Think Balance, Think Winning in 2012

Being a limited government advocate, I would like nothing short of eliminating everything, but, the defense and commerce departments of the central government. To date, a candidate which represents my views, has not surfaced. Chances are they won’t. So, it’s time to settle for the best options. Does it suck, or what, to not be able to vote for someone who represents your views en totale?

Libertarians have been getting a lot of press lately. People have awoken to the concept of “Freedom.” Libertarians may be closer to the Founders view of the Republic than any other segment. One drawback to the “full frontal” libertarian view is their unabated leniency. In my opinion, there must be boundaries to behavior. Without some restrictions things will get out of hand quickly. I point you to the HBO series “Deadwood” as an example of a collection of humanity with little or no restraint.

Law vs Chaos

Complete lawlessness may not be the goal of libertarians, but, it can be the end product. This effort was not to bash libertarians. My goal was to point to the lack of balance in the “righter” wing of politics. Yes, I am for God, Guns, and Freedom. Classify me “old fashioned.” But, I am not an evangelical, nor, do I support government fixing our problems fiscally. One might say, I do not fit in the Tea Party. As described by the “disciples of the bus,” I do not fit. The lack of belonging may be more a part of my rebellious nature, or, it might be a part of not wanting to defined by someone else.

In politics, and maybe in culture, we’ve reached a point of being cast into specific niches. Think about it, no one can sell us or influence us if we do not fit nicely into one of their niches. In my opinion, we find far too much comfort in niches. As people, we willingly buy into the whole rather than demand freedom to be on the fringe. Of course, they will tell us if we do not join the main-stream our vote is wasted. They may be correct at the national level. Which supports my call for a return to local government.

Romney vs Who?

When pairing candidates one must look for balance. The perfect pairing of President and Vice President brings the nation together geographically and politically. The personalities/strengths of the candidates should compliment each other. We traditionally think our leaders should be charismatic. Is that a flaw in our culture? Why should our president be Mr/Ms Perfect? Why do we place so much importance on the image of our candidates?

Love him or hate him Mitt Romney looks presidential. In the recent debate he was not the firebrand, but then again between Representatives Bachmann and Paul; Romney had little chance to stand out short of setting his hair on fire. Does that mean I am in the Romney camp? No ! I still believe he compromised when he endorsed McCain. My president should be short on compromise and long on principle.

One can find many candidates to pair with former Gov. Romney. But, one can find few candidates to pair with Rep. Bachmann who would not be more than window dressing. One could argue that VP Biden fits that bill, (window dressing). But, do we really want a milk toast VP? In this era of multi-tasking a strong VP allows the president to extend their reach.

Gov. Pawlenty has some positive points politically, but, was on the wrong side of some serious issues. The performance at the debate made him a candidate for the “milk toast” sidekick role. While I do not want a president whose hair looks like it’s on fire, mine must have passion which comes out naturally.

Getting a Date

When selecting a candidate for president of these United States, we need to be grounded. The operative part of that sentence- “United States.” We are not a single country with a single government. We are a collection of states which agreed to a Republic form of government. Our states are as diverse as the current Tea Party movement. Attempting to elect someone who is very provincial will not work, any better than some one with extreme views.

The key phrase “extreme” keeps “us” from being a moving force. My views are extreme, I admit it. And, I do not expect many to adopt them in the short term. The “Tea Party” in it’s pure form may be classified by the politically correct media as extreme, but, it was not. After the “bus groupies” hijacked the movement and the media finished with it, the Tea Party became a part for extremists.

If we continue to demand extreme views as the only alternative, we will continue down the path of stronger central government. Time has come to start thinking about who we want as a prom date November 2012. And, we need to think who can win and why. It’s not enough to like a candidate for their complimentary views when it comes to winning the presidency. We must believe that person can best represent the entire nation in the struggle to survive the Marxist/socialist onslaught.

Establishing a Marker

Today, we have little chance of electing a right wing candidate for the presidency. The country, nationally, will not lurch from far left to far right in one election or decade. People do not change political positions quickly, they evolve. More than a decade or two was spent moving us from rugged individualists to open minded regarding central government. We’ve slipped from self reliant to believing in social security and medicare as part of life’s journey.

Medicare and social safety nets are not mandatory. Once upon a time, people became ill and died. People starved to death and others suffered in poverty most of their lives. Along the way, we learned to believe government was the solution to suffering. As a charitable nation we felt others should not suffer. Where we once gave at our church to aid the poor individuals in our neighborhoods, today, we pay taxes to bloated government systems which actually do little to aid those in poverty. In reality, not much has changed, people still starve to death, suffer in poverty and die. The difference- we pay a lot of people in the middle to do nothing. We are less charitable today because we hide behind federal programs.

The president who replaces the current resident in the oval office will be a marker. That new president will be either left or right of the current one. If we manage to put a right moving candidate into the Lincoln bedroom in 2012, barring disaster, they will be little more than a place marker in history. We, as a nation, are always moving politically.

Our nation will either complete the slow fade into socialism and totalitarianism or claw its way back toward freedom and the Founders’ Republic. The real change won’t be this election cycle.

Endorse a Winner

Picking candidates should be easier than horses at the track. But, then again, we should have had a woman president in 2008. The corruption that has taken over our electoral system may prevent the people’s choice from emerging with the medal. All you and I can do is- back a person who best represents a chance to move government in “our” direction. While trying to decide, we should be cognizant of the need for balance and of the collection of states which must believe in our candidate of choice.

Why pick an extremist if they have no chance to win. And, remember, our chosen candidate must be able to pick a running mate who compliments their strengths, and, brings more followers.

Its more than just loving an image, it’s about winning both short and long term.