What happened to the “war on women” that the Left so insistently argued that the GOP started?  Just a few short weeks ago, the media– both Conservative and Liberal– seemed to be consumed by this fictional war.  However, as of late I hardly hear of it.  What happened?  Were surrendering documents signed in some remote location without the public’s consent?  No, I think the Left realized that they were losing this “war” and simply decided to retreat!

Remember what started that “war on women”?  Sandra Fluke’s demand that the government provide her with free birth control.  In the middle of that “war”, Sandra Fluke was a name you could hear numerous times a day by watching any news station.  Now where is she?  Were her demands ever really an issue, or was she simply a wartime “spy” sent out by the Left?  They insisted that the Republican Party was to blame for this “assault” on women (check out this Lefty website and see for yourself– but be prepared, ’cause this one’s a doozy!).  The Left claims that if Republicans had their way, women’s place in society would return to that of the 19th century:  Not allowed to work outside the home, not allowed to vote, and treated as inferior to men in every way.  According to the Left, this would describe the lives of women under Republican leadership.

Yes, the Left seems to believe that women would be miserable and treated as second-class citizens under Conservative leadership.  Do they have any evidence to back up that claim?  None that I’ve seen.  The only piece of “evidence” I’m aware of is the Left’s claim that Planned Parenthood would no longer exist under Republicans, making it difficult for women to receive proper care.  Maybe it’s just me, but I’m pretty sure there are other places to receive preventative screenings and other such care.  Planned Parenthood’s main mission– the reason a majority of Conservatives oppose it– is performing abortions.  The life issue is a huge one for many; besides, if the Left supports abortion, they’re actually supporting the abortion of female babies as well, because males aren’t the only children who are aborted.  They may say that by supporting it, they’re allowing women to have a “choice”– but the problem is that it is no longer a choice when it comes to a child.  Their support of abortion actually makes them anti-women right from the start.

What about Julia?  Wasn’t she supposed to draw women to the fact that President Obama is “in their corner”?  Julia seems to have disappeared, especially compared with the media coverage she was receiving just a few weeks ago.  Her life of government dependency had no appeal and thus the entire fairytale backfired on the Left.  Contrary to the Left’s beliefs, women don’t want cushy, meaningless lives– we want to live the American Dream just as much as men do.  Gender has no effect on who desires that.  The definition of American Dream may differ from person to person, but the foundation of it is the same.  Women deserve the right to live their dreams in a free country just as much as anyone.

I really don’t think there is a war on women from either side– certainly not from the Right, but there is hardly one from the Left.  Here’s why:  If we said the Left had engaged in a war on women, we’d also have to say that they are in a war against every other demographic; at this point they seem to be fighting against “We the People”rather than fighting for them.

So, about that fictional “war on women”:  The Left fired the first shot, and the Right responded by sounding a battle-cry that thousands of Conservatives answered.  Surrender papers haven’t been signed, and the Left continues to fire occasional shots, but there’s no real war.  I use the analogy to annoy the Left   The whole event was a fake from the beginning.

War on women?  I don’t think so.  We’re more than just a vote, Lefties– I and thousands of other women are real people who won’t tolerate being used as a campaign slogan.  The “war on women” tactic didn’t work.  We fired the winning shot!

Speculation concerning Mitt Romney’s choice of a running mate is beginning to pick up as of late, with a handful of names being consistently mentioned.  Marco Rubio, Rob Portman, Paul Ryan, and Kelly Ayotte seem to be the names I hear the most.  Personally, I believe there are better choices than any of these people.  While I am a huge supporter of some of them, I think we need them in the House and Senate to keep strong members there.  Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has barely been mentioned as a potential #2, but I think he would be a great choice.

Bob McDonnell was elected in 2009 to be Virginia’s 71st governor.  Prior to that he served 21 years in the Army, both in active duty and reserves, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.  His father was a soldier before him, and his oldest daughter served as a U.S. Army Officer and is an Iraq War veteran.

McDonnell went on to serve as Attorney General of Virginia, where 92 of his 105 legislative proposals passed– most with bipartisan support.  Also during his tenure as Attorney General, he helped initiate the toughest laws on sexual predators in the country.

During his time as Governor of Virginia McDonnell’s record is remarkable.  He has proven that he is not afraid to go against the status quo and pass laws that may not be popular with the establishment.  The most recent law he signed that sparked tremendous outrage from the pro-choice community was a bill that requires a woman to receive an ultrasound of her unborn child before having an abortion.

