Is Arnold too liberal for Evangelicals to vote for??

Of course that statement makes it appear that all Evangelical’s are conservative Republicans. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I know a number of Evangelicals (even at BOL) who are very liberal in their political views.

I need to clarify the above statement so certain blog masters don’t ban me from the web and certain staff at BOL don’t excommunicate me for my statements.

There are several aspects when someone says they are liberal or conservative. The first is fiscal, if one thinks government spending should be high or low and if taxes should be high or low and progressive for flat. The second is social, definition of marriage, gay rights, school choice, abortion, etc. The third is international relations/military force/trade. Now all three areas affect each other, high social programs means taxes must be high for example.

So for Evangelicals the question is, is he conservative enough in the social area for us to vote for him. The governor does not have any responsibilities related to international or trade policies and should taxes be raised or lowered, spending increased or cut, more money borrowed or not is not an Evangelical question. One person can say yes and another no and neither are committing heresy.

Now, on the social issues:
Abortion: Arnold is pro. But does that matter for a governor? Abortion is a federal Right at the moment thanks to Roe v. Wade and no governor can ban it. Even when it is restricted, most federal law suits over turn the law. So while I would rather have a candidate be pro-life, I can live with a pro-abortion for governor because he cannot have much effect on the debate at the federal level.

Gay Rights: Arnold is pro. California currently has it written in its constitution that marriage is between one man and one woman. Unless the governor wants sponsor a new initiative to repeal the current amendment in the constitution, there isn’t much he can do on this issue at the moment. I also while I do not know, I do not think he is pushing the gay agenda, but rather does keep the status quo.

Guns: Arnold is for certain gun restrictions: While the NRA may not like this point, it’s a matter of personal choice as far as Evangelicals are concerned. Again, while I don’t know the specifics in Arnold’s position, I believe he is more status quo on this, partly because there are more pressing issues.

So the question is Arnold too liberal on a social issues, I don’t think so at this time. Of course that could change in the next news conference. As for who Evangelicals should vote for, that’s between you and God.