Tag Archives: Republican

2016 Republicans

Posted by Tim on

Is it too soon to start talking about Republican presidential hopefuls for 2016? I mean, we all pretty much know that Bill is pushing Hillary to run for President, and that’s she’s almost guaranteed to win, so why not put together a list of some potential candidate for the Republicans. The good news is that in the last few years we’ve at least gotten rid of a few moderates  - John McCain and Mitt Romney won’t be running again. Mike Huckabee most likely won’t be running either. There were a number of good potential candidates that people were pushing for in 2011/2012 that were just “too young in politics” to go for the big seat. But in another 4 years that could change.

Chris Christie

Chris Christie

Potential #1 – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. I’m not personally a huge fan of his. In my opinion he is still too moderate to run for the Republican presidential nomination. His only real claim to fame is that he went toe-to-toe with the teacher’s union in New Jersey and won. That’s great – it shows he has some kind of a backbone. On the other hand, he’s also in favor of cap and trade, and refused to sign onto the lawsuit against Obamacare. After hugging Obama right before the election in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Christie really rubbed a lot of Republicans the wrong way. However, his speaking skills, and New Jersey tough-guy personality could make him a real contender.

Potential #2 – Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan. Once again, I’m not a huge fan of his. Although he certainly talks a good game, in recent weeks he’s been playing the role of a typical establishment Republican; working to kick conservatives off committees if they don’t support his bills. Although he hasn’t had the strongest record for cutting spending, he is one of only a handful of Republicans to offer a solution to the Medicare crisis that is still unsolved. When Romney chose Ryan as his VP pick in 2012, it basically secured Ryan’s seat on a national level, if he should so chose. Star power.

Potential #3 – Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. Although Santorum didn’t win the nomination, he did amazingly well considering that he had virtually no money, no campaign, and no name. He won more states than any other candidate (other than Romney, of course). In my heart I believe that if Romney hadn’t outspent Santorum 50-1 in numerous states, Santorum could very well be President. With Romney out of the way, and Santorum having national recognition, he could take one more run at the Republican nomination. He now has the name, the money, the campaign, and in the grand scheme of things he’s still a pretty young guy. Unfortunately, he still has a record as a big-spender neo-conservative. His strong social conservatism may be able to tie him over.

Potential #4 – Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Sean Hannity was extremely persistant in trying to get Rubio to run in 2011/2012, and then very hopeful that Romney would pick Rubio as his VP. Neither happened, but this time around he could run. He has the name (being a favorite of Hannity, as well as radio giants Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin), and a solid record. He’s a Tea Party candidate, is a minority, and has a great story to tell about his family coming to America from Cuba. He’s also young, good looking, a good speaker, all the essentials. He’s definitely someone I could throw my support behind.

Rand Paul

Rand Paul

Potential #5 – Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. Being the son of Ron Paul, Rand could easily pick up 5% of the vote automatically from the very loyal Ron Paul crowd. He has the Tea Party, limited government, libertarian, true conservative team on his side. He’s also young, is unique in that he has “cool” stances on legalizing drugs, and has stood up strong against the Republican establishment. He’s also the only name making noise about NDAA – the power of government to detain its own citizens indefinitely. His only negative may be that he sort of “sold out” when he endorsed Mitt Romney over his own father in 2012. This left a sour taste with some Ron Paul supporters. That aside, Rand is someone I’d really love to see on the big stage.

Potential #6 – Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. Daniels was among those who many thought might get into the 2012 race but never did. He is still popular with conservatives. He’s enacted a state-wide school voucher program, put in place fines for employers who hire illegal immigrants, and ended state funding for Planned Parenthood. Personally, I think he looks like a typical Republican from Washington, and these days looks matter. It would be nice for him to run and influence that race in one way or another.

Potential #7 – South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Republicans do seem to have better looking women than Democrats, right? Nikki Haley gave a great speech at the RNC Convention and was received very well by the party. She’s got a number of thing going for her that the GOP needs – she might be able to get more female voters, and she might be able to get more minority voters. In South Carolina she won with the most minority votes in SC history. She’s also a good speaker, is a Tea Party candidate, and has a good record as governor.

