Politics

A new take on an old saying:

If I had a penny for every time I was asked, “Is Barack Obama a Christian?” I’d be a millionaire by now. 

Truthfully, if I had ten dollars for every time I’ve been asked this, I’d have just enough to buy a new MacBook Air (with the speed bump and better battery life that is rumored to be coming out next month).

History

Early in the 2008 Presidential campaign the far-right made sure everybody knew Obama’s full name was Barack Hussein Obama and that he attended an Islamic school while living in Indonesia.  The implication was, if America’s top enemies of recent years were Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, then surely this man who’s name is similar must be a Muslim and evil as well!

Obama’s campaign reacted and said, No, Barack is a believing Christian and used be known as Barry up until he graduated law school.

Then came the whole Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright and Trinity United Church bruhaha.

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Al Gore, the forty-fifth Vice-President of the United States and Democratic nominee for President in 2000, is one of the most divisive people in America today. People either love him or hate him. Liberals tend to love him, and conservatives tend to hate him.

An Inconvenient Truth

Whether you like or dislike him, you probably agree that he has a vision for helping the environment. In 2006 he authored “An Inconvenient Truth,” a white paper on global warming. That same year he starred in the Academy Award-winning documentary by the same name. For his work on trying to save the environment, Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

In a recent speech, he said that unless we change our energy policy, “The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk. And even more—if more should be required—the future of human civilization is at stake.” At the same time, he also said, “I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.”

A Good Vision

Gore’s vision that America and the world need a good energy policy is correct. All but the most die-hard conservatives understand that we need to rid ourselves of dependence on foreign oil and that we need to develop renewable solar and nuclear power, along with other alternative forms of energy generation.

But Not A Vision Caster

Again, Al Gore has a great vision, but he is not a Vision Caster. A Vision Caster’s vision must be RIGHT: Real, Inspirational, Good, Helpful, and Timely. The claims he made in this speech aren’t Real: they aren’t realistic, achievable, or doable. Additionally, they are not Good: a Vision Caster has to be credible. These and other exaggerations he has made in the past, are so “over the top” and dramatic that neither he nor his claims are believable to any but those in his core group of Democratic supporters.

If you want to be a Vision Caster and spread your vision across increasingly bigger spheres of influence, you need to have a vision like Al Gore. But don’t be like Al Gore. He’s not a Vision Caster, and if you emulate him, you won’t be one either!

Mention the word “Obama” and people are polarized. Some love him. Some hate him. Others think he’s the best thing that could happen to America. Others the worst. I even have heard people describe him as a savior and others as the antichrist.

Regardless of what you think about Obama, his views on the family are right on. Listen to his Father’s Day speech and decide yourself!