Now that the announcement has been made that he is backing the former Massachusetts governor, I’m a little more certain of my selection. He said his decision was based on his tough position on China and that old bugaboo of common sense, “electability”. Now we must keep in mind that electability is defined by the polls provided by the formerly mainstream media whose agenda is far different than those of us who love freedom and love our country. Need I add that it is an atheistic, socialistic formerly mainstream media we are turning to for electability measurement.

It is good to have a confirmation of the wisdom of my choice. Many others feel the same way. A FoxNews poll showed many of the same mind. Ten percent said his support would make the candidate more appealing while twenty seven percent said Trump’s endorsement would make them less likely to support a candidate. The rest just didn’t care.

We need to keep in mind that such endorsements have little to do with the quality of the candidate and more to do with revealing the perspective and priorities of the endorser. In this case, Trump sees China as a growing danger, and it is. But, so is the Federal Reserve, and so are the dictatorial courts, our southern border and militant Islam… and on and on. We need a leader with the wisdom of Solomon. Unfortunately I don’t see any in the current field with this quality.

Lacking anyone with such wisdom, we can only pray that the one selected as the Obama slayer, electorally of course, can, and is willing to, tap into the same source of wisdom that Solomon had and that he does not lean on his own (or his advisers) understanding.

The fact that most don’t care about such endorsements gives us some hope. Those among us who base their lives on the opinions of others have a wide selection of false prophets to follow… along with some leading us into the light. If we really have the need to look to others for our opinions and standards, we need to do more than just look to celebrity.

Peewee Herman was big in show business for a time, yet few would depend on his wisdom to guide their lives. Yet, many, for some unexplained and unexplainable reason, follow the wit and wisdom, or lack thereof, of Janeane Garofalo or Alec Baldwin… Sean Penn even.

We all need to pay a little more attention to whose thoughts we permit inside our heads. The Donald has actually accomplished much. He is almost as skilled at self promotion as Jesse Jackson in his heyday. Why else would there be such drama surrounding this announcement that is ultimately of minimal importance? He certainly has much more to offer than show business types who earn their living pretending to be someone they are not.

However, if we spend time looking into, and deciding who to follow as our opinion makers, wouldn’t it be far more productive to spend that time formulating our own opinions based on facts? Knowing what is going on in the world and knowing where I stand on various issues is the path to personal responsibility. That is the rub. For some reason personal responsibility is not all that attractive to some people. It’s easier to have Oprah or Whoopi do our thinking for us. The only problem is… they aren’t thinking.

James Dobson tugged at the heart strings, S.M. Lockridge spoke with passion. However, for me, the most memorable speaker, was Dr. Robert A. Cook from The King’s College in Briarcliff Manor, NY. – now moved to New York City. He was a delightful gentleman who had a way of putting things into perspective. He began his address by telling us that two days before, he talked to Vice President Bush, and just the day before, he talked to the President. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he said. “But this morning… I talked to God.”

In his own, plain spoken way, the bow tied Dr. Cook showed an unusual understanding of the what was important and where the real power rests. As great a man as Ronald Reagan was, he could not walk on water or turn water into wine… and, even though this may come as a surprise to some, neither can the man who occupies his office now nor any of those seeking to replace him.

We are told to respect our leaders and pray for those in authority. This does not mean we are to blindly follow and not speak up when we see things are amiss. They are men… only men. We are privileged to live in country where we still have the ability to raise our voices when we see the train is headed off a cliff. With this privilege comes the responsibility to do so! After all, it’s not just about us. We are our brothers keeper.

As a practical matter, then, we need to stay in touch with our legislators, at all levels. We are not doing our jobs as citizens if we don’t and our complaints to others just become ineffective whining… and nobody likes a whiner. People respect those who take decisive action – even if they don’t agree with, or even like, you.

