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MarcoTedCruzio 2016  by Andy Peth

2/26/2016

0 Comments

 
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Last night’s debate was a savage Trump Roast.  The Donald was dissected. The Donald was mocked.   Throughout the tag team smackdown, Donald was dazed, confused, and lost—utterly lost.  Afterward, pundits wondered aloud whether it would matter in upcoming primaries, but one thing became certain: 
 
It should.  It really, really should.
 
Let me request something of all Cruzites and Rubi’s, okay?  For one brief, shining, glorious moment, stop shooting the other guy.  Take a step back, looking with me at our incredible opportunity.
 
I’ll deal with their perceived weaknesses in a moment, but first, let’s talk style.  Let’s talk strategy.  Let’s talk about two of the most brilliant young orator/debaters we’ll ever see.
 
For starters, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Constitutional human laser, Ted Cruz.  Missing Ted’s skills, detractors compare Cruz to “unelectable” Tea Party candidates like Akin, Angle, Mourdoch, and O’Donnell.   People, stop.  Just stop.  Ted could run rings around them before his first sip of coffee, and it’s not just because he’s a debate champion.  Ted has focus.  Ted has total command of rhetoric and strategy.  While guys like Jindal, Ryan, and Carson are brilliant, Ted Cruz is a prosecuting juggernaut who doesn’t just rally the base—he says everything we wish we were smart enough to say.
 
Only one guy can hang with Ted Cruz, blending vision and intelligence with remarkable oratory skills.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Marco Rubio.
 
Skeptics equate Marco to failed Establishment candidates of national elections past.  “Electability?  That stupid idea gave us McCain, Dole, and Romney!”  Again people, stop.  Just stop.  If you combined the vision, charisma, and debate skills of those men, you’d amass less than Rubio has in his pinky.  This guy is smooth, fast, ultra-knowledgeable, funny, inspirational—everything the GOP hasn’t been.  In terms of broadening the tent with dazzling rhetoric, he might be better than Reagan.  I’m serious.
 
Last night showed us something we’ve never seen:  MarcoTedCruzio.  We saw the awesome power of these two combining forces, and…oh my!  I mean, OH-FREAKING-MY!  If GOP voters open their eyes, they’ll see what MarcoTedCruzio would do to anyone the Democrats put forward.  We wouldn’t just win.  We’d win big, carrying Senate and House seats in our wake.  Rallying our base and drawing independents, these two would utterly change how people see the Republican Party.
 
“But they’re junior Senators!  They haven’t accomplished anything!  Everyone hates Ted!  Marco’s a sell-out!  We need a real outsider to shake up Washington!”
 
No we don’t.  We need MarcoTedCruzio.  Regardless of who’s in which spot, that’s the ticket, folks.
 
Addressing the faults assigned these two phenoms, I’d like to mention two critical words:  “Veto Pen.”  As a billionaire businessman, Donald Trump doesn’t have one of these hanging over him.  Neither do governors like John Kasich.  Neither do brilliant neurosurgeons.  But if we consider these two words, we’ll understand why Cruz and Rubio aren’t just extraordinary talents, but can also make a perfect team.
 
In 2013, Rubio and Cruz both saw a train approaching—a train called “Obama’s Executive Amnesty”—and their differing responses to this thundering locomotive still define them today.  Hoping to lessen the train’s impact, Marco tried cutting deals, and is now labeled, “sellout.”  Hoping to stop the train, Ted tried brave stands, and is now labeled, “unworkable.”  But what their critics forget is that, ultimately, neither of these guys’ strategies were the problem.  The problem was the train.
 
Two strategies, one result:  Failure.  Such is the life of Senators opposing a dictator in the White House, but MarcoTedCruzio were neither unworkable nor sellouts.  Their president simply had the power.
 
I can’t stress enough how stupid it sounds when businessmen and governors disparage MarcoTedCruzio for lacking accomplishments.  If Donald Trump wants to make a business deal, he makes it.  If John Kasich supports a Legislature’s proposal hitting his desk, he signs it.  No veto pen hovers above, limiting their true goals to Gang of 8 disasters or hopeless speeches on the Senate floor.   Like Ben Carson holding a scalpel, Trump and Kasich are the top dogs where they work.
 
It’s good to be king.
 
