What Do We Do Now?

Of all the comments I have received post election, not one has been on the order of “too bad for Mitt.” It is painfully clear that Mr. Romney, like John McCain and Bob Dole before him, did not connect with most Americans. Democrats on the other hand seem capable of fielding candidates like Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and JFK, each with the compelling ability to energize Americans. Forget the issues. Vital national issues are overrated as a reason for winning or losing elections. I hate to say it, but Americans are largely clueless on the issues that really count and react with kneejerk regularity on an array of peripheral issues, mostly of the social order.

For the most part, Americans know little of the Constitution or Jefferson’s meaning of a Federal Republic form of government. I carry a copy of the Constitution with me. The Cato Institute’s Declaration of Independence/Constitution mini booklet is by far your best bet due to the inclusion of special Cato insights on both documents. Visit Cato’s web site by clicking here. Become a Cato supporter and request your copy of Cato’s great little book.

The recent election confirms that we now effectively live in two countries. My clients, America’s small business owners, want no part of Barack Obama and know him as the Marxist-oriented, big government ideologue he is. How did such a widely disliked president with one of the worst presidential records in history grab a second term? Evangelicals never bought into the Mormon thing. The Romney camp dissed the highly popular Ron Paul, and out the door went much of Paul’s support. Anti-neocons like me were fully up to speed on Romney’s foreign policy team and recoiled in fright. As a group, the three can pack a powerful turnout punch—assuming agreement in principle with a candidate. Well there was no agreement, and the vote loss for Mr. Romney was significant.

So what do small government anti-Marxists do now? Energize to strengthen states’ rights positions that are supported by the strong majority of Republican governors. The Tea Party needs to rally forth and reenergize. The battle is far from lost. Midterm elections are less than two years away, and the party holding the White House generally fares poorly in the midterms. Republicans in the House need new leadership. Mr. Boehner is the wrong guy going forward or, for that matter, backward. Americans favoring small government must energetically seek out hard-hitting, young, take-no-prisoners candidates to run for the House and open Senate seats. Not to wear you out, but please become a Cato Institute supporter. You will in turn be supported with all the research and talking points you will need to form powerful local influence groups to contact reps and senators and recruit like-minded small government sympathizers. I am no fan of Republican/Democrat designations. Both parties stand for big government, military adventurism. One party transfers your money to the takers from the givers. The other simply highjacks your money. Ex Ronald Reagan, there have been, for decades, little practical differences between the two parties.

Given my sour view on the two party system, how should you vote? Knowing the shortcomings, you vote Republican. If you do not, you run the risk of electing another president to my all-time, post 1900, most destructive presidents list. My Presidential Rouges Gallery includes Wilson, FDR, Truman, Johnson, Carter and Obama. Why no inclusion of Bill Clinton? Mr. Clinton, despite his disgrace on the personal decorum front, had a few redeeming qualities and was not as destructive as the others. Note that not one Republican is on my most destructive presidents list. The way ahead can be bright given the dismal fellow now residing in the White House and the perilous state of the U.S. economy and financial system. You can make a big difference moving forward by following my program above. We need to work together!