My Open Letter To The GOP: Don't Forget The Disabled

Even though the election ended a few weeks ago, the Republican party is still feeling the sting of losing the election and are reviewing the reasons why the election did not turn out the way we predicted. I've sat and read many articles that attempted to explain our party's loss and identify the problems of the GOP. It seems to me that there is a general consensus that the GOP party and Mitt Romney's campaign failed to seriously take the current and future demographic make up of our country. Our country's make up has rapidly changed and will do so in the foreseeable future. As a result of these huge demographic change, there will be a change in how people view the government and its responsibility to the citizens.

The pundits, columnists, political advisors seem to all agree that our party needs reach out to important voting groups such as women, Asian Americans, Latinos, African-Americans or young people. However, there is one demographic that the GOP doesn't even make an attempt to reach out to that Democrats consistently do and they win by large margins.

Its people with disabilities.

According to some estimates, there are approximately 54 million Americans with some kind of disability. What's so important about this group is that it can be found across every level of society and affects people of every age, race, occupation, education or economic situation.  This means that approximately 1 in 5 U.S. residents, or 19 percent of America, fall into this group. The democrats are very aware of this segment of society and that's why they overwhelmingly win this voting demographic at the ballot box.

But the size of this group isn't limited to just those who have some form of disability. If you include the individuals, single parents, families, educators, law enforcement, the judicial system and businesses who deal with disabilities on a personal and daily basis, you have a large voting bloc. They join in on the concerns and issues that this demographic group is concerned about. Think about it. We all know someone who has some form of a disability whether it be severe or mild and we know the challenges they face. They are deeply concerned about promoting their interests and protecting their rights.

If the Republican party can reach out to this group and articulate how conservative principles will improve the lives of people with disability, it will dramatically change how people, especially minorities, view the Republican party. People will be more receptive to the conservative message and view the GOP in a more positive light if they could see the tangible impact on the lives of the disabled. They will know that if it works for them, it will work others as well.  

In volunteering or working for various political candidates, I have suggested that we reach out to Deaf people as well as people with other disabilities. Nobody takes my suggestion seriously. But then again, the Republican Party and consevatives don't fully understand why they need to. 

Conservatism is a universal yet unique message. Our principles and values apply to everyone regardless of who they are or what groups they belong to because our policies allow the greatest number of people to be successful in society. That is made possible because we believe that paths to success are as infinite and unique as the people who dare to dream to do what they aspire to do. 

Conservatism is a liberating, empowering and powerful message because the individual, can expand or push beyond the limitations that their bodies, circumstances, or background places upon them. It is a free thinking and open minded belief that encourages people to be their best selves and to constantly reach for new vistas of excellence. It allows people to reach their fullest potential by using their intellect and creative powers to solve problems that benefit themselves and others, to create products and services and to make beautiful paintings, art, books, film and clothing.

However, in the conservative world view, the individual isn't an island unto himself. There are times when the individuals rely on othera who freely and voluntarily pool their talents, resources and finances to individuals in need. Families, churches as well as educational and medical organizations are the best venues to help disabled people reach their full potential.

The final point to the conservative message is that we do believe in a limited government. This concept is a message that needs to be better articulated to the public because non-conservatives understand this idea in theory but not in practice. What this means is that government is given specific duties as well as limited responsibilities and powers. In practice, that means that government can be the solution to some problems that are too large for individuals to fix and that provide fairness and equality to everyone.

This is why we need to better explain this message to the various groups. The major, and common, concerns of these different minority groups is their concern about widespread discrimination both in the past, present and future as well as the inability to integrate into American society.

However, Republicans were once fully aware of these concerns and addressed it. After all, Republicans were the ones who got the post civil war Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution passed. It was the Republicans who passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Reconstruction Act of 1867 and other civil rights laws in 1875, 1890, 1922, 1935, 1938 as well as the anti-poll tax bills in 1942, 1944, and 1946. The Republican party also passed Civil Rights laws of 1957, 1964 and 1965.

When it comes to helping people with disabilities, it was a Republican President named Abraham Lincoln who established the Galludet University which is a college for Deaf people.

It was a Republican President, George H. W. Bush,  who signed the Americans With Disability Act (ADA). The law is not perfect but as a conservative lawyer who engages in disability discrimination litigation in a deeply Republican state populated by a majority of people who share my faith, I can tell you that this law and other anti-discrimination laws that help people with disabilities is the kind of limited government solutions to big problems that real conservatives endorse.

If the GOP wants to be successful in upcoming elections, they have to clearly articulate and demonstrate that our policies and agendas allow the greatest number of people benefit in a country with different ethnic, racial, social, religious, economic and physical backgrounds. We believe that the free market is the best way for all walks of life to become successful. We also believe that the government can help those who sincerely need it. We do not believe that government should be helping everyone regardless if they need it or not.  

