Scott Freeman

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The Candidates: John Edwards

Feb 28

Posted by Scott in 2008, Politics | 64 Comments

For the first entry on John McCain and the subsequent discussion click here.

Since last week’s entry the pool of candidates has actually decreased by one. Tom Vilsak, we hardly knew ye.
But, moving over to the other side of the aisle, let’s look at another front-runner who has experience with a presidential campaign, John Edwards.

Edwards intrigued me in 2004 even while I was still dogmatically Republican. Slick, polished and personable he reminded me of another candidate in the non-too distant past. Of course, as the VP candidate to John Kerry’s presidential bid, he came up short. But he emerged from 2004 as a viable candidate in ’08.

Pros: Has one of the best stump speeches in recent memory, Clinton-esque in demeanor and oratorical skills, willingness to admit he was wrong on the Iraq war, a legitimate plan for universal health care as opposed to just advocating one, tremendous utilization of the web including being the only candidate with a Second Life presence, has made fights against poverty and global warming major components of his campaign platform, and his college for everyone program.

Cons: Last name is not Obama or Clinton, history as a trial lawyer, reversal on previous positions regarding the war, the recent blog fiasco, equivocation on some issues.

Analysis: Edwards is a name to be reckoned with for the Democratic nomination in ’08. He currently trails the afore-mentioned Obama and Clinton, but could emerge unscathed as those two continue to take shots at each other. He has taken the tactics that made Howard Dean an internet phenomenon in 2004 to the next level with presences on all the Web 2.0 platforms. His wealth and profiting off of huge court cases gives a little pause but I am impressed with his gravitation to a more populist platform. He is my front-runner at the moment.

OK, let me have it.

The Candidates: John McCain

Feb 21

Posted by Scott in 2008, Politics | 21 Comments

Yeah, I know it’s still a long way until the ’08 elections. But this one is intriguing to me on several levels:

1. It’s the first presidential election since 1988 that I’m not a card-carrying member of the GOP.
2. It’s the most wide-open field in my lifetime with no one seeking re-election of attempting to move from VP to POTUS.
3. The diverse make-up.

Over the next few weeks I want to take a moment to look at each of the aspirants, both contenders and pretenders. I will alternate between both sides of the aisle so I won’t be accused of stacking the deck. Each thumbnail will be my own individual impressions. I will try to be as fair as possible but of course my subjectivity will be apparent. But I’m sure you will set me straight in the comments. :D
Side Note: As always, I want this to be a civil forum. I know that political discussions are given to ad hominem attacks and pejoratives. Let’s avoid that here.

What better place to start than John Sidney McCain?

For the longest time I have been a McCain fan. His positioning himself as a maverick and unwilling to play politics was a breath of fresh air within the beltway. I even thought that my vote for him in ’08 would be a rubber-stamp if he decided to run again. After he was so cruelly sabotaged in 2000 by the Bush campaign I hoped for a comeback.

Pros: Knows the horrors of war first-hand, his work on campaign finance, awareness of global warming including his work with Joseph Lieberman to raise awareness, a benevolent approach to immigration reform, and his commitment to end torture as an interrogation device, cash cow, a candidate that has cross-party appeal.

Cons: Age (he would be older than Reagan was when first elected), an increased penchant for capitulation to the current administration on the Iraq war, recent reversals of positions that seem to be tied to the nomination

Analysis: The McCain of 2000 is a candidate that would make me reconsider voting GOP. But, that is not the candidate of 2008. It seems, from my perspective, that McCain has realized that he may be electable but he can’t get the nomination unless he caters to the far-right.
It seems that he has made the decision that he will remain unswervingly devoted to the war in Iraq and that will be the hill he dies on. As a result, I question his strategy to remain so committed to the Bush doctrine. It’s a long way away and a lot can happen that will prove him to be more shrewd than I think he is. But it seems like a fool-hardy move in the light of the current climate.
Moreover, he seems to be painting himself as more conservative this time around. Recent comments reversing previous positions on Roe V. Wade, reconciliation with Falwell, and ruminating about Bob Riley as a potential running mate indicate a swing to the far-right. My question is whether or not this is out of growing conviction or the realization that a moderate cannot win the nomination in the GOP. Based upon his experience in 2000, my cynical nature opts toward the latter.

Who Has Your Vote?