Governor McDonnell comes from a state that may be critical in November.  His record is consistently conservative.  He is unashamed of going against the status quo.  He does not denounce social values.  He has southern appeal.  I think Governor McDonnell would be an excellent choice for Romney’s running mate.  Romney’s vice-presidential “search team” certainly has their work cut out for them!

Dear Governor Romney,

I’ll start by honestly saying that you were not my favorite candidate in the primaries.  I supported Rick Perry and Rick Santorum, both of whom you sparred with in debates and on the campaign trail.  In those discussions, I did see in you a candidate who handled himself well under pressure.  In most cases, you kept your composure even when under incredible stress.  You are definitely going to need that quality in the general election, which brings me to the reason for this letter.  I’ve decided to fully support you for President of the United States.

Your past opinions on certain issues that are very important to me have made me apprehensive to fully support you for President.  I’ve never doubted that you would be a far superior President compared with our current one; I’ve simply had personal issues with your previous stances on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and other social issues.  I’ve never doubted the quality of your fiscal, immigration, and national defense policies, but since social issues are a big deal to me, I’ve been hesitant.  However, President Obama has just taken a step way too far and I have decided to throw my full support behind you.

President Obama is now calling for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, a law signed by President Clinton in 1996.  It defines marriage as between one man and one woman and says that states are not required to allow people of the same sex to marry.  In the United States, traditional marriage is still the practice we follow.  I know that you support traditional marriage.  I can’t say why it has taken me this long to fully support you, but I can say that now I will support you completely.  Between President Obama’s support for abortion, gun control, socialist economic policies, apologizing for America around the world, and now his support for gay marriage and repealing the DOMA, he has just gone too far.  His actions border on treason.  The “tolerant” left has been allowed to infringe upon nearly every part of our country with their intolerance for views and actions that do not line up with theirs.  It has to stop.

I’m a young American who is deeply concerned for the future of my country.  I know that under President Obama, the future that I am working so hard towards will never be available to me.  Although many young people are still drinking the left’s “kool-aid”, many have developed a disliking for it after really experiencing what it does.  You are going to need young people to get you elected in November; they were a key voting bloc for President Obama in 2008, and you’re going to need to convince them that your vision for this country is a better one than the vision of a government-dependent society that President Obama is advertising (even though he isn’t using those words; his sound much more appealing on the surface).

I’m willing to fight for America for as long as it takes to bring her back from the edge of destruction she is teetering on.  I know that there are thousands more like me who are not going to give up easily.  However, we need a leader we can trust if we are going to successfully win the future back.  We have a choice between our current “leader”– I use that term loosely– and you.  I’ll take a successful businessman over a community organizer any day.

We need you, Governor Romney.  We need you to enact conservatives principles in the White House.  We need government to take their hand out of the way businesses function in the economy.  We need values to be once again placed in high esteem.  We need to stop apologizing for America around the world.  We need a strong defense at home.  Basically, we need you to bring back President Reagan’s three-legged stool of conservatism.  In return, you’ll be able to bring the country that you and thousands of others love back from the destruction it is heading toward and help put it back on the path to prosperity.  The next generation is being hugely affected by President Obama’s policies.  Jobs are unavailable to us, college tuitions are out of reach for many, and thousands are being blindly led down a path that will not lead to the equality and prosperity they are being promised.

I’m behind you, Governor Romney.  My generation is depending on you!

Sincerely,
Bethany Bowra

P.S.
By the way:  Once you have been elected, I would love to see you invite a group of young conservatives to the White House to discuss issues that pertain specifically to us.  I think it would help you understand better just how much we are affected by the policies you will put into place.  Just putting it out there!

Gay marriage has been the hot topic for the last few days, following the completion of President Obama’s “evolving” views on the issue.  While his announcement of support for gay marriage came as a surprise to no one, it has still served to spark a media uproar concerning the public’s views on it.  31 states have already been given the opportunity to legalize gay marriage– and 31 states have said no thank-you.  I’m approaching this issue carefully; however, I’m using only Scripture to give you my opinion on it.

The Bible clearly states its definition of marriage in many places, one of which is Ephesians 5:25-32:

“(v. 25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (v. 26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (v. 27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  (v. 28) So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.  He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  (v.29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:  (v. 30) For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.  (v. 31) ‘For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.’  (v. 32) This is a great mystery:  but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

Marriage is a covenant between a man, a woman, and God.  Marriage is holy matrimony in the sight of God.  It is a picture of the way Christ loves His church.  Just as Christ loves the church and would (did) give Himself for it, a husband ought to love his wife in the same way.  Marriage in its intended form is a picture here on earth of the way God loves us– wholly and completely, because He created us and desires a relationship with us.  Marriage is a privilege given by God, not the government.  Therefore, the government really should have no say in the issue of marriage.

