A brief political rant
08/01/25 01:45
I am not a politician. I won an election for a student government office when I was in the 7th grade and I ran and lost an election for a different student government position when I was in the 10th grade. Since those days, I have avoided running for political office. I am not tempted to change that record in my retirement. Having said that, there are plenty of politics and plenty of political decisions that are made in other arenas of life. The church has its own form of politics. For a few years I served on the Board of Directors of a church conference. During that time the conference had a fairly charismatic leader who was used to having the full support of the board. However, I voted against the majority many times during my tenure. There were a dozen times when I was the only “no” vote in the room. Our church operates on generally democratic principles which means that the board continued with its actions over my votes and each time that occurred, I tried my best to be supportive of the decisions that were made. As a member of the board, I felt that I needed to take responsibility for its actions even when I wished it had acted otherwise. Being in the minority did not make me any less a member of the board and as a member of the board, I felt it was incumbent upon me to assume full responsibility for the board even when I disagreed with a particular decision.
Looking back I realize that those were some of the toughest years of my pastoral career. There were many high points in decades of serving churches, but I don’t count that experience as one of them.
There are other ways in which I have engaged in politics despite my intention not to run for office. I frequently said to members of the congregations I served that I would be glad to tell them what I thought, but I would not tell them what they should think. Unlike some early Congregational ministers who held election day sermons and did not shy away from instructing members on how to vote, I never assumed that I had the wisdom or the authority to give the congregations I served such advice.
Nonetheless, I am a citizen and I have tried to be a faithful and fully participating citizen. I vote in each election. I listen to candidates and try to make faithful and informed decisions. I allow my faith and the moral principles I have learned to guide my participation in the political process. And, like the years that I served on the board when I disagreed with many of its decisions, I remain a faithful citizen when the candidates I back lose and others win. I firmly believe that those who hold political office are elected and therefore obligated to serve all of the country, not just those who backed them.
As a result I have often held my political opinions to myself. I have invested considerable energy in refraining from making my journal into a place of political speech. However, there are times when I think it only honest to express some of my political opinions. If this offends some of those who read these posts, I am sorry. My intent is not to offend and it is not to instruct others on what they should feel or how they should vote.
There are multiple reasons why I did not vote for Donald Trump in any of his bids to become President. I do not believe he has the character or temperament to hold the office. Despite his backing of prominent evangelical Christians, I cannot see how he represents any Christian values. But he has won the election. He will become President once again in just a few days. And I will remain a loyal citizen of this country while he is President just as I did when he served from 2017 through 2021.
I will point out, however, that Monday, when Congress certified the results of the recent election was decidedly different from four years ago. The losing party and the losing candidate carried out their responsibilities according to the constitution without drama or unconstitutional behavior. They remained loyal to their oaths of office. It stands in stark contrast to the attempts of the losing candidate and his supporters four years ago when the capitol was stormed by armed people who assaulted law enforcement officers, wantonly damaged and destroyed government property, and tried to prevent the peaceful transition of power. Despite attempts to portray them otherwise many were guilty of felonies and were convicted by juries of their peers. It is worth noting how much effort President Trump and his backers have invested in trying to suppress the investigation of the special counsel. When there is that much effort to continue a cover up it is reasonable to believe that they have something to hide.
Despite all of that and even despite his promise to issue pardons to those convicted, I want to note that things are different now than when he was elected 2016. Although I expect his term to be a major setback for climate action, a President does not have unlimited power on the world stage. Momentum is now on the side of global energy transition despite any actions Trump may take. The global economy have changed significantly since his last term. China now leads the world in renewable energy production and does not depend on the US for its transition. And here in the US clean energy is booming. The majority of the investment driven by the Inflation Reduction Act has been invested in areas that elected Republican leaders. There will be opposition within the Republican party if the President tries to curb the growth of renewables. In addition US mayors and governors will continue to strengthen climate resilience in their areas of influence despite federal policies.
