On Thursday we had the opportunity to see the current elected leader of the Republican Party try to launch a vigorous debate with the elected leader of the Democratic Party.
First, as President Joe Biden prepared to launch the political campaign season of 2022, Representative Kevin McCarthy, leader of House Republicans, gave a prebuttal. He gave a surprisingly good speech.
Then, President Joe Biden gave an ugly speech. Whereas McCarthy had listed all the things the Democratic Party has done to create a great big mess, including that Party’s efforts to demonize Republicans, Biden continued to demonize Republicans.
Here is the C -SPAN version.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?522563-1/president-biden-calls-americans-defend-threats-democracy
Listen to both speeches. Then consider. Are we are finally beginning to have an actual debate over the soul of our nation. Is the Republican Party finally willing to engage in the debate?
Citizen Tom 
Rich white land owners and slave owners and wealthy merchants wrote most of the constitution and none of them were actually Christian unless you feel that Jesus was a greedy money grubber and an advocate of enslaving human beings. This “Christian America” fantasy of the right wing is total BS! I can still see in my mind’s eye, those devout Christians slaughtering Native Americans in the quest to serve God. The American right wing lives in an alternate universe and has no concept whatsoever of reality .. except for their own reality that they have created themselves.
All you have done is demonstrated that you hate America. Slavery existed before America, and it will most likely exist again after this nation has ceased.
America was not perfect. We are not perfect now. We have replaced slavery with the murder of unborn children, and half our leaders screech in horror at the suggestion that we put any limits on abortion. Nevertheless, there are Americans who strive to be Christlike.
Is American a Christian nation? Was it ever? Probably not but it could have been and may still be far worse than it is. Given how the Chinese Communists treat state enemies and China’s friendly relations with Democrats, we can only guess what Liberal Democrats will do to their enemies if given the opportunity. Look at the words coming out of you.
Christian behavior is something to strive for, but too few do seek to be like Christ and none of us achieve His perfection. God is God. The rest of us are not God.
Yeah, I can relate to most of what you said here — but not with any of your political reasoning which sounds more like a lot of canned responses than actually originalist thinking.
Would you feel better if I asked you how you decided your gender preference, which pronouns you use, and explained how it is that men can have babies?
Tom,
Both social programs started off as a sound method, similar to an insurance plan which have sound basis and managed by private businesses with regulatory oversight so as not to become Ponzi Schemes.
Unfortunately, as I stated many times, anything the government becomes involved with winds up costing more than private industry.
Over the years, all kinds of social benefits were added, and then government raided the funds as loans to pay for more social programs.
Now we have fewer workers contributing compared to retired workers payouts which has resulted in the same predicament as all Ponzi schemes.
Did not help when we outsourced manufacturing jobs to globalism. Which reduced earnings for a large segment of former blue-collar workers paying in based on higher incomes/
Sad
Regards and goodwill blogging.
I presume you are commenting on my comment about Social Security and Medicare.
Here are some of headaches with Social Security and Medicare.
– Social Security and Medicare are unconstitutional. There is nothing in the Constitution that authorizes these programs.
– Proper regulatory oversight isn’t possible. Because private industry can contribute to political campaigns, government does a bad job of regulating private business. When the government regulates itself, the conflict of interest is even more ridiculous.
– Social Security and Medicare are monopolies. Giving the Federal Government that kind of power makes the Federal Government much more difficult to control.
– The programs are not fiscally sound. They have become Ponzi Schemes destined for failure.
– The programs pit the old (who receive the benefits) against the young (who pay the bill).
Tom,
Appears to me that Biden’s campaign promise to unify our Nation was doomed to fail when he signed a bunch of Executive Orders without following this psychologist’s explanation how to unify our Nation.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/constructive-controversy/202002/unifying-our-country
Now he seems to believe the Republicans are a bunch of Satan’s on a path of destroying our Nation’s soul, and the Democrats are the St Michaels fighting against political violence, respect of rule of law, justice for all, etc., etc. sad.
As for we the people, to join him, we need to visit a psychiatrist, in my opinion, after witnessing two years of Biden’s techniques and results to unify our Nation.
Regards and goodwill blogging.
Social Security and Medicare establish goals that lead to negative interdependence. For the old to get what they want, they have to vote to tax their own children.
When one speaks of the “Soul” of this nation, we need to look at the founding documents and the men who wrote them. I will not debate their individual “Christianity” but will simply say the USA was never founded as a Christian Nation, but inarguably upon Judeo-Christian principles.