Would President Rubio, working as a Gang of One with a GOP Congress, advance the same immigration policies as he did with the Gang of 8?  Preposterous.  That’s like saying a quarterback will throw deep bombs when on the opponents’ 1-yard line because, you know, this quarterback just likes throwing deep.  “Well, that’s what he did at his own 20-yard line!  Once a bomb-thrower, always a bomb-thrower!”  Likewise, if you think President Cruz would operate the same as he did when desperately battling against a corrupt emperor, then you are delusional.  Ted can work with people.  Obama can’t.
 
Believe it or not, I really like some things about Trump.  His views on immigration, trade deals, and Muslim refugees, though sometimes exaggerated, send precisely the right message to the world:  “No more robbing us blind.  I negotiate for America, not you.  Your America-mugging gravy train is over.”
 
Amen, Donald.
 
My big reason for touting a Rubio-Cruz or Cruz-Rubio ticket isn’t borne of some animosity toward Donald Trump (though he’s far to my Left).  It’s because of something Trump understands all too well:  Opportunity.  Folks, to use Trump’s own language, we have an “amazing, incredible, tremendous” opportunity in front of us.  We really do.
 
For just one hour, turn off Fox News and Talk Radio.  For just one hour, stop lashing out at the other guy, treating actions they’ve taken in completely different circumstances as the gospel truth of what they’ll do next.  “Past performance is the best indicator of future results”—but only in like circumstances.  If we’re on the Democrats’ 1-yard line, our quarterback is not going deep.
 
Sure, we can debate over who should be top dog—and it could go either way. Rubio has far higher marketability outside our base, and is more inspirational for more Americans.  Seeking a landslide, Guy Benson just posted a fine article touting Rubio-Kasich, with Cruz immediately joining the Supreme Court for the next four decades.  Hard to argue that.  But Kasich would frighten grassroots activists (like me), leading to concerns of a White House too inclined toward deal-making.  Cruz galvanizes a base that has been stung too many times by big words leading to traitorous results.  So I still favor Rubio-Cruz or Cruz-Rubio, as it’s the best blend of rallying the base and drawing from outside.
 
Know this:  Whether Cruz or Rubio is Number One, the other guy would have immense effect on policy decisions.  Make either President, and his Vice President would be the most powerful VP in American history.  So, if it’s possible for this rage-based GOP, please try--just try—to look at assembling the parts for greatest election impact.  Win.  Win big.  Sweep away any hopes the Democrats have of success.  Destroy them, plunder their villages, and burn their Marxist fields behind you.  Then party all night, laughing until your throat is sore, waking up in places you don’t remember.
 
Cruzites, stop chanting “Gang of 8” whenever Rubio’s name comes up.  It’s beneath you.  You’re smarter than that, and President Rubio would align immigration policy about 99% with VP Cruz.  And Rubi’s, quit thinking President Cruz would play the unworkable tyrant, shoving his beleaguered VP to the corner.  Cruz would do the opposite, unleashing Rubio as his talented partner in restoring America.
 
After last night, one thing is crystal clear:  Trump’s not a bad guy, but we can do much, much, much better.  We don’t have to settle for an “outsider” because our junior Senators have short resumes.  We can take that veto pen that was holding them back, and place it in their capable hands.  We can unleash the wrecking ball that just hammered Trump, aiming it squarely at a terrified Hillary and her Socialist goons.
 
We can win.  We can win big.  With an embarrassment of riches at our disposal, we can choose not one but two of the finest advocates Conservatism has ever seen.
 
It’s time for MarcoTedCruzio.

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Slugfest In Houston   by Andy Peth

2/25/2016

0 Comments

 
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MODERATOR:  “Let’s start with a question for Dr. Ben Carson, so we can ignore him the rest of the night.”
 
CARSON:  “Thank you.”
 
MODERATOR:  “Dr. Carson, you recently said President Obama was ‘raised white.’  What did you mean by this?”
 
CARSON:  “Well, he was raised by two white grandparents in Hawaii—”
 
MODERATOR:  “Anything else?”
 
CARSON:  “—spent his formative years with his white mother in Indonesia, attending private schools –”
 
MODERATOR:  “What’s your point?”
 
CARSON:  “—throws a baseball like Will Ferrell, raises his pinky to drink wine, shoots free throws like the kid from ‘Hoosiers’—”
 
MODERATOR:  “I…umm…”
 
CARSON:  “—and his Vice President is so pale, it’s like looking at an ice sculpture.”
 
