Skimming through Spunky’s posts on Huckabee, I came across a comment that illustrates most of the conversation I have had recently regarding the current presidential race. Despite the warning to not “get too depressed,” Quiverdaddy does present a rather dismal picture of this presidential race in regards to a truly conservative candidate, as he dismisses each one based on his stances on various issues, narrowing it down to the last three.
Now consider who’s left: Dr. Ron Paul, Huckabee and Fred Thompson. If we take Huckabee out of the picture, consider Dr. Paul’s support of prostitution and legalizing drugs, and get realistic about Fred Thompson’s chances, there are no alternatives.*
No alternatives. I came to that conclusion myself some time ago as I attempted to sort out whom I would be voting for in the upcoming primaries. There are things I like about each of the candidates, but none of them has the “complete package” this die-hard conservative and Reaganite is looking for.
While I would not exactly characterize myself as a Ron Paul supporter, I have been frustrated by the complete lack of attention he has received in the national discussion during this presidential race. He appears to be wholly an internet phenomenon, likened to Howard Dean who also dominated the internet, yet lost the nomination.
What Ron Paul brings to this race, or at least could bring if he received the media attention that even Huckabee received with HSLDA PAC’s endorsement, is an idea of liberty and of self-government which was birthed in this nation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed… Declaration of Independence
Ideas, however, are like seeds which need to be planted and nurtured before they bear fruit. They do not come to fruition all at once. As John Adams noted in an 1818 letter to Hezekiah Niles on the beginnings of the American Revolution,
The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people, a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations.
We have had four years of George Bush, Sr., eight years of William Clinton and eight years of George Bush, Jr. While I am not so far away from center to dismiss these candidates as nothing but the “same old same old,” none of them have upheld true conservative values of limited government. That is twenty years. An entire generation.
For my readers who, like me, are conservative and are a little troubled by the lack of a conservative candidate in this race who also seems able to pass the “electability test,” let me leave you with a thought:
In 1964, Barry Goldwater gained the Republican nomination but lost the presidential race to incumbent Lyndon Johnson. Dubbed “Mr. Conservative,” Goldwater is credited with sparking the resurgence of the conservative movement in America. While he never attained the presidency, the idea that propelled his candidacy did not die.
You and I are told increasingly that we have to choose between a left or right, but I would like to suggest that there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down–up to a man’s age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order–or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism, and regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course. A Time for Choosing
The very man who delivered that speech on behalf of Goldwater would eventually become President upholding these very same principles–Ronald Reagan. And it only took seventeen years.
_____
(*For the record, my understanding is that Dr. Paul neither supports prostitution nor the legalization of drugs, but rather believes this should be left solely to the discretion of the states.)
[tags]Ron Paul, Huckabee, politics, election, Republicans, conservatives[/tags]
Principled Discovery is a place to stop and discuss news and information related to faith, family and particularly education. Pour yourself a cup of tea and join the conversation! 
Interesting! And although I am not looking for a conservative candidate, I have to agree that the choices are very dismal. I would love to have true choice on both sides.
Hey, Shawna! I didn’t think you would be looking particularly closely at any of these guys. : )
I’ve felt more and more with Dr. Paul’s fundraising and ‘net attention that he will make an impact sooner or later despite the media’s intentional blind eye to him. Dean is the Democratic Party’s chair now if I remember correctly.
I’m also wondering if there will be surprises in the Iowa caucus and NH primary that the media refuse to acknowledge. It’s probably just my hope because we could certainly use a shakeup with voters, but more particularly non-voters.
The fact that a whole generation has grown up with the progression of more government intervention really set me back as a reminder. Both Dems and Repubs being guilty.
Guess we’ll keep fighting the fight, ay? Happy New Year!
Everytime I get close to feeling as though I could possibly support a candidate, I find out something I don’t like about them. I know that I’ll never be 100% in agreement with someone, but really, should the whole thing leave me feeling like I need to go and take a good shower?
I have to know … do you suppose there is a conspiracy against Duncan Hunter? He is still running, but he is never mentioned. He agrees with most of my values, which makes him unique because he’s not the loon that Ron Paul (who scares me) is. Why is no one speaking of Duncan Hunter?