1st Cor 15 for example says that TRUE believers are to live their lives motivated by the promise and glory of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. It is their responsibility to do this daily in all activities.
The founders understood and all TRUE Believers do also all governments are ordained by God. We are to obey those appointed over us until the time comes when we not only may but must disobey the civil magistrates. Anytime a civil government requires us (TRUE Christians) to disobey God, we are required to disobey them.
The following from R.C. Sproul sums up the mess we are in today quite well:
I personally believe in a separation of spheres of authority between the church and state. I think it is a marvelous structure in the United States of America that does not allow for the state to rule the church or for the church to rule the state. Historically that meant that the church was answerable to God and the state was answerable to God. The separation of church and state assumed a division of labor; the church has its job, and the state has its job. The church is not to maintain a standing army, and the state is not to do evangelism or to administer the sacraments. Nevertheless, they are both regarded as being under God.
Unfortunately, in today’s culture separation of church and state means separation of state and God, as if the state and the government were answerable to no one but themselves–as if the government didn’t have to respond to God. But God monitors governments; God raises them up and brings them down.
My point in all this is to say the very “Soul” of our nations rests in the Founding Documents that cannot be separated from the men who wrote them and the tools they used in writing the documents. As I repeatedly note on our blog CONTEXT is everything. It is easy to twist the Bible to mean something it does not and equally easy (as we see daily) to do the same to the US Constitution.
Agreed! R. C. Sproul was a great minister and teacher. I hope everyone listens to Biden’s and McCarthy’s speeches and observes the stark contrast.
Reblogged this on Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach and commented:
Reblogged on FSMandFSMWO.blog
Thanks very much!
Reblogged this on boudica.us.
Thanks for the reblog!
You’re right. I guess that if you’re a MAGA supporter nothing motivates you to vote in Nov. like a threat that the goverment is going to go after you. I believe that this speech alone will increase Republican voter turnout by a significant percentage.
That was definitely weird.
Speech probably backfired. I think most people realize the Democrats are overplaying their hand. Instead of intimidating their opponents, they are mobilizing opposition. Enjoy it while it lasts, and make lots of hay while the sun is shining.
I didn’t need to watch Biden’s speech on account of the fact that Tolkien’s dark Lord Sauron called and he wants his movie set back.
Are we are finally beginning to have an actual debate over the soul of our nation.
I suppose. But we’ll lose either way.
How long the USA will last as a republic is up to a higher power. If you give up, however, you will lose.
How long we last is up to us, the Citizenry. If we continue to follow grifters and charlatans…..it will be a short ride. When faced with the choices continually foisted upon us……we’ve already lost.
Makes one wonder how our republic ever started.
They had a vision for a Republic that placed an emphasis on individual sovereignty……..rather than the collective Statism that we have today.
That’s right! You must have read the Declaration of Independence.
And the Constitution! And the Federalist Papers.
Then how is it we lose either way?
If you don’t see it…I can’t help you.
Here is a clue for you. When we cannot explain what we claim to know, we don’t know.
Exactly, which is why I don’t think it’s worth my time to go into great detail……when you can’t see how both major parties and the ideologies that they traffic in (reality not rhetoric).
See https://citizentom.com/2022/09/05/stovepiped-it-is-a-matter-of-degree/.
We cannot fix other people, but we can ask our Lord to help us fix ourselves.
Yep, I already read it…..and I agree….most people stovepipe themselves. They insulate themselves……they wall themselves from the actual meaning of words.
Most people have been educated in government schools run by politicians. Most people have been indoctrinated by the crony capitalist news media. That is why those of us who have begun to understand we have been lied to have to speak up. We have study how this country came to be, why it is not working as well as it once did, and what we can do to make it better (or as Trump puts it, Great Again).
You don’t like Trump? You are an agnostic? I once made the mistake of being an agnostic, and I did not correct it for three and a half decades.
Remember what FDR did during WW II. He allied us with a USSR then led by Joseph Stalin. FDR could have chosen to fight the Nazis and the Communists at the same time, but …. Well, let’s just say that that historical alterative would be a great beginning for a thoroughly depressing book. If you are ex-military, then you know only the foolish or the desperate fight on all fronts at the same time.
There are numerous Christian sects of every description. Have you heard of any proposing to make Donald Trump our nation’s chief religious’ leader? Unfortunately, in the name of Secularism, much of the Democratic Party would happily educate our children to be Atheists. In fact, they are already trying to do it.