MODERATOR:  (jaw is dropped) “Uhhhhhh…this next question is for Senator Cruz.  Senator, your campaign recently ran an ad splicing pictures of Marco Rubio and President Obama, making it appear they were shaking hands.”
 
CRUZ:  “That was an honest mistake!  It’s not my fault this happens to be Marco’s favorite pose!”
 
RUBIO:  “It is not!”  (digs in his wallet)  “Look, here’s my favorite!  It’s me running at a dead sprint!  I call it ‘Running Marco!’”
 
MODERATOR:  “That’s not actually a pose, Senator—”
 
RUBIO:  “—I was avoiding a vote on something!  I try to do it three times a week—”
 
MODERATOR:  “—Senator—”
 
RUBIO:  “—really burns the carbs!”  
 
CRUZ:  “Marco, that’s not a pose!  That’s…jeez, do you ever vote?”
 
RUBIO:  “Maybe!  What about you?  How do I know you vote, huh?!  Answer that, Ted!”
 
CRUZ:  “You’d know if you ever showed up!”
 
RUBIO:  (turns away, looking at his picture) “He’s on to us, Running Marco!  It’s like when he spoke Spanish!”
 
CRUZ:  (looks to the audience) “To prove this is Marco’s favorite pose, I’ve arranged a slide show.  If you’ll all look to the big screen…”
 
TRUMP:  “Hey!  I was told no slide shows!”
 
MODERATOR:  “No one said that, Mr. Trump.”
 
TRUMP:  “Wish I’d known!  I got some pretty racy stuff…here’s one with all my wives by the pool…”
 
MODERATOR:  “—Mr. Trump—”
 
TRUMP:  “It’s for a new show:  ‘Real Housewives of Donald Trump.  Starring Donald Trump.’”
 
MODERATOR:  “—Mr. Trump—”
 
TRUMP:  “Wait, a couple of these might be daughters.  Hey, they all look the same, okay?!  My wives have had more work done—”
 
MODERATOR:  “—Mr. Trump—”
 
TRUMP:  “—than restoring the pyramids!”
 
MODERATOR:  “—Mr. Trump, it’s Senator Cruz’s time right now.”
 
TRUMP:  “Who?”
 
CRUZ:  “Thank you, Your Honor.”
 
MODERATOR:  “Don’t call me that.”
 
CRUZ:  “Let’s get back to my slides.  In this first shot, you’ll see Marco striking the same pose while shaking hands…with a baby!  He’s shaking a baby, Your Honor!”
 
RUBIO:  “But that doesn’t look real!  I’m usually running!”  (turns to his own picture)  “Tell them!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Senator Cruz, this photo has Senator Rubio in black and white, while the child is in color—”
 
CRUZ:  “That’s just poor photography.  I’ll fire the guy who did this!”
 
MODERATOR:  “—and the baby appears much closer, making it the same size as Senator Rubio—”
 
CRUZ:  “Marco’s pretty short.”
 
CARSON:  “Ted, I’ve delivered babies.  That’s like…that’s like twenty babies.”
 
MODERATOR:  (head resting in hand) “Do you have any other pictures, Senator Cruz?”
 
CRUZ:  “Yes I do, Your Honor—”
 
MODERATOR:  “Don’t call me that.”
 
CRUZ:  “In this next photo, there is a knife in Marco’s hand.  As you can see, he’s slaying the last dinosaur—”
 
MODERATOR:  “With the same smile?”
 
CRUZ:  “He’s bloodthirsty, Your Honor!  Look at his eyes!  Why, ending a species means no more to Marco than shaking hands with someone who isn’t Obama!”
 
RUBIO:  “You know, that does look like me!  Can’t place the dinosaur though…”
 
MODERATOR:  (head still in hand) “It’s a Stegosaurus, Senator Rubio.  You can tell by the big caption underneath.  Senator Cruz, are there any more pictures?”
 
CRUZ:  “Yes, Your Honor.”
 
MODERATOR:  “Please don’t—”
 
CRUZ:  “Here you see Marco holding a tennis racket, returning serve against Serena Williams.”
 
MODERATOR:  “That’s the Women’s Finals at Wimbledon, Senator Cruz.”
 
RUBIO:  “Did I win?”
 
MODERATOR:  “You weren’t there, Senator.”
 