Stan, I don’t think there is a conspiracy against anyone. I just barely began looking at Duncan Hunter, so can’t say much about him…I chose Paul because of…well…because this is a blog and he seems all the rage on the internet. Which must be where all good libertarians hang out. : )
Ron Paul has “issues” which concern me, which is why I am not a Ron Paul supporter. But there are a number of things he has said that make it clear why he has drawn the support of certain sectors (beyond the neo-nazis and conspiracy theorists) which have directly to do with what this blog purports to be about.
Maybe I can post a series on my concerns on each candidate. I’ll already know how that will turn out…I’ll run out of candidates. I am afraid the one I’m leaning towards I only like because I don’t know that much about him.
LOTP, I know how you feel. But never lose heart. As Susan says, we just need to keep fighhting the fight. We have an opportunity to engage in national discussion like never before.
btw, as far as the “issues” I have with Paul, for the moment, I am just ignoring his ragtag band of followers…especially the ones who seem to pounce on entries criticizing him. There are a lot of things he says I would like to see further discussion on, and I will give him credit for being consistent. Where I have ideological concerns is where he is libertarian and I am conservative. His views on the origins of the Civil War are a little simplistic, but most of my concern rests with foreign policy issues.
Thomas Jefferson said a lot of nice things, too, but I do not believe he made all that great of a president. He was a little too…libertarian.
A friend sent me the youtube Paul interview on the Civil War. I’m a bit of a Lincoln fan and his thoughts set me back a bit. The Habeas Corpus issue was a problem and I see the same sort of problems happening now since 911. But I think that President Lincoln was a master politician and a decent man who would have found a way out of the bloodshed if he could have. The progressive lines in his face certainly would claim that.
I have been observing Paul’s actions for some time regarding universal preschool and mental health screening, so he was on my radar before. I appreciated his lonely stands on that.
But I’m definitely scratching my head about some of the other things he’s said about other issues such as earmarks. Seems like his interviews such as on Meet the Press or debates make him look a little looney. I think his factual basis on a lot of issues takes more time past soundbites.
Here’s a site about education positions from candidates:
http://www.issues2000.org/Education.htm
Here’s Duncan Hunter’s position about an A+ Act:
http://www.house.gov/list/speech/ca52_hunter/a_plus_act.shtml
Pardon my ignorance, but Susan who?
(…that’s my name!)
Hehe..that’s funny. I was referring to Susan Ryan’s comment just before yours. : )
Thank you, Susan. I’ll look at those later, but I agree. I think Lincoln was a master politician and a decent man. But the Civil War was something bound to happen almost since the inception of this nation. How a nation founded on the idea that just governments are instituted among men in order to protect life, liberty and property could hold slaves, I do not know. The original Declaration even blamed King George for the institution of slavery on American soil.
As great as Lincoln was, we did lose something with the Civil War, however. I really believe that is where ceased being Virginians, so to speak, and became Americans. We stopped worrying about state’s rights…sovereignty even, and began looking to the central government for our governance. There was a fundamental shift in attitudes.
OK…I’ve written on A+ before:
http://principleddiscovery.com/?p=394
http://principleddiscovery.com/?p=400
I like the stance Hoekstra (the bill’s author) takes:
“With No Child Left Behind we shifted down the road toward federal government education,” he said. “We are now on the road to a national curriculum, national accountability, national testing…and then we will also have a process of federally mandated corrections standards for those who don’t meet the standards.” Hoekstra added, “Every school in the country will begin to look exactly the same. Say goodbye to local control, and say hello to federal government schools.”
It is supported by the Heritage Foundation as well, and I think Ron Paul signed on as a supporter, but I can’t find the list right now. If only they would get rid of the funding…
I’ve used the other site before…it provides a nice way to compare candidates. Thank you for the link again!
With the info about Huckabee that Spunky shared, my eyes have been totally shifted to Paul. One reason is simply that I am so tired of Red State and Blue State. I’d like to get back to America - land of the brave, home of the free - one Nation Under God.