Who would you rather be in charge of your children’s education? Democrat politicians, Republican politicians, or you and your wife? If you want you and your wife to be in charge, then you have to fight the Democrats first and then the RINOs. Finally, we have to fight anyone who would use our government to implement their Utopian dreams.
As the Declaration states, government exists to protect our rights, mostly to protect us from each other, but social engineers wish us to believe otherwise. So, we have to show our fellow citizens the blood history of the social engineers: the Reign of Terror, the Holocaust, the purges in the USSR and Red China, and so forth.
Wow, that’s a lot to unpack. For the first paragraph…..we homeschooled our daughters for many of those same reasons, after short stints in public and Catholic schools.
I don’t particularly care what you believe in, as long as your religious tenets aren’t regulating my life, or that of my family.
Grooming and indoctrination occurs on both ends of the spectrum – religious and atheist. I have no requirement to be forces into either camp. But that I don’t, really seems to bother you. I welcome the experiences, beliefs and philosophies…….without calling them “mistakes”. I don’t care if my friend or neighbor is an atheist, Muslim, Presbyterian or Sikh. I measure the character and quality of the person. I measure the Constitutionality of legislation. And I believe both major parties are harmful to the Republic that we are supposed to be.
Further, populist cult leaders like Trump (and the many that came before him around the world) appeal to the base vulgarity present in almost all of us. Callous disregard for everything beyond his power and his ego. He’s a cancer on the Republic. And his I’ll aren’t going away. He’s empowering racists, anti-Americans and anti-Constitutionalists.
But as long as he dry humps the flag and writes love letters to genocidal tyrants……he’s pretty cool to his flock of slack-jawed simps and cucks.
Now, all that being said (particularly the last part)……there are some Trump supporters who make semi-reasoned argument in favor of their guy (not so much his penchant for believing that he won the last election though). They’re educated, generally sane and can hold their end of a debate.
I count you among this number.
One alibi…..can you clarify where you wrote “much of the Democratic Party would happily educate our children to be Atheists.”?
I absolutely don’t support any public educator teaching that there isn’t “a God”………any God. But are you implying that you would empower the school system to educate your children in matters of faith……when that’s your responsibility (should you deign to) as a parent? Just curious……maybe I’m reading into it incorrectly.
The public schools stopped teaching Christianity in the 60’s, and there was not much fuss about it. Why? Compare the decision on school prayer with the decision on abortion, about a decade later. The decision on school prayer at least had a Constitutional reference point. The decision on abortion has nothing Constitutional about it. The Constitution prohibits the formation of a state religion and provides for the free exercise of religion because most Christians believe the Bible condemns forcing our religious beliefs upon others. Christian created the Constitution. On the other hand, Christians believe in teaching their own children their beliefs because the Bible says we should.
What people believe makes a difference in how they behave and the types of societies that they establish. The requires us to study what others believe. Muslims don’t believe the same thing as Christians. Hindus and Buddhist believe different things. Communists and Nazis share similar, but not the same beliefs. Each of these religious groups have established drastically different types of societies.
Individual differences are important, of course, but don’t expect an atheist, Muslim, Presbyterian or Sikh to exhibit the same character traits. If each is sincere in their beliefs, they won’t share the same values.
I did not support Trump the first time he ran for the Republican nomination. I thought the crony capitalist news media was covering Trump so Republicans would have a lousy candidate in the general election.
Trump did not have a record. He seemed to be an opportunist who would govern as a RINO or worst. Some of Trump tweets and statements were rather thoughtless and absurd. He has been a philanderer. Generally, however, his big fault is that he came across as being full himself.
That said Trump is now one of the most investigated people in history, and Democrats still can’t charge him with anything that sticks. Moreover, as president he did a decent job. So, what have you got against him? Nothing. You spout all the usual insults, but you don’t have anything to back it up. The crony capitalist news media just makes stuff up. I wasted time investigating some of their accusations. Lies. Nevertheless, I thank you for counting me among the sane.
One of the reasons I support Trump is that Trump supports school choice. If the government insists upon paying for the education of children, then the government ought to use education vouchers. Politicians have no business running schools.
Elections are important, but we don’t get to choose angels to lead us. At best we get to choose between fallible men and women. At worst, we get to choose which candidate we think the least evil. Trump may not be a saint, but he seems to me better than I am.
