It was the night that should have defined his life. In fact, in the eyes of the watching world, it likely did, but even those who were watching may not have realized why. He was already a powerful and influential man, as he served as Vice-President of the United States. But this was–if things went the right way–to be his night. He had campaigned for President and was a favorite to win that highest office. Election returns started coming in that evening and things really were looking his way. Quite early in the evening, it was obvious he was going to be the President-elect and, early the next year, be sworn…

I first heard the expression fairly recently. It was attributed to the child of a famous political figure who is very close to the extreme left of the political spectrum in our nation. While the politician’s daughter shares her mother’s political philosophy, it was reported that she gained a new perspective. The perspective was a result of her actually spending some time “up close and personal” with people who do not agree with her or her mother politically. This person had left the “hallowed halls of academia.” She had not done her research by attending political rallies, strategy sessions, or policy forums. Instead, she actually rubbed elbows and communicated with ordinary people with whom…

There is a song we typically hear each November and December with the lyrics, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” For a guy from California, I have often sneered at that song because of how I feel about the weather. I mean how can it be wonderful when I am freezing to death?! But then I think about the kinds of things I typically witness at this time of year like what I encountered this past Saturday. As I passed by a local church building, there were some teenagers outside the building holding signs and inviting anyone to a free turkey dinner. My heart was touched! All were…