Let me make something else clear:  While in the Bible God clearly gives the definition of marriage, He also gives us another commandment in Matthew 22:35-40:

“Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Christ commands us to love everyone around us.  He doesn’t say “Thou shalt love thy neighbour…as long as they aren’t gay.”  He says to love everyone.  As humans, we cannot perfectly love someone, nor can we perfectly hate someone (without malice).  However, God is perfectly able to love a person completely, yet at the same time detest the sin they are committing.  As we are called to be more like Christ, we strive to love all people regardless of their sins– because we, too, are imperfect sinners, and no sin is “worse” than another.  In James 2:10 He states that, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”  That is not saying that some sins do not have worse consequences than others, simply that you are just as much a sinner for stealing a pack of gum as a murderer is for his actions.  All have sinned.  Therefore, we are called to love those who are gay.  Love the people– but hate the sin.  Again, this does not mean you degrade them every time you see them.  It simply means that you love the person but do not condone their actions– it is not necessarily your right to “put them in line.”  In many cases, people you know could say the same of you and me– they love us, but do not love the wrong in our lives.  Makes sense, right?

Should gay marriages be legal?  Well, according to the Bible, no.  Marriage is defined in the Bible as a sacred union, before God, of a man and a woman.  Gay marriage is not okay with God because of this. The legality of gay marriage is the main controversy surrounding this issue, and the answer can be clearly found.

Those are my thoughts (with lots of Scriptural backup).  Why, though, is the media siding with the President so strongly on this issue while the public has clearly voiced their opinion?  As I said before, 31 states have made gay marriage illegal.  How could announcing his support for gay marriage aid President Obama’s re-election hopes?  I don’t think it can.  Quite frankly, he may have just “evolved himself into a one-term President.”  Our country is making clear that our definition of marriage does not need to change.  Why is our President trying to force us to?  I’ll conclude with a quote from Reverend Billy Graham regarding North Carolina’s gay marriage bill (stated before the vote on Tuesday):  “At 93, I never thought we would have to debate the definition of marriage.”

The one name that might be able to seal the election for Mitt Romney is probably one of the only names I haven’t heard even thrown around by pundits on both sides of the aisle.  They seem to be hugely overlooking South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint.  Why is he being overlooked?  He has one of if not the most conservative record in the Senate.  He’s from a Southern state, a demographic that Romney desperately needs.  Most of all, though, DeMint is genuine; a rare quality in politicians today.

His voting record in the Senate is spectacular– voted against Sonia Sotomayor’s appointment to the Supreme Court; against Ben Bernanke’s appointment as Federal Reserve Chairman; voted for a Federal Reserve audit; against Elena Kagan’s appointment to the Supreme Court; against the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; voted for a Balanced Budget amendment; voted for the Keystone XL Pipeline Project; and voted for a bill that would prohibit insider trading by members of Congress.  Perhaps most impressively, DeMint led the fight against banning earmarks in 2009-2010.  He was prepared to call for a vote in late 2010, even with the expressive disagreement of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, and after hearing the public support for DeMint’s plan, McConnell actually flipped (surprise!).  He announced his support for DeMint’s bill the day before the Senate would vote on it.  That’s the kind of influence DeMint is capable of; he created a bill, got it out there, and people respond positively to it.

Before the 2010 midterm election, DeMint created the Senate Conservatives Fund, an organization that would only endorse truly conservative candidates for the Senate.  Because of the help of SCF, we now have Senators such as Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee, among many others.

I’m not saying that Jim DeMint is perfect; he is not.  However, I do think he would have a tremendous impact on the Presidential race as Romney’s #2.  Why not?  He’s from a Southern state; he has been in the Senate for eight years, so he has experience; and he resonates with voters.  He’s a genuine person who understands the problems that we are facing.  He doesn’t sit in his office all day and dream up ways to fix the mess we’re in; he goes out and meets with constituents, allowing them to voice their concerns to him, and uses their opinions to create solutions.  What about Jim DeMint makes him an unappealing VP?  Nothing I can find.  I think he’d be one of if not the best possible choice for Romney.  If we want him on the short list, though, we have to push for him.  Feel free to re-print this article on whatever other sites you contribute to so we can spread the word!  (But please link it back to www.nextgenerationvoters.com.)

