Obama won.
I went to work this morning and read the transcripts of the victory and concession speeches. And I checked the voting results here in Philadelphia by division/ward (Really cool site here where I can see exactly how many voted at my exact polling place Ward22/Div20 and how many votes were cast for each candidate).
I was listening to folks at the train station talk about "their" winner. And reading about people identifying themselves with "their" candidate based on the vote that they cast.
And it made me think that it's kind of a load of garbage.
WE all made this decision. WE collectively elected Obama no matter which button we pushed. WE made this decision in our Primary or Caucus votes. WE made this decision in the way that we spoke about the issues or the candidates to our co-workers, spouses, neighbors, and friends. These party platforms and candidates were defined, in large part, by a desire to get OUR vote. What WE instructed our constituents to vote or say defined the party stance and the platform of both candidates, and even their tone or campaign style. Every time WE tune the radio to either NPR or Limbaugh, we cast a tiny vote for how these people were defined and represented. Every time WE aligned a political party with an ideology or worldview in our discussions with our kids even 20 years ago or more, WE nudged these candidates into the positions they had to hold to try and win the base and the undecideds.
I just wanted to say that as I imagined T-shirts saying "Don't Blame Me, I voted for McCain" or "Yes, We Did". For Good or Bad, (and let's be honest, no one really knows what will happen, and the rear view mirror of history isn't even all that clear), we can all lay claim to this moment. I would argue, by not claiming responsibility for this president, we are shirking our responsibility and spending more time judging another than ourselves.
(Ring, ring, ring. Hello, Speck? This is Plank. You're in somebody's eye. Later.)
BUT in another sense, none of us can lay claim to this moment, again regardless of which button we pushed.
God grants authority. We had a great sermon (Available Here) from the book of Daniel in our church a few weeks ago by a new pastor who will be planting a new "site" in South Philly early next year. (Shhhh! Don't tell anyone he's not PCA...) Listen if you like, but the gist was that God grants authority and takes it away as he sees fit for his glory and for the good of those who love him.
Nebuchadnezzar was exalted to leader of the world and brought down to the dust of the earth and the dew of the grass and then restored. As were a host of other leaders, kings, presidents, and others. Whether he or anyone else was brought to that point by a birth order, political strategy, popular vote, or electoral college is irrelevant. God is controlling history for purposes we couldn't begin to understand. And in a lot of ways, by claiming a candidate as "OURS" or "THEIRS" we may be forgetting or even denying the true authority of God.I'm still going to refuse to tell people who I voted for, other than saying that it was a split ticket. Not out of a desire to avoid blame (see above) but because I don't want that one little button to define me in people's minds when I think my comprehensive worldview (that is only percievable over years of shared conversations) is a much better indicator. Ask me about some specific issues or concepts, or even better, ask me about Jesus. He's the platform I aspire to even when I don't get it most of the time.
