A newspaper interview

Well, we can all take a deep breath and move on now - Barack Obama has been re-elected. I was anxious for a little while there - and I had to keep reminding myself of the truth...that Jesus is King, Jesus is King, Jesus is King. No matter what the outcome of the elections held, Jesus is still in control of my life. (Cue sounds of rushing peace throughout my mind and body.) :) I am ready to move on from all this election talk, but before I can... A student at my school is interviewing me for the school newspaper. She wanted to interview one supporter of Barack Obama, and one supporter of Mitt Romney. I am pretty sure the whole thing will be anonymous....so don't tell anyone that I am the Barack Obama supporter, okay? Now, I hesitate to paste my email to the student in my blog...because of what ya'll are going to say/think about me...but this is my blog, and I mostly started it because I wanted to remember things in my life - so this "paste" is more for my own memory, okay? OK. Judge me if you must... Thanks for wanting to interview me for your article. Here are some thoughts: Before I jump in to answering your questions, I wanted to write some thoughts regarding elections and voting as a whole. Although I am excited and relieved that Barack Obama was re-elected for another 4 years, I do not rest my hope or complete trust in him or in the Democratic party. I offer my support and feel encouraged by the views held by the Democratic party, but I am more confident that I am under the sovereign rule and authority of Jesus Christ. He is my King. My hope, my peace, my joy, my true purpose in life - they rest in Christ Jesus - not in the outcome of last week's election. I believe that we as a community of people have the power to bring forth justice, truth, and change to society by the power of Christ in us, and that we should not wait for a President to make changes - we can begin that today - in whatever capacity we find ourselves. Now on to your questions. 1. Why do you support Presdient Barack Obama over Mitt Romney? -I support Barack Obama because I believe that he has and will continue to make decisions that will be for the good of the WHOLE in society. The job of a President is not to cater to a certain group of people based on income level, race, gender, and certainly not based on what that group can do for you. I believe it is the job of the President to lead in shaping a society that thinks of all people as valued, and works toward equality in all areas of life for each person- no matter what age, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status that person represents.. I believe that Barack Obama has shown that he values not only the white upper class male, but also the lower class single mom, the college students struggling to pay tuition, and the children of immigrants who are falling behind in school. Throughout the election, when I listened and evaluated the two Presidential candidates, I asked myself - which of the two will allow the most people in our nation to have the opportunity for the most success? My vote went to Barack Obama. 2. What would you say to those people who believe that America's selection of Obama is "throwing away our Christian values?" If someone said to me that the re-election of President Barack Obama was an act of "throwing away our Christian values", I would ask that person to look inside themselves before placing the blame on one person. It bothers me that a person would first blame the President for not holding to the values that God has outlined in the Bible before looking at their OWN agendas. I believe it is not the President who makes up a country, but the PEOPLE, right? In fact, in my research throughout the elections, I found that the policies, decisions, and words of Barack Obama resonated more with my own Christian values than that of Mitt Romney. When I think of "Christian values" what comes to mind is the poor, the widowed, the orphan, the uneducated, the immigrant, the single mom, etc, and if we look at what Barack Obama is trying to do - it seems to me that he is trying to give support to those categories of people. As Christians, we need to remember that Jesus was not running for President, nor do I think he would - if he had the choice. Jesus wants to rule each of our individual hearts and lives - so that as a whole - we will hold to the values He places within our spirits. It's not about one man winning an election and throwing anything away - it's about US - God's people - listening to His Word and His Spirit within us, and doing what He calls us to do on a daily basis. 3. Do you think America is headed in the right direction because of the re-election of Presdient Obama? As I have said in response to previous questions in this interivew, I do not believe that ONE single person can steer America in the right direction. I believe that only the people as a whole - those who make up that which is America - can truly make movement in society. However, I believe that with the leadership and ideas of President Obama - that yes, the American people will now be more empowered to make the changes in their own societies and communities. I believe that Barack Obama wants us as a society to bring change, and move forward - and I believe he is the best choice for leading us in that direction. 4. Any additional comments? Of course! I want to thank YOU and your newspaper staff at WCHS for allowing this dialogue to take place. I think it is a healthy practice to discuss with other believers the motivations behind our decisions in all areas of life, not just around election time. Thank you for allowing me to speak my mind in this interview. Over everything, I just hope that we as a school community can be a place of respect, justice, and with hearts that are for the good of ALL, and that we remember that it is on CHRIST the SOLID ROCK we stand. Thank you. Sincerely and humbly, Allison Kleinsasser