Okay, here we are a day before the SC Primary. The last debate, number 8 I think, was last night. I haven't watched it yet except for a few of the news clips that have been airing on the news channels.The first question pertaining to Newt’s sec
ond wife and the response to it from ‘Ging’ have been circulating.
Well, this West Coast Catholic has been nursing a very bad upper respiratory infection all week and still going to work. I feel lucky to have work so I’m trying to push myself a little. Today’s a day off for me and so I’m sitting here thinking on the elections.
You know, questions that you yourselves, fellow Catholics and non-Catholics alike have probably been stirring in your own minds.
In my case, “What’s a Catholic to do with this field of Republican Candidates?” I say Republicans only because, right up front and its obvious in my posts, that I’m not an Obama second term guy.
So the first questions I asked myself are “from the field how do I vote, right now? Who am I for and against?”
Well, maybe a better question is “who am I for the most and least, knowing I’m not voting for the incumbent”.
This is where I stand and a few reasons why, right or wrong and they all can be debated. I reserve the right to even change my mind. This is just how I see thing right now, today, the Friday before the NC primary.
I welcome your thought…
Okay, so who do we have left in the field? Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.
Ron Paul, let’s start here:
Over the past few weeks It’s been quite a shocker for me to see how much support Ron actually has. In my mind I can be supportive of Ron on his pro-life issue but then I try to understand his stance on foreign policy and frankly that just makes me cringe. Too much of an isolationist for me.
Look, this world is a wonderful gift from God, but let’s face it, it’s a very dangerous place with lots of not so good events happening. Poverty, war, crime. One can approach it from a stand point of, “well lets just take care of our own, leave everyone else to themselves and we’ll all be happy”.
This is not how it works and it’s definitely not a part of Catholic teaching. If that were the case Catholicism wouldn’t have spread. Civilization wouldn’t have spread. Closed societies have been tried before. China comes to mind, the old Soviet Union remember and the ’Iron Curtain’.
So we’re a Super-Power and with that, whether one likes it or not, we have certain responsibilities. Now this is where it gets sticky. How much responsibility and when do we draw the line and just bud out of foreign affairs? We can debate this endlessly but for now my point is I figure Ron Paul as out of the mainstream and at one end of the spectrum. He wants to ‘bud out’ too much.
I understand he has the College vote and I can understand that. The youth are our future and thats for sure, but the mentality of ‘hey you do your thing and I’ll do mine, it’s all good’ is a bit naïve. Not all youth have this mentality but I know how Ron’s non confrontational message can be attractive to the youth. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way in life.
For me Ron Paul will not be chosen to represent the Republican Party. I believe his votes are drawing away from supporting other candidates in the running who I believe have a legitimate chance at winning and a complete set of values that I want our next president to have. Still it’s an individual’s right to put an X by the person they support.
Mitt Romney:
Mitt ‘inevitable me’ Romney. It’s not that I don’t think Mitt is a bad guy, cause he isn’t. It’s true that I just don’t seem to identify with his wealth but he’s earned it. Again we can debate on how he earned it, however I believe the Obama campaign will go down that path the minute he would become the winning Repub in the race.
I’m more concerned with his record while in Massachusetts, and specifically his role in the demise of the Catholic adoption agency there as well as the Catholic Hospitals because of polices he supported. While I do think I would support him if he was chosen the primary winner he is not my first choice.
Newt:
Newt Gingrich, what can I say. He has so much baggage…as the news outlet pundits say, that collected they’d fill the warehouse seen in one of Indiana Jones movies. Yes, he has baggage, he’s been in the DC business quite a long time so he has a lot to put under the microscope, which is the exact opposite of the White House occupant of today had when he took office…..NO EXPERIENCE.
But I do put him above Romney. If I believe in repentance, I can’t take Newts conversion lightly. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. I do appreciate his communication skills and I believe he is more conservative in his views than Romney. I do believe there has to be a bigger contrast between the incumbent and the challenger.
I’ve said this before, but people keep telling me that the ‘Independents’ will decide the next president and to tell you the truth, that scares the beegeebees out of me. For one thing this same kind of thinking gave us McCain as the Challenger and put Obama into office. And now its Romney AND Paul that the Independents are placing high on the primary winning list. Not sure what that’s about.
I’m tired of the past married stories. Yes, Marianne has a right to be bitter. Divorce in our society, what 70% of all new marriages end up this way I’ve read somewhere, is not leading our nation to a better future. I did a quick Google search on Marianne Gingrich and the first three pages of hits all referenced the claim of ‘Open Marriage’. Now this was Newts second marriage so what happened to the first marriage. Marianne was the other woman in that instance, so for me her creditability isn’t all that great. Absolutely Newt’s creditability also is in the dirt. But again the ‘repentance’ word comes to mind. If he says he is a changed person and the church acknowledges this than I too acknowledge it.
I believe Newt can bring it to Obama, I do believe he would lead the nation well with his experience.
Rick Santorum last but not least:
Santorum is my first pick. He has all the values of my faith that I want to see in a president. He has the DC experience needed to fill the executive office. He may not be as flamboyant as Newt or as rich as Romney.
There are plenty of articles out there to support my thoughts. This post is just me thinking out loud or through my fingers on the keyboard.
So this is how they stack up, at least for me.
1) Rick Santorum
2) Newt Gingrich
3) Mitt Romney
Nope not Ron Paul….
Let’s continue to pray about this election and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
WWC
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