When conservatives talk about limited government, conservatives can demonstrate what they mean by that phrase. The disability community relies on government for assistance, legislation and public funded programs and they are justified in doing so. They don't seek a government handout. These programs help people who truly need it to in order to be independent, to obtain medical assistance they cannot afford, or to become active participants in society.  

Conservatives should tread very carefully when talking about people who receive government assistance because their are certainly those who abuse the system and there are those who truly need it. Libertarians and Conservatives have been careless and not very articulate when talking about Americans who receive public assistance of some kind.  There are those, such as John Stossel, who have openly opposed anti discrimination laws such as the ADA. They fail to realize that they're alienating people rather than attracting people to their political views when they make stupid comments about individuals with disabilities.

I don't oppose people criticizing the ADA since there are valid objections to be made. However, what these critics fail to realize that for people with disabilities, life in the absence of these laws, was not that great. Thanks to these laws, it helps to combat discrimination, allow disabled people to be employed with businesses supplying reasonable accommodations for them and having the technology to become more integrated into our society. Disabled people didn't have these kinds of protections back then.

As a result, the Republican party and conservatives need to do better at making their case to the American people when it come to the discussion of the entitlement society and the people who rely on some form of government assistance. We need to make the distinction clear to the American people that we oppose those who who abuse the system and support government support for those who truly need it.We need to set up policies that understands this distinction and addresses these problems. 

I know that reaching out to people with disabilities is a winning message. I've seen it. When Sarah Palin talked about her commitment to help people with disabilities and to make it a priority as Vice President in her 2008 GOP convention speech, she got conservatives Moms and Dads excited and teary eyed. But if Sarah Palin and others want to reach out to the Disability community, they're going to have to mean it since many the GOP rarely follow through with talk of including them in our party or government policies. 

The conservative philosophy for individuals with disability works. I know because I am an example of it. I have worked hard to overcome discrimination and other obstacles to become one of the handful of Deaf attorneys in the United States. I have received assistance from the government not as a hand out but as a stepping stone to achieving my dreams of becoming an attorney. 

If the GOP wants to become successful, they need stop playing safe in promoting our message but go out and share that message in places we normally don't share it:   

What I am talking about is taking the conservative message, a message that stands to benefit everyone in society, to places the GOP often ignores--local African-American and Hispanic church groups, feminist centers, and left-leaning college campuses, to name a few.   

Will your message face resistance? Yes, and that's okay. It gives you a chance to correct false, media-driven stereotypes about conservatives and conservatism. Will you convert the majority in one afternoon? Of course not; these stereotypes have been inculcated over decades. Opening hearts and minds is a process, not a lunch appointment. 

If the GOP is serious in winning elections in the future, they're going have to get serious about promoting that message. We don't need to change our core values, principles or beliefs. We already have a wining message. We just need to do better in reaching out to those people and helping them understand that conservatives believe that government needs to get out of the way of those who don't need government and to get invovled with those who do need it.

Mitt Romney Officially The GOP Nominee At The GOP Convention

Today, Mitt Romney officially become the Republican nominee. They conducted a finall delegate tally and he received 2,061 delegates which is well above the 1,144 delegate needed to become the nominee. 

Its been a long journey for Mitt Romney who ran for President in 2008 and like Reagan, decided to make another run for the White House. He fought hard in each of the primaries in the 2012 election and built a strong momentum that helped him win Super Tuesday. He endured tough debates and took on multiple Republican challengers. Mitt Romney had to endure attacks on his faith and his successful career by people within the GOP party. Finally, Mitt Romney was able to get enough delegates needed to win the GOP primaries.  Looking back on the 2012 primaries, Mitt Romney mastered the fundamentals of running for office and that's why he's the GOP nominee to go head to head with Obama.

I have heard and read comments from some people who are still unhappy with him as the GOP nominee. There were numerous attempt to stop Mitt Romney. Each primary was an opportunity to stop Mitt. Republican voters had alternatives to choose from if they didn't want to vote for Mitt. However, Mitt proved himself to be an effective, smart and \superior candidate who deserved to win the nomination. 

Looking forward to the election in November, Mitt Romney is a serious threat to Obama. Obama has been relentless in attacking Romney and has burned through alot of money to unsuccessfully take him down. Mitt Romney has been just as aggressive with Obama as he has with his GOP competitors in the GOP 2012 primary. Mitt Romney has also been an aggressive fundraiser for which Obama may not be able to compete with him since due to the amount of money Barack spent during the summer against Mitt. 

Based on Mitt's experience in the private and public sector, looking at how he campaigned in the 2012 primaries, how well he's done so far,  picking Paul Ryan to be his VP and going after Obama, Mitt Romney will be our next President in 2012. 