Feb 14

Posted by Scott in 2008, Politics | 46 Comments

I know it’s way early in the game and that with our nominating process such as it is that the initial question is “who can be nominated” not “who can be elected.” But I want to commit some time on Wednesday in the coming months to breaking down the field. Next week we will look specifically at the GOP field.
But to begin I thought I would get a gauge on how my views align with the candidates. The folks at select smart have a survey that aligns your views with that of the candidates. Get it here.
It looks like I’m on the Obama bandwagon (sorry, dad). Brownback is pulling up the rear. Which is fitting, because he scares me. What about you?

Percent Rank Item
(100%) 1: Sen. Barack Obama (D)
(88%) 2: Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D)
(86%) 3: Sen. John Kerry (D)
(83%) 4: Retired Gen. Wesley Clark (D)
(80%) 5: Ex-VP Al Gore (D)
(80%) 6: Gov. Bill Richardson (D)
(80%) 7: Sen. Christopher Dodd (D)
(74%) 8: Ex-Sen. John Edwards (D)
(73%) 9: Gov. Tom Vilsack (D)
(70%) 10: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D)
(59%) 11: Sen. Joseph Biden (D)
(56%) 12: Rep. Ron Paul (R)
(46%) 13: Gov. Mike Huckabee (R)
(45%) 14: Gov. Mitt Romney (R)
(38%) 15: Ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R)
(36%) 16: Gov. George Pataki (R)
(36%) 17: Sec. Condoleezza Rice (R)
(36%) 18: Sen. John McCain (R)
(35%) 19: Ex-Rep. Newt Gingrich (R)
(29%) 20: Sen. Chuck Hagel (R)
(27%) 21: Sen. George Allen (R)
(24%) 22: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R)
(24%) 23: Rep. Tom Tancredo (R)
(16%) 24: Sen. Sam Brownback (R)

The Perfect Candidate

Jan 25

Posted by Scott in Politics | 24 Comments

I might regret this, but I have a question. In the ongoing discussion abortion has been repeatedly brought up as a litmus test for casting a vote for a candidate.

My question is this: party affiliation aside, what are you looking for in a candidate. What issues are closest to your heart? Which ones are deal breakers for you?

Can your vote be reduced to a singular issue?

“The Epicenter Love Is The Pendulum Swinger”

Jan 24

Posted by Scott in Politics, The Love of God | 15 Comments

Tracy remarked this morning about her interest in seeing where I swing from my current positions. When we met I was still in my rabid, dogmatic Republican days.
I was the former president of my local Young Republicans and still subscribed to all the conservative periodicals (Note: I’ve already discussed my journey to this point in this series. I don’t want to recount it now, but if you interested follow the link.)

Where I am at in my spiritual journey, I fear, looks just like that: a pendulum. And finding more in common on the political landscape with the Democratic party looks like I’ve swung between extremes. But I think that is a mistake and some clarification is in order:

First of all, my source of hope is not in a particular party. I have tremendous problems with the current leadership, but the answer is not in who sits across the aisle. I enjoy politics, but both parties are fallen in that they seek first their own interests. The GOP does not have a monopoly on God, and I can argue that much of what they view as being God-pleasing is nothing more than a distorted view of the Christ of Scripture. Conversely, the Dems have a history of marginalizing those of faith within their party. I see that shifting greatly but, ultimately, it too will fall short.

Secondly, my source of hope is not in the United States. I am blessed to live in this country. I love living here and I benefit greatly from what is America. But it is not the new Israel and my blessings in Christ are not geographical. Being in Christ, as Paul tells us, I have no borders, no nation above the Kingdom. That can be upsetting when we conflate the Kingdom and the nation-state. And I recognize that America is like all other powers of this world: fallen.

Third, I dispute the notion that the place to be is somewhere in the middle. That the desired location is some happy medium between two parties, picking and choosing the positions that best adhere to some muddled belief system.
No, I believe that the place that Jesus calls us to be is on the extremes, among the marginalized. Where the people are lost and forgotten. That true Christian living focuses first and foremost on love. That I view others not on whether they look, act or believe like me. But that I look upon others as children of God, my neighbor.

The answer is not, and can never be, political. Nor is the hope of this world whether or not we balance a budget, rid the world of terrorism or reach across the aisles.
The hope in this world is for the church of the Living God to be salt and light in a darkened, flavorless world.
To love our enemies, even when they want to kill us.
To turn the other cheek, even when it means we will get hurt.
To love unconditionally and sacrificially even when it means we will be taken advantage of.
To think first about others before we think about ourselves even if it means we don’t get ours.
To be like Christ even if it gets us killed.

