An Open Letter to the Chairman of the RNC Robert M. Duncan (Subtitled: January 20, 2009 the Beginning of a New Error)

Dear Mr. Duncan,

First of all let me introduce myself to you. My name is Jack Newton. I am an evangelical Christian and a conservative Republican. I have had forty eight hours now to digest and peruse the events of the past two years, culminating in the election. I am a Baptist pastor in a state that is overwhelmingly Democratic and did not expect much in the way of campaigning for the presidential election near or in my state. I am however, capable of keeping up with events on a national scale. The reason I introduce myself is because I feel that you and yours have forgotten about folks like me who are your base. I am sick and tired and I feel taken for granted and used.

Before I get to the crux of my communication, I want to congratulate Barack Obama on a masterfully run campaign. I am honored that I live in a country that is willing to elect a person of color to the most powerful and important office in the world. I have been told for decades, by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton that the US is far too racist to do such a thing. I am sick because it appears that many made their decision (pro and con) about whom to vote for based solely on race. I hope that one day my children can live in a country where people are judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. I understand that as a white male, I am not supposed to talk about such things. Just call me a maverick.

I am sick about the prospect of the next four years. I do not claim to be a prophet, and I hope that I am wrong, but I fear we have four years of economic and foreign policy struggles ahead of us. We have elected the most liberal and least qualified president ever to serve in that office. I am old enough to remember Jimmy Carter and his failed policies. Barack Obama makes Jimmy Carter look like a conservative. The place that I am most concerned is in the issue of life. We have elected a president who has no conceptual understanding of the sanctity of human life. Babies are a political problem to him. This breaks my heart and drives me to my knees to pray for this country. I am sick because we are now also weaker and more vulnerable to attack from our enemies.

All of this you know and it makes me tired. I am preaching to the choir. The reality is that I do not blame the Democrats for this loss. Does a football coach blame the other team for a loss when they are more prepared, have practiced more, and are in better physical condition? The Democrats raised more money than us, were better organized than we were, and communicated to the American people better than we did. The problem lies in the Republican Party. I am tired of you taking your conservative base for granted. You have assumed that we would be there no matter what. The pundits have told you that we have to move to the middle because that is where the voters are that will make the difference. We saw Clinton do it so that must be the pattern for success, right? Foolishness! The liberals have to hide who they are because their policies are failed, wrong, and in some cases even evil. When are we going to realize this? Character matters. Issues matter. I am tired of us trying to cloud these issues in order to become more acceptable to the mainstream. Well we saw Tuesday night how well that worked.

I am tired of excusing the lack of character in our midst because we feel we are right on the issues. We’ve had Bill Bennett writing a “Book of Virtues” and then spending the profits at the tables in Vegas. We’ve had Newt Gingrich telling us how awful Bill Clinton was for having an affair in the White House while Newt is having affairs of his own. We have Rush Limbaugh on the radio telling us what to think, only to find out that he is a junkie, hooked on pain pills. We have had Trent Lott with the leadership philosophy of capitulation and appeasement. All of this makes me tired. I know that you are probably thinking that most of that is in the past. True, but then we have a supposedly conservative president (one I have supported for eight years and still support) who just signed a bailout bill that is nothing more than a step towards socialism. Is it any wonder that we lost the election? People don’t know who we are or what we stand for. We don’t know who we are or what we stand for.

My first presidential vote was cast in favor of Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter. I had just finished reading “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayne Rand. It was as if she was able to see into the future. The things she wrote about were coming true before my eyes. I saw the lines for gas and felt the double digit inflation. I was a US Marine at the time and felt the shame of having American hostages in a foreign land and doing nothing about it. Ronald Reagan did not run away from who he was. He stood up and proclaimed it boldly. Reaganomics worked not because it was Republican but because it was right. His stances on abortion, gun control, the family and other issues were right too. He did not shy away from them. He proclaimed them. That is why he is one of the greatest presidents our nation has ever seen.