The lack of conservative candidacy is due to the moral decline of the nation and is not something any of us “die hard conservatives” can fix. The answer is in prayer and the Lord would have to provide a miracle at this point. That He might provide one is reason to hope - and yet with the grim future recorded in Revelations, I wonder if the miracle will come. Sorry, but I have been pretty depressed about politics in this nation since I started voting, really (and I am in my 30’s now - so it really hasn’t been that long if you consider Bush/Clinton/Bush, right?).
This past three years have really been the death of my link to the Republican Party… since I now don’t believe the Republican Party stands for the same type of conservatism that I do. The “ghost cross” and the fluffy religious sound bites don’t work on me any more. I am way beyond falling for the first person who mentions Jesus. The Bible says that many will say “Lord, Lord!” and He will tell them to get away because He doesn’t know them… Even the daemons believe and shudder. So now that I am a voter without a party, I can only vote for who best preserves the nation that was founded upon Biblical principles - and Ron Paul seems to be the Constitutional choice. At this point, I feel that it doesn’t matter if he is not able to pull off the victory… Why?
Because: The Lord gives all leaders their power and sets us all in our times and places. I believe in Acts 17:26 and Romans 13:1.
Acts 17:26 ~ “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”
Romans 13:1 ~ “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
He is still in control. No matter what I do or who I vote for. That is the only thing that gives me peace in the 2008 election. Because you are right - there are no options.
- In His GRIP,
Heather
Heather,
Your comment literally gave me goosebumps. Thank you for taking the time to post your response, it is been a true blessing to me.
Susan
My hope for this country remains strong. I believe God will raise up a standard even if it takes generations. Thanks for the reminder!
Someone once told me that they didn’t have enough faith to be a teacher, because it takes too long to see the results. He was joking, but it is true. We are working for something we may never see. I pray that, if not in our generation, individuals in our children’s generation will be raised up as champions of liberty.
Thank you for your comments, Heather, Blueberry and Renae. Heather, you said,
The lack of conservative candidacy is due to the moral decline of the nation and is not something any of us “die hard conservatives” can fix.
And it is really the only thing I disagree with. : ) Prayer is good…and I won’t reject miracles…but I think the problem is that we are perhaps being too short sighted. What is this election? It is being presented as a turning point. Either America makes the right choice now or we may as well give up. Every election is that, however, and I prefer not to be led by fear. My unofficial prediction which is rather silly to be making at this time is that Giuliani will get the nomination, the Christian Right will stand true to its threat of running a third party candidate and Clinton will win.
Now I will admit that I am an optimist to a fault. But a Clinton presidency will not be the end of life as we know it. American politics is too slow moving for that. What we are seeing now is a combination of things, but mostly it is the effect of changes in attitudes that happened a long time ago. Maybe we are sliding into socialism. But we survived the New Deal and the Great Society. And we swung back to the values closer to those of our founding. Reagan had a strong enough effect that he got Bush elected, despite the whole Iran-Contra thing. People still talk about “the next Reagan.” His quotes are still passed around.
What investment are we making in our children? That will determine what direction the nation takes after this presidency is over, regardless of who wins it.
Renae, you are exactly right. We are making an investment in our future, one which we may or may not see reflected in the immediate future.
truthfully, I don’t care for ANY of the candidates on any side…
We’ve had enough Bush’s and Clinton’s for sure. I think it is time for some new blood, but not sure whose blood that would be.
Here’s a scary thought for you, Lindsey: Clinton for eight years, then Jeb Bush for another eight. Only 16 more to go! Billy Cunningham (a talk radio guy) put Chelsea in there, too, once Jeb is done.
Dana, don’t think the thought of those scenarios hasn’t crossed my mind.
I’m too tired to ponder the deeper things of politics tonight
Back to homeschool routines tomorrow. Sigh. It’s been a long, but wonderful break from it all.
I’ll admit it- I’d vote for Paris Hilton if she was running for Prez and supported The Fair Tax. :p
I will pick the candidate I think will do the least amount of damage. And I am usually such an optimist!
