March 28, 2008
The Pro-Life Democrat from Pennsylvania endorses Senator Obama!
March 23, 2008
Today I endorse Barack Obama for president of the United States. I believe him to be a person of integrity, intelligence and genuine good will. I take him at his word that he wants to move the nation beyond its religious and racial divides and to return United States to that company of nations committed to human rights. I do not know if his earlier life experience is sufficient for the challenges of the presidency that lie ahead. I doubt we know this about any of the men or women we might select. It likely depends upon the serendipity of the events that cannot be foreseen. I do have confidence that the Senator will cast his net widely in search of men and women of diverse, open-minded views and of superior intellectual qualities to assist him in the wide range of responsibilities that he must superintend.
This endorsement may be of little note or consequence, except perhaps that it comes from an unlikely source: namely, a former constitutional legal counsel to two Republican presidents. The endorsement will likely supply no strategic advantage equivalent to that represented by the very helpful accolades the Senator has received from many of high stature and accomplishment, including most recently, from Governor Bill Richardson. Nevertheless, it is important to be said publicly in a public forum in order that it be understood. It is not arrived at without careful thought and some difficulty.
As a Republican, I strongly wish to preserve traditional marriage not as a suspicion or denigration of my homosexual friends, but as recognition of the significance of the procreative family as a building block of society. As a Republican, and as a Catholic, I believe life begins at conception, and it is important for every life to be given sustenance and encouragement. As a Republican, I strongly believe that the Supreme Court of the United States must be fully dedicated to the rule of law, and to the employ of a consistent method of interpretation that keeps the Court within its limited judicial role. As a Republican, I believe problems are best resolved closest to their source and that we should never arrogate to a higher level of government that which can be more effectively and efficiently resolved below. As a Republican, and the constitutional lawyer, I believe religious freedom does not mean religious separation or mindless exclusion from the public square.
In various ways, Senator Barack Obama and I may disagree on aspects of these important fundamentals, but I am convinced based upon his public pronouncements and his personal writing that on each of these questions he is not closed to understanding opposing points of view, and as best as it is humanly possible, he will respect and accommodate them.
No doubt some of my friends will see this as a matter of party or intellectual treachery. I regret that and I respect their disagreement. But they will readily agree that as Republicans, we are first Americans. As Americans, we must voice our concerns for the well-being of our nation without partisanship when decisions that have been made endanger the body politic. Our president has involved our nation in a military engagement without sufficient justification or clear objective. In so doing, he has incurred both tragic loss of life and extraordinary debt jeopardizing the economy and the well-being of the average American citizen. In pursuit of these fatally flawed purposes, the office of the presidency, which it was once my privilege to defend in public office formally, has been distorted beyond its constitutional assignment. Today, I do no more than raise the defense of that important office anew, but as private citizen.
9/11 and the radical Islamic ideology that it represents is a continuing threat to our safety and the next president must have the honesty to recognize that it, as author Paul Berman has written, “draws on totalitarian inspirations from 20th-century Europe and with its double roots, religious and modern, perversely intertwined. . . .wields a lot more power, intellectually speaking, then naïve observers might suppose.” Senator Obama needs to address this extremist movement with the same clarity and honesty with which he has addressed the topic of race in America. Effective criticism of the incumbent for diverting us from this task is a good start, but it is incomplete without a forthright outline of a commitment to undertake, with international partners, the formation of a world-wide entity that will track, detain, prosecute, convict, punish, and thereby, stem radical Islam’s threat to civil order. I await Senator Obama’s more extended thinking upon this vital subject, as he accepts the nomination of his party and engages Senator McCain in the general campaign discussion to come.
March 21, 2008
First of all, great endorsement today from Gov. Richardson. My favorite part was his call for Hillary to recognize she can’t win and to get out of the race so Democrats can begin to look forward to and plan for the General.
So I just watched the full sermon in which Rev. Wright made the comments about “America’s Chickens are coming home to roost!” It is on Marc Ambinder’s blog.
Now to people who aren’t Christians, they may still find the Reverend’s comments offensive. The Rev. calls believers to examine their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That is the point of his message. I am fine with the Gospel being described as controversial: Jesus was controversial. What I am not cool with is the church of Christian believers not defending Rev. Wright’s right to preach from the pulpit of Trinity and in some cases, Political christians have attacked Jeremiah Wright. Now whether folks like Tony Perkins think 9/11 happened because of gays, or because of America’s foreign policy, if Tony Perkins is more committed to the Bible than he is to the GOP he should keep his mouth shut on both accounts or he should have blasted Robertson and Falwell for their comments following 9/11.
I did not blast Robertson and Falwell and I will defend Rev. Wright. I believe that the nature of America is found in our good works…I believe the heart of America is good. Rev. Wright’s sermon indicates that following 9/11, he felt otherwise. While I, and Sen. Obama, disagree with him, when you get into the weeds of what he’s saying, it’s really a philosophical and academic case he is making, based in U.S. history of a scale many of those criticizing him have no clue about.
