We are now two days away from the Florida presidential primary.

If you are to believe the narrative in the media and the results of most polls, Mitt Romney has pulled out to a substantial lead in the race, up by an average of 8-10 pts.

It’s worth noting that the polling has been schizophrenic…

Romney held a commanding double digit lead here prior to the South Carolina primary, which Newt Gingrich erased entirely as he rode the momentum of his dominant win in that primary to a strong lead of his own. We then saw the ‘machine’ go to work on Newt, giving us the current results. And this has all occurred in the past 10 days.

What the polling suggests is that this is a very volatile race that can turn quickly and with two days to go, anything is possible. But for the moment, let’s assume that Romney prevails in Florida. What does that mean?

It will mean that, in spite of the great awakening of the American people brought on by Rick Santelli’s famous Chicago rant, money still controls politics.

It will mean that the politics of personal destruction and negative campaigning prevails as an effective path to winning elections.

It will mean that after three years of trying to restore honor and integrity in the political arena, these virtues remain lost in the wilderness.

It will mean that all the sacrifices over the past three years by so many to reestablish government of the people, by the people and for the people has been for naught. That such a concept is still but a distant memory.

It will mean that the ‘politics of old’ reigns supreme.

My greatest fear, that the American people will not comprehend all that is at stake in this election, seems to be playing out before my very eyes.

When Ronald Reagan ran in the 1980 presidential race, he took his case directly to the American people, not depending on the media and the political class, both of whom were aligned against his candidacy, to get his message out.

When you take an honest look at Mitt Romney, he has taken the exact opposite path.

As we Floridians have witnessed over the past week, Newt Gingrich has maintained a punishing schedule to get before the folks, with thousands turning out to hear his visions of America. Meanwhile, there is but a ripple on the ground from Camp Romney.

Yes, it seems Romney has avoided the great unwashed for the most part, endeavoring instead to ensure the support of the political class and the ‘machine’ it controls through the Republican Party. Even if it requires peddling the potential influence he acquires should he prevail, right Ms. Bondi?

Beyond the courting of Florida’s political elite, Romney has also put his sizable financial advantage to work inundating the airwaves with negative ads targeting Newt Gingrich, Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment be damned.

And speaking of, exactly when did we become a people who ridicule big dreams and grandiose ideas? Was America not built on dreams? Is that not the very foundation that made this the greatest country in the history of the world? And we embrace the purveyor of this ridicule?

So what does a Mitt Romney win mean Florida?

It will mean the moderate wing of the Republican Party, the very faction that gave us John McCain in ’08, is firmly in control of the conservative movement in America.

It will mean the tea party message will become just another populist movement that came and went. And most importantly, it will mean that government of the elite, by the elite and for the elite is still how things get done in America.

Two days… so much can happen in two days.

Cross Posted at Florida Political Press

George Washington wrote that, “The greatest title of all is to be called an honest man.”  The qualities to look for in a leader are no different today, than they were back in 1783.  The most important quality of all to look for in a Presidential candidate is honesty!  There are many different words in the English language to describe the same thing:  honesty, character, integrity, virtue, morality, and principles.  This is the stuff of which good leaders are made!

Intelligence, and the ability to look and sound good on television, or the ability to debate and  persuade other people, are too frequently considered to be more important than basic core values!  This is a mistake!  These are ‘second tier’ traits that are only useful, if a leader first possesses the foundational core principles of honesty and integrity!  Honesty and integrity are every bit as important today as they were 200 years ago, and all of our Founding Fathers shared this opinion.  For instance Thomas Jefferson wrote “In matters of principle stand like a rock.  In other matters swim with the current.”  John Quincy Adams wrote that, “I would rather be found guilty of making a serious mistake in judgment, than to be accused of being even a little bit insincere.”

There are four candidates left in the Republican Primary, going into South Carolina.  Two of them are honest men, and two of them would say almost anything in order to get elected, and they have said just about anything to get elected in the past!  Two of them are honest men, and two of them are not!  The two that are honest are Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.  You may not agree with everything that they say, but both of them have been very consistent throughout their political careers.  A vote for either one of them would not be a mistake.  The two candidates who would tell you just about anything in order to get elected, and who have done so in the past, are Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney!