P.S. I want to thank fellow Mitt Romney supporters and bloggers and volunteers in helping him become the GOP nominee. I have admired you hard work and dedication. I also want tell you how awesome the people behind Mitt Romney Central are and that they have done a great job keeping people informed about Mitt Romney. Good job everybody!

Investigating Sarah Palin's Mysterious Delegate Packages At The GOP Convention

I have received numerous messages from various people asking me if I could verify a claim made by a Ron Paul blogger named "wincap" that supporters of Sarah Palin are going around at the Ron Paul events in Tampa Florida and passing out or mailing packages attempting to woo Paul supporters/delegates into voting for Sarah Palin in the event that a brokered convention occurs:

Sara Palin is in town and playing games, she is trying to steal the nomination, she sent out packets to all of the delegates asking them to vote for her if there is a brokered convention and she is trying to cause a brokered convention. I spoke to delegates at my booth who said they received the packet. None of our delegates will vote for her, putting my dislike for her aside, if she helps with a brokered convention I am fine with it because I think we could win a brokered convention.

I can confirm the source of where these packets might be coming from. There is a news report of a pro-Palin group called The Earthquake Movement who appear to be the source of these delegate packets: 

According to an email from a representative of The Earthquake Movement, the group has sent informational packets to delegates around the country, asking them to be one of the five required majority state delegations needed to nominate Palin in the first round of voting at the Republican National Convention. The packets also ask for delegates to nominate Palin in the second round if presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney does not receive the required number of delegates in the first round.

The Earthquake Movement has also distributed information on Palin's "record, accomplishments and why we think she is the person who can excite the base and defeat President Obama in November."

"We are finding a lot of unhappy Republican voters," the email said. "They feel like the RNC is not listening to them and based on voter turn out in the primaries and what we are hearing from Conservative Americans, they want her to emerge from the convention as the nominee. They are also very angry that she was not given a prime time speaking spot at the convention and are wondering if the RNC is attempting to shut her out because her message resonates with so many of us fly-overs. Are they afraid if she speaks prior to the vote or at all, we will have an averted Reagan experience?" 

One California Ron Paul supporter who is a delegate has claimed that he received the package in the mail:

In fact, if you look at one of the pages of The Earthquake Movement's website, you can see them making a pitch to delegates on the legality of nominating Sarah Palin as the GOP nominee and encouraging them to take a stand to nominate her. They also encourage the delegates to buck the system and they support an "open convention" (brokered convention). They also have a blog called A Servant's Heart which puts up much of the information found on the website on the blog.

On the The Earthquake Movement's facebook page, you can see a post of them discussing the packages and their strategy for making a brokered convention happen:  

Thus, it is highly likely that members of this group may have been at the GOP Convention distributing these packets to potential delegates who are supporters of Ron Paul. Given that the existence of these packages, it may be a matter of time before the contents of these packages show up on the news or on a blog site. I know that contents of the packages are somewhere on line since I have seen people talk about reading the documents and watching a DVD on the the Internet. Perhaps someone can put the entire contents of the package on a blog or send it to me.

What I find interesting is that there are two kinds of politicians. First, there those those who put party above themselves such as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum who both have released their delegates to Mitt Romney. Then there are politicians who put themselves above the party such as Sarah Palin and Ron Paul who have no delegates yet have said nothing or done nothing to stop their supporters who wish to circumvent the nomination process by attempting to engineer a brokered convention to nominate someone other than candidate who legitimately and successfully obtained the GOP nomination.

There Will Be No Brokered GOP Convention

With the Republican National Convention in Tampa Florida coming up next week, there are still those who yearn for a brokered convention. Many of Ron Paul's supporters were hoping that he would push for it but it appeared that Ron Paul did not agree with his supporters that it was a good idea. Moreover, even if he wanted to get a brokered convention, it would not have worked since he hasn't won any delegates in any of the 2012 primaries including Louisiana. Ron Paul will provide a different kind of excitement at the GOP convention since he will be rocking the GOP convention by hosting a fun rally and after party.

However, that is not to say that Ron Paul won't have an impact on the GOP convention. Despite the fact that people like Rick Santorum strongly warned against any attempt by Ron Paul and his supporters to not mess with the GOP platform, the old rumors that Mitt Romney might be adding Ron Paul's "Audit the Fed" campaign to the GOP platform might be coming true as Mitt ponders including it this year's platform. Ron Paul's idea is the only good idea he's ever had and the idea of auditing the Fed is currently making its way though congress.  I'm open to adding that to the GOP platform but any other request from Ron Paul supporters to add more items on the platform is asking too much.