Jim DeMint would be someone we can count on as our Vice-President.  He’s my top pick for Romney’s running mate.

I’ll be covering Rick Santorum’s endorsement of Mitt Romney a bit more in depth later on, but for now I thought this was more pressing.  May is ALS Awareness month.  This is very important to me, because my family has been affected by ALS.

If you’re not aware of what ALS is, this part is for you.  ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the baseball player) stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Schlerosis.  ALS is a neuromuscular disease that effects the nerves in your body slowly, eventually causing them to shut down.  Eventually you lose the use of your limbs, and you cannot feed yourself or even breathe on your own.  Virtually every part of your body is affected– except your brain.  Basically opposite of Alzheimer’s, ALS doesn’t affect your mind in any way.  It takes away the use of everything else, even your speech, so you are left unable to care for yourself even though your mind is fully functioning.  There is no cure for ALS, and the life expectancy once you develop it is 2-5 years.

Like I said, my family has been affected by ALS.  I know the damage it does not only to the patient, but to the family as well.  May is National ALS Awareness month, so I wanted to pass along this link– “31 Ways to Fight ALS in 31 Days.”  I realize we’re already a few days into the month, but you can make up the days   Research is being done to find a cure for ALS, and we’re closer now than we’ve ever been.  You don’t hear about it much on the news, but many members of Congress are very supportive of this research and have passed many funding bills toward this research.  We have to keep up the fight, though, if we want to find a cure.  I’d encourage you to take a minute and check out the link above, and www.alsa.org, the main website for the ALS Association!

In an email to supporters tonight, Rick Santorum endorses Mitt Romney. He mentioned the meeting he has with Romney on Friday, which lasted more than an hour, and some of the topics discussed. They included the importance of families in America and keeping them an integral part of the economy, the role of “commonly overlooked” groups– social conservatives, Tea Partiers, and middle and low income families. He states that it is clear he and Governor Romney agree on their stances regarding abortion and gay marriage. He was also “satisfied” with the Governor’s answers regarding national security and foreign affairs. Above all, he said, our biggest task is defeating President Obama. Romney will need all of our support to do that, so the Senator chose to endorse him.

Whoever Julia really is, she must be feeling pretty special (if she’s an Obama supporter; because she got turned into a faceless surrogate for the campaign).  The political world has been captivated by her for the past few days.  Apparently, all of us should strive to be just like this Julia or we’re somehow not thinking straight– oh, and we don’t care about the poor.  I’m not sure about you, but I don’t think her life sounds very appealing.

Julia’s life is played out on your computer screen by visiting President Obama’s campaign website.  At three years old, Julia has been enrolled in a Head Start program, so she is better prepared to succeed and learn in kindergarten; under the “Romney/Ryan” budget (apparently Obama’s campaign is fairly confident that will be the ticket?), Head Start programs would be cut by 20%.  I see so much twisted here.   Firstly, since when do three year-olds go to kindergarten?  Secondly, I thought kindergarten was supposed to teach you how to learn and be better prepared to succeed, since it’s your first school experience.  Silly me

The next step of Julia’s life is at seventeen years old (seems like a pretty big jump to me).  Under President Obama, her high school is part of a Race to the Top program, which means that Julia is ready to start her college applications and take her SAT test thanks to the new “college- and career- ready standards” of the program.  Under the Romney/Ryan budget (there it is again!), funding for public education would be cut to “pay for tax cuts for millionaires.”  I highly doubt that the only reason Julia is ready for her SAT is because of the Race to the Top program.  You know, there’s this thing called studying– it can help anyone prepare for the SAT whether or not their school is in the RTTT program.  Apparently, President Obama thinks that any education besides a public one is not efficient enough to educate our futures.  I strongly beg to differ.

At eighteen, Julia’s family qualifies for President Obama’s American Opportunity Tax Credit and a Pell Grant.  Under Romney, the AOTC “would be allowed to expire, and Pell Grant funding would be slashed for ten million students.”  The AOTC is worth up to $10,000 over four years; one could win scholarships worth more than that if he or she studies.  Hmm…

At twenty-two, Julia undergoes surgery (we don’t know what it was for or what the surgery was).  “Thankfully,” she was covered under her parents’ insurance plan (why didn’t she have her own insurance?  If she had a job– oops, I forgot; she doesn’t need one since the government is funding her life).  Under Mitt Romney, “health care reform would be repealed– Romney says he’d ‘kill it dead.’”  Lies.

