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Hi. My name is Jason and I’m a recovering political junkie.

Raised in America’s conservative Christian heartland, I started off as a conservative Republican. I cast my first vote for George Bush then voted for his son (W) in 2000. After the post-9/11 cries for retribution (and the American bombing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women, and children who had nothing to do with 9/11), I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach that “family values” conservatism wasn’t as full of conviction as I had been led to believe.

As someone who was (and remains) deeply impacted by the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth who taught non-violence and for us to love our enemies, I just couldn’t bring myself to support the murder of innocents as “collateral damage” in the “war on terror”.

My next core belief to unravel was the death penalty.

Then food assistance for the hungry.

Then healthcare as a human right that we shouldn’t be selling (or denying) for financial gain.

Next came the need for a livable wage, sensible gun laws, and just immigration policies.

Over the last year, the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza has weighed heavily on my heart and mind. The continuing genocide that Israel is perpetrating is anathema to the teachings of the Prince of Peace. I don’t understand how anyone who calls themselves a Christian can defend it.

But in the age of Donald Trump and his MAGA movement, Christians are defending a lot of things I never thought they would.

And most Democratic politicians are nowhere to be found during this fight for the soul of America. Over the years, I have been inspired by the social media content of Sen. Cory Booker. His Instagram feed is pure love and sunshine and I love his energy. I was absolutely blown away to hear him defending Israeli genocide as self-defense. It’s heartbreaking.

The influence of AIPAC (and way too many other PACs) is prevalent in both parties and keeps us from implementing any real and lasting change to our political system.

Consider the following:
Polling has consistently shown that Americans want…
Israel out of Gaza
Russia out of Ukraine
Universal healthcare
Sensible gun laws
Food for the hungry
Shelter for those without homes
Money out of politics
The end of lobbyist influence over Congress
and so much more.

When you ask Americans to name their favorite political leader, the overwhelming winner isn’t Donald Trump or even Barack Obama.

It’s Bernie Sanders ( you know, the guy Democrats screwed out of their nomination in 2016).

Why can’t we have the programs and leaders that Americans clearly support?

The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil and it’s stunted America’s spiritual growth.

So what do we do when our country seems hopelessly lost in apathy and corruption?

We come together to focus on making life better for our neighbors, our children, and our grandchildren.

And that’s where Good Neighbor Politics comes in. We’ll be having conversations around these issues and a lot more. We’ll talk about (and hopefully to) new voices who are making a difference for the common good in some way or another and bringing hope that our future can be better than the present.

Who is inspiring you on the national scene and why? We’ll highlight some of your responses in a post later this week.