For those who visit this website from time to time, I apologize for not writing for several months. School, work, and seeking further opportunities in the political realm after the military have severely limited personal time. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to really have the opportunity to sit down and write my thoughts. Thanks for visiting and feel free to visit my favorite links to the right. You won’t be disappointed!
Wish the Pledge was taught like this in schools today…
What I Thought About The CNN/YouTube Debate
Last Wednesday, CNN and YouTube held a GOP Presidential Debate from St. Petersburg, Florida. That night I was one of 4.4 million Americans watching the GOP go at it in what I thought was the most combative Republican debate yet. My thoughts on the debate are as follows:
Rudy Giuliani: I like that Rudy is strong and steady when it comes to foreign policy. He’s out to kill some terrorists and all for that. But his “social conservatism” is quite unconvincing and his position on immigration is wanting. I don’t care if he feels undocumented children should be allowed to go to school or call emergency services. They’re still illegal aliens and need to leave the country. His “sanctuary mansion” line to Romney was childish and un-called for. He seemed a man in desperation because he knew Romney was right and he was wrong.
Giuliani: C+
Mitt Romney: Contrary to many political pundits in the blogosphere, I do NOT think Romney looked presidential or carried the debate. While strong on immigration and taxes, he finally admitted he was effectively pro-choice in Massachussetts and sounded absolutely horrible in his answers on gays in the military and torture. There were too many questions Romney just didn’t answer and left the audience (including me) wondering what he was REALLY thinking. The more I hear Romney get asked the hard questions, the more I’m starting to see why he’s being called a flip-flopper by both right-wing and left-wing ideologues.
Romney: D
John McCain: It’s no secret I’ve never liked McCain. He’s willing to compromise conservative ideals to work “across the aisle” and produce crappy legislation like McCain-Feingold and Comprehensive Immigration Reform. However, McCain stood strong on Iraq and the War on Terror in general. Though I disagree with his views about waterboarding and torture, McCain did not compromise and used his experience to his advantage. Overall good night for him; I suspect he’ll be gaining in New Hampshire because of it.
McCain: B-
Fred Thompson: Once again, Thompson impressed me to the point of boredom. While he offered good, constructive conservative answers to nearly every question, he didn’t give an answer that was really memorable. If he’s really a true federalist, I would think he’d be proposing plans that tout states’ rights. But in this day and age, federalism is only given lip service, including lip service from Thompson. This guy just doesn’t have the passion for the job. I guess he’d make a good governor or something, but I’m not sure about President of the United States.
Thompson: C
Huckabee: Huckabee had the momentum coming into this debate and it showed. Touting his socially conservative creditials and pushing his charismatic personality, I feel Huckabee will be doing very good in Iowa. He’s a Baptist preacher after all, so that should be enough to bring along the Evangelical block in early primary states. However, his record on taxes and spending is worse than Bill Clinton’s as governor and his views on immigration are horrible. I feel his “compassionate conservatism” includes pushing his morality upon the electorate in terms of higher spending and more stupid welfare programs this country cannot afford. He played the populist card in this debate, though it’s unfortunate many Americans will be duped into supporting him.
Huckabee: B
The Others: Except for Ron Paul, I don’t really remember what anybody else said. Tancredo is a one-issue candidate and Duncan Hunter just doesn’t have the “it” factor to be memorable anyway. I love Paul’s domestic ideas, but he’s just plain wrong on foreign policy.
The Others: F
Overall Feelings: Huckabee and Giuliani will remain in strong positions after this debate. The other candidates are a mixed bag, so we’ll see what happens. On a different note, the Clintonistas and the Obama/Edwards supporters made this debate look like a big joke. CNN just plain sucks at debates. Fox News definitely has nothing to worry about these days.
If Democrats think JFK is so great, why don’t they listen to his advice on tax cuts?
If JFK was alive today, I truly think he’d belong to the Zell Miller wing of the Republican Party.
I don’t usually write about France, or any country besides the United States, but this is clearly an example of political backbone:
President Sarkozy of France is on the verge of a breakthrough in his ambitious plan to wean his country off the restrictive working practices he believes stand in the way of national prosperity.