RUBIO:  “Really?  Wow, I gotta start showing up!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Senator Cruz, do you have any other pictures?”
 
CRUZ:  “Your Honor, I think it only fair that I show some pictures of myself as well.”
 
MODERATOR:  “Oh…goody.”
 
CRUZ:  “Now this first one is me with God.  I’m advising Him on the Grand Canyon.”
 
MODERATOR:  “Senator—”
 
TRUMP:  “I’ve had it!  Ted acts like he’s the only Christian here!  Well, I love Jesus too!  Jesus isn’t one of those loser religions, like that one with the Pope!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Ummm…”
 
CRUZ:  “And here’s another one with me and God, reaching out toward each other, almost touching.”
 
RUBIO:  (turning away) “Why don’t you have pictures like these, Running Marco?  Answer me!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Please face the audience, Senator Rubio.  Senator Cruz, regarding your religious beliefs, don’t you think your evangelistic style could be oft-putting with some voters?”
 
CRUZ:  “Everyone has a style, Your Honor.”
 
MODERATOR:  “STOP CALLING—(regains composure)--for instance, after winning in Iowa, you spoke for two days straight—”
 
CRUZ:  “I was full of the Spirit, Your Honor.”
 
MODERATOR:  “—in a tent on the plains—”
 
CRUZ:  “Perfectly normal.”
 
MODERATOR:  “—and by the end, you were selling something called ‘Ted’s Magical Elixir of Health and Happiness.’”
 
CRUZ:  “It cures whatever ails ya.”
 
RUBIO:  “I bought one.  Stuff made the room spin, then I passed out.”
 
KASICH:  “Hey, am I going to be asked a question soon?”
 
MODERATOR:  “Oh…sure, why not.  Governor Kasich, you recently said, ‘Being president might not be my purpose.’  What did you mean by that?”
 
KASICH: “I meant I’m not going to be president.  Just look at the polls!”
 
MODERATOR:  “That’s…that’s very forthright…”
 
KASICH:  “That’s just the way I roll.”  (looks at audience)  “So if you want a candidate who’s honest, humble, realistic—”
 
TRUMP:  “—and they don’t—”
 
KASICH:  “—then I’m the guy for you.”
 
TRUMP:  “—and he’s not.”
 
CRUZ:  “Stop it, Donald!  We’re all on the same team here!  And I must say I was deeply moved by the hug Governor Kasich gave one of his supporters!”
 
KASICH:  “Thank you, Ted!  It was a special moment.”
 
CRUZ:  “But as you can see, we also have a picture of you in the same pose, mauling campers in Yosemite.”
 
RUBIO:  “Ooooohhhh!  Busted!”
 
MODERATOR:  “That’s enough!  Someone burn that projector!  I’m getting a headache!”
 
RUBIO:  “I’ve got some stuff that might help.”
 
MODERATOR:  “Argh!  Idiots!  We’re done here!”

(Moderator storms off.  Everyone follows except Rubio, who looks at his picture)
RUBIO:  “Well, you were no help at all...made a fool of yourself…”
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Debating in New Hampshire   by Andy Peth

2/5/2016

0 Comments

 
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MODERATOR:  “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to welcome all the candidates to the great state of New Hampshire. 
 
BUSH:  “Thanks!”
 
KASICH:  “Yeah, my state’s bigger, but thanks!”
 
MODERATOR:  “I was just giving a general welcome.  You don’t need to—”
 
KASICH:  “This is like a county!  Do people live here?”
 
MODERATOR:  (stares forward for a moment) “Let’s get started.  Senator Rubio, we’ll begin with you.”
 
RUBIO:  “After Iowa, I can see why!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Right.  Senator Rubio, I can’t help but notice you’re wearing a Bronze Medal.”
 
RUBIO:  “What, this little thing?”
 
MODERATOR:  “Senator, it’s the size of a paper plate.”
 
RUBIO:  “Isn’t it cool?  I made it!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Senator—”
 
RUBIO:  “And guess what I used!  A paper plate!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Senator—”
 
RUBIO:  “See?  It says, ‘3rd Place!’  That means I won!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Actually…”
 
CRUZ:  “Can I jump in here?”
 
RUBIO:  “Do you have a medal?”
 
CRUZ:  “No!  Jeez, what are you, five?”
 
