Picking The President Part 5(President 2008)

Renew America ^ | Adam Graham

[KyleM]

Over the past few weeks I've discussed the prospects of 14 potential presidential candidates. Now its my turn to say who I believe should be chosen to lead our nation in 2008. The next president of the United States needs to be unquestionably pro-life and for the sanctity of the family. He also must fight the war on terror including securing of our border. We also need a President who understands the importance of fiscal responsibility and limited government. This is perhaps the most neglected part of the Conservative agenda these days. We need a President who doesn't think veto is "some Italian guy."

As I examine the potential candidates for 2008. One man's leadership, character, and record make him stand out from the rest: Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana. Pence's record on every issue is solid, right down the line Conservative. He's pro-life, pro-family, he received a 100% rating from the Federation of American Immigration Reform. In other words, he's a reliable vote for conservative values.

However, being a vote is not enough. There are several good reliable "votes" in Congress. What sets Pence apart is his leadership. Pence is chairman of the Conservative House Republican Study Committee and led the charge for Operation Offset, which would offset spending for Hurricane relief with spending cuts. Though he was roundly criticized by House leaders at the time, due to his leadership and efforts at the grassroots, the House leadership and the Bush Administration have now proposed rescission bills to cut spending.

In 1996, the most laughable line in Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address was, "The era of big government is over." In the years following, the budget soared as Congress raided the public treasury to secure its own re-election. In the midst of a mad-race to a ten trillion dollar debt, Pence reminds the country of the great principles of limited government. It’s a message that's not popular. It certainly doesn't win friends with the House Republican leadership, the White House, or the mainstream press, but it is one that must prevail if freedom is to survive. It is not possible to remain a free prosperous people with unlimited debt and unchecked growth in the size and scope of the federal government.

Pence can unite Conservatives in common cause. He's prepared to address the serious issues that face our country from immigration to the decline of the family, and the rights of the unborn. He stands ready to undo the disastrous abomination that was McCain-Feingold. He does not believe that we are on the road to inevitable decline, but with optimism and faith, he presents a clear vision for America's future.

Today, we need that optimism. As I look at the candidates that seem to excite so many, I see an emptiness. I see them as men who will lead us forward into the abyss, at best giving lip service to great conservative principles, but never applying them. I see the road that the establishment candidates will lead us down: one of accommodation and/or cowardice to the cultural left, disastrous fiscal irresponsibility, and a refusal to secure our nation's borders and guarantee our sovereignty. I fear that in my old age, I'll be that man who will tell his grandchildren what it was like to live when men were free.

We will not defeat Hillary Clinton in 2008 with political calculus, but with hope, optimism, and a bold vision for our country's future. Pence can provide that for our nation, and that will defeat the lies, deception, and corruption of the Clinton machine.

Now doubtless, there will be those who disagree with my pick of Congressman Pence. The main point that will be cited is the fact that he is a member of the House of Representatives. No sitting Congressman has been elected President since 1880.

While this is true, it doesn't establish that Pence should not be nominated for President, only that its been a while since a House member's won. I would than these rules are not applied to our friends in the political establishment. For example, Condi Rice (who has said she's not running) is still frequently promoted as a Presidential Candidate despite the fact that no Secretary of State has been elected President in 150 years. Rudy Giuliani is promoted despite the fact we have never elected a President whose only elected office had been at the Municipal level.

The main problem Congressmen have faced is embodied in the campaigns of Dennis Kucinich, Bob Dornan, and Jim Traficant. All three members ran despite the fact that there was little demand for their candidacy and other candidates were carrying their message. The campaigns were basically vanity efforts.

Pence would run as a well-connected member of Congress from his position at the RSC, and there can be a real demand for his candidacy. In addition, unlike the other three, Pence comes with a record of helping Conservatives win. Local Republicans credit his efforts in helping Republicans retake the Indiana House in 2004. In addition, Pence while having courage, dignity, and integrity isn't mean-spirited or uncivil. He's a stand up guy who after his first two unsuccessful runs for Congress in 1988 and 1990 wrote, "Confessions of a Negative Campaigner." His faith doesn't just shape what he believes, but how he conducts himself in relating to others.

All in all, he's a good man and would make a great president. However, the ball is in our court. A presidential campaign is a huge sacrifice for anyone. Our current campaign cycle requires a successful candidate to begin his campaign in the first four months of 2007 and end it in November, 2008. We're talking about a huge chunk of someone's life, time spent away from family delivering speech after speech, shaking hand after hand. Its an intense, exhausting experience.

Unless a candidates believes that he can win or that his campaign can bring up serious issues that other candidates will adopt, he would have to be insane to run for the Presidency. If we want Pence to run and to win, we must make it clear that if he will stand up for America, we'll stand with him. Those of us who are not currently involved in your local Republican Party, should run for precinct captain, squirrel away what money you can, save $5 or $10 every paycheck and put it aside for the upcoming Presidential campaign. America will stand or fall, not on what Mike Pence says or does, but on what Americans are willing to do to keep freedom alive.

Adam Graham was the 2000 Montana State Coordinator of the Alan Keyes Presidential Campaign. He and his wife live in Boise, Idaho. Adam Graham is a columnist for AmericanDaily.com, RenewAmerica.us, and TheConservativeVoice.com. You can visit his blog at http://www.adamsweb.us/blog You can also subscribe to his nightly podcast at http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/blgH

[RockinRight]

Didn't someone already post this?

Good article though. And I agree 100%.

[Christian4Bush]

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