Jasper Journal

I was scrolling through the Sunday shows yesterday and stopped to watch Rick Santorum  get in a needlessly petty and shrill argument with David Gregory.  I personally find Gregory pompous, arrogant and very one sided, but Santorum has to do better on these shows.  He must know what they will be like and he rises to the bait every time. He comes off as defensive, his voice rises and he loses people in his minutia.  I was also shocked to hear him repudiate Kennedy’s  famous separation of church and state speech.  I know there are a lot of Santorum fans out there, but I really think he is starting to isolate himself with his rigidly dogmatic views. He has certainly not won me over.

The Sunday panel came on and   I was absolutely stunned to hear Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post  disparagingly refer to Mitt Romney as “like a Dork.” Wow, I guess the liberal intelligentsia has used up every other insulting word, that they have to resort to cheap vulgarities.  Of course, no one asked her to be civil, apologize or use a modicum of decorum referring to a former Governor and potential president of the United States.

I never cease to be amazed at what they think they can get away with. This from the party that has foisted upon us  Joe Biden, Harry Reed, Barney Frank, Chuck Schumer, and of course the all knowing and all perfect Barack Obama. Compared to this lot, Mitt Romney is superman. The time of reckoning is coming.  Obama is about to get hoisted on his own petard. The  alternative energy president will be crucified on high gas prices.

That brings me to the song of the day. I guess all the religion and politics discussion  is on my mind, and I kept thinking of a Johnny Cash song “When the Man Comes around.” Definitely Apocalyptic, Book Of Revelations kind of song, but great work by a music legend. It’s  got a powerful beat an unforgettable tune, and a chilling message.  What do you think?

It is 11:15 and i just received the second shock of the night. The first occurred at my local Republican caucus in Colorado Springs.  I live in El Paso County, one of the most conservative in the state. When it came time to speak for candidates, I got up and spoke for Mitt Romney. Then someone spoke for Rick Santorum. Then another spoke for Santorum; then another, and so on.  The number of vocal Santorum supporters outnumbered the Romney people by at least two to one. And they were very very passionate.

My hope was that the silent majority would be for Romney. When they announced the final  totals, it was Santorum 53; Romney 34; Gingrich 8; and Paul 7. I was stunned. My hope then  was that our precinct was an anomaly.  Unfortunately , the second shock just came when it was announced that Colorado went for Santorum by 40% to 35%. I am still trying to absorb what this means as I am sure many people are. Clearly this, plus Santorum wins in Minnesota and Missouri throws this primary race into a new dimension. Who would have thought it?

So Colorado spoke, and it sent a message that no one expected. Is Santorum really more electable? Is he more likable? Did evangelicals turn the tide for Santorum?  What does he bring that Romney doesn’t?  Lots of questions here, but not a lot of answers. Thoughts?

I am back from Las Vegas and still have the shirt I left with. Great city and although our president discourages Americans from going there, I  do! I also want to thank Paul for his always sterling performance as editor when I am away.  In that regard, I would like to follow up on a topic he raised in his last article, and one that generated a fair amount of discussion. “What kind of president do you want?”

Should the person be better than you ? More experienced? Have accomplished more? Be more worldly and better travelled?  Have a wider variety of interests and friendships? Be kinder and gentler? Be more moral? These are great questions and really hit home. Tuesday we  will have the Colorado Caucus,  and I intend to go and speak for Mitt Romney.

I think he has accomplished more than me; Is better attuned to the financial world than I will ever be;  Is a good family man with a strong moral streak; and is more experienced in the world  as a whole than me.  I think he is a fine choice for president.  He is not better than me as a person, but as a presidential candidate he is infinitely better than me, and I think that is what Paul was referring to.

Now lets look for a moment at the current president. I think I can speak for many of you by saying that he is not better qualified than us. We have more experience in geopolitics than him.  We  have more business experience than him.  We have a wider and  more diverse group of friends than him. We understand the military and diplomacy better.  We have traveled  more and lived in more foreign countries. We have never used drugs or associated with racists and radicals. We worked our way up and were not given special treatment.  Our flaws are there for all to see and not covered up by a sycophantic media.  I consider all of us to be better than him as  president.

I understand the sentiment about wanting someone better and more accomplished than us to be president or why not just run yourself? As such,  I am very disappointed with Mr Gingrich and Mr Santorum. They both have flaws that in my mind make them unsuitable to support, especially Newt.

It’s great to be back and I  look forward to lots of healthy back and forth on these issues as we move toward what I hope is a new day for America.