It is important to be able to tell the difference between truth and lies.  It is just as important to be able to distinguish between the motives of different people who are saying the same thing, and to know the difference between someone who actually means what they are saying, and someone who does not.  In other words, it is important to be able to distinguish between the genuine, and the counterfeit!  See my article entitled Counterfeit Conservatives, on LessGovistheBestGov.com  from January, 2012.  It is not sufficient to just say the right thing.  One must actually believe it!  Newt Gingrich doesn’t believe anything that he is saying right now!  He is just running for another national political office, for what must be at least the tenth time!  He is a masterful politician who is just trying to get re-elected!  How do I know this?  Can I look into his heart? Of course not.  But I can read his long political record for the past thirty two years!

This National Election is not about some kind of religious conversion that Newt Gingrich claims to have experienced.  It is about politics, pure and simple!  It is about a return to limited government!  Newt Gingrich has never been a proponent of small government in his life, NEVER!  But he is well aware of the importance of the TEA Party, and he is trying to ride that wave back into a position of power and influence again!  Whether or not he has actually sought for, and found redemption and forgiveness from God, this only God knows. It is none of my business!  Frankly I don’t care, and it is not a subject for this election.  But Newt’s political record is public knowledge and it is fodder for this election!  See my article entitled Newtworthy or Not, or Just Not Worthy from March, 2011 on LessGovistheBestGov.com.  It is also republished on NewtWorldOrderGingrich.com  in January, 2012.

Newt Gingrich’s long political record is public knowledge for anyone who cares to know!  His past record and his recent record prove that he is lying now!  I could go all the way back to 1979, when he teamed up with President Jimmy Carter to create the US Department of Education, and grew the Federal Government way beyond its Constitutional role and authority.   But I only need to go back as far as last year, when he was traveling around the country with Barack Obama’s current Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, promoting Obama’s “Race to the Top” educational policies, and even more Federal control over education, in order to prove that Newt Gingrich hasn’t really changed at all. Politically speaking, he is the same Newt Gingrich today, as he was thirty years ago, and he is still just as smart as a fox too!

Now you can’t agree with everything that someone says, but Thomas Jefferson said it best when he wrote, “In matters of principle stand like a rock…”  The real question is this:  Is limited Constitutional government really a matter of principle for you?  If it is, then you can’t allow yourself to be hoodwinked, or hornswoggled by Newt Gingrich! It is not possible to agree with somebody all of the time, but it is possible to agree with them enough of the time, and to agree with their core principles, in order to vote for them.  And to me, lying is just not one of the core principles that I can vote for!

I would rather vote for an honest man that I don’t agree with some of the time, than for a dishonest man that I can’t agree with at all.  The fact is I just can’t agree with lying in order to get elected!  Besides the fact, if Newt and Mitt are willing to lie in order to get elected, then you really don’t know what they actually believe, do you?  That’s the problem with Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney.  And if I have to choose between Gingrich and Romney, I would pick Romney every single time!  Why?  Because in spite of the fact that he hasn’t been consistent over the years, and in spite of all of his convenient flipflops that are now coming back to haunt him, and in spite of the fact that he hasn’t shown the courage to publically stand up for his real beliefs…, he has at least managed to remain married to the same woman for thirty four years, and together they have raised a strong, healthy family, and that says a lot!  So what if he doesn’t have a lot of courage.  We’re not sending him to lead a division of Marines into combat!

As far as Newt Gingrich is concerned, all I can say is this.  If you can’t honor your marriage vows, not just once, but twice, to two different women, then you probably won’t honor your sworn oath to uphold the Constitution!  And I can’t vote for a man like that!

You can read more of Scott’s work at www.lessgovisthebestgov.com.

