McCain/Palin 2008!

I woke up kind of late this morning, but I can easily say that I have not been this excited about politics since Mike Huckabee won the Iowa Caucus last January. In one brilliant move, Sen. John McCain has energized conservatives across the nation by picking Alaska’s Governor, Sarah Palin, as his running mate in this presidential election.

Gov. Palin’s speech was simply brilliant. She successfully introduced herself to the American public by painting herself for what she is, a conservative reformer and a dedicated public servant. I am proud of John McCain’s decision, I am proud of this ticket, and I am actually proud to be a registered Republican.

Some may think that I am putting to much stock in this decision, but I am not. John Mcain’s decision in picking Palin actually says a whole lot about where he wants to take the party, and the decision also says alot about how John McCain plans to actually change Washington.

For the first time in this campaign, I think that we have actually seen John McCain for who he is, a political maverick who is commited to reforming Washington, and instilling a renewed sense of national identity. In short, we have seen a decision that will save our party and will bring in new voters.

I encourage all Americans, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike to support this ticket. Don’t miss out on a chance to be a part of a real chance to change Washington and to change our country. Don’t doubt, Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin want great things for this country, and will do great things if voters like myself, and all those reading, will give them the chance.

I am much too excited to write much more, but I definately tip my hat to John McCain, and Sarah Palin for offering Americans and excellent Republican ticket.

Are We Not Conservatives?

“We are daily cosigned by “enlightened” commentators to political oblivion: Conservatism, we are told, is out of date. The charge is preposterous and we ought boldly to say so. The laws of God, and of nature, have no dateline. The principles on which the Conservative political position is based have been established by a process that has nothing to do with social, economic, and political landscape that changes from decade to decade and from century to century. These principles are derived from the nature of man, and from the truths that God has revealed about His creation. Circumstances do change. So do the problems that are shaped by circumstances. But the principles that govern the solution of the problems do not. To suggest that the Conservative philosophy is out of date is akin to saying that the Golden Rule, or the Ten Commandments or Aristotle’s Politics are out of date. The Conservative approach is nothing more or less than an attempt to apply the wisdom and experience and the revealed truths of the past to the problems of today. The challenge is not to find new or different truths, but to learn how to apply established truths to the problems of the contemporary world.”

-Former Sen. Barry M. Goldwater (1909-1998) From the preface of his book, The Conscience Of A Conservative (1960)

In the next week, the Republican Party will hold their National Convention and decide on a platform of principles that will be officially endorsed. While we are in the midst of such important decision making, I think that it would be wise for the GOP to reflect on the values that we were founded on, and on the values that have governed us in the past.

In 1856, John C. Fremont was the Republican Party’s first presidential candidate. In that year, our platform was mostly centered around the abolishment of slavery. Even in our beginnings, we as a party believed in the intrinsic value of every human being and their right to live freely. Seven years later, this platform manifested itself in the form of the Emancipation Proclamation, which was authored by the first and greatest Republican President, Abraham Lincoln.

In 2008, instead of the enslavement of would-be American citizens, we are witnessing the genocide of them. While the Republican Party as a whole is primarily pro-life, a great number of Republicans oppose a constitutional amendment that would ban abortion nationally. Hopefully, our platform will include support of this amendment. Just like the very first Republicans, our delegates in St. Paul should recognize the value of every human life, and their right to live freely as Americans. We should endorse a “Emancipation Proclamation” of our own, and break free from this genocide.

At another time in our history, another great Republican leader emerged. In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt assumed the presidency after the assassination of his predecessor, William McKinley. At the age of forty-two, Roosevelt inherited a incompetent government and an increasingly corrupt corporate sector. With intelligence and vigor, Roosevelt acted upon what he saw as the removal of rights from America’s working class. Roosevelt oversaw the passage of a series of labor laws which were successful at protecting the rights of the hardest working Americans.

Although Roosevelt can not be described as a conservative by any means, he had a good grasp on one fundamental conservative belief; that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Today, labor unions have unfortunately become what they were originally made to fight against. Labor union membership is mandatory in most states and industries. Shamefully, most labor unions spend their members’ hard earned money to support liberal political causes that many workers don’t believe in. This is misrepresentation of the highest degree, and should not be tolerated. The Republican Party’s platform in 2008 should support the enactment of Right To Work laws across the country. We should take into account the example of Theodore Roosevelt and protect all Americans against the threat of domestic absolutism.

