My dear friends,
I began my first draft of this post on Monday, but it had a significantly different tone than it does today. I wrote a long post lamenting the downfall of conservatism, the rise of Donald Trump and his pseudo-conservative principles, the cultural perception of the "angry conservative" created by talk radio and others, and the inevitable election of Hillary Clinton as President of the United States.
Today is different. I feel different. Today, I am optimistic about the direction that conservatives in this country can take. Before I elaborate on this, I'd like to officially endorse the candidate that I will be supporting February 1 in the Iowa Caucus.
My candidate is Marco Rubio.
Conservatism is at a crossroads. The 2016 election will shape the direction in which we choose to take our values and principles into the 21st century. I firmly believe that Senator Rubio is the man who will not only preserve traditional conservatism, but bring it back into prominence for our generation and future generations to come.
I first became interested in Senator Rubio after hearing his address at CPAC in early 2015. Soon after, he scheduled a book-signing for his conservative manifesto, "American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone," at a Barnes and Noble in Des Moines. Unfortunately, work prevented me from attending. Even so, I was very interested in reading about his ideas for the country, so I visited Barnes and Noble the next day to see if I could find his book. As luck would have it, not only did I find his book, but I was able to get one of the signed copies he had left at the store! I ripped through "American Dreams" in record time. I had never read anything that better described the current political climate in our country. Senator Rubio not only brilliantly articulates the challenges we face, but also presents clear, conservative solutions to these challenges. I strongly encourage everyone to read his book.
I won't elaborate on each and every conservative position that Senator Rubio holds. However, I will tell you that Marco Rubio is a consistent, tea-party conservative by every definition of the world. The American Conservative Union has given him a lifetime rating of 98. He has a perfect rating in the senate from the National Rifle Association. He has earned 100 ratings from both National Right to Life and the Family Research Council. He's inexplicably being portrayed as "the establishment candidate," but he is one of the strongest conservative voices in the senate.
I would like to take the time to explain why I support Senator Rubio over Senator Ted Cruz. Both men are rising conservative stars who hold many of the same political positions. However, if one were to listen to either campaign, one would believe that the two men could not be more different. I would support Ted Cruz if he becomes the eventual nominee, but I believe Marco Rubio is the better candidate for one particular reason. I believe Ted Cruz has the same problem as Hillary Clinton. I believe both of them view opposition parties as "the enemy." Hillary Clinton actually explicitly stated in the first Democratic debate that republicans were "the enemy she was most proud to have made." I have many friends who are committed liberals. I refuse to believe that we are enemies because we hold different ideologies. I choose to believe that we believe in different methods and solutions to the same problems facing our country. These differences are important when choosing our elected officials, but they should not polarize and divide us as Americans. Cruz and Clinton, in my view, are both candidates who are widening the divide between us. I believe Senator Rubio is the best candidate to unite the country.
I will likely be publishing more posts elaborating on Senator Rubio's conservative merits as we draw nearer to the February 1 caucus, but I don't want to make this post too lengthy. I encourage all of you to participate in the Iowa Caucus this year. I'll include a link with information on how to do so. Thank you for sticking with me until the end, dear reader!
Andrew
http://2016iowacaucus.com/