What has happened is, the US Census Bureau erroneously claims that it “‘is required by the U.S. Constitution count everyone living in this country, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.’” Accordingly, they have counted millions of illegal aliens in the 2010 Census and are using those figures to apportion the US House of Representatives. If this egregious misinterpretation of the US Constitution is allowed to stand, five states (Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio) will lose representation in the US Congress to which they are lawfully entitled, while three states (California, Texas, and Florida) will be awarded additional representation in the US Congress to which they are not lawfully entitled. And, of course, this will also directly impact the makeup of the Electoral College, which ultimately elects the President of the United States.

Of course, this manipulation of the 2010 US Census also impacts the election of the US President, as those states that are granted more seats in the US Congress are also granted more votes in the Electoral College as the Electoral College is composed of a “Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress. . . .” (Article. II. Section. I. Clause. 2. US Constitution). And, as everyone knows, under the US Constitution, it is the Electoral College that ultimately elects the President of the United States. Thus, the states of Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio, will be unjustly denied their lawful votes in the Electoral College, while California, Texas, and Florida, are being unjustly granted unlawful votes in the Electoral College. Would it not be extraordinary if the margin by which President Obama is re-elected in the Electoral College would be provided by the manipulation of the census data under his control? Again, this would be an outrage!

In essence, the Obama administration is rigging the US Census to steal a congressional seat from the State of Montana. This rigging will keep Montana from having a second congressional representative. If the illegals in California, Texas, and Florida are not included, then Montana will receive two congressional seats and four electoral votes. Under Obama’s rigging plan, Montana will continue to have only one congressional seat and three electoral votes.

Considering the major media and even most “conservative” talking heads have said virtually nothing about this monstrous misallocation of constitutional government is just the latest example of how truly out of touch the people who are entrusted to inform the American people really are.

The plaintiff in this case is the State of Louisiana, which has now been joined and supported by amici U.S. Border Control, U.S. Border Control Foundation, U.S. Justice Foundation, Institute on the Constitution, Gun Owners of America, Inc., Gun Owners Foundation, English First, English First Foundation, Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund, The Lincoln Institute for Research and Education, Public Advocate of the United States, Policy Analysis Center, Virginia Del. Bob Marshall, Oklahoma Rep. Charles Key, Maryland Del. Don Dwyer, Washington Rep. Matt Shea, Wyoming Sen. Kit Jennings, as well as Candidate for Governor of Montana, Bob Fanning, and Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Montana, Chuck Baldwin.

Attorneys filing this brief before the US Supreme Court are Herbert W. Titus, William J. Olson, John S. Miles, Jeremiah L. Morgan (of the law firm of William J. Olson, P.C. of Vienna, Virginia) and Gary G. Kreep (of the U.S. Justice Foundation).

As citizens of the State of Montana, and as candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Montana, Bob Fanning and I are outraged at this unconstitutional manipulation of the 2010 US Census, and the subsequent unconstitutional and unlawful misapportionment of the US House of Representatives.

We are further outraged that our own governor, Brian Schweitzer (the incumbent Democrat governor who is term-limited out of office after the completion of his current term) has done nothing to prevent the people of the State of Montana from being denied the rightful seating of an additional US House member from the Montana delegation to Washington, D.C. He has not served as Montana’s watchman, to make certain that our State is being treated fairly by the Obama administration. Louisiana has been forced to go it alone, as the only State willing to bring this challenge. By not joining the lawsuit against the Obama administration, what Governor Schweitzer in essence is doing is allowing illegal aliens to deny the due representation of the citizens of Montana in Washington, D.C. This is an outrage!