I first saw you, Governor, on Greta van Susteren’s show when you did a segment on illegal  immigration.  You were relaxed, articulate as you discussed the issues with her flying in a helicopter over the Texas/Mexico border.  You caused me to sit up in my chair and say, “WOW”.  That’s when I initially entered your corner and couldn’t wait for you to make the decision to run for the Republican nomination.

With the exception of the last two debates, no one needs to point out to you that you left a lot of chips on the poker table.  I’ve often wondered if your heart was really in the run, but I never doubted your intent was good.  You have a significant record of accomplishment as Governor, but somehow you’ve not yet fully made your case to the American people.

The main stream media has not helped you.  Your “oops” moment, at least for me, was just that.  What was the big deal, until the moderator wouldn’t let go, until embarrassment was total, but you handled it with grace and humor.

But down to the nuts and bolts.  I don’t know if you can still pull this out, but as “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher said to George HW, “now is not the time to go wobbly.”  My advice:  talk to me.  Talk to me and millions of other voters out there, as you would talk to your best friend.  As you talked to Greta in that helicopter.  Stand in front of the camera and talk to it as if you were talking to one individual person.  That’s how you connect.

Give a face to each issue.  Don’t just tell me why you want to eliminate three Cabinet positions, but tell me what the consequences are if we do not.  Don’t just tell me how you created jobs in Texas, but tell me why what worked in Texas can work in Illinois or Ohio or Wyoming.

What’s going to win the 2012 Presidential election for the Republicans is a candidate who not only has a vision for America, but can articulate that vision from his heart, because that’s where his belief in the America comes from.   To paraphrase Newt Gringich, whoever delivers the boldest contrast to Barack Obama can win the election.  That person can be you.

Dear Governor Perry,

As you proceed from New Hampshire to visit the state of South Carolina and beyond, there will be increasing calls for you to drop out of the presidential election. As a resident of Georgia, I can tell you there are many of us who would like to vote for you on our own primary date in March. We cannot vote for you if you drop out of the race early. I write not only as a Georgian, but also as an ordained clergyman, a high school Latin teacher, and a fellow officer in the United States Air Force. I write to you as an academic. I write to you as someone who has worked as a cashier in a grocery store. We Georgians cannot vote for you if you leave the field early. Please stay in the race!

I have many avenues from which I might appeal to you to stay in the race, but I primarily want to speak to you officer to officer, Airman to Airman. I do not pretend to speak for all Airmen, but I do intend to speak as an Airman with certain core values. When we swore that oath of office upon joining the Air Force, we promised the following:

“I, (state your name), having been appointed a (rank) in the United States Air Force, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the office upon which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

You know well that we have enemies both foreign and domestic, and that our Constitution and our way of life our under assault from both. As a former pilot of the venerable C-130 Hercules, you know the importance of a steady hand, of endurance, of the ability to soldier on in completion of the mission at hand, even when the mission is long and wearisome. I will always have a special place in my heart for the C-130; as a newly minted officer, I watched the C-130 slowly but steadily fly overhead as the fly-over at my graduation from officer training school. I have criss-crossed swathes of the country in that air plane, experiencing for only brief hours what the crew men encounter on it every day: blistering heat when she rests on the runway between flights, bitter cold as she cruises the skies, and the constant hum of what we in the Air Force have affectionately called the Four Fans of Freedom. You and I share those core values which the Air Force has adopted: integrity first, service before self, excellence in all that we do. It takes integrity to admit when you have made a mistake, something you have readily done in the case of the mandated vaccines in Texas, and something which many other candidates seem utterly unwilling to do. It requires a certain selflessness and commitment to service to fly the C-130 Hercules, for though she is reliable and tough, no one would call her glamorous. It takes excellence to govern the mighty state of Texas for ten years and guide that state into prosperity while the rest of the country suffers.

In today’s election, we do not need the hot shot fighter pilot who relies heavily on instinct, and we must do away with the slick politicians and executives who will say anything to get elected and shift their values on the basis of what offices they seek or what polls reveal. We need the sort of person who pilots the C-130: reliable, steady, tough in opposition and versatile in core competencies. So, again, I beseech you to stay in the race for President so that your message can reach the entire country over the next six months.

