Leonard.

  • Posted by

    Had to leave a comment when I saw that the word that I had to enter was “Europe71” - that is where Obama would like to take us.  He loves and favors the political model that Western Europe has embraced.  We should pray for him and continue to be faithful to our task to share the good news of the gospel and disciple those that already know Christ.  IF tougher times come to the church because of the current administration - then we must pray that it will strengthen the church and heighten our resolve and passion to live faithfully to Christ.

  • Posted by Peter Hamm

    We live in a nation that has decided to replace its government leaders and there is no violence or rioting or soldiers in the streets of my city with guns. That is rare and precious and I am thankful for it and proud of it…

    I can scarcely believe that our nation doesn’t care what your skin color is anymore. I wasn’t convinced we had come this far. I am in disagreement with much of Obama’s politics and probably with his policies, but…

    I will pray hard for him right now that he picks good advisors.

    Today is an astoundingly good day to be an American.

  • Posted by Tim Winton

    Greetings
    I agree that this is a time to honor the acomplishment of seeing our country continue to progress pass the sin of racisim.
    What did we learn is more important though
    President Elect Obama was not my canidate and I do not agree with him on the core issues but he will be my President and I will continnue to pray for him that the Lord would lead and guide him.
    He offered to things that appealed to most of America and that was Change and Hope.
    As Christians We serve a God that not only offers those but is the Hope and Change this country and world not only longs for but needs. We have the answer
    Let us continue to show and offer the God of hope and Change, Jesus Christ.

  • Posted by

    Here is something that I just posted on my blog to answer your questions Todd:

    We are Witnesses!
    We have just witnessed an historic moment in our nation! Congratulations to President-Elect Obama!

    Although we, as Christians, do not place our hope in government, but in Jesus, I believe it is important for us as individuals to take a step back and to recognize, embrace, and celebrate this moment, regardless of whether you voted for President-Elect Obama or not.

    Now, one thing that has been cemented in my mind and heart during this political season has been this, we, as the Church, must be careful not to speak presumptuously nor to tie ourselves more to a political party than to Jesus. Because, after all, and contrary to some thinking, our country is not a theocracy, like Israel in the Old Testament. It is a democracy that prides itself on freedom (speech, religion, etc.) and justice for all. So that in and of itself changes the nature of government and how we apply Scripture to it or how we draw parallels to it from the Old Testament.

    But here is a final thing that I want to say. We were witnesses of an historic moment yesterday. That is undeniable. But more importantly, for the Christian, we are witnesses today for Jesus to the world. As many, if not all, of us repent for how we lost our way during this political season by attacking each other and saying things that were not reflective of Jesus, let us renew our vigor for the cause of Jesus and our efforts to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).

    Let us remember that our allegiance is to and our hope is in Him and not our goverment. Let’s pray for our new President and all of our political leaders that they will lead well. More importantly, let’s continue to pursue Jesus and His mission for us as the Church.

  • Posted by

    I agree that this is a huge and historic moment for our nation. But a troubling one at that. I would hesitate to say that racism was at work in this election, but race was a factor. There can be no denying that record numbers of African-American voters turned out to the polls. I know African-Americans that are totally opposed to his politics, yet voted for him because he was black.

    I had a conversation with someone who was excited that Obama might become President. They remarked that it would be a great step forward for our nation. My thought is that, while race does not disqualify one for the office, it is not and should not be a qualifier. I believe, in the eyes of many, it was.

    As for our “big step” forward, I think our country would have elected Colin Powell president when he ran, but he pulled out after his family asked him to. They feared he would be assassinated. Yet, I know many who were ready to vote for him, and I believe, he would have won.

    I think our country has taken a big step… toward Socialism. This president does not agree with our constitution as it stands and wants to change our nation “fundamentally.” Our constitution is our fundamental foundation. I am afraid of Obama. not because he is black, not only because he is unknown, but because the little that is actually known is dangerous at best.

    We will see just how much influence Jeremiah Wright has had on good ol’ Barry.

    My word is progress33...interesting

    -E

  • Posted by

    Historic moment indeed.  Nonetheless, for a man who voted to deny a botched abortion baby any medical care, at that point, who really cares what his skin color is?  White, black?  Yes it is a moment of great progession for our country.  Let us be thankful for that.  But after all the celebration has come and gone we’re right back to the issues of what President-elect Obama stands for and what he values.  If he does not value the things of God (and I’m not saying he does or does not) how can we sit by and do nothing?  We need to speak out against anything that displeases God - including abortion.  Let us pray hard that God will move in Mr. Obama’s life and the lives of all the people he promotes to his cabinet.  Whether you liked or didn’t like President Bush at the very least you had to appreciate a man who would get up each morning and seek God’s wisdom.

  • Posted by Cindy K

    I might have a weird outlook on all this but isn’t it a beautiful thing that the majority of people aren’t celebrating the fact that we have our first black President? Isn’t it GREAT that they are saying “Oh ya, he’s black.”

    The fact that his ‘blackness’ is a footnote or an afterthought testifies to the fact that for the most part we’re getting past it!

    We need to get past that! We need to not give a darn if our president is black, or orange, or whatever color you want to pick. smile

    I like to believe that the color of his skin was not a factor at all in this election.  Yes, I’m naive but that’s what I want to believe. smile

    And how will my life change now? Not one bit. God is in charge as usual. smile

  • Posted by

    Jim, from your comment it sounds to me like you are in that tiny part of the electorate that is so ignorant as to be completely out of touch with reality and incapable of making a rational choice and that you should probably leave politics to those who can make a choice not clouded by delusion and irrational paranoia.  grin

    Obama is not the antichrist and he’s not a socialist.  His tax plan is almost identical to Bill Clinton’s and it didn’t destroy the country then.  And I find it hard to believe any business owners are stupid enough to already be planning on laying people off, before they’ve even finished counting the votes and way before any changes in tax policy, so I don’t think you’re being truthful here.

