Political Me
Warning: LONG-WINDED POLITICAL CONTENT
Journal Entry 7/10/2012
So, I got the opportunity to go see Mitt Romney at a town hall event this morning. It was a very unique experience! My hubby and I ended up being in the third row right down front, so we had a great view.
I did vote for Mitt Romney during the primary elections in 2008, and I will admit that part of that may have been driven by my excitement about having someone to vote for that shared my faith. Yes, I am a Mormon, like Mr. Romney, so there's your ammo if you're waiting to cry "BIAS!" about any praise I may offer in this write-up. Please keep in mind, though, that any affinity I may have for Romney in that regard does not extend to Harry Reid, although he is of our faith as well. So, I would like to think that my readers could see that I do apply more reason in the formation of my opinions than to just check where anyone in particular goes to church.
I held my nose and voted for McCain in the general election in '08, and held my breath a little when Obama won. I just prayed that he wouldnt be as bad as I feared. Turns out he was worse; thus, my attendance at the Romney rally today.
My initial enthusiasm about Romney in 2008 cooled quite a bit when I saw that he was maybe not as conservative as I hoped. Still, when I saw that he was going to make another run, I watched with some interest. I never got really excited about him. I was looking for a Mitch Daniels or a Paul Ryan or a Chris Christie to come out of the woodwork and run. When that didn't happen, and I figured Romney would be the guy, I was okay with it, but not jumping up and down. At this point, I'm kind of one of those "ANYONE but Obama" types. So, I knew that Romney would get my vote, but that didnt mean that I didn't still have regrets that my "perfect" candidate didn't show.
I am among those in the country who were not politically involved or active before 9/11. I didn't even vote in the first presidential election that occurred after I turned 18. 9/11 shook me up, though, and over the last decade, I have tried to become more informed. I'm sure the complacency started to creep in again at times, but as I finally became aware of some of the horrible things that President Bush (43) did, I began to pay attention again.
I had been one of those who watched Bush climb the smoldering remains of the twin towers and was moved and inspired when he spoke to the first-responders and the nation. I don't even remember what he said, but I remember wanting to believe that he was a good man who would look to God and help lead our country back to a position of strength and hope. I now see him as just one more politician who gave into pressures from special interests and powerful voices that have been determined to change the course of this country for generations.
I think after 9/11 I had considered myself "politically active" because I had begun listening and reading about issues and voting every chance I got. I hesitated for a long time to register as a Republican, though, until I realized that so many of Utah's elections were decided during Republican primaries that I had better register if I wanted to have a say at all about anything.
When I read the websites for the various parties, I do like what I read as the party platform for the Republicans, but I have not seen these stated values reflected in the actions of many Republicans. Part of me would like to see the Republicans begin to live up to those ideals again, so I could just say straight out, "I'm a Republican!" That part of me is held back most of the time, though, by the part the cynical part and the part that hates the two-party system that has evolved in this nation. That goes right along with my feeling that our electoral college is outdated, however brilliant it may have been when it was first conceived. That may sound odd coming from someone that is so critical of progressives for saying things like that about the Constitution, but... there you go.
I don't remember what country it was that I heard about a few years agothat uses a kind of trickle-down election system, so that the candidate that most people can agree on gets put into office. It prevents danger of the third party candidate coming in and causing havoc by splitting the vote of, say, conservatives and letting the least favorite candidate among those running to run away with the trophy.
I did get pretty excited when the Tea Party movement started to take off, and I still identify with many of the values of that movement. I also find things I like among the 9/12ers, The Heritage Foundation, and other conservative organizations. I am a pretty big Glenn Beck fan; I find that I agree with about 85-90% of what he says. Yes, my interest in Glenn began as one Mormon being curious about another Mormon who happened to be in the public eye; but, again, it wasn't that that made me stay a fan.
I find that i am fiercely capitalistic when it comes to the economy. I am ALL ABOUT smaller government. I think on some social issues, I have some Libertarian leanings that would probably surprise even my closest friends and family, but I am still making up my mind about some things, like the war on drugs, etc. On other social issues I am conservative enough to disgust most of the liberal establishment, though. I don't find myself identifying at all with liberal progressives on pretty much any issue. Maybe one day I'll be surprised on that front, but I have my doubts.
