Election 2008; Keyes Endorsement

On my 18th birthday I registered for two things. I registered for Selective Service, the draft. Then I registered to vote. I registered as a non-partisan, but have voted rather consistently Republican since nonetheless. I voted for Ronald Reagan twice, and for the elder George Bush four times. I voted for him twice as Vice President (when I voted for Ronald Reagan), and (having read his lips) I only voted for him grudgingly the fourth time. And yes, I voted for his son four times as well. I voted for the younger George Bush twice as Governor of the State of Texas and twice as President. And as much as I regret that most recent vote, I can honestly say that I did not vote for him grudgingly. 

No, I do not vote for anyone grudgingly anymore. In 1996, two years after we gave them the victory in Congress, the GOP showed their gratitude by telling us that we would either vote for Bob Dole, a candidate who thumbed his nose at our values and our efforts by declaring that he would not be bound by the platform plank opposed to abortion, or we would just be throwing our votes away and helping to elect Bill Clinton. (No, I did not vote for Ross Perot, or as I called him, the Yellow Ross of Texas.) And of course, we all know how 1996 worked out for Bob Dole and the Republicans. 

Still, today they're doing the same thing again. The GOP is on track to offer up Rudy McRomney as a candidate and tell us that we can either vote for their guy or throw our vote away and help elect Hillary Clinton. They are counting on us fearing President Hillary Clinton enough to make us vote for anyone they choose to nominate. But I say no! I will not be moved by fear.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love (I John 4: 18).

I will not vote for anyone who will tolerate the continued murder of innocents in this nation, not even if it is only by passive deference. And moreover, I will not bow to fear as an impetus to do wrong. The lesser of two evils is still evil, and in it will I have no part!

So the GOP will do well to recall the lesson of 1996 before they hoist one of these front-runners upon us. The problems with Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are self-evident. As for Mitt Romney, I won't vote for him because his convictions are too convenient. His conservatism reeks of memories of his neighbor, Jumpin' Jim Jeffords. And as for Fred Thompson, he's articulated no values. He's mentioned no issues, nor has he spoke of an agenda. Moreover, he has gone out of his way to be coy, non-committal, about everything that matters to me. His conservatism reeks of the subtlety and shallowness of the younger George Bush. He wants to be thought of as a conservative, but he won't come out and say anything he can be held to account for. As far as I can tell, he would just follow in the younger George Bush's footsteps of doing more to enact the liberal Democrats' agenda than they could do alone. Eight years is more than enough of that kind of conservatism.

So who will I vote for if none of them?

The answer lies in the word, "conservative." What is a conservative, but one who wants to conserve what we have (or at least once had)? The liberal left call themselves Democrats. They cry for democracy. But I say that the tyranny of many is no less repugnant than the tyranny of one. They call themselves progressive, and they cry for change. But I want the opposite. I want to regain what's lost, to restore and conserve this great representative republic and the values it was built upon. I want to restore and conserve our Constitution, and the values of our Declaration of Independence that it made manifest.

So for me, this Election 2008 is not about Democrat v Republican. It's about liberal v conservative. It's about either restoring and conserving the greatness of our nation, or losing the struggle to those who would impose Socialist-Marxist-Fascism upon us all. It's about preserving the inheritance of our posterity that was paid for with the blood of our fathers. It's about revival.

There have been, for some time now, a few men in this field of contenders for the Republican nomination for President who show potential, but none that I can support without qualification. I don't want a candidate who is going to work for a lesser version of Nationalized health care. I want a candidate who can see that in such matters, in most matters, government is the problem, not the solution. I don't want a candidate who wants to exchange one form of punitive taxation for another. I want a candidate who recognizes that taxation, at best, is necessary and should be limited to the scope intended by our founding fathers. Anything more is punitive and deleterious.

I do not want a candidate who is a good businessman. America doesn't need a good businessman. We don't need someone to organize teams and build consensus. We need a leader with the courage of his conviction to command that others follow. We don't need a Chief Executive Officer. We need a Commander in Chief. We don't need another partisan politician. We need a statesman and a patriot.

Prior to this weekend, if you had asked me who my choice for President would be, my first choice was then as it is now. My first choice is for the one man this nation needs, now more than ever before. He is definitively conservative, and both his speech and actions belie the courage of his convictions. He's a leader, a patriot and a statesman. And most importantly, today, unlike last week, he's announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.

He is Alan Keyes. I unequivocally support him, and I ask that you do likewise.

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