I’m not much of a political dude. I’m more of a history nerd than anything else. And so this article isn’t intended to be me endorsing a candidate or anything of the sort. This is just me—a regular dude—using history to share something with you that I see.
Let’s start in 1970.
I’m reading a book on January of 1973. The author makes a compelling argument that this month changed America forever. Before he makes this argument, though, he goes back to 1970. The Vietnam War was at a critical point and President Nixon was weighing options of pulling large numbers of troops out of battle. But he watched the new movie about General Patton starring George C. Scott.
In the film, Patton gives a riveting speech about America having never lost a war and that they weren’t going to start now. Nixon, the author argues, began losing sleep as he developed a win at all cost type of mentality. This ended up causing him to make several terrible decisions—some seemingly innocuous, but had ripple effects which touch us even today.
One of these decisions was appointing Harry Blackmun. Nixon had put up a few candidates who were rejected by the Senate. This had him frustrated. With his recent viewing on Patton and his win at all cost mentality, Nixon decided to go outside the South and appoint a little known Judge from Minnesota. Blackmun became influential in the 1973 Roe V. Wade decision and became one of the most liberal justices in the Court.
All of this to say a winning at all cost type of mentality will cause you to make terrible decisions which might help you “win” in the present but will have terrible ramifications for the future.
Store that sentence for the future.
Now consider the entire platform of Donald Trump. He claims that he is going to make America great again. How is he going to do this? He is going to do this by winning. Trump is a winner. He always wins. He will win on terror. He will win on health care. He will win on trade. He will win on education, jobs, border control, and any other place we want a President to win. He’s a winner.
As the polls are indicating, this rhetoric is appealing to many folks. They are tired of losing. They feel as if they are losing their good country and they are putting their hopes in Trump to make America great again.
But, I’m convinced this mentality is deadly. We see this throughout history—and more recently in the uber-driven Richard Nixon who eventually drove himself out of the White House and his party in disarray.
What I’m looking for is a candidate who understands our present crisis and will work to put out the important fires that must be put out. But I’m also looking for a candidate who has shown his ability to take the long view. One which is more driven by principle than winning at all cost. We need a leader who understands America is more like an air-craft carrier and less like a speed boat. It isn’t going to turn around over night. The same advice given to us young whippersnappers when we first become pastors, I believe, is relevant to the next President. You’ve got to take the long view.
This is why something Marco Rubio said in the New Hampshire debate really grabbed my attention. Yes, New Hampshire. The one that he fumbled through in the beginning. But this grabbed my attention:
On the issue of life, to me, the issue of life is not a political issue. It’s a human rights issue and it’s a difficult issue, because it puts in conflict two competing rights. On the one hand is the right of a woman to choose what to do with her body which is a real right,’ Rubio said. “And on the other hand is the right of an unborn human child to live. And they’re in conflict. And as a policy maker, I must choose which one of these two sides takes precedence. And I have chosen to err on the side of life.”
“I do believe deeply that all human life is worthy of the protection of laws,” Rubio said. “I’ve already said, for me, the issue of life is not a political issue and I want to be frank. I would rather lose an election than be wrong on the issue of life.”
It is no secret that I am adamantly pro-life. It is foundational to me. This means I will never vote for a candidate who supports abortion. But that doesn’t mean just because you give lip-service to being pro-life that you’ve got my vote. I’m looking for much more. As I’ve noted previously this war on life is one wherein we must take the long view.
And I’m beginning to wonder if Marco Rubio is that guy who is willing to take the long view. Just today I found out that the reason why he said what he did in the Republican debate was to influence his children. Rubio is looking to the future and working to touch a generation he will never see. That tells me something.
I’m not saying Marco Rubio has my vote…not quite yet. But I’m saying he is showing me that he is willing to take the long view, and that has my attention.