We don’t need a secular version of Luther’s 95 Theses, nor vague promises with little hope of passing Congress. I urge you to distill your message to four key points, much like the four fans of the C-130.

1) Fix our tax code. Our tax code is full of loopholes. Your tax code, much like Coolidge’s tax plan in the 1920s, will reduce the overall tax burden but lead to greater revenue from increased productivity among businesses and among our citizenry.

2) Return power to the states. The government which governs best governs least. We trust that Texans know what is best for Texas, Georgians for Georgia, and even Californians for California. Let them succeed or fail based on their individual merits. We trust that each state knows best how to meet its energy needs and care for its environment. We trust that each state knows best how to educate its children to succeed in an increasingly global economy. We trust that each state can manage its finances, or to face the consequences if finances are mismanaged. We trust states to manage their own retirement programs. Galveston’s retirement program in your own state of Texas is wildly successful. Why not encourage other states to follow suit? Why not pursue such a program for our own federal employees?

3) Energize our economy. Your plan to open our energy reserves for consumption and sale will vitalize several state economies. We need only look to South Dakota’s incredibly low unemployment to see proof of it. Your plan allows our friends to sell us energy and supports independence from those who fund the actions of our enemies. Best of all, your plan requires precious little involvement from Congress.

4) Ensure our national security. Congress has just decided to gut the Department of Defense, sending the men and women of our armed services to join millions of others in the unemployment line and weakening our ability to defend ourselves and secure our interests abroad. This restrained approach to defense has failed again and again. It failed catastrophically in the early stages of bombing in World War II. It failed in the Vietnam War. It failed the early stages of our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a strategy of weakness, and it involves leaving us vulnerable abroad while we continue to fund wasteful entitlement programs at home.

In sum, we desire to be FREE. Bring the Four Fans of Freedom to Georgia. Bring them to the rest of America. I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail.

–Dafyd

(Author’s note — I very seldom become agitated or motivated enough to write something like this, and I’m somewhat relieved that it’s pseudonymous for what I feel are rather obvious reasons. Having said that, I beseech you: Be gentle, amabo te, or there will be extra years in Purgatory in your future. :>)

”When Al- Qaeda attacked our country on 9-11, Ron Paul told us the CIA was behind it. And that Bush and Cheney knew about the attack in advance.” That is a quote from ex-Ron Paul staffer and confidant Eric Dondero about Ron Paul. Eric called Paul ”the original 9-11 truther”.

This makes sense on so many fronts. When Congress was getting ready to vote on a military response in Afghanistan, Ron Paul initially OPPOSED responding to the attack, and expressed no concern about those who died that day. In fact, his only concern was that this attack would be used by the Bush administration to invade Iraq.

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-spokane/staffer-says-ron-paul-opposed-to-military-reaction-of-9-11-terror-attacks

They say that ”birds of a feather, flock together”. After Ron Paul got destroyed in the 2008 Republican presidential primary by John McCain, he showed his pettiness by refusing to endorse fellow Republican McCain, saying that ”I couldn’t find anything we agreed on”. Ok, so you can’t find any common ground with a highly decorated naval aviator who was captured and brutally tortured as a POW.  When the badly wounded McCain was offered ”to be released out of turn” by the North Vietnamese, McCain refused it unless the men that were captured before him were also released. Yet that’s not the type of man that Ron Paul can support? OK, then who did he endorse?

Also running for president in 2008 was Cynthia McKinney. a race baiting Democrat considered one of the most far left members of congress. McKinney was the elitist who arrogantly struck a white police officer because he ”dared” to ask her for ID. McKinney is also the one who tried to impeach President Bush, Vice President Cheney. and Secretary of State Condi Rice for being ”war criminals”. Yet Paul chose to endorse this worthless piece of trash over McCain???

http://brian-therightperspective.blogspot.com/2011/12/flashback-ron-paul-endorses-cynthia.html#!/2011/12/flashback-ron-paul-endorses-cynthia.html

However, McKinney possessed one advantage that McCain did not. She is a fellow truther. Cynthia has been outspoken in her belief that 9-11 was a ”government conspiracy”. And she accused President Bush of  ”needlessly murdering the innocent people of New York City so his popularity would rise.” So naturally Paul endorsed  her over McCain.