Potential #8 – Former Florida Congressman Allen West. Although West only lasted a single term in Florida, the real reason he lost was because he was massively outspent and was depicted as someone who wanted to end Social Security and Medicare; two things that kill a candidate in Florida. Listening to West talk though, you’d never know it. Recent interviews with West still show him as calm, confident, and intelligent. When this guy talks, he doesn’t miss a beat! Being a veteran could certainly help him win people over who want a smaller government, but still a strong defense. They can be confident that he won’t hollow out America’s armed forces.

Potential #9 – Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Say it aint so! I know, he wouldn’t be my pick either. And having to chose between another Clinton and another Bush could yield the lowest voter turnouts in history. However, there are people pushing for Jeb, (W’s younger brother) to make a run in 2016. He’s supposedly a better speaker than his brother (but what does that mean?) and more conservative than his brother (again, what does that mean?). For me, I don’t want another Bush – too moderate, too much bad history with the family, and just…. ugh. No! With the likes of Karl Rove behind him, though, the neo-cons could make a comeback.

Scott Walker

Scott Walker

Potential #10 – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Walker made international news when he stripped bargaining privileges from public unions. He stood his ground and Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in years. He turned a $3 billion deficit into a $300 million surplus. He’s one of the only politicians to ever actually do what he said. Concealed carry, voter ID, ended state funding for Planned Parenthood, the list goes on. He’s not an amazing speaker, but his popularity with both the Tea Party and the GOP could make him a prime contender.

Right now, I feel like the Democrats have already picked their candidate, and that the Republicans have a lot of potential. There are still more names out there that could make a run – Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Condoleezza Rice, and others. Only time will tell, but one sure thing is that the stage will be filled with big names.

Debates and Polls

Posted by Tim on

I often laugh when people get upset about things that haven’t happened yet. Just a couple weeks ago I had people approaching me with negative thoughts – Romney was losing in the polls, and there was no way around it; Obama was going to win. Low and behold, only two debates later, and Romney is winning by 5 points in a number of key battle ground states. Don’t be fooled by polls though. Many of these polls are designed not to show public opinion, but to affect it. Romney is winning now, but the battle is not over.

Tomorrow night’s debate will likely be very different from the first time Mitt and Barry met on the big stage. Obama suffered a hard loss the first time, and was perhaps taken back by Romney’s hard words. While Romney spoke Obama would hang his head in shame. When Romney mentioned poor jobs numbers, and other sad economic statistics, Obama would actually nod his head! The media who had been in Barry’s corner for the last four years had done him a true disservice. He was out of action for so long; so far away from any real criticism. Romney woke up the sleeping marxist.

Now that Romney has Barry’s attention, this debate is sure to be quite different than the first. Immediately following the first debate, PMSNBC’s host of Hardball, Chris Matthews, went on a rant about Obama “letting” Romney get away with “lies”. And of course, why didn’t Obama use his secret weapon – reference to the 47% comment? It is almost an absolute – Obama will use the 47% to his advantage this time around.

It may be too little, too late, however. In the weeks that have passed since Romney’s comment was first brought forward by the left-wing media, he has had time to prepare a defense for it. Romney will likely be able to turn that comment around and perhaps remind America of Obama’s comments about middle America – people who cling to their guns and Bibles. The fact is that Obama is not quick on his feet, especially when he has such a lousy record to run on. Although I expect Barry to score more points than last time, I still expect another Romney debate victory.

I’m more sure than ever that Romney will be revealed as the winner on the night of November 6th. Obama’s fan base shows a lack of enthusiasm, Romney’s is off the charts. Even conservatives who weren’t completely sold on him during the Republican primaries are standing with him. The long enduring primary debates certainly allowed him to hone his debate skills and learn what works. The more conservative opponents pushed Romney to the right, to the point where he currently draws a good contrast with the President.

The question now, is no longer will Romney win or lose, but will he win by a hair or by a landslide. If recent Wisconsin politics are a sign of anything, I think we can count on the first Reagan landslide of the 21st century.

