#NeverTrump,  Politics

Senator Ben Sasse, a lone voice of moral clarity 

Among congressional Republicans, Senator Ben Sasse is standing almost alone against his party’s presumptive nominee Donald Trump. Sasse has consistently been one of the few clear voices throughout the dumpster fire known as the 2016 presidential election. Earlier this evening, Senator Sasse posted an open-letter to American voters. He argues that it is wrong to vote simply for the lesser of two evils. Too much is at stake in this election. He writes:

To be clear, I have a strong desire for a candidate who is a conservative. But this is more foundational than mere policy differences right now. More important are the virtue of the individual who would serve as our president, as our face to the world, and their understanding of limited government—which is that we believe in the universal dignity of our people and in their inalienable rights.

This discussion is about much more than one election. It is about who we are as a people. It is about what this nation stands for—it is about what America means. Our two dominant political parties will probably come apart, and many of us are going to need to recognize that, but that doesn’t mean we have to accept fundamentally dishonest leaders.

If we shrug at public dishonesty—if we normalize candidates who think that grabbing power makes it okay to say whatever they need to in the short-term—then we will be changed by it. Given what we now know about them, choosing to vote for these two individuals is in some ways less about them than it is about us. I’m not sure how we come back from that.

You need to read the rest of Senator Sasse’s letter. He is right on target about what is at stake in this election. We have before us two documented, cynical liars. If we aquiesce to this, it says something about us, and it will ultimately undermine our republic.

I cannot stress enough how important this message is. Our country will be whatever we make of it for better or for worse. I hope people will listen before it is too late. We need an alternative, and we need one right quick.

14 Comments

    • Ian Shaw

      He’s already stated that his family is more important to him/greater priority than running (at least at this time).

      I get the feeling he will either be voting for a third party or omitting his vote for president.

  • James Giordano

    There was a great article from a Biblical perspective published at honestly thinking titled “This Christian Won’t Be Plugging His Nose and Voting for Trump or Clinton” back in May. Highly recommended.

  • Gus Nelson

    Saying Trump’s a bad guy isn’t the end of the inquiry. Voting third party or not voting (if you would have otherwise voted Republican) will help make Clinton president. You can call it choosing between two evils if you want, but when that’s the only game in town (third party candidates simply do not win in modern times – Ross Perot in 1992 proved that), you have to decide whether you are willing to accept the consequences of your actions, not just for yourself, but your posterity. So if you find Trump so repulsive that it would violate your conscience to vote for him, don’t. But you don’t get a pass when Clinton does awful things that you find equally or even more repulsive than what Trump might do. You will have helped put her there. For better or worse (undoubtedly worse), that’s part of how our system works right now. I agree with Denny it’s a dumpster fire. But sometimes you just try to contain a fire as best you can until you can figure out what to do to put it out.

    • James Giordano

      I think it is more honorable (and consistent with God’s Word) to not vote for either and simply trust the Lord and pray. How can Christians have any moral authority or legitimacy if they support either Trump or Hillary. The Lord warns against sitting in the company of mockers. Trump does nothing but mock. He has no wisdom. He is duplicitous. He is full of pride for which the Bible has plenty to say about. He has a very long history of being incredibly vulgar and sexually immoral in both speech and conduct. He has a history of not paying his debts. He has a history of oppressing the poor. He is rash and stirs up strife and anger. He has supported (and still does to some extent) Planned Parenthood. He has appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine and on the Howard Stern show.

      • Ian Shaw

        It’s like being handed two poop sandwiches and being told you must pick 1 of them. It’s kind of a crappy deal (no pun intended). It’s honorable to refuse both.

        Refusing to vote for Trump will not put blood on those people’s hands regarding giving Clinton the vote. The next President will be the next President as God will allow it. I suppose when we care called to be with the Lord, we could ask why, but it’s irrelevant.

        I will not be voting for Trump.

        • Gus Nelson

          Ian: I don’t understand the fine line God draws between my responsibility and His sovereignty, but the Bible clearly teaches that I have responsibility for my actions. I want people to vote their conscience but I also want people to face up to the possible results their vote may have. If we have no responsibility associated with our action, then as one of the candidates recently said “what difference does it make?”

          • Ian Shaw

            Gus,

            I would agree normally about our choices having actions that we are responsible for. On certain issues, I feel both candidates are not qualified for the office.

            I understand your point. However, I think all of us can look at Trump’s history and his actions and come to the conclusion that he should not be considered a friend to evangelicals or Christians as a whole and he should be seen as a wolf.

            Say you vote for Trump to keep Hillary out and Trump wins. Ok, and when he implements policy that is against God’s word and is harmful, what then?

            I think we both can agree it’s a catch-22 situation, right?

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