My faith and my love for this nation are inseparable. I believe in God, and I believe that He was behind the founding of this great nation. I have great respect for the Founding Fathers, even with their perceived faults. George Washington is one of the best men that ever walked this Earth, plain and simple. The Constitution was divinely inspired, and it is our Creator that has endowed us with unalienable right, NOT the government. That's where I stand. Firmly!
So. The town hall meeting. When I moved to Colorado I registered to vote without affiliating myself with any party. Then yesterday I heard that Mitt Romney would be in town. I figured it isn't very often that you get to hear a presidential candidate in person, and this would be a small way of being part of a piece of history. No matter how the election goes, it will still be a part of our nations history. I wanted to be able to tell my kids and grand kids that I was there.
It has now been a week since the event and my starting this essay. I even surprised myself with all that I had to say! I still want to record some of my impressions of the actual town hall meeting, though, so I'll try to recall the things that prompted me to write in the first place.
Ry and I arrived a half hour before the doors were to open, but we weren't even close to being some of the first ones there. Just as we were getting to the line that was forming, a woman with the campaign asked if we wanted to volunteer to make phone calls for the campaign. I said I would and signed up in exchange for a lapel sticker and a bumper sticker. Wahoo. *chuckle* Good thing that's not why I signed up.
Standing inline was a pain, as usual, but gave us a chance to size up the crowd around us. Pretty average. About like I would expect at a conservative event: mostly clean, modest, some casual, some dressed up, every age, mostly white (it IS Colorado). Everyone was pretty calm and polite, except a couple of older ladies that cut into the line right in front of us just as we were getting to the building. We joked about knowing several other LDS people in the crowd ("The place is CRAWLING with Mormons!).
There were metal detectors when we got in, and cops and secret security people everywhere. I was glad I had left my purse in the car and only brought my camera, but I still got wanded after I went thru the metal detector. I was surprised the venue was so small. Made me wonder what criteria dictated the location for the event. We had to head for the bleachers (HATE), but I was gonna have a great angle for pictures. Then Ryan saw some friend of ours down in the chairs! It meant a less desirable camera angle, but it was a small sacrifice for my back and a closer seat. The only people closer than we were must have been big donors or something, because both of those rows were reserved.
There was plenty of time for more people watching and visiting with our pals while we waited for the event to begin. Patriotic country music, bright lights and media everywhere, secret service people scanning the crowd with VERY serious looks on their faces. Except for the heavy security presence, it felt like a lot of corporate rah-rah sessions that I had been to before. I noticed a cute girl with red, white, and blue ribbons in her hair and a t-shirt that said "Future conservative president" and grinned at her and her grandma. I saw another shirt that I liked that said something about faith and politics being inseparable.
Finally, our local Republican politicians came out to warm up the crowd. I was glad for a chance to see and hear the people representing me, even though the pretty much said exactly what any good politician would say. When they were done, we stood for the presentation of the flag and the national anthem.
It was probably 10 more minutes before Mitt came out. I was excited like everyone else to see him in person. It's fun to be a little star struck. :) I even started to tear up a little (I really do think I was having a bit of a hormone swing that day, so I was a little more emotional than usual). He's just as good looking in person as he is in the media. I was disappointed that his wife, Ann, didn't come, though.
The feeing seemed to wear off after afew minutes, leaving me more able to peocess what he was saying about the various issues of the day. I liked most of what he had to say about things. Of course, there was the typical bring-in-a-local-hero stuff to get the crowd sympathetic and show how tuned in Romney is to what's going on in our state, ands the bashing of the opponent (too easy). When he focused on stating what he would do, though, if elected, I heartily approved.
He talked a lot about returning power to the states for the implementation of many government programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, education, energy, and others. He promised to repeal Obamacare (BIG cheers from all of us). He expresses his support for more choice when it comes to schooling, his support for American business and manufacturing, and his intention to cut taxes and improve the economy. All good stuff!
After about 45 minutes of speaking, he took questions from the audience. My memory has already faded about many of them, but I do remember being impressed with how Mitt handled every question. It kinda made me anxious to see him go up against Obama in a debate.
