The Republican Debate Went As Predicted. More Show Than Substance.

As I sit on my couch and watch the first Presidential debate before the main debate I am reminded just how divided our country is. The once great superpower of the world has been drastically reduced to cliches and rhetoric of the fearful and war ready populace. Listening to the candidates was a wake up call of just how far out of touch Washington has become. Playing on fears, substituting Constitutional rights for ideological tactics has become not only the norm, but the expected. 

Lindsey Graham acted as if he couldn’t wait to get his hands on a bomb. Any bomb, going anywhere. The chants of “we are at war” was uttered time and time again with no strategy or plan put forward. Just that we need to go kill as many as possible, as quickly as possible. Bypassing the Constitution and Bill of Rights was their strategy. No, not one candidate said that word for word, but not one of the four candidates in the smaller debate said anything about getting a declaration of war through Congress. 

Typical speeches about how we need to re institute the meta data program to keep us safe was welcomed by all the candidates and applauded by the audience. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Don’t tell me Isis wants to change my way of life and take my freedoms when you, yourself are advocating for the very same.

When you give up freedoms for security you are walking on a slippery slope. When that cat is let out of the bag it opens up many opportunities to be usurped under false tendencies. How is it regulated? What freedoms do you have to give up in order to be safe? Will this lead to other rights and freedoms I have to surrender to maintain this safety?  Can the government really keep us safe? If not, why surrender any rights to begin with?

These are questions that are never asked, however, should be at the forefront of the debate. Truly a pivotal time and we can’t let it go unchallenged. We can’t send our troops to protect our rights in overseas lands while we are surrendering them here in the homeland. The fact remains that it is through maintaining our rights and liberties that we are strong. This is falling on deaf ears to the politicians in Washington. 

The main debate picked up right where the pre debate left off at. With the exception of Rand Paul who always keeps a more Libertarian view than his counterparts, the talk of expanding the N.S.A. spying program and other liberty surrendering means was offered up as a solution. This was propped up with the magical words of the day. “9/11“, “keep us safe“, “we are at war“, and all the typical battle cries from those seeking not only  war, but our rights at well. It is time to silent those war drums or at least pause the beating of them to correctly analyze our efforts to get this under control.

 One of the highlights of the night is the Trump vs. Bush sparring match that took place with Jeb ending it with the remark that “You are not going to be able to insult your way to the Presidency.” It drew a thundering applause from the audience and a smirk from Donald Trump.

Shortly after that the moderator made an attempt to go after Ben Carson’s toughness when he asked Carson if he had the toughness to bomb and kill children. I thought Carson handled the question correctly and the audience booed the narrators efforts to make Carson look weak. It made the audience respond, at least with booing and support for Dr. Carson, to the fact that the question was really unprofessional and somewhat unbecoming of a debate question.

Rand Paul continues to stick to his Constitutional stances bringing up the Geneva Convention and the Constitution at every response to the questions. I think this is important because if the terrorist really hate us for our freedoms and way of life then Rand Paul seems to be the only one protecting those rights and way of life. This is the irony that the American people seem to be ignoring.

Now the questions turn to democracy. This is where we need to get our heads out of our you know what and realize we are a Republic. A Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy. We never were and we never should entertain that notion. In a Constitutional Republic all rights are retained. In a Democracy the majority rule over the minority. Isn’t that by definition what we are trying to defeat? Why would we ever want to become that? Democracy leads to nation building and perpetuates the horrible foreign policy that has got us in this situation to begin with. In this instance we can not just follow the yellow brick road. It is time to pave our own road and get back on track to the Republic that the founding fathers paid dearly for us to have.

Chris Christie continues to come across as bullyish and “the 9/11 candidate.” I am convinced he hasn’t lived one day in the past 15 years without saying the term 9/11. Being a strong supporter of the N.S.A. meta data program, he spouts that they hate us for our freedoms, but waste no opportunity in wanting to take our freedoms to combat terrorist. How does that even make sense? Think about that. Better yet say it out loud for a minute. “They hate us for our freedom, so give up your freedoms so we can defeat them.” Did it make sense when you said it out loud? Of course not, however, he pushes this thought process at every given moment.

Jeb Bush, Donald Trump, and Ted Cruz, the top three, didn’t seem to have a good night. How this plays out in the polls we will have to wait to see. At this moment Donald Trump is enjoying a commanding lead in the polls with Ted Cruz making headway. How will tonight’s performance change the standings, if at all?

Earlier in the week there was talk of Rand Paul possibly suspending his campaign. I feel he is the clear winner in tonight’s debate using Constitutional principals as his ammo. This is nothing new from him, but I hope it equates in a rise in the polls or we might be seeing the end of the one true Constitutional candidate in the race. Many have been wondering where he has been at. Tonight may be his coming out party he needed.

Donald Trump did make it official that he will not run as a third party candidate regardless of the outcome of this election and nominee choice. That is good news to the Republican party as Hillary Clinton is waiting in the wings with a strong united base behind her. A third party run by Trump could all but guarantee the White House for Hillary Clinton. The Republicans better get it together and get it together quick as this is going to be a hard run for the Republican nominee. With all the controversy surround Clinton she continues to be the new Teflon Don as far as politicians go.

I fear that it will not be Isis or any terrorist that takes our freedoms and our way of life, but rather those that we elect to protect us from them. Washington is a mob run a muck and we are running out of places to turn to. Globalism is at our doorstep and how we respond will determine the type of life our children and grand children will live. The tyranny we accept today is the tyranny they will live under tomorrow. Speak up, speak loud, and speak often. Make them listen.

Written by: Michael Howell

 

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