by John Mark Reynolds [author, academic]

It is bad politics, bad form, bad character, and bad patriotism to want the President’s economic policies to fail.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe the Congressional and Presidential plan will fail and is already making the situation worse. I just wish it weren’t so.

You might think a medical course wrong, but once it is determined you do not wish for the death of the patient. You hope, against all hope, that you were wrong.

Wishing for failure of the plans means wishing for more suffering by real people and, God have mercy, I would rather be wrong than see more of that. Patriots can oppose a plan, as in a war, but then have to hope their opposition was wrong headed once the plan is passed.

Who would wish to lose a war in order to make a point?

It is bad politics to wish the President to fail, because it is mean-spirited. The American people will reject politics that are destructive in favor of politics that are positive. Newt Gingrich sees this plainly. Whatever is true, it will sound as if you want suffering in order to regain power.

It is bad form, because a gentleman fights hard, but fights fairly. He wishes his opponent well, because that is what a Christian does in politics. Like Reagan, we want to fight the opposition hard, but treat them as fellow Americans.

It is bad character, because it removes any sense of healthy doubt and humility from our politics. We think we are right, but all but fools will acknowledge we might be wrong. When we lose, as we sometimes will in politics, then we have to hope our honorable opponents are right. Economics, unlike issues such as abortion, is fraught with uncertainty for a Christian. The humble man thinks he is right, but knows he might be wrong.

It is bad for the patriot, because it is wishing harm on the nation we love. We believed that the economic policy of President Obama was bad and argued against it in a free and fair election. We lost and now must see. Surely a patriot puts country above party and hopes he was wrong and the opposition right?

I will fight for small government as hard as I can. I will fight for economic liberty as hard as I can, but surely we must fight honorably, humbly, and as patriots.

I will not wish failure on my President . . . even if I believe his policies to be disastrous. God have mercy on him and on the United States of America. ExileStreet

copyright 2008 John Mark Reynolds

John Mark Reynolds is the founder and director of the Torrey Honors Institute and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Biola University.His personal website can be found at www.johnmarkreynolds.com and his blog can be found at http://scriptoriumdaily.com.

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