Don’t Be Fooled By Polls

Posted by Tim on

It seems like every time I turn on the news, no matter what channel it is, I hear the same thing. Obama has a lead over Romney, and how could this be? With the economy in shambles and another recession right around the corner; with high unemployment and a workforce that is shrinking with every jobs report; with more people dependent on government handouts and more people on food stamps than ever before, how is Obama winning in the polls?

These news casters, the talking heads and idiotic pundits, inevitably put negative thoughts in the heads of people who ask me the same question – how is Obama winning, and does Romney have a chance? I’m here with good news for the Romney team, good news for Republicans, and bad news for people wandering around with their hands constantly stretched out, waiting for someone to pay their way.

Most polls are very deceptive off the bat. Most people do not realize that these polls almost always ask more Democrats than Republicans who they’ll be voting for. If 13% more Democrats answer a poll, it only makes sense that the poll shows Obama winning. The bright light becomes visible when we realize that even though 13% more Democrats took a poll, the results only show Obama winning by 7%. If we were to even things out, that same poll may show an even result, or perhaps a Romney lead.

The polls can also be deceptive when they show Obama leads among “registered” voters. The voters that count are not registered voters, they are “likely” voters. It doesn’t matter if someone “likes” or “dislikes” Obama’s record on the economy. The only thing that matters is if that person is going to vote for or against Obama in November. Many polls are done on registered voters, not likely voters, but are averaged in as if they have the same meaning. They don’t, so don’t be fooled.

There is a lot of history to show that Obama will lose. If we look back in time, with the exception of FDR, no president has been reelected with an unemployment rate over 8%. The US unemployment rate currently sits at 8.3%, and if we add in people who have just given up looking for work, and people who are underemployed, that rate looks much worse. The REAL unemployment rate is somewhere around 15%.

People like to claim that the Clinton years were a period of great growth, often forgetting the measures set in place 10 years earlier by Ronald Reagan. None the less, the 90s are still seen as a fairly good time, and many people attribute that to Bill Clinton. When Obama begins running his campaign based on Bill Clinton’s record, rather than his own; when Obama commercials feature Bill Clinton instead of Obama; and when Bill Clinton draws more excitement and gives a better speech at the DNC, things are NOT looking good for Obama, and he knows it.

Ronald Reagan was losing in the polls until two weeks before his election against sitting president Jimmy Carter. Reagan ended up winning in a landslide, and did so again in the 1984 elections. Polls today are not used to depict the voice of the people. Rather, they are used to change the voice of the people. No one wants to support a loser, so pollsters who are in Obama’s pocket will continue to tout Obama as a clear winner, hoping that this will cause people to see Romney as a weak candidate and as Obama as the “inevitable” champion.

Polls mean next to nothing today, and they won’t until a couple of weeks before the election. We are still weeks away from the election, haven’t seen a single debate yet, and have only seen the tip of the iceberg as far as campaign advertising goes. The battle is far from over, and the best chapters are yet to come. Do not be discouraged by these negative polls. Keep working on Romney’s behalf; talk to your friends and coworkers; put up a Romney sign in your yard and a Romney sticker on your car or truck; make a campaign contribution. With more people working on our side than in 2008, and fewer people working on his side than 2008, 2012 is sure to be a change. Not the kind of “change” that Obama wants, though.

Recommended Reading (7/21/12)

Posted by Tim on

The 60s are thought of as an era of progressivism – the hippies, the anti-war crowd,  the civil rights movement. The 80s were of course seen as a decade of strong conservatism. Reagan owned the White House and ran America well; by lowering taxes he raised revenue which he used to build up our military into the most powerful Army on the planet, which hadn’t been the case since a few years after WWII. But if we go back a into the 60s, we see that what Reagan capitalized on was started 20 years earlier.

In 1960, Arizona Senator, Barry Goldwater, wrote his timeless classic, The Conscience of a Conservative. At the time, Goldwater was one of the only true conservatives in the Senate. He gave the guidelines of how to get America back on track. At the time we were a nation weakened tremendously by the days of the New Deal. People were being taxed as high as 90%. Government was growing and spending recklessly. The way back was to embrace the US Constitution and let the free market work.