I don't think Ron Paul was ever serious about making a brokered convention happen. However, there is evidence that Sarah Palin wants it to happen. Ann Coulter explains why having her lead a brokered convention is a bad idea: 

Coulter, who was asked about the prospects of a brokered Republican convention, hinted — as she has done in the past – that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is promoting the idea because she would like to be considered for the GOP nomination should a brokered convention occur. Coulter warned that selecting a candidate that way would void the vetting process that has weeded out inferior candidates.

“One of the ones promoting that [a brokered convention] is Sarah Palin, who has suggested herself as the choice,” Coulter said. “I think as long as it’s between us girls — I’ve been observing something about her. I don’t think it’s likely to happen. I don’t know what these people are cheering for. As I wrote in a column a few weeks back, who is this dream candidate we’re hoping to get from the convention, because Rick Perry used to be the dream candidate. Can we see them in a debate first?”

As a result, it should be clear why Sarah Palin not being invited to the GOP convention or why she hasn't been allowed to have an opportunity to speak at the convention. You can't expect to be invited to an event if you intend to undermine that event and have not been supportive of the GOP nominee. 

Presidential conventions in both parties are highly scripted and highly managed events. With regards to the 2012 GOP Convention, its possible that anything could happen but the Republican Party will ensure that everything will go as planned.

Is There A Rift Between Ron Paul & His Supporters?

With the GOP convention in Tampa, Florida coming up soon, there has been a lot of discussion about what Ron Paul supporters will do at the convention. Its very possible that things will go off without a hitch or we could see some political skirmishes take place at the convention. 

As a result, I am worried about the convention and I do not trust the Ron Paul supporters who say that there will be no disruption at the GOP convention. I don't trust Ron Paul when he has told CNN’s Newsroom that he doesn't support or like the idea of disrupting the GOP convention. 

However, what does want is to have the ability to he  insert his political agenda and beliefs into the GOP platform. Ron Paul was never in the 2012 Presidential race to win. He has admitted on Fox News that he doesn't want the power of being the President but simply wants to influence the Republican Party's platform. He was only in it for the sole purpose of amassing enough delegates so that he can use his delegates as a way of getting the Republican party to adopt his libertarian views on foreign policy, economics and other issues.

That is why people like Rick Santorum sent a loud and clear message to Ron Paul and his supporters that they should not mess with the GOP platform. There are rumors that Mitt Romney might add Ron Paul's "Audit the Fed" campaign to the GOP platform. I'm open to adding that to the GOP platform but any other request from Ron Paul supporters to add more items on the platform is asking too much. 

There's also speculation that Paul's supporters might try to nominate him to be the Mitt Romney's Vice President and override whoever Romney picks to be his VP. While it is a possibility, it would do major damage to the GOP party as well as Mitt Romney and would hinder their efforts to make Obama a one term president. On the flip side of the coin, pulling a stunt like this would result in a major backlash against Ron Paul and his son Rand Paul and make a major dent in their political future. So as much as Ron Paul people may dream about this possibility, it is not a realistic given the consequences of what would happen if the Ron Paul supporters were successful in nominating Dr. Paul to be the V.P.

Ron Paul knows this. While Ron Paul supporters are itching for a fight at the convention and are making things difficult for the GOP party as evidenced by the lawsuit against the Republican Party by some supporters, he's being more cooperative with the GOP party than his supporters are: 

While the congressman from Texas didn't win any nominating contests this year, he amassed some 200 delegates to send to the convention, his campaign says. His backers have done that by winning extra delegates at state conventions that occur after primary voting, an often-overlooked process.

That strategy caused some in the GOP establishment to fear that Mr. Paul would try to hijack the convention through parliamentary stalling tactics and anti-Romney protests. Yet when his supporters announced a three-day Paul festival, including a 77th-birthday party for the candidate, at the state fairgrounds in Tampa the weekend before the convention, his campaign announced that he wouldn't attend. His focus instead is on the nascent official event organized with the GOP convention—which, meanwhile, hasn't decided yet whether to approve the festival that Paul backers are organizing on their own.

Mr. Paul's decision to play nice with Mr. Romney has already gotten him at least a few kind words. "Gov. Romney has a lot of respect for Dr. Paul and the energy his supporters bring to the process," Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said. That's a notable contrast from 2008, when Mr. Paul opted to hold his own convention in Minneapolis as counterprogramming to the official convention in neighboring St. Paul. This year, both the GOP establishment and Mr.Mr. Paul seem to have found a way to satisfy their interests and present a more united front.

Given that I am not a fan of Ron Paul, I can't help but be skeptical about the different path Ron Paul is taking with his supporters. I honestly don't know what to make of it. Part of me hopes that this is a real and genuine split and tension between Ron Paul and his supporters about what to do and how to behave at the convention. The skeptic in me thinks otherwise. 

