More McLaren on Obama...

Brian McLaren continued his series of posts on why he supports Barack Obama. Here's a taste...

"The gap between rich and poor is growing greater and greater, in this country and around the world. So I ask myself, which candidate is concerned about strengthening the economy in robust ways that will not simply help oil companies, coal companies, and job exporters make higher profits, but will instead support the development of new “green” businesses that have the most promising future and can provide meaningful jobs here and abroad that workers can take true pride in?" - Brian Mclaren

Debate This!

I came away from last night's debate with a few clear impressions...

1) Obama is ready to lead and nobody can question his grasp on the issues or his ability to be tough on important issues. He would give America a much needed calm level-headed leader.

2) McCain answers EVERY problem with a military solution. I get the impression that if he is asked about his sex life he would find a way to work in a reference to shooting something.

3) McCain is locked into a cold war era world view.

4) Obama left some ammunition on the table. If McCain wants to talk about pork, then lets talk about the bridge to nowhere. I'm not sure why Obama didn't one up him on anti-waste rhetoric. The republican administration has been wasteful and this should be an area of strength for Obama. Unfortunately, he allowed McCain to own this issue. I hope he corrects this problem in the next debate.

5) Obama wins on the tax cut issue and he finally made this clear.

6) McCain can't even spell middle-class. He didn't use the term once.

7) McCain has a tendency toward over dramatic knee-jerk reactions to a crisis. His attempt to cancel this debate was a prime example. This character flaw along with his tendency to use military solutions for every problem should scare the hell out of every voter. These character issues are a dangerous combination. McCain is not just 4 more years of Bush. McCain is Bush x 10. McCain is Bush on a steroids rage!

Entering Oil Rehab

You can help keep this ad on the air by contributing to the WeCanSolveIt.org. I'm not sure anything we do individually will solve the problem if our government is not committed to eliminating the root cause of our addiction (the oil industry's influence in our energy policies). Our government can't change until public opinion changes dramatically. Maybe it is time to fight oil lobbyist propaganda with a strong public relations campaign.

On one hand our leaders admit we are addicted to oil. On the other hand they ask for more drilling. If I was addicted to crack, would you really suggest that I get more crack? Should I find cheaper crack? Should I start making my own crack? Really?

Another Reason for Obama

If you needed another reason to vote for Barack Obama, you can calculate your expected tax cut in the proposed Obama plan at www.obamataxcut.com. Keep in mind that presidents can't cut taxes. They can provide direction for congress and in the past, that direction has typically made its way into (or out of) our wallets. At a minimum, this gives us insight into the priorities and allegiances of each candidate.

The Tax Policy Center has provided a comparison of the tax plans.

Finally, I've included a summary chart that shows the distribution of tax cuts over the tax base. It paints a clear picture of our 2 options. You should also notice that McCain has no increases to go with his cuts, so it is a huge net loss in tax revenue during a time when debt has already run a muck. Obama's plan provides tax relief for 95% of Americans while also limiting the amount of added debt by raising taxes on the wealthiest of the wealthy. Both plans are likely to increase our deficit unless they have a complement of spending cuts.

Controlling God

Peter Rollins has written an interesting post about human attempts to mold their image of God into something that can be controlled. Peter's books have helped me in my own attempts to wrestle with the complexities of faith.

Political Framing Stories...

Brian McLaren has written a wonderful explanation of his presidential choice. More importantly, it's a great commentary on the basic problem with our political partisanship. The problem we have is that we see the world through different framing stories (narratives) based on our background and access to information. Thus far, the political campaigns of both parties have largely been consumed with manufacturing the narratives for their individual candidates. In many cases, they have also attempted to paint a false narrative of their opponents. Republicans would love us to conclude that Obama loves bloated wasteful government and relishes millions of abortion (nobody believes this). Democrats would like us all to assume McCain dreams of a Christian theocracy and is a secret member of the KKK (we all know he isn't).

Beneath the political grandstanding, there is a real narrative for each campaign and Brian McLaren has done a wonderful job of articulating why he connects with the Obama narrative. If I could have one wish in this election it would be that every voter could wade through the crap and see clearly each candidate's narrative for what it is rather than what the opposition would like it to be. The narrative we chose has important implications.

Brian sums this up well in his closing statement...

"We’re not just voting for a president this year: we’re voting for a framing story our nation will live by, or kill by." - Brian McLaren