23 July 2009
19 June 2009
Marco Rubio is not "the GOP's Barack Obama".
As I was checking up on Facebook today, a video caught my attention that was posted by David All. This video, which you can view here, was entitled "Marco Rubio: Rising Star and Republican's Barack Obama." As a Rubio supporter, I was excited to watch this video, but I do have to take issue with the title. I'll be quick and to the point, as there isn't much reason to go on about this subject.
Marco Rubio is NOT the Republican version of Barack Obama. Yes, he grew up with very little and rose to prominence at a young age. Yes, Marco Rubio is intelligent and articulate and rattles up crowds whenever he speaks. Yes, Marco Rubio is an ethnicity other than white. But there is a fundamental difference between Rubio and Obama that MUST be pointed out.
While the lock-step followers of Barack Obama (I like to call them Obamites) bought into the cult of personality that is Obama, Rubio supporters are not supporters because of the above reasons. We do not follow Rubio because he is young, good looking, articulate, non-white, captivating (although he is all of those things) or because of his life story. Unlike blind followers of Barack Obama who swoon over the man like he's the Messiah, regardless of the fact that they cannot name a single policy he supports, we Rubio supports want our candidate elected because we believe in the policies he supports. We believe in his politics, in his conservative message. And his message is not a vague, bumper sticker cliche like "change you can believe in". No, Marco Rubio has core values, he believes in real things. He can tell you what policies he supports and more importantly, why he supports them.
We do not follow the man Marco Rubio, oblivious to any mistakes he makes. We do not follow an interesting life story. We support policies and we want to elect a Senator that will enact them. We do not oppose Governor Crist in this race because he's a white-haired white guy. We oppose his policies, from the out of control spending in Florida to his unexplainable support of the "stimuls" package (and much, much more). We do not support Rubio versus Crist because he is younger and we relate to him more. We do not support Rubio just because we think he's "cool". We do not support Rubio because it's the popular thing to do. That's the difference between us and them.
The difference between Rubio and Obama is that Rubio supporters know their guy has substance and will make a good Senator. Obama supporters "like" their guy and that's about the jist of it. Rubio isn't the GOP's solution to their problems because of any characteristics that make him like Barack Obama. He is the cure to the GOP's dilemma because of his true conservative values. And values are not what Barack Obama was elected for.
Marco Rubio is NOT the Republican version of Barack Obama. Yes, he grew up with very little and rose to prominence at a young age. Yes, Marco Rubio is intelligent and articulate and rattles up crowds whenever he speaks. Yes, Marco Rubio is an ethnicity other than white. But there is a fundamental difference between Rubio and Obama that MUST be pointed out.
While the lock-step followers of Barack Obama (I like to call them Obamites) bought into the cult of personality that is Obama, Rubio supporters are not supporters because of the above reasons. We do not follow Rubio because he is young, good looking, articulate, non-white, captivating (although he is all of those things) or because of his life story. Unlike blind followers of Barack Obama who swoon over the man like he's the Messiah, regardless of the fact that they cannot name a single policy he supports, we Rubio supports want our candidate elected because we believe in the policies he supports. We believe in his politics, in his conservative message. And his message is not a vague, bumper sticker cliche like "change you can believe in". No, Marco Rubio has core values, he believes in real things. He can tell you what policies he supports and more importantly, why he supports them.
We do not follow the man Marco Rubio, oblivious to any mistakes he makes. We do not follow an interesting life story. We support policies and we want to elect a Senator that will enact them. We do not oppose Governor Crist in this race because he's a white-haired white guy. We oppose his policies, from the out of control spending in Florida to his unexplainable support of the "stimuls" package (and much, much more). We do not support Rubio versus Crist because he is younger and we relate to him more. We do not support Rubio just because we think he's "cool". We do not support Rubio because it's the popular thing to do. That's the difference between us and them.
The difference between Rubio and Obama is that Rubio supporters know their guy has substance and will make a good Senator. Obama supporters "like" their guy and that's about the jist of it. Rubio isn't the GOP's solution to their problems because of any characteristics that make him like Barack Obama. He is the cure to the GOP's dilemma because of his true conservative values. And values are not what Barack Obama was elected for.
06 May 2009
22 April 2009
25 books that every conservative should read
*This list is not all inclusive.
In no particular order:
In no particular order:
- The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes
- The Conservative's Handbook by Phil Valentine
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal by Ayn Rand
- The 10 Big Lies About America by Michael Medved
- Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin
- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
- New Deal Or Raw Deal? by Burton W. Folsom
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- Economic Facts and Fallacies by Thomas Sowell
- Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg
- Edmund Burke by Russell Kirk
- The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk
- The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek
- The Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater
- Up From Liberalism by William F. Buckley, Jr.