Doesn’t Chelsea have to be allowed to talk to reporters first?
Sunniemom–you won’t find me trashing anyone or dismissing anyone just yet. I’m voting for one of these guys…and I’m neither a “values voter” nor an “issues voter.” Therefore, a candidate’s stance on any one issue may or may not sway me much in the end depending on how likely they are to have any real effect on that issue.
Interesting thought, Susan. But maybe not being allowed to talk to reporters would be a tremendous advantage in a presidential race.
Dana - I agree with you that we can do something (but it really has nothing to do with today)… that is why I’m homeschooling my kids.
On a side note, I wish my neighbors would quit shooting off firecrackers when it is against the law in my city to do so. Yesterday I saw them throwing them over everyone’s fences (and the grass is really dry).
What was I saying? Oh, yes… elections. Bahumbug. Just vote for anything but Democrat and anything but Republican and maybe we can shake things up for a change. Certainly it will shock the “illuminati”. Ha! I’ve been watching too much You Tube.
Happy 2008 (and hopefully we can all continue to make this year a great one for our kids on the homefront before we get depressed in November).
Love from Texas,
Heather
I don’t have anything politically-inspiring to say like the rest of you, but you made me laugh so many times, I have to comment. lol
This was so funny:Interesting thought, Susan. But maybe not being allowed to talk to reporters would be a tremendous advantage in a presidential race. Imagine that one.
I said in my “huckabee post” that, “I wish more of us would vote our conscience, instead of considering someone’s “electibility”. I think we would be pleasantly surprised if we did,” though I know it isn’t as simple as that.
Dana- you brought up “sliding into Socialism,” and I have felt that way for some time. It’s amazing what people will tell themselves is a good thing and be truly convinced of it. I have seen many things that I think are just re-packaged Socialism for the US.
And, I thought we were in for it when the first candidate Clinton won again, and honestly, I can’t believe now his wife may be the next president. unbelieveable.
Heather, when you brought up that you are in your 30s, and went through the administrations Dana brought up… I had to think back at how I felt with all of it. You made a good point with that, Dana.
I feel like it doesn’t matter how well you know these candidates, because the more you know about any of them, the less choices it gives you.
Ok. That is depressing. I think I’ll go back to caring for my sick children and cheer up a bit.
Happy New Year everyone!
blessings~
Jacque
Hmm…the Illuminati. I actually spent hours reading up on them. But I’ll spare you the details. I still can’t separate them from the race of extra-terrestrial lizard men that run the Federal Reserve because that is where I first learned of the Illuminati.
I’m not mocking anybody with that. Seriously, the first time I heard about the Illuminati was in some journal about Roswell, Area 51 and all of that. And they claimed that the Illuminati were lizard men from another planet.
What do you know…even Wikipedia knows about that one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_icke
And I thought it belonged to the bizarre recesses of a mind that will read about anything, recalling the information at the oddest of times.
Cheering up with sick children? This post was supposed to be a ray of light in a darkened candidate field…a lifting up of higher purposes and a commitment to the notion that all is not lost, no matter the outcome.
That and the lizard people that really run the world. That was an important subtheme that only Sprittibee picked up. : )
“Doesn’t Chelsea have to be allowed to talk to reporters first?”
Even the nine-year-olds.
Regarding the lizard people…my father was AF and stationed in Roswell during the mid sixties. During this time my brother was born. Now that you mention it, he does slightly resemble a lizard.
Coincidence? It think not.
Dana said: “Maybe we are sliding into socialism. But we survived the New Deal and the Great Society. And we swung back to the values closer to those of our founding.”
I said something similar to my husband. I think we have to lose to win. I just hope that things don’t get too bad while we watch the pendulum swing in the other direction (toward socialism).
On a side note, Dana, did you get my e-mail about the carnival?
When the Israelites asked for a king, they got it. We get what we ask for, especially in a representative republic.
And yes, I got your email…I don’t know what I did, but I noticed I didn’t do it right when nothing changed. Hopefully it was something little, but last time I messed up, I couldn’t figure out how to undo what I did. I’ll email after I mess with it again and forward the entries I have.