The New York Times Style Section recently ran a report called “UNEASY BEDFELLOWS,” describing marriages that reached the point of dissolution because of arguments concerning Donald Trump. When I discussed the subject on the air, one astute caller noted that none of the couples featured in the story seemed to share a religious outlook, and he suggested that if they did, they could far more easily handle their political disputes.
Unfortunately, far too many Americans now use politics as a substitute for faith, treating party loyalty as a matter of uncompromising identity that provides meaning, transcendence and morality.
In a rare area of agreement, both presidential candidates want to help working families with childcare expenses. Donald Trump recently proposed a tax deduction for parents who place their kids in daycare; Hillary Clinton backs an even more costly plan, providing a refundable tax credit that would send daycare reimbursement checks even to families paying no income tax.
Both candidates, however, fail to recognize the unfairness of such arrangements to parents who decide to leave the workforce or cutback hours to care for their children themselves.… Continue Reading
As we watch the Republican Party tear itself to shreds over Donald Trump, perhaps it’s time to take note of another conservative political phenomenon that the GOP nominee has utterly eclipsed: the Tea Party. The Tea Party movement is pretty much dead now, but it didn’t die a natural death. It was murdered—and it was an inside job. In a half decade, the spontaneous uprising that shook official Washington degenerated into a form of pyramid scheme that transferred tens of millions of dollars from rural, poorer Southerners and Midwesterners to bicoastal political operatives.… Continue Reading
Donald Trump, shortly after securing the GOP nomination, attached a name to Hillary Clinton, just as he did to his opponents throughout the primary process. She was Crooked Hillary, based on a lifetime of playing fast and loose with finances, ethics, and honesty. After photos surfaced this past week showing Mrs. Clinton struggling to ascend a set of steps, as well as reports of possible seizure activity, Trump may want to rename Mrs.… Continue Reading
It’s not just the rise of moral and cultural relativism that is turning public dialogue into dueling monologues as people talk past each other; it’s a growing belief that truth no longer matters – only cause and effect.
For example, the media are not content to let Donald Trump’s provocative statements speak for themselves; they are pulling out all stops to magnify outrage for partisan purposes.… Continue Reading
America is in crisis. For the urban poor, the crisis is a national emergency. Last month I attended the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. I fully expected an exposition of the usual conservative positions on the economy, national security, the military, energy, taxes and the national debt. Although I was not holding my breath, it was also my hope that Donald Trump would tackle what the first black President has ignored for nearly eight years – a real solution to the poverty, violence, and educational failure plaguing the inner cities of America.… Continue Reading
Regardless of the Trump-Clinton matchup, it’s instructive to contrast the Republican and Democratic Party platforms. While nearly identical in length, they reveal utterly opposite worldviews.
The 54-page GOP platform calls for greater personal responsibility; de-centralizing power; a Balanced Budget Amendment; reducing the size and scope of government; parental rights; gun ownership and religious liberty; tax incentives for economic growth; reducing taxes across the board; a crackdown on the Internal Revenue Service; overturning the Supreme Court’s rulings on Obamacare, abortion and same-sex “marriage”; rejecting any treaties not vetted by the Senate; rescinding President Obama’s executive orders granting amnesty to illegal immigrants; withholding federal funds from “sanctuary cities”; building a wall on our southern border; rebuilding American military strength, and exerting international leadership against ISIS and other threats.… Continue Reading
The November election is likely to be an intense, brutal fight to the finish, with the Republican candidate Donald Trump needing all of the friends and supporters he can muster. As was evident by his recent statements at the historical “Conversation” event in New York City, where he spoke about religious liberty and related matters to more than 1,000 evangelical leaders, he is counting on widespread support from conservative Christians and their churches in his battle for the presidency.… Continue Reading
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton refused to sign a pledge Monday that would protect children from exploitation by the porn industry.
“In past Administrations, the Internet obscenity laws have not been aggressively or adequately enforced. The invasion of graphic online worldwide is ‘the largest unregulated social experiment in human history,’” the signed pledge reads.
Unlike Clinton, Republican nominee Donald Trump signed the pledge, promising that, if elected president, he will “uphold the rule of law by aggressively enforce existing federal laws to prevent the sexual exploitation of children online, including the federal obscenity laws, child pornography laws, sexual predation laws and the sex trafficking laws.”… Continue Reading
Many Americans feel desperately dissatisfied with their choices in this presidential campaign, but they may take some comfort in the thought that serious health issues could yet sideline one, or both, of the major party contenders.
Neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump has released comprehensive medical records to address serious concerns about the physical condition of these two aging Boomers. If the 70-year-old Trump wins in November, he’ll become the oldest individual ever to assume the nation’s highest office.… Continue Reading
Faith & Religion, Marriage, Family & Culture, Political | Admin | 
August 25, 2016 4:00 AM | 
Comments Off on When Politics Trumps Faith, Marriage Suffers 
