President Trump: A MennoNet Poll

[JimFoxvog]

Here's an analysis that helps me understand my feelings about Trump: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opin ... story.html

Chicago Tribune.
i avoid reading anything from the CT.
even knowing your personal lib views, i’m surprised you do.

My Dad had the Chicago Tribune front page "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" framed on the wall in his den. So I grew up knowing how much to trust them. But one needs to look at and evaluate a specific author on an opinion piece. CT has opinions printed from many perspectives.

My point, however, is what this author said helped me understand my feelings. What he said is what it has felt like to me, but here was more analysis that clarified what I was seeing.

[temporal1]

Here's an analysis that helps me understand my feelings about Trump: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opin ... story.html

Chicago Tribune.
i avoid reading anything from the CT.
even knowing your personal lib views, i’m surprised you do.

My Dad had the Chicago Tribune front page "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" framed on the wall in his den. So I grew up knowing how much to trust them. But one needs to look at and evaluate a specific author on an opinion piece. CT has opinions printed from many perspectives.

My point, however, is what this author said helped me understand my feelings. What he said is what it has felt like to me, but here was more analysis that clarified what I was seeing.

relevant headline.

[Bootstrap]

I don’t really care a lot about American democracy or the constitution since I think God is in charge of rulers and nations, not voters. I don’t have much interest in a constitution which enshrined chattels slavery.

That's one place we really do differ. If I believed what you just wrote, I would not vote and I would not express political opinions. I believe that American democracy had contributed a LOT to the peace and prosperity of the world. It's a long, long way from perfect, and it's certainly not the Kingdom of God, but democracies have a level of freedom generally not found under other forms of government. Free markets have done a great deal for our prosperity.

Freedom of religion is one of these freedoms.

I agree that this gave no freedom to slaves, that was a blot on our Constitution that eventually led to the Civil War, and if you look at the amendments that followed, the Constitution had to be changed significantly as a result. The Constitution is not protecting unborn babies, that's another huge blot. But I would much rather live in America than any of the governments with authoritarian leaders.

I’m not sure what “an honourable man” means. If a man does not live his life in service to Christ, all is lost. I believe that following Christ, obeying the Bible, and conservative Anabaptism are essentially the same thing, and that there is a narrow way that leads to life, and a broad path leading to destruction.

I doubt Trump is on that narrow path although it’s not my place to judge. But I also doubt people like Lincoln, Washington, Queen Elizabeth I, Constantine, or other leaders of great renown ever found that narrow road either.

I have hired people who were not Christians, and I have always hired people I thought I could trust. I want a president to fulfill this oath:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

That's the job description. It's a big job.

[mike]

I don’t really care a lot about American democracy or the constitution since I think God is in charge of rulers and nations, not voters. I don’t have much interest in a constitution which enshrined chattels slavery.

That's one place we really do differ. If I believed what you just wrote, I would not vote and I would not express political opinions. I believe that American democracy had contributed a LOT to the peace and prosperity of the world. It's a long, long way from perfect, and it's certainly not the Kingdom of God, but democracies have a level of freedom generally not found under other forms of government. Free markets have done a great deal for our prosperity.

Freedom of religion is one of these freedoms.

I agree that this gave no freedom to slaves, that was a blot on our Constitution that eventually led to the Civil War, and if you look at the amendments that followed, the Constitution had to be changed significantly as a result. The Constitution is not protecting unborn babies, that's another huge blot. But I would much rather live in America than any of the governments with authoritarian leaders.

There you go, Bootstrap - a patriotic ballad almost worthy of a God-and-country type!

[Josh]

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

That's the job description. It's a big job.

And it's a job nobody can do without putting himself in opposition to being a follower of Jesus. That's not a position I want any human being to be in.

[hillperson]

I don’t really care a lot about American democracy or the constitution since I think God is in charge of rulers and nations, not voters. I don’t have much interest in a constitution which enshrined chattels slavery.

That's one place we really do differ. If I believed what you just wrote, I would not vote and I would not express political opinions. I believe that American democracy had contributed a LOT to the peace and prosperity of the world. It's a long, long way from perfect, and it's certainly not the Kingdom of God, but democracies have a level of freedom generally not found under other forms of government. Free markets have done a great deal for our prosperity.

Freedom of religion is one of these freedoms.

I agree that this gave no freedom to slaves, that was a blot on our Constitution that eventually led to the Civil War, and if you look at the amendments that followed, the Constitution had to be changed significantly as a result. The Constitution is not protecting unborn babies, that's another huge blot. But I would much rather live in America than any of the governments with authoritarian leaders.

I’m not sure what “an honourable man” means. If a man does not live his life in service to Christ, all is lost. I believe that following Christ, obeying the Bible, and conservative Anabaptism are essentially the same thing, and that there is a narrow way that leads to life, and a broad path leading to destruction.

I doubt Trump is on that narrow path although it’s not my place to judge. But I also doubt people like Lincoln, Washington, Queen Elizabeth I, Constantine, or other leaders of great renown ever found that narrow road either.

I have hired people who were not Christians, and I have always hired people I thought I could trust. I want a president to fulfill this oath:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

That's the job description. It's a big job.

This doesn't make sense to me though cause you implied that you voted for Hillary...... Surely you realize that she wouldn't fit the bill too well either....

[Bootstrap]

I want a president to fulfill this oath:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

That's the job description. It's a big job.

This doesn't make sense to me though cause you implied that you voted for Hillary...... Surely you realize that she wouldn't fit the bill too well either....

As I have said many times, I didn't like either candidate much, but during the election, Donald Trump kept praising dictators and mocking the leaders of democratic countries. He questioned the legitimacy of our courts and essentially promised that he could make the other branches of government do what he said. He acted like he was running for Godfather of the United States, drummed up hate toward particular people and groups, and promised to punish them. He showed no understanding of the constitution and no interest in learning about it. He questioned the legitimacy of the free press and promised laws to reign them in, bullying journalists at his rallies. He promised to tear up treaties we have made with our allies whether or not they agreed. He praised white supremacists. His rallies had chants where people called for his political opponent to be jailed.

During my lifetime, I haven't seen another presidential candidate with so much disdain for values shared by Americans in both parties. I thought Hillary Clinton was a bad candidate like other candidates I chose not to vote for. I thought Donald Trump was in a class by himself.

Since then, he is the first president in recent history who would not disclose his finances, declared that a president cannot have a conflict of interest, and has done many things to make himself and his family richer. There is very little transparency, many decisions involving large sums of money are being made behind closed doors, and there has never been a better day for lobbying firms, who are making much more money now. He is threatening and bullying the other branches of government. But for the most part, he's not winning. People don't want to be bullied. The system is holding up.

And Trump is probably the first president in history to be under investigation by the CIA and the FBI on his first day of office because of things he did during his campaign. I don't know much of what Mueller knows, but what we do know is pretty astonishing.

[Robert]

And Trump is probably the first president in history to be under investigation by the CIA and the FBI on his first day of office because of things he did during his campaign.

And the other candidate was investigated by biased members of the FBI before the election.

It really is time to drain the swamp.

[video][/video]

[hillperson]

Might I also mention Benghazi and the Clinton Foundation.

[hillperson]

All I'm asking Boot that you give room for those who like Trump and not paint them as horrible Christians...

Trump has rough edges but if you could vote for someone like Clinton you need to have plenty of grace for those who support Trump because she has so many shady areas in her political career.