It is a gross misinterpretation of the US Constitution to claim that the US Census is supposed to “count everyone living in this country.” Article. I. Section. I. Clause 3. as amended by Section. 2. of the 14th Amendment authorizes “a targeted decennial census of the ‘respective numbers’ of ‘the People’ of the several States, not a wholesale count of the numbers of persons found ‘living’ in the United States.” The term “the People” is a technical term used in the U.S. Constitution to refer to the polity, that is, the people who constituted the government and who are legal citizens of the nation. Only by such a tailored count can the constitutionally-authorized decennial census serve the purpose for which that census has been required–the apportionment of representation of the people of the several states in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“It is manifestly untrue that the decennial census ordained by the Constitution is to be taken without regard to a person’s ‘immigration or citizenship status.’ The decennial census is conducted for the apportionment of representation in the House of Representatives, the members of which are ‘chosen every second Year by the People of the several States.’ (Article. I. Section. 2. Clause. 1. US Constitution). The first sentence of the 14th Amendment establishes a symbiotic relationship between a person’s United States citizenship and that person’s State citizenship. Thus, whether a person is part of ‘the People’ of a State is largely, if not exclusively, dictated by a person’s ‘immigration or citizenship status.’ Any census that ignores that connection is fatally flawed.”

In the afore-mentioned lawsuit, we are asking the US Supreme Court to preserve the integrity of the US House of Representatives and Electoral College.

I can tell you that the people who want to disassemble constitutional government in this country are hoping that no one notices what the Obama administration is doing to manipulate the 2010 US Census to unlawfully reconstruct the US House of Representatives and Electoral College. Well, I can tell you, Bob Fanning and I (along with the other amici curiae supporting Louisiana in this lawsuit) are not going to let that happen!

I will be holding a press conference to blow the whistle on what is taking place to deny the people of the State of Montana (along with the people of the states of Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio) their lawful representation in Washington, D.C. I am also using the influence and outreach of this column to alert the American people as to how the Obama administration is attempting to manipulate the US House of Representatives and Electoral College.

It is more than interesting also that the “anointed” establishment neocon Republican Montana gubernatorial candidate, Rick Hill, has, himself, not even bothered to alert the people of Montana to this travesty. Why not? Rick is a career politician who once served in the US House of Representatives from Montana. One would think he would want to protect the people of the State of Montana from this outrage. But he has said nothing! Plus, have you heard anything about this from any of the “conservative” talking heads on FOX News? No you haven’t! Why not? Why is it left to this column to alert you to this gross violation of constitutional government?

Therefore, I unashamedly appeal to readers to help Bob and I carry this fight to preserve the integrity of the US House of Representative and the Electoral College to the US Supreme Court. Please go to our web site.

I also highly encourage readers to visit the web site of the law firm filing this brief. William J. Olson, Herbert Titus, et al., have been at the front lines in helping to defend constitutional government for longer than many of us have been alive. Bill Olson and Herb Titus have defended a sizeable number of patriot organizations and individuals against federal usurpation for decades. I don’t know of another law firm with the credentials and track record of fighting for constitutional government, Second Amendment rights, and individual liberty anywhere in the country than the law firm of William J. Olson, P.C.

To learn more about this lawsuit and the Olson law firm…

In the meantime, each of us should be using our individual and collective sphere of influence to trumpet this attempted travesty as loudly as possible! I especially encourage readers in the states of Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio to demand of every elected public office holder in their respective states to use every means possible to defend the lawful rights of their states to proper representation in the US House of Representatives and the Electoral College. The people of America simply must not allow this flagrant manipulation of the 2010 US Census to take place! If the Obama administration gets by with this now, think how the states’ representation in Congress will be abused in the future.

For more by Chuck Baldwin go to http://chuckbaldwinlive.com

However, as John Adams told us, “Facts are stubborn things”. The facts in this case, include the Iowa caucus results being reversed to give Rick Santorum the victory. Romney was no longer 2 – 0 in the prior contests. Another fact was that CBS News, in an obvious attempt to swing the election results, made a clumsy effort to damage the former Speaker with a hatchet job interview with his former wife.

As with many ill-conceived efforts to strong arm the public, an aggressive, confident response can turn the entire situation around. John King’s attempt to put Gingrich on the spot with an embarrassing question turned sour quickly as it was met with a surprisingly determined response that called out the network and the questioner for what they were. The crowd cheered. Instead of turning on the former Speaker, they understood this was just an attempt to dredge up old news and remove the effect of any repentance and change of heart the man may have had.