Goldwater explains the problems with labor unions. He explains problems with the federal government encroaching on state’s rights. He spends considerable time talking about America’s foreign policy towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Showing strength and consistency are extremely important, and aiding the allies we have over the enemies we’d like to turn into friends is vital. Above all – our leaders must not be naive when dealing with people who do not intend to be our friends, and are only looking to destroy us.

Goldwater also makes the case for less taxation. People do not work to serve the government, and the government ought to live within its means. Our money is used most wisely when we use it ourselves, not when the federal government spends it for us. Furthermore, the programs that government spends it money on are often destructive – welfare in particular. There is nothing moral about taking by force from X to give to Y. Charity is best left to individuals, private organizations, and churches.

The principles that Goldwater taught – liberty, limited government, constitutionalism, individualism, and the free market – have impacted countless conservative politicians for decades. Goldwater’s book led him to an unsuccessful presidential run in 1964, but 16 years later, Ronald Reagan would apply his teachings and change America forever.

Romney’s Week was WEAK

Posted by Tim on

For the past few weeks I feel like I’ve been pulled back in time to earlier this year. It wasn’t too long ago that Newt Gingrich was attacking Mitt Romney for his experience at Bain Capital. Of course, when Gingrich did it, he took immediate heat for even thinking of bringing up Romney’s private sector life as a negative. Low and behold, only a few months later, Obama is pulling the same card – attacking Romney over his private sector record.

It wouldn’t be enough to just talk about Bain Capital though – because really there isn’t much to talk about. Bain takes struggling companies and turns them around. Sometimes that may mean laying off employees, but in the long run Bain and Mitt Romney created hundreds of American jobs. But that isn’t interesting. So let’s make some stuff up! “Romney kills jobs!” How’s that sound? Oh, wait – and Romney said he left Bain in 1999, but here he is in 2001 with the same company? Mischief is at hand!

The Romney/Bain record has been cleared repeatedly by numerous nonpartisan fact checkers. He’s clean. Sorry Obama. The real story here isn’t that someone lied, or that someone was trying to cover something up. The story is that someone – Barack Obama – is trying to divert attention away from his miserable record as President. Almost 4 years of unemployment over 8%, Obamacare (or Obama-Tax, as some are now calling it), and continued economic uncertainty. Obama has a crap record to run on, so he’s attacking Romney however he can, even if it means lying to the American people.

And Romney’s response… *crickets*. He’ll deny, and move the conversation back to the economy. Boring! I mentioned this when I endorsed Rick Santorum earlier this year – Romney will attack his Republican opponents but will refuse to do the same to Barack Obama. Romney attacked Santorum, Gingrich, and Rick Perry relentlessly for months. But now that its time to turn his attention towards the real enemy he doesn’t have the guts. This is exactly what I was afraid of. Come on, Romney! Grow a pair!

Perhaps his Vice Presidential pick (rumored to be announced as soon as this coming week) will be a better fighter. VPs traditionally throw harder punches than their Presidents. But once again, Romney has me worried. Will he go with a fighter like Marco Rubio or Paul Ryan, or will he settle for a bland milk-toast pick like Rob Portman. Ugh. I shutter to think of that. Then again, both Romney and his running mate will be made of the same stuff – wood.

Florida Congressman Allen West

Florida Congressman Allen West

Someone pulled a few strings over at the Drudge Report and managed to figure out that Condoleezza Rice was on Romney’s list of top VP picks. Once again – come on! Someone who hasn’t ever run for political office, has W. Bush baggage tied around their neck, and is Pro-Choice? Is this really who Romney would pick? I doubt it, but none the less it got a lot of attention recently.

I can only hope that Romney will start swinging for Obama’s head soon. Romney has the ability to tear his opponents to shreds, as we saw in the Republican primary. He just needs to use those skills on Barack Obama. If he continues to refuse to do so, he’ll need to pick a VP that will – someone along the lines of Rubio, Ryan, or Bobby Jindal. Personally I’d love to see Allen West fill the spot, but there are many great choices. The fight is far from over, and things are sure to get messier throughout summer into November.