Perhaps the greatest example that conservatives have to look to is President Ronald Reagan. Indeed, American Conservatism ultimately succeeded with his election in 1980. Following the pessimism that insued from the energy and economic crises of the 1970’s, President Reagan lead Americans to believe in themselves again. President Reagan governed with an inherent set of values that he knew would prove successful when applied to our national problems.

Ronald Reagan’s principles changed politics, and America forever.  As true conservatives, we need to apply his principles, and the principles of our other great leaders, to our platform today.  As Sen. Goldwater said; “The Conservative approach is nothing more or less than an attempt to apply the wisdom and experience and the revealed truths of the past to the problems of today.”   If Republicans are going to throw around the names of are great leaders, then shouldn’t we begin emulating them?

I am only reflecting on these principles because I feel that I need to.  The Republican Party is increasingly becoming a party that I don’t recognize.  As conservative Republicans, I think that it is time that we take Sen. Goldwater’s words to heart.  We need to apply the principles of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan to the problems of today.  

In light of the coming convention in St. Paul we should ask ourselves;  Are we not Republicans?  Are we not Conservatives? 

An Inconvienent Ticket

I was only hoping for two things in Barack Obama choosing a running mate; one, that he wouldn’t unite the Democratic Party by choosing either Hillary Clinton or one of her supporters, and two, that he would be foolish enough to choose another legislator as his running mate. I got all I was hoping for and more in the choice of Sen. Joe Biden.

Initially, Joe Biden would seem like a good part of any democratic ticket. However, any ticket with the talents of Barack Obama shouldn’t settle with conventional wisdom. Simply put, the nomination of Joe Biden for vice president undermines and contradicts much of what has made Barack Obama such a successful candidate.

For example, Barack Obama has admirably put a new focus on the issue of ethics reform in government, however, Joe Biden has found himself in many ethical quagmires throughout his career. Also, Barack Obama has taken a stand against the presence of special interest lobbying in politics, however, Joe Biden is closely linked to a great number of lobbyists. (The most prominent being his 38 year old son, who has become quite prominent thanks to his father’s influence.) Lastly, Joe Biden was in the Senate when Barack Obama was eleven. If Sen. Biden truly represented change, it seems like we wouldn’t be talking about it now.

The decision to put Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket presents a unbeatable opportunity to the McCain campaign. Republicans have an opportunity to completely upstage the decision with a smart pick, or they could succumb to their recent inclination of stupidity.

My Final Opinion On The Veepstakes

A couple of months ago I mistakenly said that vice presidential nominees are unimportant in presidential politics.  How wrong I was.  On the contrary, who John McCain chooses as his running mate will be of the utmost importance when it comes to whether or not I will vote for him.

I believe that whoever John McCain chooses as his running mate will be a key indicator whether or not the Republican Party is willing to accept the change that it so desperately needs.  I have said for months now that a conventional ticket will not cut it for the GOP in 2008.  The Republican ticket needs to contain excitement, energy, and change.  If we want to win, and if we want to change America, then we can accept nothing less.

I have three nominees who I will wholeheartedly accept on the GOP ticket. 

My first option continues to be Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.  Gov. Palin is the kind of conservative reformer that we need in Washington.  Gov. Palin will bring many former Hillary Clinton supporters who want to see a woman in a place of power in the Executive Branch.  Gov. Palin will also solidify the support of many social and domestic conservatives who aren’t currently too sure about voting for Sen. McCain in November.  Most importantly, however, having Sarah Palin on the ticket will bring some much needed excitement to the campaign of a 72 year old man.  To learn more about Gov. Palin, click here.

My next choice would definitely be Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.  Although I don’t necessarily want Gov. Jindal to be Vice President, I will definitely support any ticket that he is on.  I like Gov. Jindal for many of the same reasons that I like Gov. Palin.  Like Gov. Palin, Bobby Jindal is a young conservative minded reformer who clearly represents the future of the Republican Party.  Gov. Jindal is doing the sort of things in Baton Rouge that many people are wanting to get done in Washington.  Bobby Jindal is on his path to being a political star, especiallyif he delivers the keynote address at this year’s GOP National Convention in St. Paul.  Many have concluded that Gov. Jindal is going to be in America’s future.  The only question is whether this future begins in 2008, or later.