This was just one of many times the Speaker’s refusal to back down from difficult questions accrued to his benefit and endeared him to the the voters in South Carolina, and the rest of the country. With the response from the voters, some have theorized that this was a media attempt to boost a Romney rival. This thinking is based on the idea that they really are afraid of former frontrunner. I’m not sure this is really the case… however some have this mindset… but then, some think Obama is doing a great job.

In any case, a few days before the primary, the polls started to detect rising support for Newt Gingrich. They didn’t really understand the just how strong his support was, and how impressive his win would be. For those satisfied, or at least, not overly upset with the things going on in our country, it is hard to comprehend how horrified many Americans are at the actions of the ruling elites. Four in ten voted for Gingrich, only a quarter voted for the party’s golden boy. A thirteen point spread is pretty impressive for one who had been trailing in the polls only a few short days before.

Rick Santorum had a solid third place finish, with the endorsement from evangelical leaders. Yet such endorsements alone did not help the man, who would do a good job, but fails to excite the electorate. He did, however, finish ahead of the candidate with the most loyal and aggressive support base.

Some Ron Paul supporters have tried to spin the results as voters not voting against their man, but as voting against Mitt Romney. Gingrich just happened to be the lucky beneficiary of this antipathy. It would seem that a vote for the fourth place finisher, Paul, would also have been a vote against Romney… yet the people chose Newt and Rick Santorum over their heart throb. It could be that some voters have found, not the candidate, but some supporters, too much to deal with and looked for another candidate to support. Dedication is fine, but attacking those who are essentially on the same side, is not the way to win them over.

Each one on the ballot is doing their best to make the best story out of the outcome. However, I’m sure many of the good old boys in the Palmetto State have seen the t-shirt hawked at NASCAR events that reads, “Second Place Is Just The First Loser!” There is no way to spin this other than to say that Newt won this round handily.

Will this begin the momentum that carries him to the White House? Will the media and establishment beat him down so their guy can be McCain 2.0? Is it possible the Santorum or Paul campaign can get a second wind and electrify the voters? I don’t know. Time will tell. I would suggest though, that if your guy isn’t in the first position, it’s time to get to work.

Just don’t try to help your favorite by telling all sorts of disgusting stories about the other competitors. There is very little we have not heard of the nastiness and many of us are tired of it. No one will be convinced of the righteousness of your cause by having their intelligence or patriotism attacked, Remember, we will have to work together as a team to defeat the imposter in the White House when this is over. We can’t do this showing greater hostility to each other than to those destroying our country.

Some will say, but candidate R or candidate G is no different than Barack Hussein Obama. We many not like some, or even many, of their policies, but to say they are the same is utter nonsense. We need to remove the socialistic cancer in our government, then work at fixing the problems it has created. Sure, some will fix them more quickly than others, but we need to stop the bleeding in any way we can… with any one we can!

Four recent news stories have helped bring us to the point where South Carolina could help define the future of the Republican Party and the United States of America. When it was needed to give Romney a boost toward ultimate victory, the powers that be in Iowa found the votes to give him a thin, eight vote, victory of Rick Santorum. Now, with time to reflect and review the ballots, it seems that the Pennsylvania senator now has a 34 vote lead – long after the news cycle that declared his nicely coiffed opponent the winner.

To make matters more interesting, these results may not be certified since eight units can not even find the material to verify their initial counts. Come on guys! Stolen elections and dishonest counts are a time honored tradition in the Democrat Party. When it comes to the GOP, I would like to attribute it to incompetence – given their unique ability to consistently snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, yet, even that is not very comforting. If I am wrong, however, it confirms our worst fears that those running the party care just as little about the will of the people as do the donkeys. Whatever the ultimate reason, if we ever learn it, the whole situation just does not pass the smell test.