RUBIO:  “Boy, someone here needs a plate…”
 
CRUZ:  (stares forward for a moment) “Marco, I see Rick Santorum has endorsed you—”
 
RUBIO:  “That’s right!  Guess what I’m sending him!”
 
CRUZ:  “WILL YOU STOP WITH THE— (composes himself)—anyway, when Rick Santorum was asked to list your accomplishments, he hesitated so long, a nearby artist sketched this portrait.”  

(Cruz holds up the painting, “The Scream”)
RUBIO:  “That’s completely unfair!  You’re just—oh wait, yeah that’s him.”
 
CHRISTIE:  “Forget it, Ted!  He doesn’t know you’re insulting him!  Marco’s never been challenged!”
 
RUBIO:  “Stay out of this, Chris!  Ted’s showing me a picture!”
 
CHRISTIE:  “You see?  You see?  Marco’s the boy in a bubble!  Totally protected!” 
 
RUBIO:  “Protected people don’t win medals, pal!”
 
CHRISTIE:  “What?”
 
MODERATOR:  “Gentlemen, we’re getting off track.  Let’s turn to an issue that has everyone talking.  Senator Cruz, in Iowa, your campaign told precinct captains Ben Carson was dropping out—”
 
CRUZ:  “Based on a CNN report.”
 
MODERATOR:  “—and that Carson had endorsed you—”
 
CRUZ:  “A fair assumption from the report.”
 
MODERATOR:  “—and you included a photo-shopped picture of Carson wearing your T-Shirt.”
 
CRUZ:  “That was real.”
 
MODERATOR:  “Senator, the head is his, but the arms and hands are white.”
 
CRUZ:  “Are you making this a race thing?”
(The moderator stares forward)
TRUMP:  “Cut the act, Ted!  You stole Iowa!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Mr. Trump, no one’s saying—“
 
TRUMP:  “My Iowa!  Not that I’m unhappy with 2nd place!  But you stole my Iowa!”
 
BUSH:  “Your Iowa?  I paid for it!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Mr. Trump—”
 
TRUMP:  “We need a recount!  All the stupid people in Iowa deserve another chance to vote for me!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Mr. Trump—”
 
TRUMP:  “I like my chances with those morons!”
 
CARSON:  “Excuse me.  Can I weigh in?”
 
MODERATOR:  “I’m sorry, Dr. Carson, but with that question you’ve used up your time.”
 
CARSON:  “I understand.  Thank you.”
 
MODERATOR:  “Back to you, Donald.”
 
CRUZ:  “Why go back to Donald?  He’s just throwing a Trumper tantrum!”
 
MODERATOR:  “A what?”
 
CRUZ:  “We need a Commander in Chief, not a Twitterer in Chief!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Okay, stop that—”
 
CRUZ:  “Don’t make Donald mad!   He’ll Trumplode!”
 
BUSH:  “The Moderator said stop, Ted!  I don’t understand these sentences!  The words seem wrong!  But I like the picture!  Can I please be asked a question?”
 
MODERATOR:  (stares forward for a moment) “Oh…well…alright.  Governor Bush—”
 
BUSH:  “False!”
 
MODERATOR:  “Mmmyyyeah.  Governor Bush, recent polling suggests if everyone else drops out of the race, you will come in third.”
 
BUSH:  “Sweet!  Do I get a bronze?”
 
MODERATOR:  “Actually, that wasn’t the question—”
 
BUSH:  “True!  Wait, no!  Can I go again?  You asked it too fast!”
 
MODERATOR:  “I haven’t asked anything yet.”
 
BUSH:  “Why does Marco get a medal?”
 
MODERATOR:  (through gritted teeth) “It’s…a…plaaaate.”
 
RUBIO:  “It means I won!”
 
CHRISTIE:  “A painted plate hanging on a string?  That’s like a participation trophy for pets!”
 
RUBIO:  "Well, maybe if you’d participate—”
 
CHRISTIE:  “Gahhh!!!  I’m losing to an infant!”
 
KASICH:  “That’s because you lack endorsements, Chris.  I was endorsed by the New York Times.  It moved me to tears.”
 
CRUZ:  “I’d cry, too.”
 
KASICH:  “What’s that supposed to mean?”
 
CRUZ:  “You’re kidding, right?  The New York Times?  Did you also snag Al Jazeera?” 
 
KASICH:  “They endorse?”
 
