Those of you following the 1st District Congressional race know that last week four candidates participated in the first candidate's forum. Sponsored by the Sanford VFW, the event took take place the day following the delivery of the Petraeus/Crocker reports on Capitol Hill. This was a unique forum as it included two Republican candidates and two Democrat candidates.
After that evening it was very apparent to me how important it is for the Republican Party to nominate a candidate who knows the issues inside and out. While we did not get to hear the entire Democrat field last week, the two that we heard from are well versed on the issues, articulate, and passionate in their delivery. If we are going to return a Republican to this seat, we will need a candidate who can match and exceed the presentation expected from the other side of the aisle.
We also need a candidate who has ideas - bold, new ideas. Running a 'run of the mill' Republican will not win this seat. With polls showing the approval rating of Congress plummeting faster than nighttime temperatures, it is clear that this is the year of the political outsider. Mainers and Americans alike have grown weary of career politicians and rightfully so. Look where electing generations of career politicians have gotten this state: 48th in economic stability according to Forbes. Look where it has led our nation: the European stock market is out pacing Wall Street.
The issues of the day are growing increasingly complex. Addressing health care requires an in-depth knowledge of technology, the insurance industry and the need for legal reform. Addressing national security requires a firm grasp of the history of the entire Middle East region, not just Iraq. One must have read and understood the 9/11 Commission Report, the Iraq Study Group findings, and possess an objective understanding of the findings of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. Addressing the economy requires a firm grasp of current economic policy, the modern, global economy as well as an understanding of basic economic principles. Failure of the Republican Party to put forward a candidate with a firm grasp of these issues, one with an ability to articulate these issues, will ensure that MoveOn.org fills this seat.
Maine's largest voting block is the unenrolled, or independent voter. We often assume that these voters are all “moderate.” That is not necessarily the case. I have found through speaking with people all over the 1st District that, in terms of a political spectrum, the Independent voters are equally as polarized as those enrolled in an organized Party. Unenrolled voters are perhaps even more apt to vote for the person, not the politician.
As those who know me will attest, I am not a “dyed in the wool” Republican Party loyalist, preferring pragmatic solutions to political devotions. I have been earning the support of Democrats and Republicans, and Independents, alike. However, in a blind taste test I believe that Americans overwhelmingly align themselves with conservative principles, by which I mean they simply prefer permanent things to chaos. In our rapidly changing world, it is all too easy to trample on traditions. Yet some of our traditions must be preserved, like our national preference for small government. Modern technology and innovation require us to speak of smaller government in a new and advanced concept. There is a very real danger of government consuming our culture. It would be a sad irony if a nation founded on the principles of smaller government were to collapse under the weight of its own government. With Republican 2.0, I hope to develop a means of stemming this unchecked government growth.
The Democrats that participated in the Sanford forum were good. They had a firm grasp of the issues, and their messages were well-rehearsed. Though I disagree with them on practically every issue, I have to concede that they were smart and savvy on the issues. However, all of their ideas involve a government solution, not a private enterprise solution. A failure to run a candidate who can take them on with equal and opposite force will only contribute to the unchecked growth of government. Let's not let MoveOn.org move in on Maine.
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