The next story to make the news was Rick Perry’s decision to drop out of the race. This comes as good news, not because he is a bad candidate or would make an awful president. On the contrary, I believe he would have done an admirable job in the White House. However, with diminishing finishes, and sinking poll numbers, it was plain this is not his time. This action shows the kind of wisdom and concern for his country that is needed to bring our country out of the sinkhole of Obamaville.

Perry’s disappearance from the debate platform in some ways diminishes the party, yet it is a step toward a final positive resolution. The four, or so, percent of the vote he laid claim to made no difference to the final outcome other than the prevention of the accumulation of sufficient votes to place a man on the ballot who represents the people rather than the party. It is to his patriotic credit that he recognized his duty to give up the dream, suppress his ego, and do what is best for his country.

Next, two endorsements represent an artificial divide between groups with very similar values, but with different conclusions. Recently a group of evangelical leaders got together and decided to support Rick Santorum, a man strongly dedicated to his Roman Catholic family values. Word is also circulating now, that tea partiers are rallying to support Newt Gingrich. Each of these patriotic Americans is following their world views and priorities. In spite of the apparent differences in the evangelical and tea party endorsements, the actual policies of the Santorum and Gingrich administrations would be very similar.

Rick Santorum is a good, even tempered man, while Newt Gingrich is more of a fireball, prone to speak the truth as he sees it, to the delight of Americans looking for a modern day Patrick Henry and the dismay those loath to rock the political boat. With all the pablum and lies coming out of the District of Columbia and the formerly mainstream media, we, the people, are longing for someone to speak the truth to our oppressors and inspire us to action.

With Ron Paul holding a stable cadre of supporters, and Mitt Romney, boasting a following of believers in their party, the victory can be gained when the supporters the former congressman and senators unite to defeat the corporatist and the sincere libertarian who sometimes takes things a little far. What is more important, I would ask: victory for our nation, or pride of being right, but finishing in second place?

On a final note, I would be remiss if I did not address the hubbub about the former Mrs. Gingrich’s alliance with the major television network dedicated to the downfall of any of Barack Hussein Obama’s opponents. With the timing of the televised interview, the political motivation is obvious. With the lack of investigation into the non-existence of the President’s former girlfriends and his relationship with Larry Sinclair, among others, we see an effort devoid of moral motivation, dedicated to preserving the power of the ruling class.

With the lapse of time and the claimed religious conversion of the former speaker, we really have to consider if the allegations have any impact, even in the doubtful case they are proven true. The Bible says we are to forgive our enemies… even the progressives destroying our country. Should we not extend the same attitude toward our friends? Permitting ourselves to be manipulated by these sowers of discord, puts us in the same category of those kept on the progressive plantation by threats that they would have to work for a living – which they are told they incapable of, if the government stopped robbing the productive to support the unproductive. We are better than that.

Now, let’s think about this for a moment. Is there any candidate, front runner or back marker, who fits this stereotypical image many hold of the GOP? I’ll give you a hint. He has really nice hair. He, along with others, bought companies – made some successful and sold others just for the assets, leaving the workers to find their own way to the unemployment office.

This is not necessarily an attack on all of the practices of Bain Capital, but we really need to look past the “electability” issue the press and Republican establishment keep pushing in our faces. Is this a time for anyone so removed from the average American to run for the presidency? In some ways, it’s a lot like the question, no matter what you think of his qualifications, is it the time for Jebb Bush to run for the office?

We have an environment where the president is running against any sort of success, viewing it as only producing resources to be looted for the benefit of his constituents. He is only to happy to point out the evils of capitalism. Something he and many see Mitt Romney as the chief exponent of.

Paradoxically, these are same people who have no problems when they cozy up to wealthy supporters like George Soros and Jeffrey Immelt. Never mind that one uses his wealth to destroy national economies, including our own, and the other ships American jobs overseas. Sometimes their selective indignation is astounding.