CHRISTIE:  “He doesn’t get it, Ted.  Try holding up the picture again.”
 
MODERATOR:  (stares forward for a moment) “Okay, that’s it!  I can’t do this anymore!”
 
BUSH:  “You want me to fill in?”
 
MODERATOR:  “What?  No!  Are you serious?”
 
BUSH:  “I never kid about filling in for moderators in New Hampshire.  Never.  (looks at camera)  I’m a man of my word.”
 
RUBIO:  “Well, I’m leaving!  I never like to be around when the voting starts!”
(Everyone files out except Christie, who just stares at the floor while shaking his head.  Cruz hands him “The Scream” picture as he walks by)
CHRISTIE:  “Losing to him.  He’s an infant, and I’m losing to him.”  (slowly lifts the picture up over his head)  “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”
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For Shame   by Andy Peth

2/3/2016

8 Comments

 
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I’m talking to fellow Christians today, but non-Christians may wish to listen. 
 
Much was made of Ted Cruz’s recent “shaming” mailer in Iowa, but he’s not the first to use heavy-handed tactics.  Democrats always do it.  Republicans have done it.  Rubio followed suit, albeit to a much lighter degree.  Today, I will highlight Cruz’s mailer because it is the most recent example, but make no mistake:  This is not about Ted Cruz.  It’s about us.  Every Christian candidate will let us down—this was just Ted’s turn—but what really matters is our response.
 
Mailing Out Shame
 
Let’s look at some of the text from Cruz’s Iowa Mailers, which were formatted to look like official documents and entitled “Voting Violation”:
 
“Your individual voting history, as well as your neighbors’ are public record. Their scores are published below, and many of them will see your score as well. CAUCUS ON MONDAY TO IMPROVE YOUR SCORE and please encourage your neighbors to caucus as well.  A follow-up notice may be issued following Monday’s caucuses.”
 
Below the text was a list of actual neighbors’ names, with letter grades (F, C-, D, etc.) and percentages.  The mailer really did give neighbors’ names and voting records.
 
Okay then.
 
Shame is a powerful motivator.  The clear intent of these mailers was to scare, intimidate, and with the risk of follow-up notices, threaten.  Worse yet, since the mailers targeted people the Cruz campaign felt would support them, these “Voting Violations” were actually meant to frighten Cruz’s own base.
 
Logic, Scripture, and The Search For Loopholes
 
In the aftermath, I saw countless defenses offered by Cruz supporters.  Let me boil some down and address each—sometimes with scripture.  Again, let’s think of these in terms of all Christian candidates, not just Cruz.
 
“These are just junk mail.  No one takes them seriously.”
 
If candidates thought every mailer would be discarded, they wouldn’t mail them.  Clearly, the goal with these mailings is to create real fear and shame, using intimidation as a motivator.
 
“There’s nothing wrong with sharing their names and voting records with neighbors.  It’s public info.”
 
First, just because something is public record, that doesn’t mean neighbors will spend the time and money to discover it.  Second, if they do, they then will have chosen it—such information will not be foisted upon them in their homes.  Third, virtually no neighbor would do this.  Fourth, such data would not come in the form of violations and threats.

Let’s see what Jesus had to say about public shaming over personal failings:

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.
​

But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

Matthew 18:15-16
The designed purpose of these mailers is to say, “You’ve performed poorly, and so have your neighbors.  We are exposing you all publicly, and may do so again after Caucus.”   Slice it any way you want, but this is the opposite of Christ’s approach, which used private options first before expanding outward. 
 
Now, someone might say, “But that was talking about sinning, not voting poorly!”  But this is a dodge.   Those sending these mailers are politically motivated, so failure to vote violates their standards; these mailers shame people for the “sin” of low participation.  This is a public rebuke for alleged failure, and dancing with rhetoric just exposes our desire to help our candidates by evading biblical principle.
 
“These scores aren’t even real.”
 
If this is true (and I’m not saying it is), then that’s even worse, for it is lying.  Biblically, lying = bad.
 
“This is just politics.” 
 
If someone can show me the “political waiver” in scripture, I’m more than happy to print it.
 
“If a little public shaming is what it takes to get them to do what’s right, that’s just fine.”
 
