As the presidential primaries are under way, Dr. Alveda King is concerned that “conservative” voters are more caught up with personalities than they are in supporting the U.S. Constitution based on godly principles.
King asserts voters are less concerned about candidates’ stances on issues than they are about appearances.
“We are dealing with a reality show mentality,” King told OneNewsNow. “Too many people are saying ‘I like,’ rather than ‘I think;’ thus voting with emotions rather than brains.”
When asked what she believes is the most important topic to be addressed at the conservative presidential debates, the former Representative of the Georgia State House categorically replied.
“[It’s] the failure to uphold the Constitution,” King stressed to OneNewsnow.
Yet the Christian civil rights and religious rights leader argues that America has forgotten what it really means to be conservative — and that the roots of conservatism are firmly planted in the U.S. Constitution.
“How many ‘conservative’ voters can define ‘conservative?’” King, the director for African American Outreach at Priests for LIfe, asked in her latest blog. “Conservatism is a philosophy supporting the U.S. Constitution; having specific principles and issues i.e.: religious freedom, abortion is wrong — life is a civil right, procreative marriage, the right to bear arms, limited government, fair taxation, educational freedom, fair trade, safety and security, health and wellness, a working America, and … Yet the U.S. Constitution is the ‘king pen’ of conservatism.”
Is there a true conservative candidate out there?
After being asked which presidential candidate(s) she believes takes the boldest stand on each of the above constitutional issues, King gave OneNewsNow her take.
“While all of the candidates appear to support the [above] issues in some measure, preferring empowerment over entitlement, Dr. Ben Carson’s ‘We the people’ stance is most compelling,” answered King. She added that “all the candidates” take a strong stand on each of the issues — with the exclusion of the same-sex “marriage” vs. procreative marriage debate, which she says she’s “not sure” about how they all line up on this one.
But are there any true conservative candidates left in the field who are running for president, and if so, who?
“[There are] perhaps several,” King told OneNewsNow. “The Carson ‘We the people’ approach is good,” she reemphasized.
The conservative Christian leader was referring to Carson’s closing remarks at a recent Fox News Republican debate on Jan. 28, when he quoted the Constitution.
“Please think of our founding fathers as you listen,” Carson told Iowans in his parting words before repeating a famous centuries-old line from the foundational document. “‘We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the benefits of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.’”
King also quoted her uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when expressing to OneNewsNow how difficult it is to find principled people of integrity in modern times willing dig deep and take a real stand for true liberty and justice.
“Rarely do we find men [people] who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking,” the iconic civil rights leader voiced more than half a century ago. “There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”
What are we really voting for?
On the same note, the niece of the late reverend also recently blogged on how Americans often resort to their own devices instead of God’s wisdom around election time when looking for a leader — much like when God gave the Israelites Saul as their first king since they wanted to follow someone for their human traits … rather than God Himself.
“It never fails, in times of politics, war and other uncertainties, some people forget God and turn to human reasoning, politicians, and yes, to familiar oppression without knowing the truth,” King contends.
King continued by quoting the Old Testament to emphasize man’s fickleness when it comes to relying upon man for security instead of God’s Word and promises.
“When Pharaoh finally let the people go … God said, ‘If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’” —Exodus 13:17 NLT
In the same way King argues that those who don’t follow God aren’t devout Christians, she contends that those who are unwilling to embrace the basic precepts outlined in Constitution aren’t true conservatives.
“Candidates who don’t accept the Constitution totally are likely not total conservatives,” the Christian leader maintains. “Upholding the Rule of Law that flows from the Constitution is a major conservative principle. Believing in truth (facts) is a major conservative principle.”
King quotes the words of News With Views columnist Marilyn MacGruder Barnewall to prove her point.
“Any candidate who opposes the right to bear arms cannot be a conservative because he or she rejects the Constitution,” Barnewall impressed. “A person who supports the Second Amendment but not other portions of our Constitution is not a conservative. To enter America unlawfully violates the Constitution and any candidate who opposes upholding the dictates of the Constitution as it relates to immigration is not a conservative. To support the legalization of or amnesty for the millions of illegal aliens currently in America is unconstitutional … and anyone who violates the Constitution is not a conservative because it violates conservative philosophy.”
Barnewell implies that there are many Americans masquerading as conservatives around election time who have no idea how to vote conservative.
“If you do not know the contents of America’s Constitution, then you cannot say with certainty that you are conservative,” she added. “If you don’t know the contents of our Constitution, how can you select a conservative candidate?”
Touching on the issue of amnesty further, King pointed out to OneNewsNow that this is the toughest topic for “conservative” presidential candidates to hang their hat on.
“We see much waffling and political jockeying around the amnesty issue,” King told OneNewsNow. “It will require a no frills yet compassionate approach.”
But regardless of how impressively or tactfully candidates tackle or skirt this and other issues, King exhorts voters to keep their focus on the Constitution — and more importantly, on God.
“As one who has taken the path of prayer over endorsements, I encourage you to keep your hearts and minds clear to avoid personality bias,” King urged her blog followers. “Let’s try hard not to allow zeal for our favorites to cloud the goal of having God redirect our nation from looming disaster.”
When asked about the first thing she would like to see the next President of the United States do when taking a seat behind his or her desk in the Oval Office, King had two things in mind.
“[I would like to see the next president] reintroduce the concept of religious freedom and reinstate ‘In God we trust’ as a respected mantra,” King told OneNewsNow in parting.
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Copyright American Family News. Reprinted with permission.
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