The only thing to do is wait and see how the convention unfolds.

Will Mitt Romney Add "Audit The Fed" To The GOP Platform?

Recently, Rick Santorum has asked conservatives to stand with him in preventing Ron Paul supporters from changing the GOP platform. According to Rand Paul, Mitt Romney has agreed to at least adding one item to the GOP platform: 

You know, I try to look for commonalities, areas where we agree and, you know, Governor Romney, I’ve had a meeting with him. We’ve talked extensively about audit the Fed, which is very important not only to me but my father and to his supporters and I think there’s a very good chance we get it in the platform. There has been an announcement in the House that we’re going to get a vote in the House and I’m working with both Republican and Democrat leadership to try to get a vote here, but some of my dad’s supporters don’t realize that if you call people names and call them evil, they’re less likely to allow you to have a vote on something you really want to pass.

GLENN: Hang on just a second. You’re saying that Romney may put audit the Fed into the platform?

PAUL: Well, the Ron Paul supporters are going to be — about 2 or 300 delegates there are going to help him to do that, but he has already said publicly that he’s for audit the Fed. That he has said many times. As far as the specific bill –

GLENN: That’s fantastic.

PAUL: — I would like him to endorse the specific bill but — that my father has introduced that will be voted on, but publicly he’s already stated that he is in support of auditing the Fed.

Personally, this might be the one issue where I would have no objections to adding this issue to the GOP platform. However, I would have major objections if Ron Paul or his supporters try to add anything else on the GOP platform such as their positions on war, drugs, abortion and marriage.  

Auditing the Federal Reserve is an issue that Ron Paul and his supporters are very passionate about. Mitt Romney's position on this issue is that he has repeatedly said that the Fed does get independently audited by various government agencies. He also doesn't support abolishing the Federal Reserve because he would  rather have an organization that is accountable to someone rather than having our currency managed by the politicians in Congress who are accountable to no one:

BLITZER: Governor Romney, is there anything you disagree with -- with -- with Governor Perry on that point?

ROMNEY: Well, my own view is that, quite simply, that the Federal Reserve has a responsibility to preserve the value of our currency, to have a strong American currency, such that investors and people who are thinking about bringing enterprises to this country have confidence in the future of America and in our currency. People will not invest in this country and create jobs in this country for the American people if they don't have belief in our currency.
Of course we should see what the Fed is doing. There should be some oversight to make sure that it's -- it's acting properly.

But at the same time, we recognize that we need to have a Fed. Why -- why do I say that? Because if we don't have a Fed, who's going to run the currency? Congress? I'm not in favor of that. I'd rather have an agency that is being overseen rather than have the United States Congress try and manage our currency.

In doing my research (that includes watching a bunch of YouTube videos of Ron Paul supporters asking Mitt about his position on this issue), I have found that Mitt Romney has been consistent in his position on not abolishing the Federal Reserve and has given the same explanation every time in that he'd rather have the Federal Reserve be an independent agency rather than have our currency be managed by politicians. 

Many Ron Paul supporters have criticized him for not being aggressively critical of Ben Bernanke's leadership. However, Mitt Romney has said that he wouldn't keep him in office and given that Bernanke's term as chairman expires in January 2014, whoever wins the 2012 election gets to choose who the Chairman will be. And if Mitt does win in 2012, we have some idea who the new chairman might be:  

Asked in October who he would pick, Romney said he had made no decision, but then suggested his top two economic advisers - Glenn Hubbard, dean of Columbia University's business school, and Harvard professor Greg Mankiw - would be good candidates.

2012 is an extremely important election and it is imperative that Mitt Romney wins. Who ever wins in 2012 will get to pick at least three Supreme Court Justices, a new Federal Reserve Chairman, and determine the health of our economy. As a result, we must unite and make sure Mitt Romney is the next President of the United States.

Rick Santorum Wants To Stop Ron Paul Supporters From Changing GOP Platform

Today, Rick Santorum sent a loud and clear message to Ron Paul and his supporters. Don't mess with the GOP platform: 

“I like the platform that we have right now,” Santorum said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” “I’m concerned that Ron Paul and some of his supporters out there are looking for a platform fight, and I want to make sure that we have strong, principled conservatives out there . . .to counterbalance the effect of the Paul folks.”

I agree 100% with Rick Santorum. He's got my support. 

Ron Paul was never in the race to win. He has admitted on Fox News that he doesn't want the power of being the President but simply wants to influence the Republican Party's platform. He was only in it for the sole purpose of amassing enough delegates so that he can use his delegates as a way of getting the Republican party to adopt his libertarian views on foreign policy, economics and other issues.

Even though Ron Paul has told CNN’s Newsroom that he doesn't support or like the idea of disrupting the GOP convention, he wants to do what ever he can to insert his political agenda and beliefs into the GOP platform.