So the answer is that I hope I don’t swing back to some moderate position. But that instead I will learn to follow Christ to the extremes, to where His children are. For the love of God is never moderate.

The 2008 Presidential Race…

Jan 20

Posted by Scott in Asides, Politics | 172 Comments

…is now officially interesting.

Scattered

Nov 16

Posted by Scott in Asides, Entertainment, Politics | 58 Comments

It’s a crazy week so there will not be a nonviolence entry today. Next week I hope to look at the blight on Christianity that was Constantine and the preposterous notion of Just War Theory.

In the meantime, here are some questions and thoughts:

–Is John McCain too old to be a viable candidate for president in 2008. Ronald Reagan was the oldest to ever be elected. He was 69 when he was voted in the first time in 2000. Mccain will be 72 in 2008. That would make him 80 at the end of a second term.

–Has Lost jumped the shark? I say yes. My good friend Jason still maintains it is the greatest show ever.

–Gilmore Girls is now officially dead to me. I don’t see any way that they can logically fix this mess they find themselves in.

–My Arkansas Razorbacks have clawed their way to #5 in the nation and are finally gaining some respect. If they beat MSU on Saturday they win the SEC West and meet Florida in the Championship. Darren McFadden is a true Heisman contender.

–What should you do when you realize that you have interpreted a passage wrong your entire life? That happens way too often these days.

–If you want a tremendous collection of hymns and spirituals then by all means get Kate Campbell’s beautiful and soaring “For The Living of These Days.” Any collection of spirituals that includes Woody Guthrie’s “Jesus Christ” is a hit in my book. Couple that with Campbell’s transcendent voice and traditional folk stylings and you have a tremendous disk.

–In the event of the rapture, is there someone willing to take over this blog? Cause I’m going.

–Does anybody besides me watch “What About Brian?” It’s become one of my favorite shows and I look forward to it on Monday nights at 9 more than I do the overly preachy and arrogant “Studio 60.” And I’ve consider myself a Sorkin fan.

I’m interested in your thoughts.

I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker

Nov 6

Posted by Scott in Asides, Entertainment, Politics | 25 Comments

Some notes:

–Our internet connection was down all day today. Therefore, no nonviolence post. I may take Thursday off from it as well and return with the series next Monday. Stay tuned for Top 10 Tuesday tomorrow, however.
–Tomorrow will finalize my messy and painful divorce from the Republican Party. There are just too many things I disagree with this administration on. The Dems aren’t much better but there are a tad closer to my values. And no way can I vote for Rick Perry or Kay Bailey Hutchison.
–My Razorbacks continue to roll. We have our toughest game of the season this Saturday against Tennessee. Here’s hoping we continue our way to the SEC title game.
–I defy you not to love this video. I can’t stop listening to this song.

100,000 Hits and Other Business

Sep 28

Posted by Scott in Asides, Books, Fantasy Football, Housekeeping, Politics, Sports, YouTube | 19 Comments

–Sometime in the next week this humble blog should hit 100,000 on the ole stat-counter. To properly celebrate this august occasion I am offering a special promotion. The individual who is that lucky number will win a copy of either Lee Camp’s Mere Discipleship or Jimmy Dorrell’s Trolls and Truth. Good luck to you and thanks for being a part of my blog world.

–I have taken some hits in the last few weeks for my nonviolent/pacifist leanings. I am preparing a series of posts that will deal with the objections to what I feel is the best way for the church to behave. I will begin by looking at some biblical arguments often proposed to discredit non-violence: war in the OT, Jesus in the temple, etc. I’m hoping for a reasoned discourse that takes into account all of the initial reactions against peace. I look forward to discussing it with you. Any thoughts before I launch into it?

–My church fantasy football team needs help. I own Shawn Alexander and Terrell Owens. It’s been a tough week. I also own Larry Fitzgerald. I was sweating the threat of Matt Leinart being handed the ball. That would have been a trifecta of bad news.

–Anybody ever taken the GMAT? I’m taking it next week and getting paid to do it. Any pointers or things to look out for. I’m expected to fail the test but it would be cool if I didn’t.

–What’s the right way to “do” church?

–And finally, this guy is everything I hate about politics: mean-spirited, ad-hominem and hyperbolic attacks on others. Check out the dreadful ads. “Jesse Helms is back, and this time he’s black.”

A New Wrinkle in the War on Terror

Sep 8

Posted by Scott in Humor, Politics | 3 Comments