    When asked “Is health care in America a privilege, a right, or a responsibility?” Obama said it’s a right of every citizen to have good healthcare and McCain said that healthcare should be affordable but that it’s every persons responsibility to pay for their own healthcare, whether in cash or thru insurance.

    Does anyone really believe some people just don’t deserve to be able to see a doctor when they need to?  I believe access to healthcare is and should be a right of every citizen, and the only way to accomplish that is for government to set it up.  If that’s a single-payer socialist type system or subsidized health insurance type system or whatever, I’m not an expert and I don’t care what they do as long as it works.  McCain’s plan to give everyone who had health insurance $5,000 was not going to get insurance for that many more people.  It would have benefited me greatly because I have insurance and it would have helped pay for it, but for those without insurance $5,000 is less than half the cost for a family policy so they would still have to come up with between $5,000 and $7,000 on their own.  That would still leave a lot of people without healthcare.

    As for the rest of your rant, all I can say is please, please get help.  And stay on your medication.  grin

    And Eric, you say Obama doesn’t agree with our constitution and wants to change it.  Where do you get that?  Republican rumor central?  All I can say is it’s a good thing the President CANNOT change the constitution or President Bush would have re-written it completely.

    Talk about buyers remorse, I have experienced plenty of that the last 8 years.

    Voting for Obama was a risk, he IS different than any candidate I’ve ever supported, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

  • Posted by

    Daniel,

    Obama is actually a socialist if only with a different name. the democratic party has long been treading toward that line. Redistributing 95% of the money made to those that did not make as much is a Socialist idea. If you did any study of political party politics and looked at his proposals through that lens, you would have no choice but to understand that.

    As far as my support of him or non support as it were, My bottom line is this. Barry Obama does not believe in the right to life. He would not even grant medical care to a baby that is the victim of a botched abortion. This is especially personal to me as I lost a child, did not abort, lost. she according to him is not worthy of life enough that he would legislate to allow her murder. There is a severe lack of moral ethics that is mind boggling to me that ANY Christian would vote for someone like that.

    Talk about putting lipstick on a pig…

  • Posted by

    Eric, you seem very jaded about this issue.  Obama says he believes every abortion is a tragedy and that we need to reduce abortion by attacking poverty, educating people about contraception, and addressing other factors that contribute to women considering and choosing abortion.

    Do you think he’s lying?  Do you think Obama really likes abortion and wants there to be more abortions, not less?

    McCain was not going to outlaw abortion if he got elected.  He would never be able to get a federal abortion ban thru congress; even if he could stack the Supreme Court to uphold it.  I don’t think the Republican Party really wants a solution to the abortion issue, they want to keep the issue alive to divide people into “us and them”.

  • Posted by

    Eric,

    Please check facts before ranting.  Obama voted against BAIPA b/c there was already a law on the books that gave infants that protection.  To say that Obama would not want the life of a child saved is cruel and untrue.  See this website…

    http://fightthesmears.com/articles/15/wildaccusations

    Also, this statement..."Redistributing 95% of the money made to those that did not make as much is a Socialist idea” makes no sense.  Are you saying Obama will raise the government tax to 95% (a ridiculous accusation)? 

    I don’t mind having discussion about issues and candidates, but let’s try and keep our arguments on the side of truth, without false accusations and propaganda.

    Brent

  • Posted by

    Daniel, your name calling is irritating at least, but mostly shows your lack of awareness on many levels.  Does Obama want more abortions?  Lets see: he want to federally fund it, he wants to use federal law to supercede state laws that outlaw abortions, and he and his party want to fine doctors who won’t perform abortions, as well as making abortion acceptance as one of the qualifications for getting accepted into medical schools.  So, what assumption would you come to?  I do know these things are facts; I’m in the mental health/medical field.  In fact, a friend of mine, our former Congressman, told me of a bill that is still buried in committee in Washington, but could come up for a vote because it was not killed, that would allow a woman to abort a child up until two years of age, if the child was causing her to much life style change.  I know you won’t believe that, but your lack of acceptance shows that you’re as blind to this man’s agenda as are his other minions. 

    What is most scarey Daniel, is that if you read the Declaration of Independence, the very first Unalienable Right granted by God and recognized by our Founders is?............LIFE!  So, this man is going to swear to uphold the Constitution, but his position on the lives of the unborn negates his official oath of office even before he takes it.

  • Posted by

    Leonard,

    Can I use your first post in my next open-air message?

  • Posted by

    Ed,

    I believe that Darwinism has added fuel to the racism that has existed for hundreds of years.  If you are a believer, then I will tell you with passion and conviction that you are my brother.  You and I have the same skin color. We are not of different races since we both come from the same original parents: Adam and Eve.  The mapping of the human genome has revealed that every “people group” on the planet has descended from the same mother.  The genetic differences between you and me represent about .06% of our entire genetic makeup.  The only difference in our skin color is the concentration of melanine...that’s it.  I did not support Obama because of my Biblical worldview but like Leonard said...he is MY president also and I will give my life to defend this country as well as MY president. I will pray for him and I will fight him when I think he is wrong but I wish him the best and I truly hope he is a bigger success than he already is.

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