Thursday, February 7, 2008

A Dobson’s Choice

I read the recent announcement in Focus on the Family’s CitizenLink email alert dated 2/5/08 that stated Dr. Dobson “cannot, and will not, vote for Sen. John McCain.” While he was speaking as a private citizen, he is no ordinary Joe, and his opinions carry a lot of weight among conservative Christians. I am stating my opinion on the matter to give another viewpoint to those people who might be influenced by Dr. Dobson.

I was appalled that he made such a statement. Furthermore Dr. Dobson stated that given the present possibilities for presidential candidates, he “simply will not cast a ballot for president for the first time in my life.” I wonder if he has thought through the impact what he is doing. I’m also beginning to wonder if he has lost his mind, as it appears Pat Robertson has.

What Dobson is doing is encouraging millions of conservative voters not to vote. He is encouraging them to disenfranchise themselves. Voting shouldn’t be an option – it is a duty. If enough conservative voters simply stay away from the polls, certainly it is obvious what will happen: a liberal Democrat will be our next president. Does Dobson really want that? Do you, if you are a conservative, want to hand over the presidency to a liberal on a silver platter by not voting?

If Clinton or Obama get elected, Dobson will then spend the next four or eight years whining about the situation on his radio program and in his newsletters. But Dobson (and any other voters who stay away) will have no one to blame but themselves. To my way of thinking, Dr. Dobson, is acting like a child. Just because his ideal candidate isn’t running doesn’t mean he should sabotage the Republican who is running. Sometimes you have to vote defensively to keep the worse candidate from winning. That’s just the way the system works – something Dobson doesn’t seem to understand.

George Bush is probably as close as any person can come to Dobson’s ideal candidate, and look what he’s done. He got us involved in an immoral war, causing the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, and has destabilized the Middle East. The list goes on of his misdeeds. So, Dr. Dobson, your ideal candidate will probably go down in history as one of the worst presidents ever to hold that office. You might want to rethink your position.

Dr. Dobson certainly doesn’t have to endorse a candidate if he doesn’t want to, but he should encourage his conservative following to do their duty and vote. If Dobson doesn’t do this, then I think he is doing a great disservice to this country, to the family, and to the traditional values he is trying to protect.

I will briefly outline why I prefer a moderate or conservative president over a liberal in a future post so you understand where I'm coming from.

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