Another choice that I have recently thought about is Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.  I may not be thinking clearly, but I’m pretty sure that Sen. Thune is one of the three U.S Senators currently serving, that I actually like.  (The other two are Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, and Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.)  Sen. Thune is one of the few good things about Washington today.  As I’ve observed his performance in the Senate, I’ve seen that Sen. Thune does not compromise on his convictions.  He is also a great debater, which was evident in 2004 when he defeated Tom Daschle for re-election.  I have often compared him to a young, articulate Fred Thompson, without the influence of lobbyists.  I don’t think that Sen. Thune would necessarily be the perfect VP pick, but he would be a very good one.

Just as there are nominees that would guarantee my voting for McCain, there are also those nominees that would guarantee me not voting for McCain.  The first of these is obviously Mitt Romney.  As is the case with nearly everyone who doesn’t like Gov. Romney, the main reason that I wouldn’t vote for him is his flip-flopping on issues such as abortion and same sex marriage.  On top of that, Gov. Romney has all of the attributes that I don’t look for in a politician.  I could name all of these attributes, but it is much more effective to watch him speak on television for five minutes.

Another person who I couldn’t vote for is former Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania.  My main hang up with him is his positions on abortion, but besides that, I don’t think that anyone could come across as more establishment than Tom Ridge.

So what will I do if McCain’s choice of running mate forces me from voting Republican in November?  Well, I’ve narrowed it down to two options; firstly, I could vote for Bob “The Rat” Barr, or I will proudly write in the name of Michael Dale Huckabee on my ballot.  Hey, following your convictions isn’t always easy.

Negative Or Effective?

 

 

 

There is a general sense of disappointment among most people following the election.  After months of being promised a “different kind of politics”, most Americans are seeing the “same old political games”.   However, contrary to what the Obama campaign would have us believe, the McCain campaign didn’t set the current negative tone that is now prevalent in this election. 

 

For months now, Barack Obama has been throwing stereotypes at John McCain in all of his speeches.  From suggesting that McCain is running a racist campaign, to constantly tying McCain to one of the most unpopular presidents of all time, Obama pretty much has made a campaign out of painting McCain with his own negative paintbrush.  McCain, until recently, has been trying to run a issues oriented campaign, however, having being left defenseless, McCain has been forced to turn negative.

 

The McCain campaign has actually been pretty smart by taking advantage of the uniqueness of Obama’s campaign.  The media has been worshiping Obama for months now, and McCain was smart enough to point that out.  Anyone running against Obama should be smart enough to point out that his campaign is short on substance, that it plays more on people’s emotions than it does on issues, and that his campaign is clearly more of a personality cult than a political campaign.

 

The truth is that negative campaigning is a part of politics.  Sometimes, when a candidate has an appropriate reason for it, it can help them.  The most famous example of this is LBJ’s “Daisy” commercial in the presidential election of 1964, which helped him defeat Sen. Barry Goldwater in a landslide.  In 2008, negative campaigning might prove successful yet again.  According to Real Clear Politics’ latest poll, Obama only leads McCain by 2.7 points nationwide.  For a Republican trying to get re elected in 2008, this is pretty good.  Maybe an identity of pointing out opponents’ weaknesses might prove effective in 2008.  Politics is a dirty business, if you don’t like it, then get out.

 

 

A New Direction

In a month or so, I’m planning to recreate “The Search For Freedom”, and to make a new commitment to posting more often.  I feel like I have a vision as a blogger, and I’m not going to shy away from it.  In November of 2007, when I launched “The Search For Freedom”, I planned for the site to be mainly devoted to politics and the advancement of conservative ideals.  However, recently I have come to the conclusion that no blogger should be limited to only posting about a certain field of interest.  The new “Search For Freedom” will be devoted to discussion of politics, faith, and other aspects of culture.

Although I expect to still primarily post about politics, don’t be suprised if I decide to share some of my other interests.

Thanks,

Matt