And the cult truther movement obviously considers Paul ”one of their own”. In fact, when Paul gave an interview to a conspiracy group called ”We Are Change”, they asked Paul WHY he didnt come out with ”the truth about 9-11”. Notice that they didn’t ask him ”if he believed 9-11 was an inside job”. Why didn’t they ask that? BECAUSE THEY ALREADY KNEW THAT HE BELIEVED THAT!!!!!

But surely Ron set them straight. Stood up for America and said that 9-11 was not a conspiracy perpetrated by the Bush administration to start a war with Muslim countries so that Jewish bankers could get rich. That 9-11 was in fact a cowardly attack by Al-Qaeda on our country. Nope. When they asked Ron the reason he didnt tell everyone ”the truth about 9-11”, Paul actually said that he ”couldn’t handle the controversy because had a full plate and was dealing with other issues”. Wow. I will post the transcript and link including a video of the interview below.

Kyley from ‘We Are Change LA’:

Kyley: Okay and one last thing why won’t you come out about the truth about 9/11?

Paul: Because I can’t handle the controversy, I have the IMF the Federal Reserve to deal with, the IRS to deal with because no because I just have more-too many things on my plate. Because I just have too much to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrQVaiFYmcg

It sounds to me like Ron Paul is a truther but isn’t honest enough to come out and say it directly because he knows it will kill his political career. Or maybe career politician Ron is just acting like a truther to con those morons into supporting him politically. Either way, this corrupt creep belongs in the nut house, not in the white house.

Eric also said that ”Paul is not opposed to foreign aid, he is just opposed to foreign aid to Israel. Whenever you hear Paul talking about cutting foreign aid, he always leads out with Israel. But Egypt and Pakistan actually recieve more aid than Israel does”. ”And Ron wishes the Israeli state did not exist at all. Paul has said this to me on many occasions. Ron is 100% pro Palestinian and believes ALL of Israel should be surendered to the muslims”.

I asked Gregg Hilton of the RSC(Republican Security Council) for his assessment of Eric’s claims. ”Dondero is right on the money” said Gregg. And then Mr. Hilton gave me the following examples:

Paul is a supposedly a foe of all foreign aid, but there is one exception. He naturally supports full funding for his Hamas buddies at the Palestinian Authority.

On June 20, 2007, Paul and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) were the only two lawmakers to vote against the Rothman-Kirk Resolution, which calls on the United Nations to charge Ahmadinejad with violating the genocide convention of the United Nations Charter based on his numerous statements.

Paul has called the Gaza Strip ”a concentration camp” and defended the Palestinians right to make bombs and to recieve weapon shipments to attack Israel with.

On June 19, 2009, the House voted to pass H Res 560 by a 405 to 1 margin. The resolution was entitled: “Expressing support for all Iranian citizens who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and rule of law, and for other purposes.” Guess which loon was the one negative vote.

He thinks Iran should have nuclear weapons but then says “We need to take out the CIA,” and wants the agency abolished. OK, that combination would give us a nuclear Iran led by a wackjob holocaust denier(Ahmadinejad) and us with no intelligence information on what is happening in the world. And that scenario makes America safer how?????

Promoted from the diaries.  The key message here is the first and last sentences.  Remember that when/if you threaten to “stay home” from the election(s) … Ed.

So…..do they suck WORSE than Obama?

All of the candidates are politicians.  ALL of them think that government has answers….YES, even Ron Paul.  THAT’S WHY THEY ARE IN POLITICS.

Let’s see….

Romney is a front runner because he’s electable….except when he’s not.  He’s conservative….except when he’s not.  He’s a businessman….except when he’s not.  He’s been running for office since the Last election.  Desire for public office like this raises the hackles of many Americans.  He’s a liberal Republican.  Either we vote for him or Obama is elected and runs the nation into the ground like a meteor hitting the earth.

