Reality Check: Focusing on the Real Objective

He will be defined by his policies....

As the GOP Primary rages on, there is currently a lot of rhetoric flying around.  As two (three or four?) potential candidates battle for the nomination and for conservative votes, a lot of heated comments are being exchanged.   Anyone who remembers the 2008 primary knows that this did not hurt our current President at all, as he tangled with Hillary Clinton.  In fact, it was quickly forgotten as the liberals fell in line to support the nominee.

Looking at today’s race, the same battle is occurring again between Romney and Santorum (Gingrich, Paul too?).

Each nominee’s camp is claiming that only THEY can defeat Barack Obama, providing a laundry list of reasons to support their claim. It is concerning that so many people are getting caught up (at times, I too) in the fight for their candidate to get the nomination, that they may be losing sight of what got us to this point in the first place. Take a moment and realize that whether “Obama-lite” Romney or “life-time politician” Santorum wins the nomination, this election is not going to be about the GOP candidate; it will be about one man’s desecration and attempted destruction of a nation.

November 2012 will be about Barack Obama.

In an ABC News poll, Two-thirds (67%) of Americans want the Supreme Court to strike down the individual mandate in “Obama-Care”.  In addition, the almighty “independents” that supposedly govern elections oppose the law 51% – 43% as well.  Since we’ve been told repeatedly that Independents are the only real objective in a national election, this should be enough proof to solidify a GOP win.   If that is not enough, not even two weeks ago, another poll, this time from the WaPo, showed that Obama’s disapproval rating hit a new high of 50%.  These are only two recent surveys that have thrown the mainstream media and the White House into panic.  The idea that these sentiments overwhelmingly exist in the country but somehow translate into an Obama victory is not logical. A majority cannot adamantly oppose a President’s key achievement and support him at the same time.   As much as he tries to avoid it, Obama cannot escape the fact that he will be judged by his actions in November.

If you do not trust polls and are still not convinced that the GOP attacks on each other will be almost irrelevant, consider this…

In 2010, GOP candidates won in a landslide against almost every Democratic challenger, resulting in a re-taking of the House and almost the Senate.   In a special election in 2011, New York District 9 elected its first GOP Rep. since 1920.  These protest votes against Barack Obama were unpredicted and under-reported by the media in an attempt to conceal the strong message that voters sent to D.C.

Nothing has changed since then, except that our nation’s situation has grown even more precarious.  We are two years away from nationalized health care being fully implemented, the constitution is being trampled on every day, and governmental organizations are becoming the channels in which to bypass Congress.  Without a doubt, America realizes it.

The idea that 2010’s sentiment has dissipated is absurd.  Americans across this country who indiscriminately protested against Obama through their votes in 2010 now have the object of their anger on the ballot this year.   What should be obvious is that this groundswell of anti-Democrat voters is being and will continue to be unrecognized by most media channels until several days before the November elections; at which point, it will be labeled a “surprise” and an “unprecedented” movement.   We must realize this cover-up of the majority’s opinions is an attempt to suppress any and every damaging vote possible.

Just remember that in several months the GOP primary will have ended and there will be a nominee.  The most difficult part for some will be realigning their focus and attempting to defend the nominee that they had been trying to destroy for months.  Fortunately, many out there, just like the late-Andrew Breitbart, are keeping their sights on the real enemy and the most important vote in our country’s history.   They understand that 2012 is not a year to support third-party candidates or sit-out the election in protest and that the furious battle in the GOP will end with a large group being majorly disappointed.   In November, only one of these four men will remain standing and ready to appear on the ballot against the President, and most of the efforts put forth in the primary will no longer matter.

This is why we must stay focused on the real mission of exposing and defeating Barack Obama. 

Perspective on the Limbaugh Boycott Movement

Love him or hate him:  There really isn’t any middle ground when it comes to Rush Limbaugh and his EIB Network.   So there is no reason to debate his actions, words, or show at this time.  If possible, remove him from this whole issue for a moment and remove Bill Maher and Louis CK as well.

Ask yourself if you believe in free speech.

