By: Dale Weckbacher
James 1:19-20
So then, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for
the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
NKJV
What sets humanity apart from other creatures is our ability
to communicate using words. James 1:19
reminds us that communication consists of two components, the ability to listen
and the ability to speak. It also
reminds us to be quick to communicate through listening and slow to speak. Effective communicators are great listeners
who take time to think before speaking.
Candidates for office must be effective communicators who
listen to what voters want and then craft a message delivering what voters are
looking for. It they are successful
communicators and can convince a majority of voters that they are the best
person for the position, they can win election to office. Failure to effectively communicate most
certainly means defeat.
Even though I do not agree politically with Barak Obama, he
won election to the Presidency twice by effectively communicating a message of
hope and change that resonated with a majority of voters. While Obama was effectively communicating his
message, John McCain and Mitt Romney focused on communicating to independent
voters taking for granted their base. (1) When
the base did not show up, (2) coupled
with an energized democrat base, GOP defeat was sealed. The GOP formula for victory in 2016 consists
of effectively communicating a message that energizes the GOP base just as
Obama was able to energize the Democrat base in 2008 and 2012.
The reason the insurgent candidates like Trump, Carson , and Fiorina are
surging (3) is because people are fed up
with candidates that speak empty words without listening to what they the
voters want. Washington DC
However, even though the insurgent candidates are listening
and saying what many voters want to hear, it is also important for them to
think about what they are going to say.
Unfortunately, we are beginning to have candidates launching personal
attacks at their fellow Republicans.
That is why I want to ask the candidates to use the acronym T.H.I.N.K.
before launching any personal attacks and keep the debate on the issues
important to voters. Before speaking
take time to insure what you are about to say is
1) True
– Voters have had enough of leaders who lie to them about what they intend to
do if they win the election. They are
also tired of candidates concocting untruthful personal attacks against other
candidates.
2) Helpful
– Well-informed voters in the GOP base could care less about a candidate’s
looks or their hair so I urge candidates not to resort to these sorts of
attacks for they are not helpful. With
thousands out of work and on food stamps, with people losing their businesses
because of their religious beliefs, skyrocketing health insurance premiums, and
taxpayer funding of the brutal murdering of unborn babies at Planned
Parenthood, personal attacks levied at other candidates is not helpful.
3) Inspiring
– One of the reasons Donald Trump is surging is his message of ‘Making America
Great Again’ inspires voters who are sick and tired of the decline of the United States . However, Mr. Trump’s recent verbal attacks
launched in retaliation against his fellow Republicans are not inspiring. I believe sticking to the inspiring message
he started his campaign with will garner more support.
4) Necessary
– Personal attacks launched at fellow candidates are unnecessary, especially
for the front-runner. Trump is currently
the front-runner and got there with an inspiring message resonating with
voters. As such, I believe it is best if
he takes a page out of the Obama campaign’s book and sticks to his inspiring
message.
5) Kind
– Campaigns are battles and as such are brutal.
When I refer to being kind, I am not going PC and calling for the
elimination of any conflict. However,
the battle is most productive when it is a battle over issues and how each
candidate proposes to solve these issues.
Each candidate has been successful in their field of endeavor prior to
announcing their candidacies. Instead of
personally attacking each other, candidates should be respectful of each
other’s accomplishments and battle over issues.
James 1:19-20 is excellent advice for everyone, but I
believe it is especially good advice for candidates running for office. This is especially true for those running for
President of the United States for every word spoken by the President in the
age of 24-hour news, and the internet is instantly heard by people all over the
world, and therefore, the President of the United States must carefully craft
his or her speech. James 3:6 reminds us
that, “And the tongue is a fire, a world
of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole
body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by
hell.” (NKJV)
We need a President that T.H.I.N.K.’s before speaking so as
not to set any unnecessary fires for our world already has enough of them. Instead, the world needs leaders that can
extinguish these fires by being quick to listen and slow to speak.
1. Dupuis, Dennis.
Part 2: Presidential Election Reflection: Republican Missed Opportunities and
Alienating the Conservative Base. Moralmatters.org. [Online] Moralmatters.org.
[Cited: September 14, 2015.]
moralmatters.org/2012/11/10/part-2-presidential-election-reflection-republican-missed-opportunities-and-alienating-the-conservative-base/.
2. Griffin Red State
3. Campbell, Colin.
Poll: the Republican Presidential Race is Turning Upside Down. www.businessinsider.com.
[Online] The Business Insider, August 17, 2015. [Cited: September 14,
2015.]
www.businessinsider.com/poll-the-republican-presidential-race-is-turning-upside-down-2015-8.
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