The problem is there is already a political party that has a platform that Ron Paul and his supporters support. Its called the libertarian party.  The reason why Ron Paul wants to remake the GOP party in his image is because he knows that the ideas and beliefs espoused by the Libertarian party will never be accepted. If he can dilute the conservative platform to make it more libertarian, then he can make those ideas and beliefs espoused by the Libertarian party to be more acceptable by the public. 

However, making the GOP into another libertarian party will not make their ideas any more acceptable to the public. They will reject the GOP as they do with the Libertarian party. They won't pay attention to the GOP if it becomes more libertarian. The corruption of the GOP platform by Ron Paul and his supporters is not good for the Republican party.

Ron Paul's attempt to change the GOP platform will not work for several reasons. Mitt Romney and the national Republican party will not tolerate any kind of disruption at the convention which is designed to railroad the GOP to adopt Ron Paul's political beliefs. Nor will they  or even sit at the negotiating table with man who is not a conservative and who conservatives won't support. Furthermore, Ron Paul knows that he doesn't have enough delegates to cause any shenanigans at the GOP convention. He's in a inferior bargaining position when it comes to attempting to negotiate with the Republican party letting him change the GOP platform.

We already have the Libertarian Party.  We don't need the GOP to turn into another one.

Why I'm Not Excited About Rand Paul's Endorsement Of Mitt Romney

Many people are excited about Rand Paul's announcement that he's endorsing Mitt Romney in this election. Lets look at Rand Paul talking about Mitt Romney on Fox Business Channel:

Not everyone is excited about this endorsement. A lot of people who support Ron Paul and his son Rand Paul are not thrilled about it. Personally, I'm not thrilled with this announcement either. I am strongly opposed to Ron Paul because of his questionable and controversial background, his racist news letters which he initially denied writing but ultimately admitted to writing it, his endorsements from known racists Don Black and Lew Rockwell, and his foreign policy positions such as refusing to kill Osama Bin Laden or confronting Iran. Ron Paul is someone that conservatives and independents cannot support. 

I'm not a fan of Ron Paul's son either Rand Paul since the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. For example, Ron Paul is well known for his opposition to Israel despite his attempts to deceive people into believing he supports Israel. Rand Paul uses the same strategies as his father does by attempting to deceive people that he isn't against Israel.

Given how Ron Paul feels about Israel, its not surprising that Rand Paul advocates cutting foreign aid to Israel as a way of reducing our national debt. The problem with this argument is that from an economic stand point, our problem isn’t how much we spend on foreign aid or on military campaigns. That is not why we are massively in debt. Cutting off foreign aid or bringing all the troops home from wherever they are stationed around the world won't make a dent in reducing the national debt. 

The truth is that we can sustain as many military campaigns as America needs if we weren’t for entitlement spending. Entitlement spending is the single largest driver of our current debt right now. In fact, our government is more efficient in the money it spends on defense related matters than it does with entitlement spending. It is true that our government spends more money than it takes in, but the way Ron Paul wants to reduce the deficit by reducing the amount we spend on national security is neither logical, practical or prudent. 

Its not just Rand Paul's views on Israel that bothers me. If you look at Rand Paul's views on foreign policy, he's just like his father. He's an isolationist. He opposed Senator Rubio's attempt to have the country of Georgia be admitted into NATO.  He wants us to get out of Afghanistan, opposed implementing sanctions on Iran

However, the old saying that politics makes strange bedfellows is true. There were rumors that Mitt Romney and Ron Paul formed an alliance with each other during the 2012 primary elections. There may be such an alliance with Rand Paul as well given his endorsement of Mitt Romney. Lets not forget that Rand Paul  never attacked Romney during the 2012 primary but attacked other candidates like Rick Santorum.

Whether the alliance existed then or that Ron and Rand Paul can see the writing on the wall that Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee, its an alliance its an alliance that should not be forged by Mitt Romney and his campaign because Ron Paul has admitted that he isn't in the race to become President but that he's in the race for the sole purpose of amassing enough delegates so that he can use his delegates as a way of getting the Republican party to adopt his libertarian views on foreign policy, economics and other issues.Furthermore, he admitted on Fox News that he doesn't want the power of being the President but simply wants to influence the Republican Party on matters he considers important.

Mitt Romney should not negotiate with Ron Paul or his son Rand Paul under any circumstances since it would be detrimental to the Republican party and for conservatism. Libertarians already have a political party in which it supports libertarian policies and Romney should not allow Ron and Rand Paul to hijack the Republican party just so it can adopt their domestic and foreign policy views.