Unfortunately, the formerly mainstream media is helping perpetuate Obama’s distorted narrative with Keynesian economic fallacies. Also, unfortunately, there is a gullible and economically illiterate public ready to eat up the class warfare rhetoric.

Running a candidate who fits the narrative of an evil, money grubbing business man, particularly in view of some of the practices of Bain Capital, is giving the imposter in the White House a gift he does not deserve. He wants to face off against Romney because he fears the former governor less than some of the more outspoken candidates.

It is too easy to take shots at a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth and a record that includes putting people out of work to make a profit. The fact is, that despite the consensus of “electability” and the pre-campaign polling, this man does not really fit the bill.

But, some would say, he is an fine example of capitalism. Only in an elitist fantasy, is he the fine example. Mitt Romney is much more of corporatist who has little in common with a guy with a dream who starts a small business and struggles to keep it alive in a hostile economic environment. He watches guys like that fail and buys out their assets for almost nothing, or watches them succeed and convinces them to sell by overwhelming them with competition they cannot afford to meet.

The Republican Party has an opportunity to respond to the fears of the American people who see a government with its sites set on everything they have to redistribute it to their political allies. The party needs a candidate the Joe Lunchbox can relate to… and a candidate that can relate to them. For those of us who thought the days of the Rockefeller Republicans were over… we need to take another look.

This small northeastern state, which by virtue of an accident of electoral timing, has found itself in a position of disproportional influence in the national debate. When we look at the political landscape, we find that it is as friendly to conservatives as MSNBC or CNN. How could we expect results different from those reported. We could, perhaps, expect a little deeper analysis in the reporting.

The fact that Jon Huntsman finished third says more about the character of the electorate than the quality of the candidate. When we look at the people running and representing the state, Romney and Huntsman fit right in – Gingrich, Santorum and Perry do not. Does this mean that because New Hampshire elects squishy Republicans and progressive Democrats, the rest of the country should make the same bad decisions?

As shaky as the decision making process is up in the northeast, it may help to clarify the thinking of the rest of us looking to save our great land. The thing we have to understand before shining the cold light of logic on the results is that there is no perfect candidate on list. A perfect candidate may not even exist. Yet, as hard for some as it is, we cannot forget two important points. First, our primary objective needs to be the removal of Barack Hussein Obama from the people’s house. Second, any one of these contenders – yes any one of the contenders – no matter what competing campaigns say, would be less destructive to our country then the current resident.

This is not a justification for accepting pale imitations of the leader we really need. It is a reason to refrain from totally trashing everyone we have issues with. Understanding that we need to defeat the burgeoning dictator, let’s look at what happened.

Romney and his doppelganger, Huntsman, fit the Rockefeller like mindset of many in the northeast. They fit the mildly progressive, big business bent of the old line Republicans. Ron Paul had his loyal band of followers were enhanced by crossover Democrats. In this case, it’s hard to tell if they really see Paul as the alternative to Obama or if they were simply working mischief within the system.

When we get to Santorum, Gingrich and Perry, it is another story entirely. I understand that, to their supporters, they have three entirely different perspectives on the world. Each has some good ideas and essential wisdom, and each has some baggage to slow them down. However, with the three of them in the race, it is virtually assured that none of them will see victory. It is admirable to declare to one’s supporters that the candidate would hang in there to the end and never give up. However there comes a time when it’s best to put personal ambition aside and do what is best for the country.

It is difficult for egos strong enough to run for President to come together, but it is essential that somehow these three work out their differences and unite to save the country. It is interesting how we are in a supposedly more advanced country, and more than two centuries later, but Ben Franklin’s word’s still ring true, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

We cannot be fragmented and win the victory. The other side has little commitment to any principle beyond looting the American people for every penny they can get their hands on, then controlling the American people to the point where we can do nothing about it.

It is time to “Unite or Die”!

Talking heads, ever looking to reasons to make their learned pronouncements, want to expand on the preferences of a little over a hundred thousand Iowa Hawkeyes, into a national referendum. There is a complete lack of perspective by inflating the importance of this state in the heartland America. However, if we do want to take a sampling to apply to the whole country… Iowa is as good as any… better than most.