There was one question posed to him that could have easily gone south, but I have to give kudos to Romney AND to the audience member. The young man was basically asking Romney why he doesn't support liberty in all areas ( meaning abortion and gay marriage), but he did manage to ask it without being overly contentious. Mitt gave a good answer that included his belief in respecting all points of view and people, even when we don't agree on everything. I got the whole question on video with Ryan's iPhone.
I wish I had heard about Romney's stance on immigration; I haven't looked it up yet. I think if I could have asked a 'question', it would have been something like, "So many people vote for politicians expecting one thing and then end up getting another. I can understand politicians being human and changing opinions occasionally based on the thing that they continue to learn, but so many have done nothing more than bait and switch. They forget that they serve and represent the people. I have great hopes for you, but would appreciate some reassurance that you will be who you say you are."
I was close enough to see Mitt get a little misty sometimes when the crowd applauded so much he had to pause. I imagine being the recipient of several standing ovations a day would be pretty heady stuff. I thought while we were waiting for the meeting to start how difficult it would be to give my life over to this kind of lifestyle - being in the public eye every waking moment, and exposing yourself and your family to so much scrutiny, even if you have lived a good, clean, life.
I found myself thinking that his perceived emotions were a sign of how much he loves his country, how serious he is taking this, and even a sign of humility in being trusted by so many to help us all. I know that this could just be me, projecting onto Mitt what I hoped to see in him and what I hope to be his true character (this is how i felt about Bush after 9/11, which scares me), but I TRIED to look at him honestly.
I tend to think that even IF Romney turns out to be all that we hope for, it won't be enough to stop what is about to happen to our economy. I think there are very dark and evil powers at work. Yeah, I know that makes me sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but I BELIEVE what the prophets have said.
I will still work to get Mitt Romney elected. I will go down to campaign headquarters this Friday and make calls. I will also continue to prod what I can to help my family prepare for hard times ahead. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, right? I do know that, whatever happens, the Lord is still In charge, and His will will be done in the end. That's where my real confidence lies and is why I will still smile, no matter what happens this November.
So, I got the opportunity to go see Mitt Romney at a town hall event this morning. It was a very unique experience! My hubby and I ended up being in the third row right down front, so we had a great view.
I did vote for Mitt Romney during the primary elections in 2008, and I will admit that part of that may have been driven by my excitement about having someone to vote for that shared my faith. Yes, I am a Mormon, like Mr. Romney, so there's your ammo if you're waiting to cry "BIAS!" about any praise I may offer in this write-up. Please keep in mind, though, that any affinity I may have for Romney in that regard does not extend to Harry Reid, although he is of our faith as well. So, I would like to think that my readers could see that I do apply more reason in the formation of my opinions than to just check where anyone in particular goes to church.
I held my nose and voted for McCain in the general election in '08, and held my breath a little when Obama won. I just prayed that he wouldnt be as bad as I feared. Turns out he was worse; thus, my attendance at the Romney rally today.
My initial enthusiasm about Romney in 2008 cooled quite a bit when I saw that he was maybe not as conservative as I hoped. Still, when I saw that he was going to make another run, I watched with some interest. I never got really excited about him. I was looking for a Mitch Daniels or a Paul Ryan or a Chris Christie to come out of the woodwork and run. When that didn't happen, and I figured Romney would be the guy, I was okay with it, but not jumping up and down. At this point, I'm kind of one of those "ANYONE but Obama" types. So, I knew that Romney would get my vote, but that didnt mean that I didn't still have regrets that my "perfect" candidate didn't show.
I am among those in the country who were not politically involved or active before 9/11. I didn't even vote in the first presidential election that occurred after I turned 18. 9/11 shook me up, though, and over the last decade, I have tried to become more informed. I'm sure the complacency started to creep in again at times, but as I finally became aware of some of the horrible things that President Bush (43) did, I began to pay attention again.
I had been one of those who watched Bush climb the smoldering remains of the twin towers and was moved and inspired when he spoke to the first-responders and the nation. I don't even remember what he said, but I remember wanting to believe that he was a good man who would look to God and help lead our country back to a position of strength and hope. I now see him as just one more politician who gave into pressures from special interests and powerful voices that have been determined to change the course of this country for generations.