Gingrich is a front runner because he’s fighting back.  He’s not electable….except he seems to have A LOT of support in many states.  Is he a conservative?  Depends on how you define conservative and to whom you compare it to……like the 1994 Democrats.   Does he think government has the answers?  Yep.  If elected….he will use government power to enact “conservative” ideas, by HIS definition.  This isn’t a secret and was, until recently, a point of attraction to many Republicans.  Is he an insider? Yep.  Is he a former philanderer? Yep.  All of his scandals are common knowledge.   Is that a point in favor or against his nomination?  No one knows.  Either we vote for him or Obama is elected and runs the nation into the ground like a meteor hitting the earth.

Perry is a front runner…or was.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to do well in the format that was chosen for this primary Charlie Foxtrot.  His ideas, when presented, are huge applause lines.  He’s consistent on message about downsizing the federal government.  He’s pro-defense, pro-border enforcement, has executive experience, and has a record of improving business climates.  According to some, he too, has grown government and his former “Democratness” is a liability, as his immigration stance.   Either we vote for him or Obama is elected and runs the nation into the ground like a meteor hitting the earth.

Paul…..what can you say about Paul that hasn’t been said, refuted, argued about, refuted again, and repeated.  His message about limited government is music to the Tea Party.  His foreign policy, when more closely examined, is horrible.  And his belief that America is the cause of all of our problems, his white washing of the fact that SOME governments across the world ARE evil…..is just the deal killer. Except he’s still better than another four years of Obama.  Either we vote for him or Obama is elected and runs the nation into the ground like a meteor hitting the earth.

Read More →

Promoted from the diaries.  The key message here is the first and last sentences.  Remember that when/if you threaten to “stay home” from the election(s) … Ed.

So…..do they suck WORSE than Obama?

All of the candidates are politicians.  ALL of them think that government has answers….YES, even Ron Paul.  THAT’S WHY THEY ARE IN POLITICS.

Let’s see….

Romney is a front runner because he’s electable….except when he’s not.  He’s conservative….except when he’s not.  He’s a businessman….except when he’s not.  He’s been running for office since the Last election.  Desire for public office like this raises the hackles of many Americans.  He’s a liberal Republican.  Either we vote for him or Obama is elected and runs the nation into the ground like a meteor hitting the earth.

Gingrich is a front runner because he’s fighting back.  He’s not electable….except he seems to have A LOT of support in many states.  Is he a conservative?  Depends on how you define conservative and to whom you compare it to……like the 1994 Democrats.   Does he think government has the answers?  Yep.  If elected….he will use government power to enact “conservative” ideas, by HIS definition.  This isn’t a secret and was, until recently, a point of attraction to many Republicans.  Is he an insider? Yep.  Is he a former philanderer? Yep.  All of his scandals are common knowledge.   Is that a point in favor or against his nomination?  No one knows.  Either we vote for him or Obama is elected and runs the nation into the ground like a meteor hitting the earth.

Perry is a front runner…or was.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to do well in the format that was chosen for this primary Charlie Foxtrot.  His ideas, when presented, are huge applause lines.  He’s consistent on message about downsizing the federal government.  He’s pro-defense, pro-border enforcement, has executive experience, and has a record of improving business climates.  According to some, he too, has grown government and his former “Democratness” is a liability, as his immigration stance.   Either we vote for him or Obama is elected and runs the nation into the ground like a meteor hitting the earth.

Paul…..what can you say about Paul that hasn’t been said, refuted, argued about, refuted again, and repeated.  His message about limited government is music to the Tea Party.  His foreign policy, when more closely examined, is horrible.  And his belief that America is the cause of all of our problems, his white washing of the fact that SOME governments across the world ARE evil…..is just the deal killer. Except he’s still better than another four years of Obama.  Either we vote for him or Obama is elected and runs the nation into the ground like a meteor hitting the earth.

Read More →