If you believe in the 1^st Amendment, then consider why you or anyone would support a boycott of a citizen exercising this precious right.  It is a dangerous slope to be on when we begin to call for economic intervention against individuals who say things that are off-color or outside the box of politically correct barriers.  In a world where we worry so much about safety, we often neglect the safety of our constitutional rights.  Consider that when we call for companies to boycott an individual or a network for language used or comments made, we are saying that the accused stepped outside the bounds of their right to free speech.

Does free speech have a limit?  Certainly, when it causes direct, indisputable physical damage to others, it can be curtailed to a degree.    Yet, with every boycott demand, the dissidents out there are saying that they believe that the word “slut” is beyond the acceptable bounds.

Is it possible that such individuals only believe in free speech when it agrees with them?  Is it even remotely possible that this freedom protects people who use inflammatory word?

Don’t misunderstand me; people are exercising their right to voice their opposition to comments as well. I support their right to call for boycotts; and I even support the right of Bill Maher to call Sarah Palin a c***.  Yet, one can use a constitutional right to inhibit others’.

Public discourse is what was intended to be protected by the founding fathers, even if in the most outrageous terms.  Why?  Without it, the walls of our freedom close in. We become silenced by the fear of repercussions of our words.  There are multiple examples throughout history of nations that limited their citizen’s freedom of speech and they all have at least one common denominator: they all had significantly less free societies than the United States has today.

Instead of using our right to free speech trying to restrict others’ speech through boycotts and advertiser complaints, let’s exercise our right to voice our opinions for and against those who speak publicly.

Unless, of course, you believe that the 1^st Amendment applies only when you agree.

A Revelation

I believe all things happen for a purpose.  As I walked toward my polling place on Super Tuesday, I was approached (outside and at a legal distance) by a man, who asked for my support.   I had been vaguely familiar with the name and already had plans to vote for him.  He was Ohio state senate candidate Paul Isaacs.

I thanked him for being out there and continued on to go exercise my constitutional right. As I was leaving, I felt compelled to ask him for information about his campaign and some of his beliefs.  The conversation was continually interrupted as he would greet every voter walking towards the polling center; but through the half-sentences and pauses, I came to know a man who put his convictions and faith above other people’s opinions and the odds. This most obviously demonstrated by the fact that he was asked to run and start a campaign two months before.  As we spoke, I came to learn that Mr. Isaacs’ main reason for running was the lack of interest in the Heartbeat Bill that the current District 06 state senator has shown over the last year.   I listened to his abbreviated campaign story and saw conviction and passion that one rarely sees expressed in an individual.  I stayed that afternoon helping Mr. Isaacs hand out literature and asking voters to support him.  Between the requests, we spoke about our politics, convictions, and our faith in the Lord.  Before I knew it, the sun had gown down and the polls were about to close.  Mr. Isaacs had left a few minutes before to wrap up some loose ends before the results were announced.  Standing there alone in the dark, I found myself campaigning for someone who I’d just met.

Mr. Isaacs lost the election.  His two month old campaign garnered a little bit over 31% of the vote from OH -District 06 voters. For a campaign born not more than two months before Super Tuesday, that is nothing short of incredible, but that’s not the point.  Although we only spent three hours together, I could tell the drive Mr. Isaacs has for his beliefs cannot be stamped out by the loss of an election.  The revelation I experienced that evening was that I have a duty to be active for my beliefs or I need to sit down and be silent.  The middle ground is the easy place to be; in fact, it may be the easiest position.  What could be easier than being silent when dissidents are present and expressing  “convictions” when in friendly circles?  Nothing could be simpler than to blend in with your surroundings, avoiding confrontation with the people around you.

No more!

I cannot call myself a conservative, if I am not willing to speak it.  The biggest spark to this realization was a comment that Mr. Isaacs made to me that evening.  In a discussion around religious beliefs, he said he did not believe that people will die for something they don’t genuinely believe in.  I realized that this is a level of conviction that one must have if they truly believe in something, and it’s time to apply this all areas of life.  Young and old conservatives must live by this; or we must fade away, taking our beliefs with us.  There isn’t really any middle ground anymore; perhaps there never really was.