It seems that a major
theme of the GOP primary race this year is "outsider" vs.
"Establishment," with the former being portrayed in a positive light
and the latter in a negative one. I get that people are frustrated and/or angry
with Congress for "not doing anything" and that many think we should
throw out the whole lot and start over. But let's think about this for a
second. . .
Yes, there are corrupt
Congressmen and Senators, and I'm not trying to defend them. But there are legislators who are men and women of
integrity. So just because they're not "getting things done," doesn't
mean we should forsake our governmental structure or sell out to an “outsider”
who promises to act, act, act.
I recognize that in
many cases there is more that our elected officials in Congress could be doing,
but I also recognize that legislating is a slow process—because it was
intentionally designed that way.
Our form of government
(a democratic republic) was created precisely to prevent decisions from being made quickly. Our Founders wisely knew
that there needed to be processes in place to ensure that major decisions with
profound ramifications for the nation would not be made lightly. That’s part of
the reason we have two houses of Congress and three branches of government.
They knew checks and balances were necessary to prevent tyranny, and dialogue
and debate to avoid blind adherence to unexamined ideas.
So while it can be
frustrating when it seems that the people we elected are not doing what we
elected them to do, we should examine the causes behind their seeming inaction
instead of passing a blanket judgment on all of Congress.
Furthermore, as
citizens we need to guard against succumbing to our urge for instant
gratification (in any realm of life, but particularly in government) because
opening the door for hasty, unilateral decisions at the hands of a powerful
executive may give us what we want now, but it doesn’t ensure that what we want
will last or that we will get what is best
rather than simply what we want. Nor
does it ensure that the power used for good today will not be used for evil
tomorrow.
Another reality we
must be mindful of is that just because someone has never held elected office
before does not mean he or she is not a politician. That is to say, “outsider”
is not synonymous with “morally upright” or “immune to corruption.” Many people
seem to be supporting an “outsider” candidate with no view to that person’s
behavior, attitude, or character, as if being an “outsider” is the golden
standard. Additionally, they think an “outsider” can go into Washington and
“get stuff done,” but they forget that there are limits to what one person—even
the President—can do.
Promises may sound
good, but we must recognize the reality of the situation. The next President is
still going to have to operate within the form of government we have, which
means working with Congress. And that means that a working knowledge of the way
Congress has to operate would be helpful.
When looking at it
from this perspective, it seems to me that an “Establishment” candidate should
not be disregarded simply for being an elected official, but instead should be
evaluated based on his behavior, attitude, and character. In fact, such an
individual actually might be in a better position to work effectively within
our systems of government to achieve a given agenda.
Above all, however, we
must beware of letting our fears and frustrations cause us to put faith in a
presidential candidate, each of whom is a fallen being like ourselves. There is
only one Person who can assuage our fears and turn our frustrated dismay into
joyous hope—the God-man Jesus Christ. I pray that if you know Him you will take
your concerns for our nation to Him and ask Him for wisdom in carrying out your
civic duty at the polls. And if you do not know Him and the hope and joy He
brings, I pray that you will not rest until you have met Him for yourself.
For more on how our fear can cause us to blindly place our faith in the wrong places, take a look at this article by Gina Dalfonzo.
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