Where We’re Going

Posted by Tim on

Today has been a busy day in Washington DC. Not only was Eric Holder officially held in Contempt of Congress for withholding documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal, but Obama’s signature healthcare legislation, the so-called “Affordable Care Act”, was upheld by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision. For the time being, let’s put Holder aside and focus on the big one – Obamacare.

The entire law rested on whether an individual mandate was constitutional. Does the federal government have the power to punish someone for not buying a product or service – in this case health insurance. The argument was made that because Congress has power to regulate interstate commerce, that they also have the power to regulate that people buy health insurance. Fortunately, the Constitution does not give Congress the power to compel an individual to enter into a private contract with an insurance company. Congress can regulate insurance, but if someone doesn’t buy it – they cannot do anything. The individual mandate was struck down.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Instead of deeming the law unconstitutional, the law was upheld by changing a few words and a few definitions. Chief Justice John Roberts claimed that the mandate was in fact not a mandate, but a tax. In this case – Congress still has the power to tax whoever it choses. The problem with this is that it is in fact NOT a tax, nor was it ever presented as such. President Obama even went out of his way on multiple occasions to specifically say – this is not a tax. In the law its a mandate, in the court its a tax. Roberts overstepped his bounds by changing the very law he was judging. The law stands.

A lot of people are still confused about what this all means. In short it means that in 2014 every citizen must buy health insurance or face a penalty fee of roughly $700. You can buy your insurance on your own, from your employer, or you can just pay the penalty and forget about providing insurance for yourself. In the end, businesses across America will drop their health insurance because the penalties are cheaper than the insurance. People will be left to fend for themselves.

There are a number of cost exploders included in the bill – popular items such as 26 year olds being allowed on their parents insurance, and people not being turned down for coverage due to pre-existing conditions. As great as this may sound, these both force up costs of insurance. At the same time, Obamacare prevents insurance companies from raising their rates. If they can’t charge more, and they are forced to cover more people…. they go out of business. This was the plan all along.

With private insurance companies out of business, America’s healthcare system will become “single payer”. There will be one “insurance company” – the federal government. Every citizen will be on the same plan. No competition, utterly inefficient, and guess what is to come. As with every other single payer system in the world – rationing. Certain types of medicine and certain procedures will not be covered. Who decides what is covered and what isn’t? The infamous Death Panel - a small group of bureaucrats who decide which patients are worth keeping alive.

Scary, no doubt. This piece of legislation is the largest tax increase in American history. It severs any sense of State or individual sovereignty. The federal government will continue to grow larger and larger, delivering less of what it is obligated to (defense, secure borders) and more of what it should stay away from (government-run education, banks, energy, and healthcare). The history of government is tyranny. Every country has seen it. Government always grows and it’s end is always the same – it traps its citizens and treats them like subjects.

There is hope, however. Now more than ever, we need Mitt Romney. I hate relying on one person to turn around the fate of our country, but frankly – Mitt Romney needs to win in November. Along with Romney as our president, we’ll need a Republican controlled Senate. History shows us the path we are going down, and it isn’t a good one. I repeat – the history of government is tyranny. To keep a government from becoming tyrannical we need to shrink it and control it, so it doesn’t control us. The hope lies in delivering Wisconsin to Mitt Romney in November, as well as delivering an additional Republican Senator to Washington.

What Super Tuesday Says About Santorum and Romney

Posted by Tim on

Super Tuesday. The name says it all. Super Tuesday was the biggest day for the Republican primaries, with 10 states holding elections. A lot of delegates were up for grabs, and the cards fell pretty much as planned. There are a few points to analyze, however. The day is gone and over, but things can still change, and we can learn a lot from looking back at Super Tuesday.

I’ll start where it hurts, and go straight for Newt Gingrich. While some people may say that I shouldn’t tell a candidate to drop out, I’m going to. Gingrich and Santorum are holding each other back. At this point, if either of them want to beat Mitt Romney, one of them has to drop out. It was debatable earlier on who was the stronger candidate – Newt or Rick, but time has proven that Rick Santorum has the best odds of beating not only Mitt Romney, but also Barack Obama. Recent polls have shown that Santorum has the highest favorability among likely Republican voters, and other polls actually show Santorum beating Obama 50/45 in a head to head election.

