Daly Focus Blog
By: Tim Goeglein
The late/great novelist Tom Wolfe once posited that there would arrive a moment where fiction would lose its relevance because the reality of American life was so much more compelling and, at turns, unbelievable.
Such was the week or so after the midterm elections in Washington DC. It was a little like living inside a dynamic, almost surreal novel.
On Capitol Hill, the balance of power shifted from red to blue in the House of Representatives.
The dust is beginning to settle after yesterday’s historic mid-term election. Politicos and pundits have been analyzing and dissecting the results, some of which are not yet final as ballots continue to be tallied. Earlier today, President Trump conducted a dramatic, combative and at times, explosive press conference from the East Room of the White House where he weighed in on the “split decision” rendered by the American people.
As I mentioned in my initial statement last evening, the outcome included both good news and bad news for Christians concerned about the family, the sanctity of life, religious freedom and free speech.
It appears that many of the pundits were correct when they predicted that Republicans would hold their majority in the U.S. Senate while Democrats would gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives. This result is both good news and bad news for Americans concerned about the family, the sanctity of life, religious freedom and free speech.
The very good news is that it appears the U.S. Senate can continue to forge ahead with confirming the excellent judges the President has been nominating for the federal bench, almost all of whom have been constitutionalists, such as Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
The midterm elections are upon us, and once again issues that Christians care about are front and center, reflected in the positions of candidates and their political parties.
Voters of all political persuasions are motivated to vote this year, and polls suggest many races are so close that no one can predict what will happen.
As the experts always note, turnout will be key.
If you haven’t already early-voted yet, I urge you to make sure your voice is heard tomorrow.
Outside of the Bluegrass State, the death of former Kentucky United States Senator Walter D. Huddleston earlier this month didn’t register many headlines. The 92-year-old broadcaster-turned-legislator, ill for several years, passed away quietly in his sleep.
First elected to the United States Senate in 1972, Huddleston, a moderate Democrat, eventually lost his bid for reelection in 1984 when a 44-year-old Republican judge named Mitch McConnell narrowly defeated him in a hotly fought contest.
Narrowly defeated is an understatement.
Does your family go trick-or-treating?
It’s one of those issues good Christians can (and sometimes do) disagree on. In previous years, I’ve written about how Christians tend to think about Halloween in one of three ways:
They enjoy it, focusing on the fun and candy part of it.
They amend it, so their children can enjoy activities like a “harvest festival” or “trunk or treating” at church.
They ignore it by not acknowledging the day in order to remain true to their convictions.
Earlier this week former First Lady and Democrat candidate for president, Hillary Clinton, made an astonishing statement. In fact, I believe that it succinctly sums up the dangerous and dysfunctional state of today’s American political affairs.
“You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about,” Mrs. Clinton told a reporter.
One day later, the former attorney general, Eric Holder, echoed Mrs. Clinton’s endorsement of incivility and potentially even mob violence by suggesting it was time for Democrats to act “tough.” Playing off of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s famous declaration during the 2016 presidential campaign, Holder said bluntly, “When they go low, we kick ‘em.”
This past summer, Democrat Representative Maxine Waters, one of the most liberal members of Congress, had urged supporters to physically harass Republican officials with whom they disagree.
While the national media focused on D.C.-based controversies and character smears last week, at least 650,000 students were busy setting a different kind of example in their schools.
Courageous youth—kindergarten through college age— celebrated Bring Your Bible to School Day, an annual, religious-freedom event for students sponsored by Focus on the Family on Thursday, Oct. 4.
They shared their faith by highlighting its source—the Bible, sharing God’s Word with classmates throughout the day and talking about their experience on social media using the hashtag #BringYourBible.
We are extremely pleased that Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
Judge Kavanaugh is a man of proven judicial temperament, fair and impartial to all who appear in his courtroom. He has served almost three decades in public service. He deserves to sit on the nation’s highest court, and the nation will be greatly served because of it.
The road to today’s confirmation has been ugly and clearly one of the most contentious ones the nation has ever witnessed.
We are pleased to hear of the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Opioid Crisis Response Act by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 98-1. This followed an earlier House vote of 393-8. The bill now goes to President Trump, who last year declared the opioid crisis to be a national emergency, for his signature.
The opioid epidemic in this country is destroying lives and families. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 63,600 people died in 2016 from an overdose in the United States, of which 42,249 involved an opioid.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
