These Midterms, Christians Must Bring God Back Into Their Politics

Is whether politics is a science/math question with exact right answers, or an engineering question where you select the best possible alternative. I’m firmly in the camp of the latter, and when people make an issue of “well your tribe voted for Trump”, my simple response is “did you see who he was running against?”

I’m also troubled at the reference to Merrick Garland—OK, show me the part of the Constitution that says that candidates are entitled to a vote. I don’t see it, and are pro-life Republicans required to comply with a non-existent section of the Constitution and further enshrine Roe v. Wade for another generation? Really? Reality is that 15 of 37 failed nominations to the Supreme Court did not get a vote; it didn’t start with Garland.

Agreed that we can make politics a bit more humane, but frankly, we need to remember that politics ain’t beanbag, and we are under no obligation to submit to rules imposed on us by our political opponents that they would never apply to themselves.

Agree about Merrick Garland. It was a legitimate parliamentary tactic… and it would have been stupid to waste the opportunity.

whether politics is a science/math question with exact right answers, or an engineering question where you select the best possible alternative.

It isn’t either of these things. There’s a whole range of activities people term “politics,” but you seem to be interested in what it ought to be. What it ought to be is the outworking of a political philosophy, an understanding of the nature of human beings and the nature of government.

We are agreed that proper politicking has to factor in consequences (of votes in particular). Where we probably disagree most is what the actual consequences of certain political choices are. There is such a thing as winning a battle that only hastens the loss of a war.