I think after 9/11 I had considered myself "politically active" because I had begun listening and reading about issues and voting every chance I got. I hesitated for a long time to register as a Republican, though, until I realized that so many of Utah's elections were decided during Republican primaries that I had better register if I wanted to have a say at all about anything.
When I read the websites for the various parties, I do like what I read as the party platform for the Republicans, but I have not seen these stated values reflected in the actions of many Republicans. Part of me would like to see the Republicans begin to live up to those ideals again, so I could just say straight out, "I'm a Republican!" That part of me is held back most of the time, though, by the part the cynical part and the part that hates the two-party system that has evolved in this nation. That goes right along with my feeling that our electoral college is outdated, however brilliant it may have been when it was first conceived. That may sound odd coming from someone that is so critical of progressives for saying things like that about the Constitution, but... there you go.
I don't remember what country it was that I heard about a few years agothat uses a kind of trickle-down election system, so that the candidate that most people can agree on gets put into office. It prevents danger of the third party candidate coming in and causing havoc by splitting the vote of, say, conservatives and letting the least favorite candidate among those running to run away with the trophy.
I did get pretty excited when the Tea Party movement started to take off, and I still identify with many of the values of that movement. I also find things I like among the 9/12ers, The Heritage Foundation, and other conservative organizations. I am a pretty big Glenn Beck fan; I find that I agree with about 85-90% of what he says. Yes, my interest in Glenn began as one Mormon being curious about another Mormon who happened to be in the public eye; but, again, it wasn't that that made me stay a fan.
I find that i am fiercely capitalistic when it comes to the economy. I am ALL ABOUT smaller government. I think on some social issues, I have some Libertarian leanings that would probably surprise even my closest friends and family, but I am still making up my mind about some things, like the war on drugs, etc. On other social issues I am conservative enough to disgust most of the liberal establishment, though. I don't find myself identifying at all with liberal progressives on pretty much any issue. Maybe one day I'll be surprised on that front, but I have my doubts.
My faith and my love for this nation are inseparable. I believe in God, and I believe that He was behind the founding of this great nation. I have great respect for the Founding Fathers, even with their perceived faults. George Washington is one of the best men that ever walked this Earth, plain and simple. The Constitution was divinely inspired, and it is our Creator that has endowed us with unalienable right, NOT the government. That's where I stand. Firmly!
So. The town hall meeting. When I moved to Colorado I registered to vote without affiliating myself with any party. Then yesterday I heard that Mitt Romney would be in town. I figured it isn't very often that you get to hear a presidential candidate in person, and this would be a small way of being part of a piece of history. No matter how the election goes, it will still be a part of our nations history. I wanted to be able to tell my kids and grand kids that I was there.
It has now been a week since the event and my starting this essay. I even surprised myself with all that I had to say! I still want to record some of my impressions of the actual town hall meeting, though, so I'll try to recall the things that prompted me to write in the first place.
Ry and I arrived a half hour before the doors were to open, but we weren't even close to being some of the first ones there. Just as we were getting to the line that was forming, a woman with the campaign asked if we wanted to volunteer to make phone calls for the campaign. I said I would and signed up in exchange for a lapel sticker and a bumper sticker. Wahoo. *chuckle* Good thing that's not why I signed up.
Standing inline was a pain, as usual, but gave us a chance to size up the crowd around us. Pretty average. About like I would expect at a conservative event: mostly clean, modest, some casual, some dressed up, every age, mostly white (it IS Colorado). Everyone was pretty calm and polite, except a couple of older ladies that cut into the line right in front of us just as we were getting to the building. We joked about knowing several other LDS people in the crowd ("The place is CRAWLING with Mormons!).
There were metal detectors when we got in, and cops and secret security people everywhere. I was glad I had left my purse in the car and only brought my camera, but I still got wanded after I went thru the metal detector. I was surprised the venue was so small. Made me wonder what criteria dictated the location for the event. We had to head for the bleachers (HATE), but I was gonna have a great angle for pictures. Then Ryan saw some friend of ours down in the chairs! It meant a less desirable camera angle, but it was a small sacrifice for my back and a closer seat. The only people closer than we were must have been big donors or something, because both of those rows were reserved.