All that being said – Santorum is the best alternative to Mitt Romney, and Gingrich should drop out, endorse Santorum, and attempt to give his delegates to Santorum. It’s the only way I see Santorum beating Romney.

And then we come to Romney. Not surprisingly, Romney did very well on Super Tuesday. At the time of writing this he’s won 5 states. The most interesting state was Ohio, however, where Romney only beat Santorum by a few thousand votes, and only 1 percentage point. Some may say that “a win is a win”, but this kind of win tells more about Romney and Santorum than we see on the surface.

Over the past week, Mitt Romney attacked Rick Santorum with a barrage of vicious attack ads. Romney knew Ohio was a key state to win, and he put a lot of money into it. Santorum did the same thing, but Santorum has much less money than Romney. Romney outspending his opponents isn’t anything new. In Florida, Romney outspent Newt Gingrich 5 to 1. In Michigan Romney outspent Santorum 6 to 1. In Ohio on Super Tuesday, people are predicting Romney outspent Santorum 12 to 1! The kicker? Romney outspent him by that much, and just barely won. Romney’s campaign strategy is nothing more than running ads that attack his opponents’ character, and his strategy isn’t working too well.

My hope in the end is that people will wake up, see the dirty tactics Romney is using, and look elsewhere. A candidate who takes such a sleazy route to beating his opponents… Well, let’s just say that it says a lot about his character.

And Santorum? Despite all the negative attack ads launched my Mitt Romney, Santorum pulled out three victories. Among conservatives (Tennessee), Rick is head and neck above the rest. Santorum IS the conservative alternative. As for Ohio – Santorum had a very strong showing, and he overcame a lot. During his speech on Super Tuesday he stated that he’d been outspent in every state he’s won. That’s a great sign. Even though Romney spends more than his opponents, Santorum can still come out victorious.

Showing how much Rick Santorum can do with so little money and little organization is very appealing. Do we want someone in the White House who is a big spender, or do we want someone who can do a lot with a little? The campaigns say more than we may think. How a candidate runs for office is a good indicator of how he’ll govern. Let’s not throw away our nomination on Romney, someone who’s past shows he’s a big government moderate – weak on cap & trade, TARP bailouts, and Romneycare. We need someone who can win on the issues, not just win because they have a lot of money. That person is Rick Santorum.

Spreading Conservatism

Posted by Tim on

Unintentionally this is almost turning into a series on conservatism. First there was Conservative Self Education, then there was Breeding Conservatism, and now this – Spreading Conservatism. Fair enough. I suppose it’s just a topic I know a lot about, and also a topic I care about. I think “passion” is what they call it.

Being a conservative is great. For me it means that I don’t just vote Republican and tow the party line, but that I also know the issues, have strong beliefs about those issues, and understand why I have those beliefs. It’s not enough to just go into the booth and blindly fill in all the boxes marked Republican. I mean, come on. There are other issues at hand here. For one, not all Republicans are created equal. Some are social conservatives, with liberal stances on fiscal policy. Some are fiscal conservatives, but social liberals. Some are a jumble of all the issues, and some honestly don’t belong in the Republican party at all – we call those RINOs. (Republican In Name Only)

So in the end, being a conservative certainly sets you apart from any old Republican. The differences are important, but what else is important is the attitude a conservative should have towards evangelism. When most people hear the world evangelist they think of Evangelical Christians. It’s similar, just forget the Christian part. An evangelist is someone who “spreads the word”, so to speak. The word could be anything, whether it’s the gospel, or conservatism.

It’s not enough to have beliefs. It’s also crucial to instill those same beliefs in your family, friends, and coworkers. If you truly believe that small government, and greater personal responsibility is whats best for our country, isn’t it also important for our next generation to hold those same beliefs? We as conservatives can’t expect politicians to spread the word for us. Thinking that they should spread the word for us would be kind of hypocritical, would it not? We must do it in our own lives.

