2012: A Storm is Coming

Everyday, the news makes it more and more apparent that the 2012 election cycle is going to shake up national politics in an unprecedented way. This election cycle, we will take back both the White House and Senate in one fatal swoop and begin to reverse the failed policies of the Obama administration.

Its almost hard to believe that the GOP primaries are just over a half year away, its seems just like yesterday that Obama took office and spawned the birth of the Tea Party in early 2009. The recall elections in Wisconsin show just how powerful the Tea Party has become, taking on the mobilization power that the unions possess and still winning.

The Tea Party is such a game changer that for the first time in years RINOs are being defeated by legitimate conservative candidates that are less willing to compromise. Because of the Tea Party, name recognition has become less and less vital, as experienced politicians are being examined for their actions and defeated in primaries.

All around the country, there have been shakeups in just about every race imaginable. Conservatives have had enough and are making it clear through the Tea Party that what has been going on in our country is not acceptable and will no longer be tolerated. 

In Texas, Ted Cruz has a good chance to legitimately defeat David Dewhurst, a matchup that four years ago would have seemed like David vs. Goliath. The Tea Party through activist enthusiasm has successfully broken political norms and made politics less about money and name and more about issues and accountability. 

From Kay Bailey Hutchinson to Ted Cruz would be an enormous and positive change for both the Senate and the State of Texas. With the power of the Tea Party only growing stronger and stronger, this is sure to be just one of many positive changes for US politics in the election year to come. 

2012 Election Effects on Texas Politics

Many have asked me what happens to the positions of Governor and Lt. Governor if Perry and Dewhurst win their bids for President and Senator. The answer is complicated, but essentially until the next election cycle the positions would go to 2 moderate Republicans in the Texas Senate.

Because Governor and Lt. Governor are elected during the mid-term elections and not during the same election period as Presidential elections, it would be two years before Texans were given a chance to elect replacements. The job would then go to the Texas Senate to elect two of their own to fill the vacant positions. To do this, the Senate pro tempore (Sen. Mike Jackson)  becomes de-facto Lt. Governor for up to thirty days to lead the Senate in its elections to fill the two positions.

What makes this even more complicated is that Sen. Mike Jackson is considering a run for congress (to take Ron Paul's vacant seat) which would leave Senate pro temore position vacant as well. In this case the next in line would take the position and act as temporary Governor/ Lt. Governor.

So the question remains, who would the Texas Senate elect? Judging by the composition of the Senate, it would be two moderate Republicans that are respected in seniority. The two that immediately come to mind are Sen. Robert Duncan and Sen. Steve Ogden, both powerful moderates popular with the Senate leadership. With these two presiding over the legislature for the 2013 (83rd) legislative session, Texas would surely have an even less conservative session than the last.

While this scenario seems farfetched and obscure, it is definitely possible given the political atmosphere in the air right now. However, like the weather, political climates can change overnight and are very much subject to many interacting factors. It is too early to predict the climate in November 2012, especially because we do not know who the victors of the primaries will be or what large scale events will happen between now and then.

Iron Man a Conservative?

Before Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. was best known as a talented actor that threw his life away on drugs and alcohol. After years of finding trouble, getting arrested, going to rehab and relapsing, Downey finally was tired of his rockstar lifestyle and decided to seek help and rehabilitate himself back into society.

In an interview years after being released from incarceration, Downey had this to say “I have a really interesting political point of view, and it’s not always something I say too loud at dinner tables here, but you can’t go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal. You can’t. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me and has informed my proclivities and politics every since.” It is incredibly refreshing to see a Hollywood Celebrity reemerge from the grave, really turn his life around, and come out of it viewing the situation in a mature way.

Instead of blaming society and the "the system" for his situation, he in essence took personal responsibility for his actions and sought to make a positive change in his life through hard work and determination. So often, people blame their upbringing and the inequalities inherent to society for their position in life, instead of realizing that the deep rooted problem isn't anyone else but themselves. The government can handout all it wants to people to try and level the playing field for them in society, but at the end of the day it means nothing if the person them self doesn't put in the effort and aspire to greatness.