Yesterday, the strike of rail and subway workers that has crippled France for nine days was clearly crumbling, as workers began returning to work in large numbers and union branches conceded that support for the dispute is collapsing.
“We think a dynamic of return to work has begun,” Julie Vion, a spokeswoman for France’s state-owned railroad network, SNCF, said.
If Sarkozy can stare down the socialist elements in his country and WIN, why can’t Republicans in Congress do the same in a center-right country?
*And the crickets chirp…*
Fortunately, I am not in Iraq this Thanksgiving, but it doesn’t mean this year isn’t any more special than the last. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there in the blogosphere and I hope you all have a great day thinking of the things you’re thankful for like hot chicks and food and beer!
Seriously though, today is a great day to be thankful to God for all the blessings he has bestowed upon this nation and its people. It’s truly amazing that we all can take a day off, feast and stuff ourselves with food, and party it up with friends. Remember, in addition to God’s grace, it’s the American soldier that has given us our freedom. Pray for our Armed Forces today and pray they will be able to celebrate the day wherever they are. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Even though I don’t agree that Mike Huckabee should be President of the United States, his new campaign ad is still pretty darn funny. Take a look:
So we all know that Mike Huckabee is rising in his poll numbers from Iowa, only trailing Mitt Romney. This, I think, is in large part to his socially conservative agenda that would attract traditional social conservatives along with evangelicals and pro-life supporters. While I do like his stances on gay marriage, abortion, the family, and many other traditional family values (he is a Baptist minister afterall), I think the following video is telling about his stance on big government and fiscal responsibility:
If this is the kind of “conservative” Mike Huckabee would be if he were in the White House, I’d rather pass. In a past GOP debate, he made no excuses for his tax hikes, saying he would not denounce his prior choice to raise taxes because Arkansas needed new roads. That position, in my mind, is foolish. The right way to raise revenue is to CUT taxes and REDUCE spending. Instead of acting like the *government* needs more money to close its budget gap, it’s about time politicians starting thinking of the money they bring in as *the people’s money* and quit spending more than they bring in.
If individuals and families are expected to be financially responsible, why shouldn’t government be as well?
Lately I’ve been disappointed with many establishment GOPers, that is no secret. Their ambivalence toward the U.S. Constitution is troubling, their support for “judicial activism” when it suits their interests is disappointing, and their adherence to unconstitutional usurpation of executive power is frightening. Another issue I think that conservatives fall flat on is talking about real, concerning issues.
My thoughts on this matter all came about by an article in the University of Colorado’s Newspaper, The Scribe. Looking at the political editorials, I found an article denouncing one, Norman Hsu and the behavior of Hillary Clinton. There was nothing wrong with the article, and in fact, I agreed with it. But unfortunately, it left a bad taste in my mouth - mostly because I have been feeling that conservatives spend too much time on petty little issues that don’t matter when considering the big picture. The Hsu opinion was what I consider a petty matter that most of the public won’t even pay attention to. In my opinion, conservatives need to talk about the big issues that actually matter and reside in the public mind.
In my opinion, mainstreet conservatives need to stop talking about the little petty social nonsense that comes up in the news every week, but instead focus on BIG ideas and big issues - like the Constitution, terrorism, states’ rights, limited government, social security reform, and other ignored issues like trade and taxes. When it comes down to it, BIG ideas matter to the people, not little petty things that pass from the public’s mind after a few weeks. Conservatives need to touch on issues that liberals will NEVER touch, like keeping taxes low, strategies for market-based economic growth, and the need to promote representative government abroad
UPDATE: I just got out of my Constitutional Law class. Though I’m in class with a bunch of Colorado Springs right-wingers (which is refreshing), I feel many only pay attention to the 30 second soundbites and current media stories. People only mentioned warrant-less NSA wiretapping 3 times(!!!) and really didn’t have anything to say in terms of historical or institutional knowledge about the presidency at all (which was discussed today). Unfortunately, this may be something I will have to deal with on a regular basis - many conservatives simply toe the party line and repeat talking points instead of really exploring the issues involved. This is why I would rather have a discussion with *classic* liberals and economic libertarians than modern, mainstream conservatives.
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Glenn says: "It's not soda, it's pop!"