Furthermore, given that Ron Paul has semi-suspended his campaign and is retiring from politics after the 2012 election is over, he has long term political aspirations for his son and is setting the stage for Rand Paul's eventual run for President. As a result, any negotiation that takes place with Mitt Romney and either or both Ron and Rand Paul in this 2012 election is only helping the Pauls remake the Republican party into the Libertarian party. Besides, if Rand Paul is thinking about running in the Republican party in 2016, he's gonna have to do it on his own without trying to remake the Republican party into a different political party.

Like many Ron Paul supporters, I'm not happy with Rand Paul's endorsement of Mitt Romney. But Mitt Romney and Ron Paul supporters can agree on one thing: Barack Obama must be defeated in 2012.

The Best Campaign Ads Of The 2012 GOP Primary

Now that Mitt Romney has recently released the first campaign ad for the general 2012 election, lets look back at the best campaign ads of the primary 2012 election.

Mitt Romney made waves with Republicans with these two ads and really helped define his campaign both in the primary and general election:  

Although Tim Pawlenty's campaign was short lived, he made a really great ad both in terms of style and substance by making a point about Obama's empty podium: 

Herman Cain had a very interesting ads that was unusual which attempted to help him stand out of the crowd of Republican contenders vying for the Republican nomination: 

Another unusual ad from Herman Cain was odd and amusing to everyone which spawned a lot of YouTube spoof videos. A lot of people speculated that Cain was going for the X-File voters.

Ron Paul also had a great ad attacking Newt Gingrich and for unexplained reason, Newt Gingrich got angry at Mitt Romney's attack ad. I think Ron Paul did a better job taking down Newt than Mitt did. 

Mitt Romney produced some other great ads during the 2012 primary race. Here are my top three favorites below: 

Newt Gingrich Under Investigation For Petition Fraud

Sometime in late December, through sheer incompetence, Newt Gingrich failed to get on the Virgina ballot despite the fact that all the candidates had five months to gather enough signatures to qualify, received a memorandum from the Virginia Republican Party that explained the validation process for candidate petitions in the presidential race to qualify for the primary ballot in October and sent out verification requirements to all campaigns in March of this year.

Regardless of the fact that Newt Gingrich had advanced notice from the Virginia Republican Party about what it will take to get on the ballot, he was determined to get on the ballot. He vowed to wage a write in campaign until he discovered that a write in campaign is illegal in Virginia. Frustrated that he wasn't on the ballot, the former Speaker of the House complained that his failure to get enough signatures to get on the ballot was alot like Pearl Harbor.

Another candidate who failed to make the Virginia ballot was Rick Perry. He sued to get his name on the ballot but the judge rejected the lawsuit because all the candidates waited too long to sue. This was a major setback for all of the candidates who didn't qualify. 

Ken Cuccinelli, the Attorney General for Virginia announced that he planned fix the problem by filing emergency legislation to allow more candidates to make it on the ballot but then backed off on the idea.

We are now learning that Newt Gingrich was so desperate to get on the Virginia ballot that he's now under investigation for petition fraud: 

In late December, after Gingrich failed to turn in enough valid signatures to qualify in Virginia, he was caught on video tape telling a supporter in Iowa that the reason for the failure was due to a campaign worker who created 1,500 fraudulent signatures.

"We turned in 11,100, we needed 10,000, 1,500 of them were by one guy who, frankly, committed fraud," Gingrich is seen and heard saying in video originally aired by CNN.

The signatures prompted the State Board of Elections to send the case to the Virginia Attorney General's office two weeks ago. The Deputy Secretary of the SBE called the actions described by Gingrich, if true, "definitely an illegal act."

Newt Gingrich, not a man to waste an opportunity to whine about the primary election process is now complaining about his major loss in Florida by challenging Florida’s “winner take all” rule and is demanding proportional award of delegates even though Newt Gingrich knew about Florida's winner take all rule before the election but waited after the election to complain about it: 

Asked about the challenge on FOX News' "Hannity" program Thursday night, Romney said, "It would be nice if he challenged the rules before he lost, rather than after he lost."

Romney also compared the legal challenge to the one Gingrich unsuccessfully launched after missing out on making the ballot in Virginia.

The leaders of the Florida Republican Party sent out a memo that effectively takes the wind out of Newt's challenge by explaining that Florida has already been punished for moving their primary election up on the calendar: 

"With regard to proportionality, the RNC does not have the authority to intervene in a state’s primary plans beyond the imposition of the Rule 16 penalties.  A contest procedure exists for challenges to a state’s delegation or delegates.  The RNC cannot consider any issue regarding Florida’s delegation unless and until a proper contest is brought.  If a contest is properly and timely filed, the Committee on Contests and the RNC will have the opportunity to hear the contest and determine if there are any further steps to be taken beyond the penalties that have already been imposed"

So far, Mitt Romney will get to keep his 50 delegates that he won from the Florida primary. Newt's strategy for challenging Florida is to make sure that Romney doesn't win the Republican nomination even if Gingrich himself doesn't win either: 

The strategy of the Gingrich campaign is not necessarily to win 1144 delegates, as much as it is to deny Romney the 1144 delegates needed to secure the nomination and attempt to convert the “not Romney” delegates to his slate at the convention. Taking the steps to alter Florida’s winner take all method to a proportional method works to Gingrich’s delusional fait accompli.  If he can’t win the nomination, no one else should either.