I am really impressed with Robert Downey Jr., not only is he very talented, but he is willing to work hard to succeed. I applaud him for taking responsibility for his actions and being a real life example of personal responsibility.

Perry Campaign Heats Up

In the last week or so, Perry seems to be popping up everywhere from my cellphone to my personal facebook account. I have received friend requests from two random people employed by the newly found Americans for Rick Perry (The U.S. counterpart for Texans for Rick Perry), Twitter requests from two separate Texans for Rick Perry Accounts, and a mass text yesterday "from" Rick Perry just checking in and saying God Bless. It seems to me that the stars are aligning and the announcement will be coming fairly soon. This late entry could prove to be a blessing or a curse for the Texas Governor. Time will only tell.

More on the Perry Race:

Tribune Post on "Perry Cronies"
Perry this year's Fred Thompson?

The Truth about Romney

The 2008 GOP primary was the first primary I was legally old enough to vote in. For months leading up to February 2008, I researched each of the candidates and began to decide who to support. In the end, I threw my support behind a strong business man, Mitt Romney.

As "Big Tuesday" drew closer, more and more decent candidates dropped out of the race, including Romney. With a the media hyping up a McCain victory, it was impossible for any decent candidate to have a fighting chance. When the big day came, I ended up just casting a symbolic vote for the non-candidate, Mitt Romney, and walked out of the polls disappointed.

While Romney is not my candidate of choice this time around, if he is our worst case scenario, we are in pretty good shape. While he catches a lot of heat for his role in implementing the Massachusetts Health Care reform (I agree he should), the rest of his resume is pretty flawless and full of stories of him raising companies from the grave and implementing fiscal responsibility. (To read more on this just glance at his Wikipedia Biography; Yeah I know it's not a "great source".)

Most consider his Mormon faith a serious character flaw. While this could indeed hurt him in the general election, I feel as though it could be a positive trait to have in a President. One characteristic i've seen in every mormon I know is that they are pretty incorruptible (believe me i've tried).  Having a president that is not phased by the competing interests in Washington, would not be bad for our country.

While it is customary to hate the front runner candidate for president, it is comforting to know that this time around the candidate is at least competent. The last election cycle, the Republican "Hero" was McCain and it was difficult to rally behind such an unimpressive candidate. Whatever the outcome this primary has in store, the most important thing is that we choose a candidate we can all united behind and defeat Barack Obama. That is and should remain priority number one.

Looking towards 2012 and Beyond

Balancing realism with ideology is a tough task for anyone that follows politics religiously. How one wants policy to be shaped is often at odds with what is realistically possible, thus one’s realistic political position is often different from their diehard philosophical views.

As conservative as I am ideologically, I realistically know that there are many people that will not agree with 100% of what I believe. The important thing to me is that the portion that people agree with is what is most important, namely fiscal responsibility (capitalism, balanced budgets, tax/spend policy, etc), individual freedoms, national defense and border security.

The GOP would be smart to have the same strategy as the future goes forward. In 2012, we need a candidate that not only is a conservative and a leader but one that is electable and can beat Barack Obama. Without defeating Obama, it is impossible for the party to repeal Obamacare and look towards getting our country out of debt.

Below I have outlined a couple things I feel the GOP should focus on as it moves towards the future and looks to regain its stronghold with the American electorate.

I) Focus on issues that are important.

This is not to say that issues such as abortion, gay marriage, etc. are not important topics, but more so to say that there are other things more important for the future of this nation. Let me put it this way, on a typical day how much does it affect you if Bob and Jim get married? Not much. However, on a typical day, how much does a crumbled economy and high taxes affect you? Quite a bit.

Social issues are important for instilling traditional values in the generations to come. However, when push comes to shove, the church and the family will always be there to push for these values and ensure the moral stability of future generations. As of now its important to put these things aside and focus on what is urgent and important.

So what is important?

1. Fiscal Responsibility

 This should be priority number one for any candidate seeking office.  In their campaign, a good candidate must stress ending our country’s deficit and putting into place a balanced budget.