Considering the crucial nature of the decision at hand, one has to wonder about the wisdom of permitting any one state, or early sequence of states to do the initial paring of an unwieldy number to the top few who will carry on to the end. The results might well have been different in South Carolina or New York. However this is the process we are dealing with and anyone who wants to be President really needs to be able to work with people from all over the country.

Having said all that, there are a few things we can learn from the evenings proceedings. First is that we see Mitt Romney stuck on his quarter of the votes… and the rest of the voters, those not content with his brand of pseudo-conservatism and who have a vision for a brighter America, really want someone else. Second, is that, at the moment, Rick Santorum is the anti-Romney. What we see is that the former Pennsylvania Senator is the most likely challenger to the establishment candidate.

Ron Paul also did well with his supporters, but seems to also be stuck on his number of supporters. They love him and will volunteer to do an amazing amount of work for their man. Unfortunately for them, they did not convince a lot of others to come along.

Rick Perry has already indicated that his 11% was enough to make him reconsider his his own campaign. He is a good man and may be recognizing that this may not be the best time to pursue the office. He may be realizing that defeating Barack Hussein Obama with a real conservative is much more important than which conservative gets the job done.

Unfortunately, I would think it would be time for Michele Bachmann to reconsider her own candidacy. This is a difficult request, as I believe she would do a great job in the White House. Yet, by staying in the race, she, like Perry, would siphon off votes from the another conservative who people can all get behind and put an end to the establishment’s favorite son.

Rick Santorum, came from almost nowhere after lackluster debate performances. He has created a message that is attuned to the concerns and needs of the average productive American. He is a likable man, sophisticated, yet not too polished. He is not afraid to express his love for his country and his gratitude to our Creator for the gift of life and for the privilege of living in this great country.

Win or loose, Santorum did an amazing job of relating to the people and getting his message out. We can learn from this that it is not that conservatism cannot win. We learned that conservatism cannot win if the message is stifled. If it is explained to people… they will respond.

What are these issues? Here are some that are critical to our survival as a nation. I make no claim to omniscience, so there are probably others. However, we shall start with these for your consideration:

One of the most pressing problems our country is facing is the economic doldrums where the Federal Reserve and members of the banking community seem to be profiting nicely while the rest of the country is struggling for survival. They are continuously throwing new money in to the system as production plummets. Anyone with an understanding of non-Keynesian economics knows this will never work. The banks, even foreign banks and governments, are bailed out and the American citizen sees his dollars devalued as inflation depletes their purchasing power, and loans are still difficult to get.

There seems to be agreement on the need to rid the nation of ObamaCare. It is a threat to both our health and our wealth. It is modeled after ineffective European plans that have been shortening lives, while increasing pain and suffering for years. The difference in the candidates is how aggressively they would pursue killing off this threat to our freedoms.

Many progressives would like to paint conservatives as unconcerned about the environment. The is a complete misrepresentation of the freedom fighters mindset. Some of the most enthusiastic conservationists are gun loving hunters who have a longstanding appreciation for our wildlife and woodlands. It’s just that we don’t jump every time a pseudo-scientist comes up with a “could happen” speculative article. We also respect our hard working brothers and sisters more than academic posers and pretenders. This determines our interpretation of the size and power of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The restrictive EPA is only one aspect of the quest for jobs badly needed by so many. Evironmental regulations are not the only rules restricting the growth of employment in our great land. Unions currently are tying up various job producers, and are poised to grow even more powerful. The administrations solution to the high unemployment rate is to simply increase unemployment benefits. Jobs, including manufacturing jobs, are the long term answer. A shrinking working population simply cannot support a growing non-working population.