This is why conservatives cannot support Newt Gingrich because he is as narcissistic, impulsive and arrogant as Bill Clinton and Obama and will stop not nothing to get his way even it it means potentially engaging in voter fraud, complaining about the results of the primary after instead of before the election, or damaging the Republican Party in the process of trying to win.

Mitt Romney Congratulates New RNC Chairman Reince Priebus

Mitt Romney released a statement today giving support for our new RNC Chairman Reince Priebus: 

“I congratulate Reince Priebus on his election as Chairman of the Republican National Committee, and I look forward to working with him to advance our commonsense conservative agenda. The months and years ahead hold high stakes and tremendous opportunities for our party and our country. I have no doubt that Reince’s leadership will be invaluable as Republicans work to reduce the burden of government on families and job creators, get Washington’s reckless spending and debt under control, and put Americans back to work.”

I'm sure that Mitt Romney is pleased that Michael Steele will no longer be the Chairman of the RNC given his statement about Mitt Romney's faith. Not only has he alienated a high profile Republican candidates seeking office, but he's also alienated alot of high profile donors due to the fact that he was afraid to pick up the phone and ask for donations. As a result, Michael Steele has left the GOP with a $20 million deficit.

With a new RNC chairman, the GOP can start with a new fresh air and rebuild its relationship with donors, members, politicians and the general public that was left in tatters by Michael Steele.

Mr. Priebus, you have a lot of work ahead of you but I'm confident you can do it! 

GOP Will Elect New Party Chairman Today

Today, the GOP will vote on who will be the leader of the RNC. Michael Steele, who is seeking reelection to a second term, has four strong challengers fighting for the Chairmanship: 

--Reince Priebus, the Wisconsin Republican Party chairman who ran Steele's chairmanship bid in 2009. He broke with Steele to run against him and has the backing of several GOP insiders. Priebus argues that fixing the RNC's finances is a top priority; critics accuse him of ignoring the money problem when he was close to Steele.

--Maria Cino, a New York native and a veteran party operative who served in the Bush administration and was a top planner of the 2008 Republican nominating convention. She has cast herself as a turn-around specialist when it comes to fixing troubled national party organizations.

--Ann Wagner, a former Missouri state GOP chair who was an RNC co-chairwoman from 2001 to 2005 and was once an ambassador under George W. Bush. She argues that the RNC is broken and needs to completely re-evaluate how it operates.

--Saul Anuzis, a former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party who lost to Steele two years ago. Savvy with social networking, Anuzis argues that the RNC must be competitive on the technology front to have a chance at toppling Obama.

Michael Steele has made a alot of errors in during his role has Chairman of the GOP. The one that bugs me the most was his comments about Mitt Romney:

"Remember, it was the base that rejected Mitt because of his switch on pro-life, from pro-choice to pro-life," Steele told the caller. "It was the base that rejected Mitt because it had issues with Mormonism. It was the base that rejected Mitt because they thought he was back and forth and waffling on those very economic issues you're talking about."

And while Steele's analysis is correct for why Mitt Romney lost, he should have kept that to himself rather than state it publicly. The GOP Chairman should not be tearing down high profile Republicans seeking political office. Moreover, accusing people within the Republican party of being religious bigots is shows poor leadership. People should look to the RNC Chair as the person who seeks to build up the party, the people and find ways to reduce animosity towards one another. 

Of course, Michael Steele offered an apology for his statement towards Mitt Romney: 

"The head of the Republican Party said Tuesday he regrets the public interpretation of comments in which he said the GOP voted against Mitt Romney last year in part because he was a Mormon. "Chairman Steele regrets the way his comments have been interpreted," Republican National Committee spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said in a statement. "Chairman Steele believes Mitt Romney is a respected and influential voice in the Republican Party and looks to his leadership and ideas to help move our party and nation in the right direction." 

Comments towards Mitt Romney isn't the only indiscretion he's committed. He's has been unable to raise sufficient funds for the GOP, financial mismanagement and paying for outrageous things like a fundraiser at a well known strip club in Los Angeles. 

Michael Steele must go. And in all likelihood, he will be unseated and we will have a new GOP chairman.

Update: The new RNC Chair of the GOP is Reince Priebus.