Love of the American Dream

This has been a very busy week. Not only are we scrambling around to preserve our standard of living under assault from the Obama administration (yes, we did build it), but along with the excitement of the start of NCAA College Football, the wrap up of the NFL preseason and dodging the latest hurricane, we have the Republican National Convention.

The Grand Old Party event has been interesting for sure. While there have been your usual snoozers, with John McCain and Mitch McConnell peeling paint, there have been some inspirational speeches praising the American dream; the privilege to participate in the great American experiment and chase your dreams.

We got some of what we expected, inclusive of learning (who did not know) that Ann and Mitt Romney are not oblivious to the struggles many Americans face each and every day. Chris Chirstie went large and hammered Obama on the issue of leadership and the failures of big government progressivism.

Comments by Artur Davis, Rand Paul, Condoleezza Rice, Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and Ohio Gov. John Kasich highlighted that we can adhere to principles and change our path to prosperity. Paul Ryan hit for the cycle in a tremendous speech.

One thing is clear; the GOP bench is very deep.

Perhaps the speech that resonated with me the most came from Mia Love, Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, a candidate for Congress. She gets it totally, and does not buy the new normal narrative consisting of the central planning of our lives through regulation and entitlements.

Her story is one everyone should hear about, and in eloquent fashion, she gave it to you at the RNC in Tampa town; a mighty fine place to be by the way. If you missed her; please take a listen.



Mia Love is someone who subscribes to the principles of our founding fathers and shares my vision of America and I would thrilled to cast a vote for her. She surely has quite a future. Come on Utah, join Conservatives across America and show your Love4Utah!

The Howling Winds

There are GOP front runners, and then there is Mitt Romney. GOP challengers to Romney have risen and fallen, but Romney, who looks the presidential part, has remained steady as she goes hanging around 25%.

At the end of the day, it appears none of the GOP challengers can overtake Romney. Mitt has a long list of endorsers, including Bob Dole, Dan Quayle, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and most notably, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Newt Gingrich has a few endorsements of his own, including former OU quarterback and Oklahoma Congressman J. C. Watts and Thomas Sowell, of the Hoover Institution, who I admire greatly.

While all these endorsements are wonderful, Romney does not represent the Conservative most Republicans are clamoring for. Romneycare is an albatross, and his belief of man to be participatory in the greatest hoax of all time known as global warming signals big government inclinations all over the place.

Kathleen Parker, a fellow graduate of Florida State University who I rarely agree with, wrote recently in her Washington Post Column that if the GOP does not support Mitt Romney, it is a death wish.

There is a lot to like about Romney, and he likely is the best chance among those currently running to defeat Obama, or so the pundits say. But looking the best among this group is not a life changing experience, and many in the GOP have doubts and are looking over their backs, which is why the winds are howling.

On the heels of a wonderful column by Jeb Bush in the Wall Street Journal today, our friend and WSJ Editorial Board member Steve Moore is out championing a potential entrance of Jeb into the race. While I do not view Jeb as a conservative, he was a very good Governor for eight years here in Florida, and as my friend Van Bo points out, the I-4 corridor will once again be pivotal in deciding Florida, and thus, the nation. With musings about Condi Rice as a VP candidate, a Bush-Rice ticket could do quite well.

Sarah Palin said last night it is not too late to jump in, leaving many to question whether she is reconsidering her status. I am all for it, but not sure she can get enough in the middle to defeat Obama due to the merciless beating she has taken from the biased media. Then again, few thought Reagan could defeat Carter in 1979 at this point in the process.

Is there another candidate rethinking the issue? Paul Ryan? Donald Trump? Mike Huckabee? Who knows.

Should upstart Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who is quite sound on economic issues but as naive as they come on foreign policy, win Iowa, those winds could turn into a hurricane.

There is a long way to go, and not one vote has been cast. Untold events could be on the horizon.

Not withstanding today's strong rally on Wall Street, the Euro crisis is not fixed and could negatively pressure the markets in a lengthy ten minutes. In fact, with the S&P 500 recently breaking its 50 day moving average to the downside, some technical analysts fear the trend is negative. Bank of America's Mary Ann Bartels sees a potential level as low as 935 on the S&P, some 30% below current levels. Throw in a Euro collapse, and free fall comes to mind.

Turmoil in the middle east is another major issue, as is the uncertainty surround the North Korea government in the aftermath of Kim Jug Ill's death.

Certainly, the situation is fluid, and regardless of what the pundits say, Iowa is still wide open. One can only hope a Conservative with firm footing in the first principles finishes strong. If not, those winds will really start howling.