There was plenty of time for more people watching and visiting with our pals while we waited for the event to begin. Patriotic country music, bright lights and media everywhere, secret service people scanning the crowd with VERY serious looks on their faces. Except for the heavy security presence, it felt like a lot of corporate rah-rah sessions that I had been to before. I noticed a cute girl with red, white, and blue ribbons in her hair and a t-shirt that said "Future conservative president" and grinned at her and her grandma. I saw another shirt that I liked that said something about faith and politics being inseparable.
Finally, our local Republican politicians came out to warm up the crowd. I was glad for a chance to see and hear the people representing me, even though the pretty much said exactly what any good politician would say. When they were done, we stood for the presentation of the flag and the national anthem.
It was probably 10 more minutes before Mitt came out. I was excited like everyone else to see him in person. It's fun to be a little star struck. :) I even started to tear up a little (I really do think I was having a bit of a hormone swing that day, so I was a little more emotional than usual). He's just as good looking in person as he is in the media. I was disappointed that his wife, Ann, didn't come, though.
The feeing seemed to wear off after afew minutes, leaving me more able to peocess what he was saying about the various issues of the day. I liked most of what he had to say about things. Of course, there was the typical bring-in-a-local-hero stuff to get the crowd sympathetic and show how tuned in Romney is to what's going on in our state, ands the bashing of the opponent (too easy). When he focused on stating what he would do, though, if elected, I heartily approved.
He talked a lot about returning power to the states for the implementation of many government programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, education, energy, and others. He promised to repeal Obamacare (BIG cheers from all of us). He expresses his support for more choice when it comes to schooling, his support for American business and manufacturing, and his intention to cut taxes and improve the economy. All good stuff!
After about 45 minutes of speaking, he took questions from the audience. My memory has already faded about many of them, but I do remember being impressed with how Mitt handled every question. It kinda made me anxious to see him go up against Obama in a debate.
There was one question posed to him that could have easily gone south, but I have to give kudos to Romney AND to the audience member. The young man was basically asking Romney why he doesn't support liberty in all areas ( meaning abortion and gay marriage), but he did manage to ask it without being overly contentious. Mitt gave a good answer that included his belief in respecting all points of view and people, even when we don't agree on everything. I got the whole question on video with Ryan's iPhone.
I wish I had heard about Romney's stance on immigration; I haven't looked it up yet. I think if I could have asked a 'question', it would have been something like, "So many people vote for politicians expecting one thing and then end up getting another. I can understand politicians being human and changing opinions occasionally based on the thing that they continue to learn, but so many have done nothing more than bait and switch. They forget that they serve and represent the people. I have great hopes for you, but would appreciate some reassurance that you will be who you say you are."
I was close enough to see Mitt get a little misty sometimes when the crowd applauded so much he had to pause. I imagine being the recipient of several standing ovations a day would be pretty heady stuff. I thought while we were waiting for the meeting to start how difficult it would be to give my life over to this kind of lifestyle - being in the public eye every waking moment, and exposing yourself and your family to so much scrutiny, even if you have lived a good, clean, life.
I found myself thinking that his perceived emotions were a sign of how much he loves his country, how serious he is taking this, and even a sign of humility in being trusted by so many to help us all. I know that this could just be me, projecting onto Mitt what I hoped to see in him and what I hope to be his true character (this is how i felt about Bush after 9/11, which scares me), but I TRIED to look at him honestly.
I tend to think that even IF Romney turns out to be all that we hope for, it won't be enough to stop what is about to happen to our economy. I think there are very dark and evil powers at work. Yeah, I know that makes me sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but I BELIEVE what the prophets have said.
I will still work to get Mitt Romney elected. I will go down to campaign headquarters this Friday and make calls. I will also continue to prod what I can to help my family prepare for hard times ahead. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, right? I do know that, whatever happens, the Lord is still In charge, and His will will be done in the end. That's where my real confidence lies and is why I will still smile, no matter what happens this November.
Comments
I loved, loved, loved your thoughts! What a great observation! ...and motivation to be involved---thank you!