At twenty-three, Julia decides to start working, and…I don’t really understand this step.  Because of President Obama, Julia would be given equal rights and equal pay.  Somehow this one doesn’t make sense to me.

At twenty-five, Julia is graduating, and since President Obama has kept interest rates on student loans low, her loans are manageable and she pays them on time every month.  According to Obama’s website, under the “Romney/Ryan budget,” student loan interest rates would be “allowed to double.”  Why not encourage hard work for scholarships and saving money instead of encouraging government dependence?

At twenty-seven, Julia has been working full-time for four years, and thanks to President Obama, her employer is required to cover her birth control.  This makes her able to focus on her work rather than her health (?).  Directly from the website, here is what would happen under Romney:  “Romney supports the Blunt Amendment—which would place Julia’s health care decisions in the hands of her employer—and repealing health care reform so insurance companies could go back to charging women 50% more than men.”

At thirty-one, Julia decides to have a child (alone).  She benefits from maternal checkups, prenatal care, and free screenings under healthcare reform.  Under Romney– “healthcare reform would be repealed.”

At thirty-seven, Julia’s son is about to start kindergarten.  The public schools in their neighborhood are much better and have great teachers thanks to President Obama’s policies.  Under Romney, federal funding for public schools in every state would be cut by 50%.  I don’t see a problem– in fact, if school funding were left up to the states, I bet those schools and teachers could be even better.

At forty-two, Julia decides to start her own business, and qualifies for loans under President Obama’s Small Business Administration loan.  This enables her to hire employees and work more efficiently– thereby growing her local economy.  Romney, apparently, would cut funding to this program by 20%.  How does that say Julia couldn’t still qualify?

Jump all the way to sixty-five years old.  Julia enrolls in Medicare, a program that is still running thanks to President Obama (under Romney, Medicare “as we know it” could end).

At sixty-seven, Julia retires comfortably and begins collecting Social Security.  Under Romney, Julia’s benefits could be cut by 40% and she may not be able to “volunteer at a community garden.”  I’m speechless about this one.

That’s Julia’s life (apparently she disappears after turning sixty-seven…the documentation of her life stops there).  Enticing, isn’t it?  A life full of government handouts and support.  There are a few vital things I see missing from Julia’s story:  hard work; integrity; personal responsibility; common sense!  Everyone would want Julia’s life if not for two things.  One:  Someone has to pay for Julia’s handouts.  If everyone had her life, the government would stop collecting revenue and no one could have it.  Two:  Most Americans still believe in the American Dream; a life of working toward one’s dreams and accomplishing them after years of responsibility and hard work.  You know that feeling of pride you get after accomplishing something you’ve been working toward?  Julia will never feel that to the fullest.  She may accomplish some dreams, but most of them happen because the government held her hand the entire way.  A life of dependency on the government will only lead to destruction in the end.

I don’t know about you, but I think my life beats Julia’s any day. 

A better life for Julia doesn’t begin with President Obama’s plan; it begins with this:  http://blog.heritage.org/a-better-life-for-julia/  Check it out!

**By the way:  I know all of that sounds crazy, but I didn’t make it up!http://www.barackobama.com/life-of-julia**

You don’t often hear the words “American” and “genocide” in the same sentence, do you?  The genocide during the Holocaust is well known, and genocide is a crime against humanity.  On September 11, 2001, Americans were killed on our own soil.  However, there is a genocide going on within the borders of the United States that too many are overlooking– it is happening through abortion.  It is time to end the American genocide once and for all.  How can we expect our prosperity to fully return if we continue allowing this to occur?

During the Holocaust, from roughly 1933-1945, there were approximately 11 million Jews, handicaps, homosexuals, and others brutally murdered.  Their lives were taken to satisfy a greedy man’s selfish desire for power.  Instead of expanding Germany’s territory across Europe, he drove the world into war and committed suicide to end it.  Adolf Hitler was responsible for those murders.  What did Americans do about it?  We went to war.

Nearly 3,000 Americans were killed on September 11th, 2001, by terrorists seeking to launch a jihad in the name of Allah.  Their faith in Islam and hate for America drove them to hijack 747s and fly them into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and attempting to fly one into Washington, D.C.  Most terrorists make no attempt to hide their hatred for this country.  They hate everything we stand for.  One of their many attempts to destroy us was September 11th, 2001, and we have now been fighting them for almost 11 years.  What did we do about it?  We went to war.