But how do we get started? The easiest way to get people on your team is to talk to them. None of us are so sheltered that politics never come up in conversation. The news is something we all talk about, whether it be in a positive or negative light. Next time the subject comes up, explain your beliefs, and explain why you believe them. Be calm, non-abrasive, and friendly. Too many of the conversations we have about politics are straight up arguments. I’ve never thought that the best way to convince someone of your way of thinking was to debate them. In the end, you’ll probably just push them further in the wrong direction, and keep them from ever talking to you about politics again.

Once you have people halfway on your side, don’t just let them go. Continue to drop little seeds of conservatism on them whenever you meet. Say things like, “Did you hear what Obama just did?” Then start a conversation discussing how Obama’s most recent unconstitutional executive order affects all of us. When you’re switching channels, stop on Fox News. I personally always leave the TV on Fox News, so when someone else turns it on – BAM! – Sean Hannity! I do the same thing with the radio. Once the car is turned on it’s immediately letting glorious talk radio permeate through the speakers.

Don’t forget to encourage people to continue their education away from you. Suggest websites to them, forward them links, loan them books, and then let them go for a while on their own. If you’re always looking over their shoulder they’re going to be turned off. Occasionally start small conversations about the news, but don’t come to them every day and ask, “Hey! So, did you read that book I told you to read?!?!” No matter what your belief, you’re going to scare people away by doing stuff like that. People need to come to their own conclusions. Otherwise we end up with a world of mini-mes, just repeating whatever I wrote in my most recent blog post. That’s not what I want. Really.

To restate the original thesis – being conservative is awesome. It stands for freedom, values, personal responsibility, and big guns. It’s a lot of fun being a conservative and we should strive to share the experience with other people. Start a conversation, nurture the beliefs you are trying to develop, and let the person grow on their own.

Breeding Conservatism

Posted by Tim on

It seems that a lot of posts stem from conversations I have with people, whether they be friends, family, coworkers, or even strangers. In the end, a good conversation inspires thought, and that’s what this blog is based on – thought.

The latest conversation on politics was with a republican, who I agree with on some things and disagree with on others. I agree with him on things like gun control, and public employee unions. While he considers himself a conservative, I might not call him that. More of a pseudo-con if you ask me. While he may agree with me on moral issues, he doesn’t stand up strong for them. For me, abortion is life and death and therefore very important. For him, it’s a minor league issue. You see what I mean, right?

Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum

Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum

During our talk he mentioned his distaste for the candidates running, and his disappointment in the upcoming republicans. Why aren’t we breeding the next generation of Ronald Reagans? Well, let’s pick these two statements apart. These are things I hear from people all the time, and I assure you they’re flat out wrong. People are uninformed. They see what the local TV wants them to see. They get their news from Yahoo! Don’t worry – I’ll set the record straight.

Unfortunately, people will often take someone relatively unknown, like Rick Santorum, and equate “unknown” with “weak”. This can be a fatal mistake. If you look back a few years, virtually no one outside of Illinois knew of Barry Obama. Yet he managed to run a very aggressive campaign against Hilary Clinton in the democratic primaries, and he ran a brilliant campaign against John McCain, his Republican opponent for the presidency. Unknown is not weak.

Furthermore, “weak” is relative. Who are we comparing our candidates to? Ronald Reagan? Again, if we look back – Reagan fumbled with his words. He messed up at debates. He misspoke. Our memories seem to forget that Ronald Reagan was not “the perfect candidate”. In fact, he was anything but. He was the outsider, pushing to break the status quo. Our candidates may mess up at times, but so did Reagan, and so has Obama.

I asked this person, “How many of the debates have you watched?” He told me he hadn’t watched a full debate from start to finish. Personally, I’ve watched about half of them from start to finish, then rewatched them an hour later, then read reviews on them, then listen to the radio to hear what the talk-radio-pundits were saying. If you haven’t watched the debates or done a bit of research, don’t tell me that the candidates are weak or that you don’t like the selection.