As part of this, they should also stress reforming social welfare programs. These programs cost hundreds of billions of dollars each year and are detrimental to both the economy and the general work ethic of our country. Welfare should not be awarded based on how many children you can squeeze out, it should be used to get people back on their feet and working.

Privatization should be stressed in regards to Medicare, Medicaid, and social security, these programs are important to the elderly and it is important that we fulfill the promises that were made to them in their working years. By privatizing these programs, we will be able to use the market to generate the most revenue possible instead of relying on the falling standards of public finance.

In fact, the government should privatize everything that it can. Public jobs lead to unionization and less competition. Without this competition, it is impossible for people to thrive. Why work harder if you are receiving the same benefits either way? In fact, why work hard at all if you are not at risk of being fired? Private companies give their employees a sense of risk and reward, the people that put in the most effort will reap the most and the people that put in the least amount of effort will reap the least. If equality can be found anywhere it is found in the free market.

On this note, it is imperative that Obamacare is repealed. Socializing healthcare is expensive and would be detrimental to this country. Additionally it would inevitably create an even greater reliance on the government for those that are not self-sufficient. Healthcare like everything else in this world is not a right but a privilege, if someone is able to purchase healthcare they should be able to do so without having their taxpayer dollars pay for others to compete with them to receive the same treatment. It also should not be mandated for anyone to purchase a service, including healthcare, against his or her free will, it is unconstitutional (commerce clause) and is morally apprehensible.

2. Individual Freedoms & State’s Rights

A big part of being an American is one’s ability to pursue happiness without government interference. In fact, the Bill of Rights were put into our constitution to ensure that the government could not do away with a set of what they believe to be our most fundamental rights. Unfortunately, through the increased size of the Federal Government and Judicial Activism many of these rights have been limited and other rights that were not enumerated eliminated all together. This must stop.

The perfect 2012 candidate would make this a major platform as well. He or she would emphasize local control and restoring the government to the people. It is much easier for a state to look after the interests of its own constituency than for a bunch of strangers in Washington to do so. People are not stupid and they should be allowed a lot more control over their interests than the Feds would like.

3. National Defense and Border Security

A strong army and secure borders are important to protecting our nation. Dangers ranging from extremist terrorism to old-fashioned country-on-country warfare are always looming in the distance, so to be the best we must also remain the most powerful. At the same time, it is not fiscally responsible to throw our hat into every conflict that arises on the planet. We need to pick and choose our battles more wisely and focus on realistic threats to national security.

With cartel violence increasing everyday along the US- Mexico Border, it is important that we secure our borders to prevent guns and drugs from being smuggled back and forth. If we can cut this off, we can cut them off, which would save thousands of Mexican and American lives each year.

Protecting our borders not only saves lives but also it saves money. Illegal immigrants use billions of taxpayer dollars each year on social welfare, education and medical costs alone. One should not be able to reap the benefits of being a US Citizen unless they are in fact a US Citizen and pay into the system. This goes back to restoring fiscal responsibility, we cannot continue to fund those that are not our own if we can’t pay our own bills as a nation.  

II) Push the Party Towards the Future

If the GOP intends to accomplish its most sincere goals, it is important that as a party they are electable. As Republicans, we cannot continue to market ourselves in the same way we have in the past, we must capture the next generation of voters before they begin to identify with the Democratic Party. Below I have outlined 3 key things that could help make this happen.

1. Revamp Our Image to Capture the Future Voter

The media makes the Democratic Party look like the party of the people, a party that emphasizes with your situation and is looking out for “the average American”. While this is obviously far from the truth, people believe it. To capture the next generation of voters, the Republican Party should do better at playing at its strengths and marketing itself to the general electorate.

We need to make it sexy to be a Republican. Being the “party of capitalism” this should be no problem. What is “sexier” than capitalism?!? It is social Darwinism; one can come from literally nothing and die with all the riches in the world with nothing but hard work and raw talent.

We need to remind people that it is through the free market and hard work that dreams can be fulfilled, not through handouts and government regulations. It is such a simple sell, yet I have rarely seen the Republican Party push this.  Simple rags to riches stories are so inspirational that it makes it almost impossible to resist capitalism; we need to share these stories with the youth so they desire to do something similar and make their own way in life.

