Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency
August 19th, 2008 Posted in Culture, Government, Issues, Money, People, Politics, Ramblings, Reviews, Society, Truth | No Comments »This weekend I was able to catch some live coverage of the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency, held on Saturday night. Pastor, author, and philanthropist Rick Warren “interviewed” each of the presidential candidates separately with the same set of questions posed. I thought the forum was fascinating. Despite the fact that it was held at a church venue, the authenticity of both Obama and McCain seemed real, as did their answers to the questions they were grilled with. In an interview Warren gave with CNN prior to the event, he stated his intentions were “to ask all of the tough questions.” It seemed to me that holding a forum on the presidency was not at all about pushing a religious agenda - it was merely to provide a way for the American people to see and hear from the presidential candidates in a way that did not - like the general public debates - pit them against each other, doomed to point/counterpoint issues to death instead of connecting in an authentic, meaningful way with America. “I just intend to ask [the questions] in a civil way,” said Warren. “This is called a civil forum, which means you can disagree without demonizing the opposition. I think everybody wants to hear questions not just about those ‘moral issues,’ but also about a lot of other things, too. I’m trying to stake out a common ground for the common good.”
The event aired live on both television and radio, so I’m sure thousands of people heard it. Warren asked each man questions from 4 different segments:
- Leadership: What is the personal character, competence, and experience of each candidate?
- Stewardship: What is the role and responsibility of the presidency? The Constitution? The role of America?
- World View: Hard questions about beliefs, evil in the world, etc.
- America Internationally: What is America’s role in the world?
Obama went first. I thought his answers were smart and calculated - you could tell he takes his candidacy seriously, as he does democracy and the issues at hand. He is not a loose cannon. He conviced me, as well as countless others, of his brilliance as a communicator. Thoughts, ideas, and beliefs, no matter how simple or complex, were easy to understand. He did not ramble. He stuck to the point. He seemed honest and without agenda. Highlights for me came in a number of areas: of course his stance on abortion was an eagerly anticipated topic. Warren asked Obama his thoughts about when a fetus becomes a human life - a very blunt and to-the-point question. While Obama did not respond with a definitive answer to that question, he communicated a handful of things: a) abortion is without a doubt a moral and ethical matter, regardless of where you stand, b) he doesn’t feel qualified to decide when life begins, and c) he fully supports a woman’s right to choose, and really does want to lower, if not eradicate, the number of abortions that happen every year in America. Obama focused more on the communal, societal factors that surround the issue of abortion: are we providing our women with everything they need to be able to make the decision to keep a child? Do they have access to health care? Will the community step up to take care of these women and provide hope for them - hope that will increase the number of women who choose to give birth instead of aborting their children? Obama likes the word hope. I also liked Obama’s acknowledgment that evil exists, and his call to Americans to be a part of the solution - to do what we can to make things better for our fellow man. I can get behind that kind of thinking. Then again, it’s not something we haven’t heard a million times before.
Warren segued into his time with McCain by bringing the candidate to the stage following Obama, and the three men shared a moment of hand-shaking and acknowledging the generous applause. Obama then exited, and it was McCain’s turn to respond to the questions. You immediately noticed the a change in body language - Obama sits closer and leans in as he talks with Rick Warren and answers the questions he is asked, while McCain sits much further away and leans back. I thought this dynamic was particularly interesting. You can tell from McCain’s interactions with Warren that he is a seasoned political pro. For the first time McCain came across as genuinely concerned with a better America, and the wisdom he’s gathered from years of service to this country was pretty obvious. He was much quicker to respond - whether this meant that he was measurably more prepared and clear with his views than Obama, practiced at regurgitating his shtick, or just different in his manner and personality, remains to be seen. It was nice to see McCain responding - as opposed to reacting - to the grand issues of our country and world. When candidates debate on the same stage, the actual issues themselves are often immediately left behind in a wake of political am-nots and are-toos. This always reminds me of marital disputes - nothing ever gets accomplished when each party is more focused on the other than themselves. Hence the real need in this country for real civil discourse. Anyways, McCain hit on some important issues, like national security, health care, taxes, education, and the economy in a good way. He really is not a carbon-copy Republican like so many think he is - sure, he’s closer to Bush than Obama, but he’s still his own. I can only hope that if he’s elected he can hold to the things that make him unique. I think that it might be a lot more of a challenge for him to remain that “liberal conservative” if he’s elected than it would be for Obama to stay strong with his plans were he to find himself in the Oval Office. Time will tell…
As at any event of this magnitude, there were all kinds of people at the event, which took place in Lake Forest, CA, protesting, demonstrating, and causing all kinds of chaos. With all the news crews, reporters, journalists, video cameras, etc., things were bound to be lively. I didn’t care to find too much out about what happened outside, since the event itself is where the good stuff happened. Overall - and I’ll say I saw about 80% of the full broadcast - I think it was one of the most engaging political dialogues I’ve ever seen. I was genuinely drawn to each candidate as he answered the questions. I gave each guy a shot, and was eager to hear more about what they had to say. I think this was in no small part due to how convoluted politics is in this country. The mayhem and scandal that seems to follow politicians around and gets amplified to oblivion by the media really draws the focus away from the heart of this nation and the real issues that we’re all dealing with on a daily basis. So, when civil discourse actually happens, it’s like a brand new thing, and people get interested really fast. I’d like to see this happen more often. Maybe then the American public would have more of a clue about its leaders. I’ve written about how much I want the president to communicate more with the people. I don’t think it’s too idealistic to hope that that is something that will change in the coming years. The Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency demonstrated that it IS possible for people of differing opinions to convene and hold meaningful, unscathing dialogue about issues. The more it happens, the more people will want to replicate it.
Have I decided who gets my vote yet? Do I know everything about everything? Not so much…






Hard to encapsulate Catherine Rohr. She was the most intense woman I’ve seen in a long, long time. Her Prisoner Entrepreneurship Program, which is astounding in and of itself, reflects her fearless leadership in a way few could match. As a young woman working with convicted drug dealers, murderers, and other criminals, Catherine was blatantly sold to leadership and the importance of trusting God and leading with courage despite not knowing how things will turn out. Rohr was feisty in her banter with Hybels, which I loved. Jimmy Mellado’s interview with Rohr was unforgettable.