There is a war waging within the United States as you read this.  A war that has lasted much, much longer than either the Holocaust or the War on Terror.  Since 1973, abortion has killed 50 million innocent children.  Why were they killed?  Oh, their mother didn’t want the bother of a child.  This is not true of all cases, but it is the case for many.  This war is much more severe than many seem to realize.  It really is a war; genocide is a crime against humanity.  What reasons could possibly be given to justify these actions?

Well, some will say, it’s not really a person yet.  Or is it?  If I asked you to define what a “living person” is, you would probably say one with a beating heart.  Studies show that the heart is formed just 14 days after conception, and it is fully functioning– pumping blood throughout the body– at 21 days after conception.  Three weeks in, it’s a person.  Killing an innocent person is murder; and that baby certainly is innocent.

How can we, as Americans, expect our nation to get back on its feet while this bloodbath continues to happen within our own borders?  There are so many reasons it needs to stop.  The first and foremost reason is that these children deserve a chance to live their lives just as much as you and I do.  Their lives are no less than ours.  What legitimate reason is there to end their lives before they even have the chance to live it?  A sense of responsibility must be instilled in this country once again.  Irresponsibility is a major reason for abortions; if a woman just doesn’t want her baby, she has the option to abort it.  Responsibility needs to be taught to the next generation so they realize how wrong this truly is.  Yes, a woman should be able to “choose” for her own body; but when another human being is involved, that choice no longer concerns only her.

Feminists rally around abortion as a way to give women equal opportunities with men.  I reject this idea of radical feminism; your body is not solely your own when a baby is involved.  That baby deserves a life.  Feminism was never meant to be this way.  Real feminism is equal work for equal pay, personal responsibility, integrity, and taking care of your home.  It’s called being feminine in most cases.  Today’s feminists are making the earlier ones look bad; but personally, I’ll stick with the earlier ones every time.

Let’s declare war on abortion.  Officially.  An unofficial war has been waging for nearly forty years and is still going.  Maybe if we make it official, we can have an end like that of the Holocaust– a quick one, with the instigators surrendering under the pressure.  It’ll take thousands of people fighting the war on their home turfs.  Are we willing to do that to end the war on human life?

I think many Americans have been focusing on an issue this primary season that, although very important, has not been the core issue that should have dominated our thinking.  Electability has been a huge argument for Mitt Romney as he battled his Republican challengers; Romney is more electable, pundits would say, but Santorum has real convictions.  Which would you rather have?  Apparently, electability won out this year.  That is why we need to make sure we have a strong Congress to keep Romney accountable should he win this November.

While I do believe that Governor Romney would be a far superior President compared to President Obama, I also feel that he still has moderate leanings that people should be alerted to and concerned about.  His advisors suggest that he would not repeal ObamaCare in its entirety– he would only repeal parts of it.  This is one of the reasons I believe we need a strong Congress– House and Senate– to keep a President Romney accountable.  It really should be a given; our Congress must be strong if we want laws to be passed that reflect our views and hopes.  However, I feel that in this election year, especially because so many conservatives are dissatisfied with Romney as our nominee, our Congress should be of utmost priority.

We have seen firsthand what an irresponsible Congress is capable of:  basically, nothing.  Our Congress has not passed a budget for more than 1,000 days because it cannot agree on what is “needed.”  It is ridiculous that our Congress is more concerned with political gain than they are for the good of the country.  In 2012 we need to elect more members such as Allen West, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, and Jim DeMint who are not afraid of respectfully going against the status quo– even when their Congressional seats may be put in jeopardy because of their actions.  These four men, and others like them, have proven that the well-being of America is at the top of their priority list.  Only members like these are capable of truly holding a President Romney accountable for his actions.

I do believe that a President Romney would be better for this country than President Obama; I’ll admit, I’m still having a hard time throwing my full support behind him.  My decision at this point is to focus on electing a strong 113th Congress in November; that way, Romney will be held accountable and will have no choice but to continue leaning farther to the right of center.  It is true that he has come much farther to the right since his Senate run in 1994; however, recent statements make me a bit apprehensive about what he would do as President.  If we have a strong Congress, he will not be able to do things that reflect his own views rather than that of the American people’s (not that reflecting his views are a bad thing, but his job as President is to represent the American people).  If we want President Obama’s destructive policies reversed, our best chance is to have a Congress that reflects those hopes as well!