An Evening of Gracious Speech - Presidential Election 2008
Perhaps you have discovered by reading my blog, “Living the Gospel,” that I believe that there is a connection (more than a lexical connection) between grace and graciousness. There is an inherent connection between living the gospel and speaking graciously. The connection is explained largely between our understanding and mapping common grace and special grace, both works of God. As we all walk together into the dawn of a new era, let us hear the echoes of two gracious speeches delivered the night of November 4, 2008.
I must admit up front that Senator John McCain’s tone and pitch of voice irritates me, not to mention his constant use of “My friends.” But I say all the more strongly with all my heart behind it, that John McCain is a most gracious man. Did you listen to his concession speech? Here it is for you to hear and see. We can learn from his speech how to be gracious in our speech. He asks all his supporters to lay aside the warring of the campaign and join him in serving and honoring the historic President-Elect, Barrack Obama.
Equally gracious is the second speech of the evening, Barrack Obama’s acceptance speech. Did you listen to it? It is a fine speech, not only gracious, but a powerful and moving assessment of the historical import of the day in which we live. Listen to it! Not since President Ronald Reagan have we been graced with such visionary and patriotic speech. (I know that for some of my friends and readers, this will be nearly impossible to acknowledge as you hold to important political ideologies and convictions. But consider this: the vital importance of rhetoric to the office of President.) “Rhetoric” is used in a negative connotation to refer to someone who doesn’t back up his words with actions. But rhetoric is a beautiful and useful part of what makes our world go ’round. (You would have agreed with me when Reagan was at the podium, but now some of you won’t agree with me because your candidate lost on November 4, 2008.) And so, listen to your candidate’s gracious concession speech and then take his advice. Then, listen to your future President’s speech to discover the graciousness of this man who has been elected to office for such a time as this.
The last time I took up the topic of rhetoric on my blog, I was remembering Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, “I’ve been to the Mountaintop.”
Some of you know of my family’s ties to Ethiopia and subsequently to the African American Church in the USA. I will admit that I find the African American and African rhetorical styles to be the speech of angels. Because of my upbringing, this rhetoric strikes deep into my heart and mind. Speaking of my family’s ties to Ethiopia, I have had the privilege of visiting Africans and ex-patriots on the African continent and to see the world, particularly the USA, from their vantage point. I realize that many nationalists today do not react kindly to all of the talk in the media about what this 2008 Presidential election means for the world. The nationalistic response is: “This is our election and so we should talk about whether or not it is good for our nation, period.” The truth of the matter is that the USA is deeply involved throughout the world, doing a large amount of good in the developing world. I have heard frustrated missionaries say, “Do you know how difficult the USA state department has made our gospel work at the moment!” I have heard them pray passionately and desperately for the orphan and the widow of their nation, pleading for some outside help and I sit there praying with them thinking, “The only group in the world who can be the answer to this prayer is the USA.”
The USA is undeniably the great world power of our day and so whomever we elect as President has an impact upon the entire world. It is a legitimate question to ask: What does this Presidency mean for the world?
Symbolism is a powerful component of our reality just as rhetoric is a vital part of our world. The symbolic impact of a President Barrack Obama in the USA and throughout the world is a powerful component of reality. Visually, symbolically, he looks nothing like “The Great Satan,” common, amiable Muslims have been taught to fear from the evil empire. For the rising Christian Continent, Africa, Obama, stands to be a catalyst for aid and missionary endeavors desperately needed in communities where the church is miles wide and inches deep, where tyrants commit genocide like Americans play golf. Of course, all we Americans care about is that the President bail us out. God have mercy upon our souls. If McCain would have come out of the Oval Office a few weeks ago after meeting with Obama and President Bush to discuss the Bailout to immediately face the press and say in Reagan fashion, “I am completely against the Bailout,” he may have been the 44th President of the United States of America. An effective leader helps all of us do what we would not do left to ourselves.
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The nice thing about this last election was I could say that I didn’t have “A guy” in the race. I know who I didn’t want, but if someone asked “Did your guy win?” I could say, “I didn’t have a guy.” I vote for the person that more closely adheres to what I think is a candidate that will uphold some semblance of Christianity. Not morals or values.
What happens in all of this is behind the scenes deal making and power brokering. It’s been that way from the start. You liked the speeches? It would be good to find out who wrote them and thank them. It wasn’t Obama or McCain.
I’m not cynical, I’m more along the lines of a pragmatist. OK, we’ve been dealt this hand, where do we go from here? Besides, this is just our petty little world. Evil will never triumph over good, our more correctly, will never triumph over our God.
We lose perspective of the overall goal with the results of these elections. We got who we deserve and who God wanted to lead this nation. Instead of fretting, let’s pray for Obama and his cabinet that they would do God’s will and then see what God has for us.
In the meantime, let’s feed the hungry, visit the orphan and widow, love our neighbor as our self, visit those in prison, and spread the Gospel. Though many world leaders have tried, they cannot take that away from us.
well said, Mike. I can truly say that I agree with every point you have made.
Thanks Mike for reminding us in your earlier comment that “pure and undefiled religion is caring for the orphan and widow,” as the apostle James instructs.
The barrage of “not my president” stickers parading before my eyes for the last 4+ years has forced me to admit that I am responsible for all the things that this country does. Getting loud and angry does not free me from the responsibility of this countries crimes, especially while I sit here listening to federally subsidized radio, driving a car that utilizes federally subsidized fuel, and eat federally subsidized food. I also graduated from a community college program not too long ago that allowed me to secure the job/career I now have.
I agree that evil will not prevail, but as my prism of experience grows larger, evil is getting harder and harder to shake out of the tree. There are many times when I did not even see it up there.
Having recently finished Sickelberger’s biography of Calvin I cannot imagine what being President would do to any mortal man. I would not wish that position on anyone. I rejoice in Obama being elected and am glad that both candidates chose to read those speeches. They could have easily sent it back or edited it if that was their desire. It is quite possible that we saw more of McCain in those moments than we did the rest of his campaign, unfortunately that is the nature of our current political system, closer to theatre than anything else I could compare it to. But it is theatre that I play a role in by living in this country.