Liar, Lunatic, or Lord: A Look at the 2016 Presidential Race
“Liar, lunatic, or Lord?” C.S. Lewis used these key words to effectively argue for the deity of Christ in the 1950s. But today if such words were bantered about in public forum, they would more likely be used to describe this year's US Presidential election. After all, the primaries have left us with sad choices, regardless of party affiliation. Consider the options:
The Liar.
As early as January 1996, the label latched hold of Hillary Clinton when New York Times columnist William Safire called her a 'congenital liar', itemizing her offenses in his essay. Now she has shored up the nomination on the Democrats side, but for her, truth (or the lack thereof) remains a poignant issue. Even friends of the Democrat party have bandied about the “L” word with little restraint. Politifact, an organization that tends to lean toward the left in its evaluations, reported a long list of her misleading statements, exaggerations, and outright lies on their website. From bipartisan politics to Benghazi, from jobs in energy to plans for ISIS, Politifact points out Clinton's consistent trend of distortion and deceit.
Other typical supporters of the Democratic party have expressed similar mistrust in the candidate. The controversial Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner can hardly be called a conservative, but even he/she described Mrs. Clinton as “a (expletive) liar.” And actress Susan Sarandon also questioned the former first lady's ability to tell the truth in expressing why she and other Bernie Sanders fans would have a hard time voting for Clinton.
A recent Gallop poll suggests the rest of America has its reservations as well. When asked to give the first word that comes to mind when the name Hillary Clinton was stated, fully one in 5 Americans responded with “liar,” “dishonest” or related words. The Washington Post commented, “That 21 percent of people unaided said something about the 'trust thing' in regards to Clinton tells you how deeply the impression that she is not fundamentally honest has sunk into the electorate.”
The Lunatic.
In light of the Democrats' troubled choice, the stage should be set for an easy Republican victory. But, as Columnist Charles Krauthammer so aptly puts it, Republicans have a “special talent for turning gold into dross.” And that's where Donald Trump enters the picture.
Many journalists and politicians (including Democrat Bernie Sanders) have labeled Trump a lunatic. “Trump has certainly crafted an appeal to voters who like impractical ideas,” Johnathan Chait wrote in the New York Magazine. “But his true threat lies in the fact that Trump himself is crazy — not just ideologically, though he is certainly that as well, but in the sense that he lacks any rational connection between his actions and his goals, to the extent that his goals are discernible at all.”
Still Trump has won Republican primary after primary, proving himself a force to be reckoned with. But Trump's baggage proves difficult to overlook. His special knack for the offensive has transformed tactlessness into an art form. He says things that cause the electorate to stop and ask themselves in disbelief, “Did he really just say that?”
For example, consider his sentiments on prisoners of war. Sen. John McCain has long been honored as a war hero. Serving as a naval aviator during the Vietnam conflict, he spent five and half years as a prisoner of war. But the tycoon-turned-politician questions McCain's hero status. "He's not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured,” Trump argues. “I like people who weren't captured."
His personal attacks know no bounds. Consider what he said about the founder and editor in chief of the Huffington Post. "Ariana Huffington is unattractive both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man – he made a good decision."
Moreover Trump takes egotism to a new level, seeing himself as “the worst thing to happen to ISIS.” So confident in himself, he's stated, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose votes.” From extreme policies to extremely inappropriate statements, Trump has cornered the market on the wanton and the wacky.
The Lord?
Throughout the years, Democrats and Republicans alike have rallied around the trite quote often attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville: “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Considering how this year's presidential election is unwinding, it may be time to take an inventory as to just how good America really is.
Starting in 1962, we kicked prayer out of public schools, and then followed that move some ten years later by snuffing out the unborn's right to life nationwide. In the decades since, marriage has fallen apart and family life has largely disintegrated. Today the Centers for Disease Control report that 20 people are abused (physically) by “an intimate partner” every minute. Schools have become battlegrounds. We've legalized gay marriage, homosexual adoption, and now we want to let strange men share the restroom with our little girls in the name of “transgender rights.”
Considering the American moral landscape, its not surprising that a 2015 Pew Research Center survey discovered, “The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing.”
America enjoys many blessings of God, but in the words of Ronald Reagan, “I recognize we must be cautious in claiming that God is on our side; but I think it’s all right to keep asking if we’re on His side.”
And so we are left to choose between liar or lunatic in the 2016 election, but what we really need is to return to the Lord. When CS Lewis spoke of the three choices back in the 1950s, he was clearly not talking about our presidential election. But Lewis did have something to say about patriotism and governments. Having lived through World War II, he saw all to clearly how patriotism for a nation as in Nazi Germany so quickly can become an idol. “We all know now that this love becomes a demon when it becomes a god,” he warned.
We may idealize our nation, but we should never idolize it. We must not confuse democracy with divinity. Our special nation is a gift, but it should never be our god.
So we don't need to be distraught over our choices for president. After all, we are “strangers in the world” (1 Pet 2:11) and “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20), so we have to be careful about putting too much of our heart in earthly things. But if we really want to see America become “great” again, we would do well to forgo political slogans and ranting politicians and focus our hearts and efforts on the ultimate Good.
We don't need to put our hope in Hillary (Liar), neither do we need to place our trust in Trump (Lunatic). Our faith can be securely placed in the Lord and we can rest in that.
