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In campaigns, don't make the perfect the enemy of the good Dr. Seuss had his political idiosyncrasies, but he wrote a great pro- life book, "Horton Hatches an Egg." In the book, first published in 1940, Horton takes over egg-sitting from "Mayzie, a lazy bird, " who abandons her unborn child. Even when faced with snow, ice and hunters, Horton perseveres because "An elephant's faithful." Some conservative Christians see themselves as Hortons. Disappointed with the likely GOP nomination of a George W. Bush, who is not ready to back a pro-life constitutional amendment or tell potential pro- choice running mates to back off, they are calling for formation of a third party. They say that anyone who asks a basic political question about a third-party candidate -- "Can he win?" -- is joining the camp of the faithless. They insist that if all Christian conservatives were as faithful as Horton, and united behind a third-party candidate, he could win. Some even interpret Scripture in a particular way to support their third-party goals. They equate today's political situation with that of the ancient Israelites who were preparing to invade Canaan, but then wimped out. Their faithlessness left them wandering in the desert for 40 years. The problem with applying that history to the present, however, is that when God promised victory to the followers of Moses he was speaking about the conquest of Israel, not the conquest of America. Later, God did not tell believers to seek political triumph in the Babylonian, Persian or Roman empires. The prophet Jeremiah advised the faithful to build houses and plant gardens in the land they lived in. Two millennia ago, the apostle Paul demanded not political power, but his rights as a Roman citizen. Two decades ago, nevertheless, some Christians talked as if God had promised that the United States would be a Christian nation. Groups with names such as the Moral Majority promised that a full-court press would force secularists to turn over the ball. But, in a democracy, the numbers never added up: The Moral Majority was a minority, and God evidently did not desire to turn the United States into United Christendom. That should not have surprised anyone. Even in the era of the American Revolution, strong Christians like Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry had to work in alliance with non-believers like Thomas Jefferson to be successful. Today, coalition politics, rather than a purist third party, is even more essential. The danger in the current situation is that some Christian conservatives are unrealistic about the small gains that can be registered through politics. Because the Bible teaches us that there is only one right way theologically, Christians who become politically active sometimes scorn coalitions and insist on supporting only a candidate who proclaims the One Right Way to get things done. That's trouble. Gov. Bush needs to work hard to keep Christian conservatives within the fold, because he is likely to need those votes in what will be a tough battle with Al Gore. But Christian conservatives need to understand that purity is a goal in theology, yet a fantasy in coalition politics. For example, some Christian conservatives were rumbling when Gov. Bush would not rule out from the ticket a pro-choice governor like Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania. But it would be foolhardy for Gov. Bush to insult voters in key states by redlining their leaders. And it' s unrealistic for Christian conservatives to expect him to: That's not the way to win elections. Successful coalitions are based on something for everyone but everything for no one. My own reasonable preference for the vice presidential nomination would be a compassionate conservative like Rep. John Kasich, the energetic Ohioan, or a war hero like Arizona Sen. John McCain. I recognize that Gary Bauer is probably too far to the right for Bush tastes. I suspect Gov. Bush is wise enough not to go for New Jersey's Christine Whitman, the one current governor who would certainly provoke a pro-life walkout. These are the types of political calculations that folks regularly make, and there's nothing unfaithful in that. I don't believe in journalists or politicians pulling their punches. Coalition politics does not mean refusing to stand up for beliefs; it means vigorously stating those beliefs, but then pulling together to accomplish the most that can be done in any specific cultural and political circumstance. Over the next year, some conservative Christians may choose the third-party route and become spoilers, but I hope most are wise enough not to make what they see as perfect the enemy of the good. Olasky is a professor of journalism at UT and a senior fellow of the Acton Institute. |
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