The Scapegoat's Curse

What is there left to say of the 2012 presidential campaign?  Every four years we lament that we only thought the "last" campaign had finally hit bottom, as standards of civility go.  At least for those of us who pay attention to the media headlines (or for me, anyway), it appears the two major contenders have nothing left to say of substance; they are only waiting for the "other guy" to say something wrong.  I am inclined to support the Romney/Ryan ticket only because I've heard nothing of any third party candidates (Obama/Biden is not even on the radar).  I am a bit more enthused now that Paul Ryan is on the ticket, but I am quickly losing my enthusiasm because Romney and the Republicans seem intent on answering every ridiculous charge that rolls off a Democrat's tongue with a counter-charge.  The result?  The campaign is put on the defensive, the legitimate message is lost, and the voter is left only with this: "At least I'm not the other guy!"

How are we supposed to make informed choices when the information presented to us by the media is clearly skewed and incredibly bias?  VP Biden makes an off-the-cuff remark (among many, of course, but none worth repeating and not my point), and the Republicans jump on the "See?  That PROVES Obama and the Democrats are ______ (fill in the blank)!!" bandwagon.  Mr. Romney has refused to release the past ten years of his income tax returns (Did Mr. Obama ever release that much tax information prior to his election?), and the Democrats scream, "See?  That PROVES Romney and the Republicans are _____ (fill in this blank)!!"  It really does not matter which word is chosen for which "blank" because, you see, they are all interchangeable strictly for the purposes of trashing the "other guy". 

I would love to be able to tell all ten of my loyal readers (!!) there is something worth hanging onto in this election, but I also know I could have more than ten readers if I would only devote a little more time to trashing the "other guy".  I cannot do this AND share my sermons on the same blog and from the same heart.  I will not stoop to such a level for the sake of getting my stuff out there more, but I also think this is more to the point of my lament. 

We gravitate toward this news network or that one because somewhere in the dark recesses of our hearts is a genuine "need" to hear bad things.  We somehow "need" someone to blame for whatever thing may not be quite right in our lives.  It is the reason the Civil Rights Movement lasted for so long, and it is the reason why the Jews have successfully been portrayed over the centuries as the source of our misery (justifying their persecution).

What is this incessant "need" to have a scapegoat?  The Lord gave to Israel a "scapegoat" as a means of blame as part of the atonement sacrifice, but ultimately Israel was required to let the scapegoat "go" into the wilderness and away from the congregation of the people after the sins of the people had been "confessed" upon the head of the goat by the priest (Leviticus 16:21-22).  We certainly place plenty of blame upon those whom we deem to be sufficient scapegoats, but we rarely "let it go".  Instead, with the help of Republicans, Democrats, and the media in general (including amateurs who pass on information without first verifying the source!), we are constantly presented with new scapegoats - OR - old scapegoats on which to attach new sins.  O, that there were a goat big enough to carry the sins of this nation!

If there was ever a time in which the sins of this nation are most prominent, it is during presidential elections.  Candidates profess their faith in Christ but ultimately take the Name "in vain" as a means by which they justify themselves and, ironically, their manifest sins.  This would not be so bad in and of itself except that an entire nation buys into these cheap words heaped upon a scapegoat; only we don't let it go - we get on board.