I favor quiet days of peaceful transition over the violence of the past and I believe in the power of peaceful resistance to misguided policies. I suspect that I will be moved to write more political commentary in the next few years, and I know there will be challenges. I can in no way view the rhetoric from President Trump as normal. His threats to use the military against US citizens and for the purpose of the expansion of the physical territory of the US are deeply alarming. I predict, however, that the next four years will be even more frustrating for him as he confronts the political realities that limit his power. These may be trying times, but they are not the only times. I’ll trust history to make the final judgment on the current moment in US politics.
Looking back I realize that those were some of the toughest years of my pastoral career. There were many high points in decades of serving churches, but I don’t count that experience as one of them.
There are other ways in which I have engaged in politics despite my intention not to run for office. I frequently said to members of the congregations I served that I would be glad to tell them what I thought, but I would not tell them what they should think. Unlike some early Congregational ministers who held election day sermons and did not shy away from instructing members on how to vote, I never assumed that I had the wisdom or the authority to give the congregations I served such advice.
Nonetheless, I am a citizen and I have tried to be a faithful and fully participating citizen. I vote in each election. I listen to candidates and try to make faithful and informed decisions. I allow my faith and the moral principles I have learned to guide my participation in the political process. And, like the years that I served on the board when I disagreed with many of its decisions, I remain a faithful citizen when the candidates I back lose and others win. I firmly believe that those who hold political office are elected and therefore obligated to serve all of the country, not just those who backed them.
As a result I have often held my political opinions to myself. I have invested considerable energy in refraining from making my journal into a place of political speech. However, there are times when I think it only honest to express some of my political opinions. If this offends some of those who read these posts, I am sorry. My intent is not to offend and it is not to instruct others on what they should feel or how they should vote.
There are multiple reasons why I did not vote for Donald Trump in any of his bids to become President. I do not believe he has the character or temperament to hold the office. Despite his backing of prominent evangelical Christians, I cannot see how he represents any Christian values. But he has won the election. He will become President once again in just a few days. And I will remain a loyal citizen of this country while he is President just as I did when he served from 2017 through 2021.
I will point out, however, that Monday, when Congress certified the results of the recent election was decidedly different from four years ago. The losing party and the losing candidate carried out their responsibilities according to the constitution without drama or unconstitutional behavior. They remained loyal to their oaths of office. It stands in stark contrast to the attempts of the losing candidate and his supporters four years ago when the capitol was stormed by armed people who assaulted law enforcement officers, wantonly damaged and destroyed government property, and tried to prevent the peaceful transition of power. Despite attempts to portray them otherwise many were guilty of felonies and were convicted by juries of their peers. It is worth noting how much effort President Trump and his backers have invested in trying to suppress the investigation of the special counsel. When there is that much effort to continue a cover up it is reasonable to believe that they have something to hide.
Despite all of that and even despite his promise to issue pardons to those convicted, I want to note that things are different now than when he was elected 2016. Although I expect his term to be a major setback for climate action, a President does not have unlimited power on the world stage. Momentum is now on the side of global energy transition despite any actions Trump may take. The global economy have changed significantly since his last term. China now leads the world in renewable energy production and does not depend on the US for its transition. And here in the US clean energy is booming. The majority of the investment driven by the Inflation Reduction Act has been invested in areas that elected Republican leaders. There will be opposition within the Republican party if the President tries to curb the growth of renewables. In addition US mayors and governors will continue to strengthen climate resilience in their areas of influence despite federal policies.
I favor quiet days of peaceful transition over the violence of the past and I believe in the power of peaceful resistance to misguided policies. I suspect that I will be moved to write more political commentary in the next few years, and I know there will be challenges. I can in no way view the rhetoric from President Trump as normal. His threats to use the military against US citizens and for the purpose of the expansion of the physical territory of the US are deeply alarming. I predict, however, that the next four years will be even more frustrating for him as he confronts the political realities that limit his power. These may be trying times, but they are not the only times. I’ll trust history to make the final judgment on the current moment in US politics.
