Well, for what it's worth, it seems that the issue for us Christians is really quite different, since we are in essence still here post-salvation, to train as RULERS.
So before God, what RULING do I create vis a vis my job to VOTE for someone?
No matter who the candidate, only God makes good on anything. He makes good on my learning Him, and this RULING VOTE issue is part of that. History is affected by how I vote, not because of the candidate, or the country, etc., but because my RULING is HIS SOVEREIGN TRAINING CHOICE. So He will reward or punish history based on whether I'm learning to well or poorly, rule.
Thus it matters more than humans normally think, to vote well.
God votes all the time:
kill this person, save this other one, allow a third to be ill, etc. Thus we learn more about Him via mimicking the same structural behaviors as HE employs as Ruler. Granted, most of our decisions are less impactful:
go to the bathroom, write an email, read an article, buy our 19th Maserati.Viewed from this perspective, we are ruling on who should be president and why, pros and cons (for it's never pure). We vote, and we vote by prayer. That is what really causes history, our own life of voting before HIM, not the actual choices we make. He keys His Sovereign Response to our choices, punning -- but that's to teach.
Efficacy or morality or 'whatever' properties in the person receiving our vote would be important, but ancillary. For God can make good on anything. But He wants us to CHOOSE.
Having said all that,
so far I choose against Donald Trump, Cruz, Rand Paul, Rubio, and all the others except maybe Jeb Bush and those of similar positions.. because
their positions are what the US needs.
Notice: now I have to justify the vote before God. What justification is there for such a vote so far? How would I argue the case to the Supreme Court of Heaven? The PRACTICE of doing this, trains me in ruling, helps me understand what it's like for GOD, to be God. That blesses the world. Even if I get the vote wrong, the PRACTICE is advancing soul maturation, which blesses the world.
The candidate presumably is not living the spiritual life, but he will be blessed by my voting, win or lose.Salt of the earth. And that's the justification, too: for
the US needs to wake up to the fact it's the world's policeman. We got thrust into that role in WWI, and we've not matured in it. So GOD put us here. The issue won't go away, all the other nations are too weak or too enmeshed with their internal politics. We have the guns and butter, despite all the very many arrogant policies, etc. we keep adopting. BECAUSE, we have people here who are maturing spiritually. Not a good percentage, but even if 10 people were in Sodom...
So that is why we are a leader. That's the ONLY reason why. And we've not learned to handle the Destiny handed to us. So, we charge other nations like a bull in a china shop, and then we slink back like a baby, crying how we don't want to play. The latter, has been our position from the beginning.
Sadly, Trump and Paul want the latter position, which is tantamount to leaving Israel to her enemies. Cruz talks tough but just wants to charge in like a bull. Rubio
seems to want some version of kumbaya, too much like Obama, which is a kind of withdrawal from our role yet paying lipservice to it. That's how we got into Vietnam.
Jeb Bush wants to continue the prior Bush policy. Just after 9/11, Dubya's stated policy was (if you'll recall),
either you're for us or against us. That is strong. However, there was some negotiating room, and coalition was sought. But always the understanding that you decide whether you are in or out.
Dubya made it clear from the beginning that the US would be willing to go it alone. We wanted allies, but if none, we'd go ahead anyway.Remember?
As for me and my house, we stand with the Lord, paraphrasing Joshua 24:15.
People criticized Dubya for such an approach, calling him
meglomaniacal,
Messianicly-arrogant, etc. Because, he
wasn't waffling. A clear and strong addition to the Monroe Doctrine thus made by him.. they had to complain. For they are weak. Leaders always get flak. That's part of the maturation process for a leader, is to accept constant complaint (example, Moses).
Had the American people been of the same resolve, then this problem in the ME would have been wrapped up within 10 years. It had a remarkable effect of freeing the people enough to fight their leaders themselves, and had we stayed in the region this fight would be more resolved. It's part of nationbuilding, to engage in factions and civil war, for the nation to find its voice.
Obama interrupted that process, so the terrorist gangs were able to bully with their voice.
So right now, whatever the shortcomings of Jeb, he seems the more in tune with what should be our role.
Kinda doesn't matter about anything else, as we too have lost our own voice. We need to find it, or any policy on anything else, won't work. For 50% of our budget is non-negotiable, for military and social programs. So until we get the ROI needed from a good military policy, which depends on a good LEADERSHIP foreign policy -- we can kiss our economics, good bye. FIGHT FIRST pay later, trust God the meanwhile to provide the means, just as He did in the Valley of Berachah. Which means, FIGHT FOR ISRAEL or forget it.
Or God will have to deliver us out of Sodom.
Now, how right is that assessment? Every day I have to re-evaluate it before God, as I learn new info. That is what a ruler is supposed to do.
So for what it's worth, voting for President is really just another aspect of learning to be President of my own life before God as HE would have it.