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| Red and Blue states |
In the last century, we were never been so united as we were during World War Two. Here is a quote from President Franklin Roosevelt after the attack on Pearl Harbor:
"No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory."
( American Rhetoric: Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation (12-08-41) )
Indeed, united we were, at home and abroad, fighting - and winning - a world war on two fronts.
And after September 11, 2001 - at least for the first few weeks - America seemed to be united, again, after the attacks on New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. The battle cry was -
United We Stand. And this slogan went out on flags, bumper stickers, posters, T-shirts, ...
United We Stand?
Really? During the 21st century, we seem to have come apart at as shown in the red/blue map above, graphing the results of the 2000 - 2008 presidential elections.
(Red-GOP; Blue-Democrats; purple, a mix of the two.) And this map has not changed much in 2012.
Let's look at some figures ...
2000
This election was a nail biter, showing Governor Bush narrowly defeating Vice President Gore in the electoral college: 271/267. But Gore won the popular vote. Final percentage: Gore - 48.38% vs Bush - 47.87%
The only election closer was in 1876 when Rutherford B. Hayes defeated Samuel Tilden. Hayes won the electoral college by only one vote - 185/184, though Tilden won the popular vote by over 200,000.
(Election of 1876)
2004
President Bush got a larger number of electoral votes than his challenger Senator Kerry: 286/251. But the popular vote was close, within a few points: Bush - 51% vs. Kerry 48%
2008
Senator Obama defeated Senator McCain in the electoral college: 365/173. The popular vote margin widened from the last two cycles: Obama - 53% vs. McCain - 46% - a 7 point spread.
2012
President Obama fended off challenger Governor Romney in the electoral college: 332/206. But the margin of victory tightened in the popular vote from 2008: Obama - 51% vs. Romney - 49%
None of the recent elections was a total blow out, like
Lyndon Johnson in 1964;
Richard Nixon in 1972;
Ronald Reagan in 1984;
Bill Clinton in 1996.
Divided we are!
We are now a divided country, and maybe we have not been so divided since the Civil War. And these divisions go beyond the affiliations with the Democrat/Republic label, but in the falling away from the ideals of the "American Way of Life."
(12 Concepts that Shape the American Way of Life)
In his article for the Wall Street Journal, Charles Murray wrote of this growing divide of values in which the "working class falls further away from institutions like marriage and religion and the upper class becomes more isolated." Here is the link - it's long, but worth the read:
New American Divide
There need be no essays to convince me. The America I knew as a girl is not the one I see now in my retirement. Some would argue this change may be for the better; some - not! But this change may explain some of the baffling results from 2012 as well as the previous recent election cycles. In 2012, half the country seems happy with the re-election of the president. Almost half are not.
But no matter who occupies the White House, the country faces daunting challenges - high employment, a stagnant economy, a crushing national debt, exploding federal spending, encroaching government intrusion, loss of personal liberties, a deeply divided electorate ... to name of few.
(Let's Be Clear, The U.S. Economy Is Just Awful - Forbes)
What is the root of all these ailments? A strong case can be made that ...
The problem is *not* the president.
Say what? Please check out the video, below:
The source of the problem is religious institutions that have lost touch with life and lost power to guide the people. And long before
YouTube, preachers have been pointing to the root of problems as
spiritual, such as ...
Dr. McGee teachings -
America needs a Declaration of Dependence
where he sums up three stages in the downfall of a nation
1.
Religious Apostasy
2. Moral Awfulness
3. Political Anarchy
I had blogged about this in first post of this series:
Pray4America (part 1) - National Day of Prayer
America's decline is not in Washington or the current occupant of the presidency. It is a heart problem. And the remedy is
revival. Here are some messages from a few noted spiritual leaders in America:
Dr. J. Vernon McGee -
Even during dark days of rapid decline, a revival can come at the 11th hour. There is a marvelous example, as in this sermon of the revival under King Josiah:
2 Kings 22:2-23:27 - Listen to Dr. J. Vernon McGee from Thru the Bible
The Reverend Billy Graham -
A day after turning 94, Billy Graham writes: "I plan to spend the next 12 months, if God permits, doing all that I am able to do in helping to carry out a fresh vision God has given us—a vision to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every possible place in America by the time of my 95th birthday."":
BGEA - A Fresh Vision for America
Please continue to pray for a revival in America.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Psalm 33:12
(NIV)
For a prayer for our nation:
click here
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Previous posts in this
series:
Pray4America (part 1) - National
Day of Prayer (2012)
Pray4America (part 2) - FDR's
prayer on D-Day (2012)
Pray4America (part 3) - FDR's Flag
Day prayer - June 14, 1942 (2012)
Pray4America (part 4) - It's a Wonderful Life, America (2012)
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Photo from
wikipedia:
Red and Blue States Map
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