No more lesser of two evils

On a recent trip, a fellow traveler asked me what kind of candidate I was supporting this cycle. My response was that I would be supporting real-world people with real-world experience, who are entering politics to make a difference, not entering to have a career.

I'm not looking for the lesser of two evils, nor will I ever support same – because in the immortal words of my late grandmother, "the lesser of two evils is still evil."

I continued by telling the person that I was supporting candidates who share my positions on the Constitution, on free-market capitalism, smaller government, less government intrusion, social issues, government waste, and on those who share my Protestant views on faith, at the very least tangentially.

The person's response to me was a stunned, "You're not serious are you?" – the question being, would I not support a candidate who shared some of my positions, but not all? My question in reply was: "Why should I?"

When has a candidate ever compromised his beliefs for me? How can I expect government to change if I keep supporting and electing the same kind of candidates that got us into this mess?

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For example, there is a candidate with whom I am a good friend. We share all positions in common save one – he is pro-choice. Said being the case, I will never vote for my friend.

I digress to share a bit of history you might not be aware of. Six of the seven Supreme Court justices who voted for Roe v. Wade, in 1973, were Republican appointees. In the 6-3 decision of Lawrence v. Texas, in 2003, four of the six justices voting to overturn the Texas sodomy law were Republicans. Six of the seven California judges who voted to overturn the state's ban on homosexual marriage were elected Republicans.

Want more? From 2000 to 2006, Republicans controlled both Houses of Congress and the White House. Yet in 2006, the FDA approved an "over the counter" abortion drug known as "Plan B."

If that's not enough, consider this gem: Section 4 of the March 2003 Senate version of the partial-birth abortion ban, as part of Senate bill S.3, 48 Republicans and 16 Democrats voted to approve the "Sense of the Senate Concerning Roe v. Wade" language in Section (b) Sense of the Senate: It reads, "It is the Sense of the Senate that: (1) the decision of the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade (410 U.S.113(1973)) was appropriate and secures an important Constitutional right; and: (2) such a decision should not be overturned" – which effectively allowed abortion, partial-birth and otherwise, to continue on undeterred. (See: "The Partial Birth Abortion Scam"; David Brownlow, Sept. 25, 2003)

It wasn't a Democrat that betrayed us pursuant to the appointment of judicial nominees – it was John McCain and his gang of 14. It was G.W. Bush and his wife who campaigned for Arlen Specter, when we had a clear conservative choice. We expect Democrats to demonize Sarah Palin – but should we expect to have her treated with smug, condescending indifference by McCain after she was singularly responsible for his having any showing at all? Republicans in Pennsylvania openly criticized a conservative candidate, saying he was too conservative.

We cannot control what liberal Democrats do unless we control what those in our own party do. The Republican hierarchy is very adept at blaming Democrats (and they deserve same), but keep in mind they wanted us to support Mike Castle in Delaware. That's Republican Castle, who called Obama before he called the Republican who defeated him.

As I told my fellow traveler, "Ask yourself just what the current crop of Republicans have done for you?" It's time to replace the lot of them. They aren't worthy of our respect or support.

That is why I remain encouraged by the tea-party movement. We are vetting candidates whom we feel meet our criteria. We're sending a message, not just to Democrats, but to Republicans as well. The bottom line is that we cannot expect change if we don't make it. And simply returning the old along with more of the same accomplishes us nothing.