There are various views on the most productive foreign policy. We currently have members of our armed forces all around the the world with a price our struggling economy cannot afford. Some see it as a pride inducing projection of American power throughout the world. In some ways this is not necessarily a bad thing, considering all the bad guys running countries around the world. The problem is, we just and afford to throw our power around indiscriminately as the world’s police force anymore and must focus where dangers really exist.

On one end of the spectrum we have a view that the says we have nothing to fear from a religion whose holy book says things like:

“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he among you that turns to them for friendship is of them.” Sura 5:51

“O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination.” Sura 9:73

“Believers! wage war against such of the infidels as are your neighbors, and let them find you rigorous: and know that God is with those who fear him.” Sura 9:123

The Muslim Brotherhood that has recently increased its power throughout the middle east makes it clear that jihad is their life. The other end of the spectrum recognizes that there are people out to conquer the world… not because we attacked them first… not because they are treated badly in our country, but because we are the infidels that must be defeated or destroyed in the name of Allah. Foreign policy must be based on real threats… not just feel good policies.

The border seems to be one area that generates general agreement among average Americans, but seems to scare most politicians. While I realize we need more courageous politicians, we don’t have time for these beltway insiders to develop backbone. Someone needs to take a stand to close the border, and figure out how to stop the flow of illegal aliens and drugs. Then work out a plan to deal with those that are already among us.

Then we always have to deal with courts who have this nasty habit of throwing a monkey wrench in attempts to deal with these problems. They represent a law unto themselves taking the United States in a direction only acceptable to politicians, academics and those seeking to live off the efforts of others. If we do not deal with the judiciary, they will short circuit almost every attempt we make at fixing the country.

I realize I have not touched on the social issues to this point.  Most of those running have indicated that they believe killing babies is wrong.  The verbal support is good, but it is their character that will determine how far we see this support go.  As for homosexual marriage, that is an open question to some.  The thought of making it a state issue has some merit except for the reciprocal recognition that would eventually be required by some judge who has his own sense of right and there-is-no-wrong.  These issues do not get a lot of attention, but may speak more to the nature of the country under their leadership.  The formerly main stream media treats these issues as settled and deviation from their norm as anti-social behavior, so we probably won’t see them addressed often except in a derogatory sense.

The last thing we will consider is the character of the man or woman seeking the office. It is a vital element in the selection of a candidate. Even the best of promises are meaningless unless the candidate has the determination to live up to their promises. However, character alone, without understanding and ability won’t get the job done.

So, I’ve come to the conclusion that, despite what some supporters will tell us, that there is no perfect candidate. They all have good points and most have some failings.

Forget the names, look at your favorite man or woman, not just rhetoric. Look at their records and positions. Compare them to the issues that are most important to you. Perhaps then we can come together and defeat the abomination in the White House without destroying each other in the process.

With the rise of the tea party, we are witnessing an epic battle between the conservative grass roots and the more moderate (read more liberal or progressive) party insiders. The relationship can be acrimonious at times as the struggle to hold on to power often takes precedence over working for the good of the country.

However this division is nothing new. In 1964 the country witnessed the Goldwater and Rockefeller wings of the GOP do battle for the soul of the party and the welfare of the country. Having won the battle at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco, Barry Goldwater had to deal with party members who never acclimated themselves to the idea that their candidate was more guided by principle than by political considerations. To their horror, the party fathers are facing the same rebellion in the ranks this time around.

Even if the party fathers should see the light, an upstanding patriot to carry the Republican banner, we can be sure that he or she will face some of the most brutal attacks the progressive left can muster… just like Senator Goldwater endured. It will be a no holds barred battle.

Winning the nomination will just be the beginning. One of the considerations, besides having guiding principles to lead us out of the mess we are in would be the stamina to withstand the beating they will face in the media and in the world.

We see the infamous “Daisy” ad (below) that the Democrat candidate Lyndon Johnson’s campaign ran. It played to the fears they placed in the minds of the American people. They spread fear and discord… then Johnson lost the lives of so many American boys in a Vietnam war he would not let them win.

We cannot permit this to happen again