Public shame makes us fear people; fearing their reproach or low opinion.  Since fellow Christians will surely be among those contacted, the Christian candidate wants to create fear in Christ’s body—fear of criticism from the world.  But biblically, we are told the exact opposite—that we should fear God alone, not seeking to gain acceptance from men:

“Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart:  Do not fear the reproach of men, or be terrified by their insults.”
Isaiah 51:7
 
“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10
These mailers motivate people to fear men or seek their favor—all to generate political turnout.  It’s hard to imagine a more thoroughly unchristian approach.
 
“Making them look official just enhances the effect.  Everyone knows they aren’t official.”
 
If everyone knew this, then the effect wouldn’t be enhanced.  Clearly, these mailers look official in order to heighten fear of real consequences.  Deceptive from the start, this is lying to fellow Republicans.
 
“Others have done it too.”
 
First of all, not everyone does each shaming practice.  For instance, Ted’s mailer far exceeded what any other campaign did (though I expect others will do worse pretty soon).  Second, Christ’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) entirely called us to embrace higher standards than those around us—not lower. 
 
Third, using worldly norms as our excuse to evade Christian standards is almost laughably unbiblical:

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.”
II Corinthians 10:3
 
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2
Am I disappointed in our candidates?  Sure, but I’m much more disappointed in our tortured defenses of them.  Though taught to “seek first the kingdom of God,” we Christians often seek loopholes for our heroes.  Let me tell you something:  Countering these endless dodges is exhausting.  Every time one of our “Christian” candidates does something sleazy, I feel less like a concerned brother in the Lord, and more like a prosecuting attorney.  I hate that feeling.
 
In times like these, the greatest shame is when we feel none.
 
Learning From A Tax Collector
 
Do you know about tax collectors in the time of Christ?  These were Jews working for the Romans, collecting taxes from their Jewish countrymen.  Yikes.  Worse yet, the common way for tax collectors to get ahead was to take more than Rome required—thus the tax collectors were very rich.  Among tax collectors, this terrible act was accepted practice.
 
One wealthy chief tax collector named Zacchaeus was inspired by his encounter with Jesus:
“But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’
 
Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’”
Luke 19:8-10

So in the presence of Jesus, the terrible but accepted act was stopped, and even reversed.
 
Get the point?
 
Cruz’s mailers are but one example of many unscriptural methods Republicans use.  And I hear all the excuses.  “It’s public information.”  “The Democrats do it, so we’ll lose if we don’t.”  “People should know these are junk mail.”  
 
Here’s the big truth for Christians:  Like Zacchaeus, we’re all in Christ’s presence, and we should all be inspired to discard accepted but wrong practices.  That should be our first step.  The second should be turning it to our political advantage:
 
Here’s one way:  Shame the bad tactics, not the voters.  Shame the leaders and politicians using such tactics, and in so doing, turn their bad practices to our advantage. 
 
For instance, rather than using shame-and-scare mailers, call out those who do—and make it a big deal.  Point at Obama’s usage of such mailers in 2012, saying how we’d never treat people that way.  Admit we’ve done this, then apologize and drop the practices, challenging Democrats to do the same. 
 
Since Democrats can’t win without power moves and deception, their only choices would be to either continue the practices—thus making us look good—or discontinue the practices and fight on level footing—thus removing their strength.  Either way, we win.
 
The worldly response to unethical practices is, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”—but that puts the game on the Democrats’ home field.  The Christian way is, “Expose ‘em, and in so doing, beat ‘em.”  This puts the game on our field, leaving Democrats scrambling for answers.
 
I prefer this way.  I’ll win bigger, and I’ll actually like the guy in the mirror.
 
Going Forward…In The Light
 
Look, every candidate falls short, and that’s no reason to abandon them.  But we also shouldn’t abandon principles.  Letting devotion to candidates exceed devotion to truth, we Christians cease to be, well, us.
 
Let me tell you what non-Christians hear when we dance and dodge:  They hear the world means more to us than Jesus.  Period.  They hear us saying, “Hey, I talk about God, but I’m as hooked on this world as you are.  My faith is a crutch for coping, not a guide to higher truth.  I have nothing special to offer.”
 
Fellow believers, it’s time we decided what we stand for.  Do we stand for God in a godless nation?  Do we stand for principle in a land of capitalizing on accepted practices?  Do we stand for loving our neighbors, or pressuring them?  When we come face to face with our Lord, what will we say?  Did we stand for Him, or…
 
 …for shame?
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