As a Marine, I support and admire John McCain, but let’s face it. He spent most of his campaign telling us the he was not Barack Obama. That is not good enough. We need a true conservative. One that is not ashamed to state what he believes, even if the mainstream media does not agree. We have got to stop whining about the inequities in the media. They are liberal. They will always be liberal. We have to circumvent them. Talk radio is a start but we have to make better use of the internet as well. We are right on the issues. The only way we can lose is if we do not do a good enough job of communicating those issues. We have to state unashamedly our economic and social beliefs and get back to being the party that is for smaller government, life, and the family. We have to energize and appreciate our conservative base rather than just assuming they will go along with whatever we throw at them.

As for me, I have not lost hope. I am a man of faith and understand the God is in control of all things. I will continue to pray for this country and for Barack Obama. I will encourage the members of my church to do the same. “There is nothing new under the sun,” and God has yet to come across a problem that He could not handle. We Christians will have an opportunity to live out our faith and show the world the love of Christ. I am praying that God will lead a dynamic leader to the forefront in our country who will lead us back to a state where liberty is prized and government is not seen as the solution to all of the problems of the culture.

We have an opportunity in the next four years to take back the White House and the legislature. It will not just happen. As I said before, you do not know me. You have taken me for granted for too long. Now, you need me and the millions like me. What are you going to do? Character matters. Issues matter. Lives, in America and around the world, are depending on what you do in the coming months. I don’t know about you but I am tired of being sick and tired.

Sincerely,

Jack E. Newton

Lifelong Republican

The Election

As I sit here on the eve of an important election that will be historical no matter what the outcome, I wonder if we are in a good place in America today. We are about to have either our first female vice president or our first African American president. Yet, neither one of these milestones seems all that important to me. Admittedly, I am in neither of the aforementioned demographics, but that is not the reason I am less than excited about the prospects ahead of us. Ones gender or race should have no bearing on the competition one way or another. Yet we Americans have taken a step backwards in many ways. Martin Luther King gave his world changing speech “I have a dream” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial over 45 years ago. Yet I do not think we have fulfilled his dream. I understand that I, as a white American man, am not supposed to talk about things such as race and gender in our time and culture. I also understand that by doing so I run the risk of being called a racist or a chauvinist. So, let me state unequivocally, that I too dream of the day when my children “will not be judged by the color of their skin (or their gender) but by the content of their character.” Nothing, I repeat, nothing will atone for the injustices perpetuated on African Americans in this country over the past centuries. I cannot go back and undo the problems of slavery, segregation, or discrimination. Neither can I change the discrimination that women have suffered over the history of our nation. It is foolishness to try. We can look back and never forget but we cannot allow ourselves to live in the past. So I have done my best to raise my family with a “color blind” attitude toward all people. I hope that I have done my part to make this world a more equitable place.

I recently heard talk show host ask his audience to call in and tell him which issue was causing them to vote for Barack Obama. After an hour of frustrating conversation, it was clear, at least for this one show, that issues were not that important to those who were going to vote for him. We live in a day where words have no meaning and perception is more important than reality. That is why “boxers or briefs?” is seen as an acceptable question to ask a presidential candidate. That is why it is more important for our candidates to appear on the Tonight Show or Saturday Night Live than at the conventions or news programs. After all this I wonder how many votes will be cast tomorrow, pro and con, because of the color of Barack Obama’s skin? Surely we have to be better than this. Here are a few of issues that each one of us should consider in these unsettled times in our history.

First, the economy. If you believe Senator Obama is only going to tax the rich (over $250k), and I do not believe him (remember “read my lips no new taxes”), what does that mean for those of us that Mr. Obama does not consider rich? I am no economist, but this is simple to understand. Let’s say for a minute that I am one of those evil rich business owners. Let’s say I own a factory that makes ball point pens. I have worked hard to build my business and now employ 100 people and provide 10% of the nation’s ball point pens. Now Mr. Obama is going to take my profits and “spread them around” to others in the country who have not been as blessed or industrious as I have. Let’s say my taxes are going to go up by $5,000 per year. That seems fair right? Who is going to pay for that tax? Well first of all my 100 employees are not going to get their Christmas bonus this year and they may only get a 2% raise instead of the 5% I was going to give them. I may even have to lay a few of them off. Next, I am going to increase the cost of my pens by a nickel to offset the tax. I will not pay one cent of this tax out of my own pocket. I will pass it on to others and the middle and lower class will end up paying.

