the tindog coffeehouse

Wait, you mean Barack Obama can’t immediately fix the economy?

Obama’s economic agenda likely will include tougher government regulation for a variety of industries, including financial services, energy and health care. But those measures, if enacted, would do little to revive the economy in the coming months.

OK, maybe not entirely meaningless. Certainly, every election — particularly a presidential election — is important, and Obama’s victory will have repercussions that will only be truly understood with the hindsight of history.

But as I watched the election coverage Tuesday night, I realized how truly lost so many of Obama’s supporters really are and how insignificant this election is to us as Christians. The themes of Obama’s campaign were “Hope” and “Change”, and he was portrayed as some sort of Messiah who would somehow fix everything. His stance on the issues was irrelevant. His past didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he offered what so many people craved: hope. Even if there was little to no substance behind the slogans.

But Barack Obama is not the Messiah, and as Christians we understand that real hope doesn’t come from a politician. Real change — eternal change — doesn’t come from a political party or a presidential election. It can only come from the grace of God through the death and resurrection of His Son.

And so regardless of the outcome of this election or any other, our mission is the same as it has been for 2000 years: to share the good news of “hope” and “change” that can only be found through Jesus Christ.

Am I disappointed in the outcome of the election? Sure. But unlike so many of the people on TV the other night, I don’t put my faith in a presidential candidate. My faith lies in the One who has already won.

We were watching TV the other night, and a Barack Obama commercial came on. Then out of the blue, I hear a small, angelic voice announce, “That’s who I voted for!”

Huh?

Turns out the girls’ elementary school held a mock election, and Megan and Erin both voted for Obama over McCain.

Interesting.

I asked them why they voted for Obama. Megan didn’t know. Erin (the angelic one who made the announcement) said it was because she liked him. I guess that’s about the most political analysis you’re going to get out of a five-year-old.

The school hasn’t announced the winner of the mock election yet, but Obama did win Nickelodeon’s online Kids Pick the President poll (51% to 49%). (The poll has been run every election year since 1988 and has correctly predicted the winner in 4 out of 5 races.)

Erin’s proclamation reminded me of when I was in first grade way back during the 1980 election. I don’t remember voting, but I do remember hearing an announcement over the intercom that Ronald Reagan had won. I was so happy, but I honestly don’t know why. Maybe it was something I had picked up from my parents or TV. Maybe I just knew how great a president he would be.

Since we certainly haven’t endorsed Obama, I don’t think the girls would’ve picked him because of us. My guess is, it has more to do with aesthetics. Obama is a tall, slender 47-year-old while McCain, at 72, is battle-scarred and about 7 or 8 inches shorter than his opponent. And since 1900, the taller candidate has won two-thirds of the time.

So the good news is, the girls’ votes don’t necessarily indicate a life-long affinity for Democrats. But the bad news is, they probably correctly picked the winner of the real election.

Political columnist Rod Dreher has expressed pretty much what I’ve felt throughout this whole presidential election season:

I find myself increasingly disengaged from our political class. Outside of local races, my vote will not matter this fall. …

I do not trust Washington to address our problems. I think both sides are going to blame each other, and keep right on doing what they want to do. … Both the Republicans and the Democrats in Washington allowed Wall Street, as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to drive the economy off the cliff.  Each had their own reasons.

I will vote in November. But right now, I don’t know that I will vote in any election but state and local. I have so little confidence in either the national Republicans or Democrats that I don’t want to encourage them by my participation.

I plan on voting, but my expectations are low. I don’t believe that either candidate will somehow fix all of our problems, but at the same time I know we can still prosper in spite of them as well.

First, John McCain has trouble remembering how many houses he owns (7, apparently). Then Barack Obama throws together a TV ad mocking him over it.

Then McCain spokesman Brian Rogers fires back:

“The reality is they have some investment properties and stuff. It’s not as if he lives in ten houses. That’s just not the case,” Rogers said. “The reality is they have four that actually could be considered houses they could use.” …

He also added: “This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years — in prison,” referring to the prisoner of war camp that McCain was in during the Vietnam War. …

“In terms of who’s an elitist, I think people have made a judgment that John McCain is not an arugula-eating, pointy headed professor-type based on his life story.”

Translation: I’m rubber and you’re glue….

Blender Magazine polled John McCain and Barack Obama to find out each of the candidate’s top 10 favorite songs.

McCain prefers ABBA (2 songs on the list, including “Dancing Queen” at #1) and Merle Haggard, while Obama lists Bruce Springsteen, The Fugees, and will.i.am’s “Yes We Can” (a song about Obama himself) among his favorites. Both candidates seemed to agree on Frank Sinatra.

Taking the role of devil’s advocate, it would be easy to take a potshot at McCain here. ABBA? The Platters? Are his political views as old and out of touch as his taste in music?

But then there’s Obama’s list. I don’t know. For some reason, it just doesn’t seem very sincere. U2? Nina Simone? How very hip and cool and trendy. A hundred bucks says that some staffer answered this question for him after doing some market research to see what would appeal most to his base.

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