Public schools had no business teaching Christianity, unless it was part of a comparative religion class. School prayer? Kids pray everyday in school. Kids and teachers both, can pray anytime they desire at school, as long as it doesn’t disrupt the learning environment, or force a religious belief on others.
Christians and Deists created the Constitution. Teach your children as YOU see fit. That’s your role as a parent. Do not draft public servants or other Citizens to teach your beliefs to others.
You seem almost offended if somebody doesn’t believe as you do, or doesn’t share your values. If you don’t steal from me, harm me or restrict my Liberty…..I have no issue with you.
And Trump? Yeah…philanderer…also known as Adulterer. He’s also a pathological liar. He did a decent job in some aspects, as most Presidents do….and less than a decent job in other aspects……as most Presidents do. He specifically instigated an entire movement focused on his loss in the last election. In many cases, that movement violated multiple laws. He is a liar. What does your religion say about bearing false witness?
He has shown zero respect for the 1st and 2nd Amendments…..he sure likes the 5th though! What was it he said about people taking the 5th…….?
What did I say that you actually have reason to be angry about? I like Trump?
You made numerous generic accusations against Trump, but not one included any specifics.
Was the election stolen? Probably. Trump got more votes than he did last time, and he still lost? To Joe Biden who campaigned out of his basement and could not draw a crowd? You don’t think that strange?
If you look into it, many of the battleground states changed their election laws because of COVID-19 without the approval of their legislatures. That is unconstitutional, but the Democrats don’t care. That by itself is a huge violation.
We have known for years that sending ballots through the mail is stupidly unsecure, and states were doing this without any way to verify the source. Democrats even fight using a photo ID when people vote, calling it racist, and that’s plain stupid and racist. Do they actually think blacks don’t know how to get an ID? In fact, in some areas, we had ballot harvesting, which should be illegal and ballot boxes with no one responsible for monitoring them. So, should Trump think the election was stolen? He would be stupid if he didn’t.
Am I offended when someone disagrees with me? No, but I am offended when you make accusations against someone I respect, and you don’t bother to provide proof. You know better. Try to get some proof. You won’t find it. You will just find some writer or talking head spouting accusations he can’t prove.
Well….I’m not angry in the least. I get entertainment out of dialogue with those I may disagree with.
I support voter ID……but after careful examination of the myriad of claims of voter fraud (even discounting those committed by Republicans…….and the various clown shows put on by Lindell)…….I’m quite comfortable in denying that massive voter fraud occurred. Multiple states have had mail in ballots for years……with little fraud.
You’re offended that I “disrespect” the charlatan-in-chief? That’s a you problem.
If you set up a system that rewards fraud, and you have no way of detecting fraud, do you really think you have a record of fraud? Especially if we have to rely upon the crony capitalist news media to report it? Seriously?
We have a president in the White House whose son lost a laptop. We know that son received plenty of money from people we have no reason to trust. We know Joe Biden is wealthy beyond any reasonable explanation. We know his policies don’t make sense unless he is on the take. The way he abandoned Afghanistan was just nuts.
Frankly, the people who run this country cannot be trusted. You don’t trust them. Yet you trust that election. Because Trump said it was stolen?
You know how often Democrats claim the election was stolen? It is not the least bit unusual. Yet when Trump does it he is the charlatan-in-chief?
Yeah, it is my problem. When we have to live with people who believe lies, that is a problem.
Weird how fraud is detected at every election…yet we “have no way of detecting fraud”?
Every national politician is “wealthy beyond any reasonable explanation”. Especially those who cash in on crisis’ just before the public had knowledge of it’s extent.
Yeah…the people who run this country CAN’T be trusted…..that includes the previous Administration. Your efforts to paint me into some Biden corner are for naught. I give less than a piss for either party.
If you believe that Trump won the last election….then you believe in lies. The difference is….I expect the indoctrinated crowd to fall in line. There’s no surprise there.
Hate to tell you this, but we usually have only four choices. Vote Democrat. Vote Republican. Throw away your vote by voting for a third party candidate or independent. Or don’t vote.
Of course, I am not telling you something you don’t know. Since there is nothing good to say about the Biden, what is the alternative? Rag on Trump. We know who you voted for. Why don’t you just admit it and beg forgiveness? Man up!
Oooohhhhhh…….tell me who I voted for! I lOVE it when random people on the internet tell me about myself. You know what that makes you look like…..right?
Because…….you’ll be able to prove your allegation…….right?