The way to encourage growth in an already stagnant economy is to encourage me to invest more, produce more, and lower my prices. This is done by lowering my taxes not raising them. This class warfare of Barack Obama is going to plunge an already weak economy into further recession or even a depression. Does anyone remember Jimmy Carter? Barack Obama’s economic policies are even worse than Carter’s. When I was a teenager, my brother gave me a book entitled “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayne Rand. This book, though fiction, was instrumental in forming my understanding of political and economic issues. Though it was written decades ago is still applicable to the situation in which we find ourselves. Ayne Rand was way ahead of her time. We cannot allow the logic of illogic to rule in our society. Barack Obama is wrong on the economy.

Second, the war. If I told you that I was against littering but I supported those who litter or that I was against abortion but I supported those who kill babies in the womb, you would say I was crazy. You can’t support someone and yet not support what they do! Yet we let Barack Obama and many others off the hook when they say “I support the troops but not the war.” That is utter foolishness. It is detrimental to the moral of our troops and our reputation in the world. Yesterday, I participated in a Veterans’ appreciation service. As I looked around the room of about 300 veterans and their families, I was nearly overcome with emotion. The sacrifices that these brave men and women made for our freedom brought tears to my eyes. They were not looking for support, or gratitude. They did their duty because of who they are and what they believe. We owe them gratitude and support however. We can debate whether or not we should have gone into Afghanistan and Iraq in the first place (I think we did the right thing) but that does not change the fact that we are there now. To pull out now as Barack Obama wants (or even to set a timetable for withdrawal) would be disastrous for the world situation. We have to finish the job. We have to give our troops on the ground the resources and support they need to complete their mission. Mr. Obama would not do this. If there is one thing that Mr. McCain has a firm grasp upon, it is the needs and objectives of the military. As a marine, I will sleep a lot better with a war hero like John McCain in the White House. I have yet to mention the terrorist ties that Mr. Obama has in his past. All of this will serve to make America weaker with Obama as president.

Finally, life. Barack Obama is the most pro-death candidate this country has ever seen. He not only supports abortion all the way to the ninth month of pregnancy, but he supports killing the baby even when it is not in the womb. His support of partial birth abortion is not enough. He has supported legislation that would prohibit a doctor from rendering aid if the baby happens to be born alive. I know that the prevailing wisdom of our day is that we should not be a one issue voter. I am a one issue voter. A few years ago I voted for the republican candidate for governor of Maryland even though he was pro-abortion. I saw him, once elected, sponsor slot machine gambling, medical marijuana, and stem cell research. It all goes back to the value one places upon human life. Mr. Obama could appoint up to three Supreme Court Justices that would continue the holocaust of child killing in this country.

Though I believe an Obama presidency would be disastrous for the country and world, I also know that not everyone agrees with me. People in our culture make their choices on their perceptions and feelings rather than the issues. Assuming that the polls are right, and I have no reason to assume that they are not, we are in for at least four years of an Obama presidency. So what do we do? Well, one thing we cannot do is wait for the media to set things straight. They love Obama and his liberal policies. We have to continue to remain educated by reading blogs and listening to talk radio. The mainstream media is not now and never will be fair and objective when it comes to politics. That is established. Let’s stop whining about it and look for alternatives to the mainstream media. We also have to get past our apathy. Complaining is easy. Doing something about it is hard. Start a blog, write letters to the White House, start petitions, write books, and take action. It is time for conservative Christians to wake up and do something. The hope for this country does not reside in Washington, no matter who is elected tomorrow. What most people forget is that Martin Luther King was a Baptist preacher long before he was a civil rights activist. I feel a certain brotherhood with him. He understood that the solution to our social ills resided not in the White House or the Governor’s Mansion but in another throne room. He said in that most famous speech, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” If we are ever going to see this country change, then we Christians have to start living our Christianity every day. As we take up our cross daily and follow Jesus Christ, He will use us to change the world. Maybe, just maybe, God will use this whole political situation to bring a revival that could not come any other way. Let’s pray.