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.

Lessons In Libertarianism (Why I Won’t Vote For Bob Barr)

I find It amusing that Bob Barr, my former Congressman, is running for president as a Libertarian. I lived in Bob Barr’s district from 1996-2001. Even though I was eleven years old when I met him, he didn’t make much of an impression on me. How would you like it if your first impression of a politician looked as creepy as Bob Barr did in the 1990’s?

Anyway, a lot of conservatives seem to think that it would better to vote for Bob Barr than John McCain. I agree with Nic Shaykos when I say that it is not a good idea to pull the lever for Congressman Barr. As Nic already noted, Congressman Barr is a member and represenative of the ACLU. You know, the organization that is behind taking “Under God” out of the Pledge Of Allegiance? With apologies, I will pose the same question that Nic asked, how can a conservative belong to the ACLU?

The bottom line is that Bob Barr is a bad choice for President. I compare voting for him as similar to voting for former house majority leader, Tom Delay. Sure, Bob Barr understands conservatism just as well as any career politician can, which in short, is for all the wrong reasons.

More than that however, my opinion is that the basic beliefs of the Libertarian Party a founded on a deeply flawed ideology. Libertarians act on the assumption that man is responsible enough to govern themselves completely, and without government intervention. However, doesn’t absolute power corrupt absolutely? Before anyone misunderstands me, I believe that men are fallen, and evil at heart, and should be held responsible for their actions. Government should be refined to the most basic level, which is the core belief of federalism, which is a true doctrine that conservatives in government should live by. Libertarians missed that step. Fderalism was good enough for Thomas Jefferson in 1800, good enough for Barry Goldwater in 1964, and good enough for Ronald Reagan in 1980, so it should be good enough for conservatives in 2008.