Listen, if you’re cool with being kept in a box created by your political masters…..cool. Either you can or can’t understand why some Patriots will spend their lives working to free the drones, right?
Thou dost protest too much, methinks.
Heh……uh huh…..
So…..who did I vote for? Who did I vote for in 2016? C’mon…..don’t hold back – you “know who I voted for, right?
Sack up and tell me .
You want proof? You?
It feels different when it is personal. and it is not some public figure, does it not.
Trump is just a man. The news media and the political mafia in DC have put him through Hell, and he has stood up and fought back. How? Why? I don’t exactly know, but I hope he cares for our country.
I do know that neither you nor I could have done what Trump has done. Very few people could.
I’m not a pathological liar and grifter…..so I would never be in the same situation. I don’t however….believe that he gives a shit about our country other than what it can do for him.
And he hasn’t “fought back”. What we’ve witnessed is a pissy little bitch employing every vulgarity that he can muster, when called on his lies. “Sad!”
Still no proof. Oh well! Good night.
Weird position for someone who….for all of his assertions…..also proffered no proof.
Aside from the fact you did not ask for any proof, I generally avoid personally attacking politicians. However, when I mentioned Joe Biden’s corruption, I pointed to his son’s laptop first reported by “The New York Post.”
The crony capitalist news media, big tech, and the FBI buried before the 2020 election. Now the crony capitalist news media admits their might be something to the laptop story and promptly shuts up. So, I would not be surprised if you don’t know about Biden’s corruption, but the story is out there.
Of course, if you don’t know about Biden’s corruption, you probably don’t know how much the crony capitalist news media lies. As artaxes points out, reblogged in https://citizentom.com/2022/09/06/dont-be-afraid-we-are-at-war/, we don’t want to believe the worst.
You’re using the ‘crony capitalist news media’ as both your proof and your lack of coverage? At least with you, that tracks.
I’m well aware of the allegations.
I am pleased that you are at least of aware of the allegations. Think about your word choice. With Biden, it is only allegations. Yet with Trump……
Nope……the issues with Trump are allegations as well. Are you as concerned about those…..or have you already rendered judgement as the work of the “deep state” or “satan”?
I have written about the allegations against Trump. I finally got tired of refuting lies.
For example, I use to live in Virginia. So, I was kind of curious about the riots in Charlottesville. Supposedly, Trump took the side of the white supremacists. Biden is still saying Trump did. I have a post on that. I found out what Trump said, and there was nothing wrong with it, but that doesn’t stop Biden from repeating that lie over and over again.
Supposedly, that is the secret with lies. Repetition.
Ironically……the king of repetition? Donald J. Trump
You are just engaging in name calling that says more about you than Trump.
What, you don’t think that moniker applies to Trump? You must not have been listening to him.
But whatever….I live by the tenet of ‘you do you.
By the way, you never told me who I voted for. Why not?
You don’t know who you voted for? Figures.
You told me you knew…..stand up for your own words. Or run away from them.
I think I got my point across.
Your argument has sunk. Your ship is at the bottom of the sea. You have nothing to fight with. It is time for you to climb into a lifeboat and think. What was wrong with that ship of mind? Why was it so flimsy?
You don’t have a point. That’s your problem (one of them at least).
So I ask again – who did I vote for (since you stated that you knew) – and how have I treated Biden’s and Trump’s allegations differently (since you stated that I had).
Why are you so scared to back up your own words?
No surprise. Thanks for playing.
You are welcome.
You are treating the allegations against Trump and Biden differently. So am I. I looked into allegations against both. The allegations against Biden have witnesses and evidence. The allegations against Trump are what Biden would call malarky.
How am I treating them differently? I’ve rendered no judgement on either….unlike you.
Well, then I have no idea what we are talking about. I am not familiar with the dictionary you are using.
It’s clear that you don’t.
I’m super curious about what Sidney Powell was doing in Georgia ‘allegedly’ trying to illegally access voting machines……..aren’t you?
How about Tina Peters escapades in Colorado?
Maybe too distracted by classified documents illegally held by dear leader at MAL?
If you want to have a point by point debate on Trump…sure. But don’t expect me to simply sacrifice my evening to argue with someone who not only won’t be swayed…but also doesn’t seem to grasp the concept of – you do you.
Chicken! If you can’t source your accusation, the honorable thing is to stop repeating them.
Good grief…..you’re actually a child. Does your mother know you’re still up?