- The Law by Frederic Bastiat
- Attention Deficit Democracy by James Bovard
- Scalia Dissents by Antonin Scalia
- The Works of Edmund Burke
- The Federalist Papers
- The Anti Federalist Papers
- Democracy in American by Alexis de Tocqueville
09 April 2009
Government and God
Once, when I had just started listening to talk radio, I heard Rush Limbaugh describe the difference between liberals and conservatives. He said that while liberals define success as how many people they have on government programs, conservatives measure success by how many people no longer need to be on those programs. That is true compassion. That is conservatism.
That explanation seemed so profound to me that I took to trying to find ways to explain the differences between conservatives and liberals myself. I'm rather fond of coming up with new ways to explain what separates the two. There is, of course, the old standard definition that says that conservatives believe in smaller government while liberals believe in bigger government. I've also looked many times to Edmund Burke and Russell Kirk to give well-formed explanations as to what conservatism is.
Today, however, I found a different source from which to grasp an answer to the question of what divides conservatives from liberals and vice versa. As I was reading for a class on Old Testament history, I came across a statement that struck me. The text read, "Establishing a monarchy did not solve Israel's problems. What God desires is the genuine devotion of each person's mind and heart to him. No government or set of laws can substitute for the rule of God in your heart and life."(emphasis mine)
That last sentence hit me with great truth. Many in our government would like for government to replace God himself. While liberals seek to replace God with government, conservatives seek to protect God's laws from government. Now, don't get me wrong; I'm not so partisan that I think it's only liberals who want to do so. No, I recognize that there are those in both major parties that would like to establish themselves as the final word in truth and law. But as a general rule, it seems to me that liberals seek to make laws as a means to reach a utopia. And in my view, conservatives try to pass laws for the good of those on this earth, without the unrealistic expectation that these laws will lead to a perfect civilization.
The reason this text had such an impact on me probably goes back to something that someone asked me recently. The question was brought up that, since I consider myself a Christian, how can I take part in earthly politics. After all, I should be considering the things of the next life, not this one; right? Well, my answer to that was that I feel obligated as a Christian to protect the very right we have in this country to worship freely. If we have no freedom of religion, then whose fault is it? I don't fight only to protect the rights of people who belong to my religion to worship. I fight for the rights of all citizens to worship as they please, regardless of what religion.
While the current liberal administration seeks to repeal "conscience laws", forcing medical professionals to perform procedures that they morally oppose, conservatives feel that the ability to express our conscience is at the core of our rights. Redefining what is right and wrong through legislation and not allowing for conscience is indeed trying to replace God with government.
That explanation seemed so profound to me that I took to trying to find ways to explain the differences between conservatives and liberals myself. I'm rather fond of coming up with new ways to explain what separates the two. There is, of course, the old standard definition that says that conservatives believe in smaller government while liberals believe in bigger government. I've also looked many times to Edmund Burke and Russell Kirk to give well-formed explanations as to what conservatism is.
Today, however, I found a different source from which to grasp an answer to the question of what divides conservatives from liberals and vice versa. As I was reading for a class on Old Testament history, I came across a statement that struck me. The text read, "Establishing a monarchy did not solve Israel's problems. What God desires is the genuine devotion of each person's mind and heart to him. No government or set of laws can substitute for the rule of God in your heart and life."(emphasis mine)
That last sentence hit me with great truth. Many in our government would like for government to replace God himself. While liberals seek to replace God with government, conservatives seek to protect God's laws from government. Now, don't get me wrong; I'm not so partisan that I think it's only liberals who want to do so. No, I recognize that there are those in both major parties that would like to establish themselves as the final word in truth and law. But as a general rule, it seems to me that liberals seek to make laws as a means to reach a utopia. And in my view, conservatives try to pass laws for the good of those on this earth, without the unrealistic expectation that these laws will lead to a perfect civilization.
The reason this text had such an impact on me probably goes back to something that someone asked me recently. The question was brought up that, since I consider myself a Christian, how can I take part in earthly politics. After all, I should be considering the things of the next life, not this one; right? Well, my answer to that was that I feel obligated as a Christian to protect the very right we have in this country to worship freely. If we have no freedom of religion, then whose fault is it? I don't fight only to protect the rights of people who belong to my religion to worship. I fight for the rights of all citizens to worship as they please, regardless of what religion.
While the current liberal administration seeks to repeal "conscience laws", forcing medical professionals to perform procedures that they morally oppose, conservatives feel that the ability to express our conscience is at the core of our rights. Redefining what is right and wrong through legislation and not allowing for conscience is indeed trying to replace God with government.
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