2. Capture the Hispanic Vote

If the Republicans are to succeed in the future, it is important that they win back the Hispanic vote from the Democrats. This is definitely possible, because as Ronald Reagan said, “Latinos are Republicans, they just don’t know it yet”.

While many doubt this can be achieved because Hispanics have historically been a voting block for the Democrats, I think it can be. Hispanics agree with Republicans almost completely on social issues, in fact if you were to ask them issue-by-issue I am almost sure they would agree with Republicans 9/10 times. Often they even agree with Republicans on issues involving national defense and personal freedoms.

Where Hispanics tend to have problems with the Republican Party is when it comes to social welfare issues and issues regarding immigration. The social welfare obstacle, while a difficult hurdle, is best overcome through the capitalism strategy I mentioned above. Hispanics are some of the most hardworking men and women in America and if we can get them to see the power of capitalism and the free market, social welfare would largely lose its appeal.

The immigration obstacle is one that needs to be handled more delicately. The Republican Party needs to be very stern towards illegals while emphasizing their support for the Hispanic community at large. In essence, avoid passing legislation that sounds like it directly targets Hispanics while still passing legislation that strengthens our borders and removes obstacles from deporting those here illegally. Tackle these two issues and the Hispanic vote will overwhelmingly vote GOP.

3. Effectively Use New Technology and Media Tools

The radio is a fine tool for mobilizing voters that we already have, however, to capture new voters we must utilize emerging technology and media tools. Social Media, Blogging, Youtube, etc. are all great tools that the GOP has greatly underutilized. If you don’t believe me just look at the 2008 Presidential race, Obama utilized all of these things and it greatly contributed to his ability to mobilize (and whoop McCain). 

Obama currently has over 22 million fans on Facebook, where as “front runner”, Mitt Romney, has barely over a million. Advertising online through these sites is cheap and effective. Candidates need to be active on all the major sites and keep their supporters up to date with Youtube updates. This will make mobilization a lot easier and allows for new comers to see what that voting Republican is all about.

The road towards a large victory in 2012 is a difficult one but is one that is definitely obtainable. To do this, the GOP needs to revamp itself and face the future or it will get left behind. Because Obama has made a lot of mistakes in his first term, a good campaign that focuses on what is important could definitely lead to a change in administration in 2012. Voters can hope for change all they want, but only through free market ideals will it be a change that can truly improve their lives. More government is not the solution, it is the problem. 

FFR Extremists Versus Perry

The 'Freedom From Religion Group' has made allegations that Gov. Rick Perry is constitutionally prohibited from speaking at "The Response", an all day prayer and fasting event that will be hosted at Reliant Stadium in Houston on August 6th. Where in the constitution they found this prohibition I have no idea.

The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.


The FFR argue that they "support the free exercise of religion, but strongly oppose the governmental establishment and endorsement of religion, including prayer and fasting". Why a group would waste such a large amount of time, energy and resources to fight something as harmless and positive as a day of prayer is beyond me.


It is obvious that this group isn't afraid of this day of prayer or even thinks it could lead to the establishment of a national religion. They are simply trying to raise awareness to their minority opinion, while attempting to defame a rising conservative leader on his path to the White House.

If anything this lawsuit is unconstitutional. As a citizen of America, Rick Perry is entitled to his freedom of religion and should be able to speak on his beliefs in whatever forum he wants as long as it isn't supported directly with Taxpayer dollars.

Groups like this make no sense to me. If I was an atheist, I don't think I would ever waste my time fighting for it. I would believe in my mind that God didn't exist and that would be the end of it. No need to discuss it, no need to join groups about it, just live my life and try to enjoy it as much as possible.

There are rumors that Perry may not speak at the event after all because it could create legal problems when he announces his presidential bid (FULL STORY HERE) but I still give him kudos for not backing down and canceling the event. While it can be argued that advocating a day of prayer should not be the job of the Governor, what he does in his spare time should be his business and should not be limited by a group of extremist wackos.

Perry will likely announce his candidacy in the next 3 weeks and begin his battle for a victory in the  2012 GOP primary.