Reflections from the Convention
Last week I became a Republican
again. To explain what I mean, I have to
give a brief history of my political affiliation, not that it is of any
particular interest to anyone, but it will (I hope) help me to (eventually) make
my point.
I first registered to vote as a
freshman in college and as a Democrat.
Most of my family were Democrats and my high school teachers had
dutifully drilled home the message that the only noble party to belong to was
the Democratic Party.
Immediately, though, I felt ill at
ease. The first election in which I
voted was a Congressional election in which the Democrat blasted the Republican
for her “extreme Catholic views.” She
was pro-life. So, I voted
Republican. I was always voting Republican. As the Democratic Party continued to shrink
and convinced me that as a pro-lifer who believed in putting limits on
government, I wasn’t welcome, by the time I was a junior, I was a registered
Republican.
I voted for Bob Dole in 1996, although
I knew he had no real chance of winning.
Then came the election of 2000.
It was the first election I got really involved with and I remember the
elation at the victory party when we found out George W. Bush had won. Then we were told perhaps he hadn’t, but I
was confident he would be inaugurated.
My joy that night was extraordinary,
and I am sure I had more hope than even the strongest Obama devotee had four
years ago. On the way home election
night, I stopped by a church to pray and I heard very clearly in my heart an
admonition that, “He’s just a politician.”
It wasn’t a slight on President Bush,
but on me. I had forgotten the directive
in Scripture that we must not “put our trust in princes, but in the Lord.” I had far too much enthusiasm for the
Republican Party, and needed a reminder that Jesus Christ was still the Savior.
It is a trap easy to fall into. Unquestionably there are countless Christians
who fell into it four years ago, and many have not found their way out even
yet.
To be sure President Bush did many
good things, but there were many I was disappointed with, and I saw Republicans
throughout Washington lose their guts, and compromise where they had no
business doing so, especially when it came to the most important issues, such
as the sanctity of human life.
So I became an independent, not
because my political beliefs were lukewarm, but because they were sharp, and
too important to be traded for the sake of party affiliation.
I have remained a Republican voter,
unless I vote American Independent because the Republican candidate is
unacceptable. I have been open to the
possibility of decent Democratic candidates, but I live in California, so I’m
not holding my breath.
Then came last week’s GOP
Convention. I watched as speaker after
speaker touted limited government, the right to life, and the defense of the
family. There are young superstars like
Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan, who are clearly men of principle, and so many more.
So I am returning to the Republican Party,
and I know that with this return comes a challenge. As Catholics, we are called to transform our
political party, not to allow our party to transform us. I must remember that no matter how much I may
support any candidate, my devotion is to the Lord, and any political party is
merely a tool, to be used prudently to make His Kingdom a reality on earth.
So I ask you to pray for me, because I
have failed before. I will undoubtedly
be excited on November 6, and if Mitt Romney wins, I will certainly feel a
sense of elation. But I pray that it
will be tempered so that although, yes, I should have hope in what the next
four years might bring, my hope must remain ever in the Lord, and not in
princes.
Note:
This past week I have posted many of the highlights of the RNC. Below I have included Cardinal Dolan’s
benediction. I will not be doing the
same with this week’s DNC. Neither party
perfectly reflects Catholic social teaching, but it seems clear to me that the
Republican platform is much closer, especially when it comes to the sanctity of
life and the family, and the principle of subsidiarity, not to mention
religious freedom. Both parties tackle
the issue of solidarity, I believe, in their own ways. I will, however, give an overview of
President Obama’s speech Thursday night.
