Communication Is The Key

On Tuesday night, history was made as President Barack Obama addressed the joint houses of Congress for the first time. I, however, didn’t watch the President’s speech at all. People tend to not enjoy my company whenever Obama speaks, because I always seem to feel an inexplicable urge to respond to every statement that he makes.

Truthfully, I was much more interested in watching Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana deliver the Republican response to President Obama. Gov. Jindal is an amazing conservative who has completely turned around the state of Louisiana. Considering that many consider Gov. Jindal to be a “rising star’ in the GOP, I was very interested to see how he would fare in his first prime time speech.

I was pretty disappointed. Although the substance in his speech was good, Gov. Jindal appeared to be uncomfortable reading from a teleprompter. I also think that his delivery didn’t encourage anyone to actually take seriously what he was saying. In short, he came across as too nice. In Gov. Jindal’s case, for him to be taken seriously as a speaker, he needs to come across as more determined and aggressive than he was on Tuesday night.

The most influential figures in politics are always able to communicate a message effectively. Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and now Barack Obama have all proven this. For Republicans to take back the White House in 2012, we need someone who is capable of communicating the conservative message strongly and effectively. In my view, the only person who can currently do that is Mike Huckabee.

It is way too early to endorse a candidate for 2012, however, if all the “potential” Republican candidates were to announce today, I would have to again endorse Mike Huckabee. I’m not writing off anyone, but if Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin intend to elevate their political careers any further, they need to specialize their messages, so that voters in primary states will take them seriously. I think that Govs. Jindal and palin are both great public servants, but if they are the best and brightest that we can offer, then they better improve on their communication skills.

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.

VP Madness

A couple of events throughout this week have generated even more discussion about who will be John McCains running mate. Firstly, this weekend, John McCain is hosting three potential running mates at his house in Arizona; Mitt Romney, Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, and Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

I have made a promise to myself that I would never vote for Mitt Romney in any way. I simply believe that the man has no personal conviction, and that he is personally governed by what other people think of him, instead of what he believes is right. On top of that, Romney would be a terrible running mate. In a race against a diversified democratic coalition, Mitt Romney is the epitome of a wealthy white man. A McCain / Romney ticket would not be appealing to voters at all. John McCain is white enough for any ticket.

I don’t know much about Charlie Crist, but I do know that he’s not a terribly great social conservative. Like Romney, Gov. Crist has changed his mind on the right for unborn babies to live several times. I also know that he is extremely popular in Florida, but politicians who are too popular scare me sometimes. Popularity usually boils down to the fact that you don’t have enough courage to do something that might not be popular.

Like I’ve said before, Gov. Bobby Jindal is a very impressive and talented guy, but I think a vice presidency under John McCain would waste his talents. Honestly I’m kind of afraid that if he accepts the VP nomination, then he might turn out like Dan Quayle. I like Gov. Jindal too much for me to sit idlely by as McCain ruins his political future.

The second little peice that has generated VP discussion is the VP tourney at CQ politics, which Mike Huckabee won yesterday. The finals were between Mike Huckabee and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

Even though Gov. Huckabee “won” the tournament, I really don’t want him to be McCain’s running mate. I voted for Mike Huckabee to become president, not vice president. If I had known that Gov. Huckabee would be willing to settle for the number two spot, than I’m not sure if I would have supported him at all. As of right now, my loyalty in 2012 lies with Mike Huckabee. If he became vice president, then by the time he would run to succeed McCain, we would be coming off of 12 years of Republican rule, and he would surely lose to almost anybody. If Mike Huckabee becomes vice president, then his political future would be over.

The only smart choice as a running mate for McCain is Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. She represents a new wave of Republicans. We need someone to change the GOP’s much outdated national image, and Gov. Palin would do that. She is a strong conservative reformer, and we need her in Washington.

Bobby Jindal In 2012?

A lot of people seem to think that Louisiana’s Governor, Bobby Jindal, would be the best option as John McCain’s vice-president. I’m going to have to disagree with this, but it isn’t because I don’t like Gov. Jindal. Advocates of a potential vice-president Jindal are right to be excited about this guy, he’s articulate, intelligent, and he represents change, but I think that associating Gov. Jindal with an old fogey’s campaign like McCain’s will surely hurt his political future.

Instead of advocating Jindal for vice president, those who are truly excited about this guy should try and help him where he’s at. He’s only 36, and he already has a good bit of experience. In 1995, at the ripe old age of 24, Jindal was appointed Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. During his tenure at that position, Louisiana’s Medicare program went from bankruptcy to having a surplus of 220 million dollars. He has also already been a Congressman for three years, and he was elected Governor of Louisiana just last year. Instead of nominating Gov. Jindal for vice president, I think that it would be better to give him the keynote address at the Republican National Convention this summer in Minneapolis, so he can introduce himself on a national level, much like Barack Obama did at the DNC back in 2004 .

If Gov. Jindal continues doing as well in Louisiana as he is doing right now, and he doesn’t change any of his conservative positions, we could be seeing this guy as a future presidential candidate. It doesn’t really matter if he runs in 2012, or 2016, either way, he still will be younger than Barack Obama is now, and he seems pretty fresh, doesn’t he?