by Gunnery Sergeant John McClain, USMC, Retired
As we enter what is essentially the republican candidate debate cycle, it is notable that some of the most common cries are “negative ads” and “I’m mis-represented”, and press commentary supporting these claims, as if they had any merit or value.
The situation is simple; we have an incumbent president who is radically left, and is not running against anyone yet, because the party wants to re-elect the incumbent, as typical, so the only real contests right now are those to select the opposition candidate, and for them to carry any water, they should be aggressive, fact filled, historical, and they should deal with issues of merit with regard to the job which is being vied for.
The very idea such debates should be without negative statements suggests we should assume all who vie are angels, and each of them are not capable of doing anything wrong, bad, or incompetent, so any disparaging must be gratuitous.
If you’ve watched these characters in action, it becomes immediately obvious these complaints are ridiculous. Every single candidate who gets on the stage for debate has a political history, and each has done very specific things, and made specific statements about those things, leading up to doing them, through the process of getting them done, and statements about the meaning of their successful completion. It would be utterly ridiculous for any of that to be left out; if it was worthy of being public at the time it was benefiting the politician, how can any complain their history is being brought up?
I am set on a single candidate, and while there are aspects of his perspective which make him less than perfect, even in my own eyes, I have chosen for my own self, but I will not demand his history be covered up, I know the only right thing to do is to explain what he is called out on, and why I don’t believe it is sufficient to consider my candidate less capable than the others.
For the candidate who put in place government health care as the Governor of his state, it is absolutely reasonable to suggest he has similar ideas of government, as the man who put in place “obama care” as a national version of that specific government health care plan, from which aspects were absolutely drawn, as was a matter of pride when it was first announced.
For the candidate who has problems with his past, having been less than true to principle in his private life, this too is rightful fodder for us to consider; does anyone believe a person can be a complete and total loser with no moral compass in private life, and remain a viable candidate for public service? We should gauge what we expect from our public servants, by how they act in the privacy of their own lives.
For the candidate who has a foreign policy which runs completely counter to every other conventional public policy, it should be a matter of serious debate, both among the candidates, in their official debates, but also as a matter for “We, The People” to seriously consider, and to parse in our own way, with our own experience and knowledge.
Up to the last presidential election, we have fallen into what would appear as a “go along to get along” attitude for campaigning purposes, and this has come about at a time when we can’t afford to make a mistake in our election, yet this attitude, the idea one’s principles and past actions should not count, or even be brought up in debate, simply removes all purposes for debate.
There has never been a time in our Nation’s history when an election was of greater importance than the next one, and what must be accomplished by The People, led by our next president is either an enormous task, to fix our nation, or we can re-elect obama, and choose, as a Nation, to continue down this path.
Many would have you believe this is no “watershed moment” and just another election, however we have never had two so contrary political ideals represented in such clear contrast in any of our lives, and this suggests we are making a major commitment, one which will choose our Nation’s future path. I strongly suggest every bit of dirt, stupidity, error, of all who vie for the office, be brought out in the open. Surely we don’t want to vote in the dark, do we?
Those really concerned about our future need to put their efforts into ensuring we have an honest conclusion to the republican debates, and the only one qualified to accomplish the mission, be accepted, and then focus on ensuring “We, The People” control the final election process, not allowing such antics as were common in the last presidential election happen without arrests and charges for all who are determined to buy the election. If this last is not all of our priority, we have already ceased to be worthy of an honest president.
Copyright January 2012 by Gulf1.
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