The fact of the matter is that we have had a lot of great candidates come and go, and we still have some running today. Michele Bachmann is a leader in the House of Representatives, and has a great record as a conservative. Tim Pawlenty is a popular republican governor of a liberal state, Minnesota. Rick Perry grew jobs in Texas as governor faster than all of the other states combined! These are leaders in our country, all of whom have great records, who just didn’t catch on.

Left behind is our mainstay, Mitt Romney – former governor and private sector tycoon. Rick Santorum – leading welfare reform and tough as nails on social issues. Ron Paul – brilliant on the constitution and small government. Newt Gingrich – rich resume, former speaker of the house, and the best debater on stage. These are not weak candidates. They may have their flaws, but any one of them could beat Obama!

This coming election will not be another 2008. There are a number of things that have drastically changed since then. First of all, Barack Obama ran in 2008 with a clean slate. Now he has a record, and it’s awful. Everyone knows it. Despite what the media may tell you, unemployment sucks, home sales suck, GDP growth sucks, Obamacare sucks, stimulus sucks. I could go on and on. Obama is a weak candidate with a horrible record to run on. He doesn’t have nearly the same enthusiasm behind his campaign as he did in 2008. People realize just who he is, and people are rejecting him.

Don’t count our guys out. They aren’t weak. They can all go 10 rounds, as they’re proving it right now. As I’ve stated before, Rick Santorum is who I stand behind. I’m really pulling for him to get the nomination. Seeing Santorum debate Obama on substance and issues would be a slaughter. But in the end, if Santorum isn’t the nominee, I’ll support whoever the candidate is. We have a strong few left, and any of one them is better than who we have now.

As far as “not breeding new candidates”…. well…. Here, I’ll list a few names for you – John Kasich, Scott Walker, Jan Brewer, Rick Perry, Tim Pawlenty, Chris Christie, Rick Scott, Mitch Daniels, Michele Bachmann, Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio. The point is this – the next generation is strong. All of the names here could be running for president in the next 10-20 years. Our party is strong. We’ve gone through some rough times, but we’re starting to get back on track. Conservatism is not dead – it’s alive and well, and it’s ready to fight!

Boycott Karl Rove

Posted by Tim on

Ok, first off – I should appologize. The screensaver post was pretty weak. It wasn’t up to par with the typical content I try to put forth on this blog. Sorry. I’m not promising not to do it again, but I’ll try to keep posts up to your expectations.

On that note – let’s talk about my least favorite commentator, or as he likes to be called, “The Architect”. Know who I’m talking about? I’ll give you a few clues.

1. He worked in the Bush (43) administration. He was the “Deputy Chief of Staff”. A “Senior Advisor” to W himself. That’s right, he’s the guy who encouraged expanding the role of the government, growing our debt, and failing to secure our southern border. Know who he is yet? No? Another clue should help.

2. He’s makes regular appearances on Fox News. In fact, he’s on Fox News almost everyday, switching between O’Reilly, Hannity, Van Susteren, Cavuto, or whoever else is on. He’s literally on just about every day. Can you picture him yet? Ok, final clue.

3. He looks like Humpty Dumpty. He’s bald, fat, and has a egg shaped head. He wears glasses, and recently has been carrying a white board around with him wherever he goes. Still can’t figure out who I’m talking about?

It’s Karl Rove. And, honestly, I’m sick and tired of seeing him on TV. His Republican-establishment personality today is the same one that attempted to smear Ronald Reagan in the 1980 primary. His opinion is constantly being portrayed as prophesy on Fox News, and I for one am not going to take it anymore. He’s the kind of republican that no one wants around. He’s a RINO (Republican In Name Only), a moderate. For heaven’s sake – he worked for Bush! It’s people like Karl Rove who try to influence elections not for the good of the country, but so they can keep their own pockets full. He’s trying to pick the republican nominee for us.

Big news stations like Fox News respond to a couple things – money and ratings. That’s why, I’m going to do the only thing in my power to get Karl Rove off the air. Every time he comes on the channel will be changed to something else. I encourage you all to do the same. If Fox News realizes that their ratings go down whenever he’s on, they’ll replace him with someone interesting and relevant. Boycott Karl Rove.