Two Examples of "No Fear"

For months now, I have been saying how important it is for the Republican nominee to campaign with "No Fear" in the general election against Obama. In the past two days, we have seen two examples of this. First, Allen West:

The Rest of Florida Votes Tomorrow

After one week of debates, ads, political rallies, town hall meetings and news, the remainder of Florida votes tomorrow. Everybody I know down there has taken advantage of early voting, which ended Saturday, and the early voters I would predict favor Newt, if they voted before the onslaught. Polls released today have Newt Gingrich taking a fall, but it remains to be see how close they will be. After the votes are counted, the winner will be determined by how the I-4 Corridor votes, as well as the voting trends in the Hispanic Community.

Prayers for the Santorum Family

Yesterday, news broke that Rick Santorum's three year old daughter Isabella, was admitted to Philadelphia Children's Hospital. Santorum's daughter has Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder similar to Downs Syndrome, which has a very low survival rate. Isabella, or Bella, was not predicted to live past her first birthday.

Rick Santorum is a good man and "The 'Right' Solutions" prays for his family and a quick recovery for Isabella!

Hermain Cain Endorses Newt

Since Herman Cain dropped out of the race in November, he had been saying an endorsement from him will be coming. Tonight, that endorsement came and it is Newt Gingrich.



With both men being from Georgia, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain go way back, have appeared congenial toward each other during the campaign and have both been seen as threats by the media and Republicans, considering the number of attacks they have fielded. This endorsement was not much of a surprise and it is the hope of Newt's campaign, as well as his supporters, that this endorsement carries Newt over the finish line as those to did not early vote will vote on Tuesday. Despite what the media may say, Florida is still up in the air, and that means three full days of campaigning, television ads and news reports before the victor is announced.


NOTE: The picture above was taken in Atlanta, really quickly, by a friend of mine who had to think fast to get a picture of me shaking hands with Herman Cain.

Rich Zeoli, "Next in Line," GOP & 2012

On Thursday evening, I attended a local Young Republican function, where Sussex County GOP Chair/WPHT 1210AM Talk Radio host, Rich Zeoli, was the featured speaker. Rich gave an inspiring speech on seizing the day, moving forward and not allowing anyone else but the person running, to make a decision to run; even if it may step on someone's toes.

I wholeheartedly agree with Rich and his premise about moving forward with a campaign if you feel your ideas are superior to the "next person in line," as that time may be your time. He is an example of being successful at running when he felt it was right. He also cited an example of someone who was not successful in running when he felt it was right, but he did not give up, and come 2009, he ran for a higher office and won!

As Rich was speaking of this, I got to thinking how we see this much too frequently in the Republican Party, especially at the national level. Since 1968, the person who ran in the last presidential cycle and either lost in the primary or in the general, has been the party's candidate in the following cycle. The only exception to this rule was 2000, when George W. Bush ran. Sometimes the "next in line" rule worked, but when it worked, it had nothing to do with the candidate having campaign experience, it was because they ran as a Conservative. Those who ran as Moderates lost in the general and their previous campaign experience was moot.

I am very happy, in 2012, we are seeing other candidates run, as in this cycle, we are seeing their passion personify the reasons they are running, they are articulating Conservatism in a fashion others in the race may not be and they are strengthening each other through participation in the state primary campaigns, along with the many debates. The "next in line" candidate may or may not win the primary, the "line jumper" (who I am supporting) may survive the friendly fire, but after the primary period ends, everyone must bury the hatchet and come together for the most important task at hand: replacing the current occupant of the Oval Office, as they ALL have the potential to be far superior to this president in every facet of the job!

Gunning for Newt...in the Republican Party?

If you happened to visit Drudge yesterday, you saw, through his website, that a bomb went off in Florida, as a coordinated attack on Newt Gingrich by the Republicans was unleashed: attack after attack, (one of which was proven untrue) attacks from a moderate presidential candidate that lost, (who may be an American hero, but they lost) and a backhanded attack from a former Congressman turned pundit.

I know this onslaught on Newt is false and I'm sure my readers do as well, therefore, I'm going to focus on the root cause of this Republican attack on its own.

Washington is an interesting place: people work so hard to get there, and once they arrive, it becomes their new home and even after their primary service has ended, they stay in Washington. Becoming a part of the Washington culture; whether over drinks at The Monocle, Hawk and Dove, or over golf at The Burning Tree, these folks are limited to their small Republican circles in the nearly 260 square miles inside the Capital Beltway. In these small circles, they begin to develop and endorse a false premise about acceptable Republican Party positions, how campaigns should be run, and will attempt to drag, kicking and screaming, the non-Washington voters to think and vote their way. With the rise of Obama and into 2010, we have seen a grass roots Conservative movement, in the form of the TEA Party, develop and produce Congressional majorities in the Midterms. Despite this influence, a battle between the DC GOP Establishment and the more Conservative TEA Party is brewing up for 2012.

Being a part of that Washington culture and enjoying the perks and benefits, the Establishment Republicans want to stay a part of that Washington culture; both in influence and power. Therefore, they believe having someone on the top of the ticket who is of a more Conservative bend will be a threat to both. If the Conservative candidate wins, members of the Establishment believe they'll get pushed out, as the Conservative will bring in his/her own circle and look to the new faces, rather than the old Establishment faces for advice and counsel. And due to their small social and professional circle and groupthink among these circles, these Establishment Republicans cannot accept Conservatism as valid, as they see it as too divisive. Therefore, it is their belief that having a Conservative at the top of the ticket will have a diliterious effect down the Republican ticket, causing elected officials to lose power because their brand of Republicanism was not articulated and endorsed.

We are already hearing the fears of the establishment that a vote for Newt will cost Republicans the majority in Congress. The false premise which I had explained is clearly playing out, the Establishment's narrative about Mitt Romney is failing, so with their backs against the wall, the onslaught of attacks on Newt Gingrich came out this week. It is my hope that voters in Florida ignore the ridiculous fear mongering of the Establishment Republicans and instead, apply the tenets of Conservatism to their vote.

Really Joe?

The comedian's dream come true, Vice President Joe Biden, always knows how to give them material. Well, now he has opened his mouth once again, mocking Indians.



This isn't new for him, and it's really pretty unbecoming. Considering the media is so obsessed with the Mitt vs. Newt fight, they're not talking about this anywhere, so I decided to put it out there.

Would the media be as quiet about Biden's perceived cultural insensitivities if what he said was said by a Republican?