Presidential Free-For-All
By Felicia (Fee) Benamon (01/27/07)
Just recently, I wrote an article about the need to focus on matters facing our country instead of who is running in '08, but it seems the Presidential hoopla won't go away. The media continues to stoke the flames of who is in the race to run for President in 2008. Potential candidates have been busy throwing their hats in the ring and busily going about forming Presidential exploratory committees to gauge public opinion.
The media darlings these days are surprisingly courting Barak Hussein Obama (D-IL), who has only served 2 terms in the Senate. Obama's youthful charm and speaking ability, plus the hype over his possibility of being the first black President has him running to the front of the Democrat ticket in some polls. No sooner had Obama announced his intentions to run for President, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) decided that she needed to formally announce her intentions to run for President. But we all knew Hillary Clinton was running for President. We have been waiting for her to just come out with it and admit she was running, after dancing around the subject for so long.
Clinton made her move as I figure that she felt Obama was "making waves" and she didn't want to be overshadowed by what seemed like an Obama love fest by the media.
Hillary Clinton invites the American public to "have a chat."
"Let's start a dialogue about your ideas and mine," she said on her website.
I don't think there is much to "chat" about; as I know Hillary Clinton's stance leans FAR left and is not consistent with what Americans are looking for in a President.
Barak Obama has far left leanings also. While he is frequently shown in the media speaking before congregations in a church or attending a church, his views do not reflect the values that Christians/conservatives hold dear. Obama is pro-choice in the abortion debate, and is liberal in his views on gun control, and was against tax cuts, etc.
Obama has the likes of billionaire Ultra-liberal socialist George Soros backing his campaign, so what does that say? I do not trust Obama is the one to lead the nation, no matter how he appears to be or what he says. He leans too far to the left.
As we head into 2008, look for candidates to start reinventing themselves to appear down to earth and favorable by a wide margin of people. Hillary has recently hired an evangelical consultant, assuredly to try to shore up support from Christians. Nothing she (or any candidate running for office) does to try to court specific groups will work. It's about showing ones true colors. What does the candidate REALLY believe? What has been the direction of the candidate's voting in the past? Americans should be mindful of this as they see the candidates lining up for their vote.
As I notice the number of candidates increasing for the chance to become President, I am thinking that some have a misunderstanding of what the office requires. Candidates are viewing the Presidential 2008 race as sort of a Presidential Free-For-All, or a "let's see who can win it" mentality.
The office of the Presidency is a position of service and demands extreme commitment, especially in the times we live in today. It is a calling, if you will.
It isn't about beating out the candidate from the opposing party, but about who has the best ideas, who has the drive and desire to work for the country in its best interest, and who is connected and listens to the people most. It is an abomination to lust after the Presidency to further ones career, to make history, or to go after the position for power.
I say this because many potential candidates are only thinking of their political careers...they are driven to stoke the fire of their careers and nothing else. If they weren't, their love of country and desire to help people would be their main motivator for running. Serving for the love of country and the desire to help the people is scarce these days. What is left is pure hype by the media about who will make history, and in the current situation in Washington, we have political agendas being pushed by many in Congress. There is no action being taken on behalf of the people or willingness to listen to the people.
One candidate who has been relatively overlooked and who has started a presidential exploratory committee...Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO). He has been ignored, but he is been vocal about the need to control illegal immigration and the need to safely secure our borders. He has stood against the President time and again as the President has advocated a "guest-worker" program that, to many conservatives and concerned Americans, sounds of amnesty.
In President Bush's state of the union speech, he explains:
"...To secure our border, we're doubling the size of the Border Patrol, and funding new infrastructure and technology.
Yet even with all these steps, we cannot fully secure the border unless we take pressure off the border -- and that requires a temporary worker program. We should establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis. As a result, they won't have to try to sneak in, and that will leave Border Agents free to chase down drug smugglers and criminals and terrorists.
We'll enforce our immigration laws at the work site and give employers the tools to verify the legal status of their workers, so there's no excuse left for violating the law."
( http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200701/POL20070124c.html )
I've heard much tough-talk in how the President wants to approach the illegal immigration issue, but when I hear of incidents where our Border agents are being thrown in jail for doing their jobs, I chalk the President's tough-talk to nothing but empty rhetoric. I question why the US would have a system in place at the borders that would put its own Border agents in prison (in solitary confinement at that: http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53897 ) when we are at war and are dealing with a massive drug problem...drug traffickers are entering the US from Mexico.
Heavy enforcement of the border is lacking. The National Guard was put on the border without weapons, and individuals who are part of the Minuteman ( http://www.minutemanproject.com/, also visit: http://www.minutemanhq.com/ ) group, has had to step in to help the Border agents. They've been brushed aside by Bush's administration as well...the President calling them "vigilantes" at some point.
If President Bush was serious about curtailing illegal immigration, he would welcome all the help he could get. A temporary guest-worker program won't work. Simply invite people to follow the rule of law, and enter into the US legally like the rest of us. A law was recently passed that Americans have to have a Passport to go to and from the US to places like Mexico and Canada. The law applies to all; let's not give special treatment to those who are already here, by providing them a temporary guest worker pass. If they are here illegally, they must leave, go home, and get the proper documentation if they are serious about returning to work in the US. We are at war, we cannot afford to play games with the border situation.
Back to Congressman Tom Tancredo...I've been impressed with him since he has taken the strong stance against illegal immigration and the North American Union issue. This issue is VERY important, and is gaining publicity. I want a leader who will block and impede the current trend towards integrating the US into a North American Union with Canada and Mexico.
Last year, I wrote an article on Mr. Tancredo and sort of introduced him in my own way: ( http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/benamon/060417 ).
Tancredo is not well-known, even among conservatives and Republicans. However, he is purely conservative on every issue ( http://tancredo.house.gov/issues/ ). As I've said in the past, Tancredo has my vote for 2008.
I've heard comments from fellow conservatives that since Mr. Tancredo is not well-known, we need a Republican that can take the Presidency, one who has already been in the spotlight. Let me remind them that Barak Obama came out of nowhere to be a top contender for the Democrat ticket. Tancredo is that dark horse candidate who can come from behind and is MORE than capable of securing a nod for Republicans.
No doubt one of the most important issues facing our country today is the surge in illegal immigration. Congressman Tom Tancredo has been a lightning rod against illegal immigration, and if enough people who agree with him stand behind him and urge him to run, he may be successful. But it's worth a try. If it's only to protect our country and to keep it from career politicians who only care about their resume in Washington.
In the coming months, let's not be swayed by all the media hype on the front runners (on both sides) in the Presidential race for 2008. Let's explore the background of ALL the candidates. Our future is too important to pick a President based on how popular he is in the polls or on name recognition.
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