Political christians can do what they want, but Christian politicians, other Christians, and those of good conscience, should defend Senator Obama and not allow the media to once again bash Christianity and Christian leaders under the guise of journalism. Let’s judge our candidates’ on what they have said or think, and not on 10-second sound-bites of a black preacher shown over and over with the intent of scaring whites.
By the way, I would like to second the Obama campaign’s thank you to Chris Wallace. He is clearly a Republican-leaning journalist who is often harder on Democrats than he is on Republicans…but today, he was fair.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is the link.
March 10, 2008
The contradictions in the new Clinton strategy are apparent to most and have been poured over and ranted about for the last few days. Hillary, who has no hope of legitimately attaining that which she believes she is entitled to, the Democratic nomination and the Presidency, has been simultaneously losing state after state, and proposing that Obama would be her VP. This is definitively Clintonian.
They try and play two or more different messages to win over opposed groups. They try and tell undecideds, superdelegates and their own supporters that Obama is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief, that he is unprepared and that he is too inexperienced. Then they tell those who are undecided but lean towards Barack that that black guy could have his shot in eight years and they should vote for Hillary because its her time
A year ago I was an Obama supporter, but I liked Hillary. I would have never imagined that this campaign would have destroyed the Clinton legacy for me as much as it has. I am so sick of their excuses and their “for the moment” reasoning. They have no shame. Hillary has no shame. I can not trust someone who has fabricated convictions which can be thrown away and dismissed whenever the circumstances would call for it. It goes beyond politics with them. It is a pattern of behavior.
Obama is going to win Mississippi tomorrow. He is going to be up by over 100 pledged delegates by the time all of the states have their say. He is going to be in the strongest position to beat McCain.
Senator Obama is the candidate for right now. He is the candidate we need.
So, sorry Hillary. Bill has cheated you once again.
March 2, 2008
Dallas Morning News endorses Huckabee again. I think it’s a good editorial and one that says a lot about the future of faith and politics, particularly when it comes to evangelicals.
Editorial: We recommend Mike Huckabee
A vote for Huckabee is a vote for GOP’s future
Whatever Texas Republican primary voters do Tuesday, John McCain is all but guaranteed to be the party’s presidential nominee. It is mathematically impossible for Mike Huckabee, the last remaining major GOP contender, to capture the nomination. The former Arkansas governor even turned up on Saturday Night Live recently to poke fun at himself for not going away.
Let’s be clear: Mr. Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, remains our choice for the GOP nomination. But Mr. McCain has racked up by far the most delegates and leads among Texas Republicans by a wide margin in recent opinion polls. Though he can’t clinch the nomination Tuesday, victory is undeniably close.
Aside from his long experience and personal courage, he has a solid record of fiscal responsibility and has been on the right side of campaign finance reform and environmental issues. And he was correct and principled to lead the fight for comprehensive immigration reform last summer. Still, his age – 71 – and his choleric temperament gave us pause, particularly when contrasted to Mr. Huckabee’s sunny-side-up brand of conservatism.
Win or lose in November, the GOP is destined to spend the next few years redefining itself. For many reasons, Reaganism, which made the GOP the dominant political party of the last generation, no longer resonates as it once did with the American public. The world has changed since Ronald Reagan’s election nearly 30 years ago, and the great man’s political heirs will have to adjust the GOP’s strategy and tactics to new realities.
To that end, Mr. Huckabee, 52, should be a top leader in tomorrow’s Republican Party. His good-natured approach to politics – “I’m a conservative; I’m just not mad about it,” as he likes to say – is quite appealing after years of scorched-earth tactics from both parties. He’s a pragmatist more concerned with effective government than with bowing to ideological litmus tests. For example, he has proven himself willing to violate anti-tax dogma to undertake investment in infrastructure for the sake of long-term prosperity.
Mr. Huckabee also is good on the environment, contending that the future of the conservative movement depends on embracing conservation and stewardship of the natural world. And he’s a compassionate conservative especially in tune with middle-class anxieties in a globalizing economy.
Though his social and religious conservatism puts him on the wrong side of abortion, gay rights and other key issues, that same deep-faith commitment inspires his dedication to helping the poor and to racial healing. He truly is representative of the next wave of evangelical chieftains and, if nothing else, will emerge from this primary season the leader of one of the most influential factions in the GOP coalition.
We look forward to having him around to help shape and lead the Republican Party beyond November. That’s why we encourage Texas Republicans to mark their ballots for Mr. Huckabee in the GOP primary: to demonstrate to the party’s elite that Mr. Huckabee and his vision have a solid constituency.
True, a Huckabee vote today won’t do much to determine the 2008 GOP presidential candidate. But it’s a good investment in the Republican Party’s future.
February 15, 2008
Andrew Stumper’s blog, despite my earlier slam of one of his posts, is a good one.Check out this entry.What do you think?
February 1, 2008
Given that I have no press credentials and I am self-employed…I can go on a hunch.
As per First Read, it appears as though Richardson is in D.C. today, and therefore, will probably not be endorsing Obama today.
January 31, 2008
Richardson to endorse Obama on Friday.
