I've tried to provide as faithfully as possible the highlights of presidential candidate speeches during the course of the Washington Briefing, and hopefully the videos have turned out and are helpful. But one additional word of advice:
Remember that these speeches are what the candidate wants you to hear. They may or may not have said what you want to hear. Going to a candidate's website, reading their literature, listening to these speeches are good, and each of us should do so.
But this is no replacement for digging into the candidate's record. If they are already an elected official, look up their voting record. All are public figures, so Google them and find out what has been reported about them...and weigh what you find from different sources. It boils down to this: they may talk the talk, but do they walk the walk?
For instance, for instance, there are questions about Mitt Romney's "conversion" to a pro-life position.
Also, Huckabee sounded like a true-blue border controller in his speech this weekend, but that does not match what he has said in the past about immigration control. I found that very, very disappointing; at least Giuliani was pretty up front about areas of disagreement.
It's our duty as voting citizens to be informed, find out if they walk the walk, and vote accordingly. A vote, like a gun, is a powerful thing. Make sure you know how to use it wisely and safely before you pull the trigger.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
WB: Candidates Overview
WB: Afternoon Update
The results of the straw poll will be released soon, but I have something I must go do, so as much as I know you'll hate going elsewhere, you'll have to check somewhere else for those results.
Should be back in a couple of hours for the concluding segment(s) tonight before the ball honoring Dr. James Dobson.
WB: Laura Ingraham
Radio host Laura Ingraham stirred up the crowd with plenty of conservative jokes, cooked up with plenty of red meat for the values voters.
She asked if it was cold in the room, or if Hillary just flew in.
She said she didn't think there was going to be a Reagan-esque candidate riding in on a white steed to save the election.
She said we need to be candid with one another: we need to go home, talk to people and don't fall into the trap of burying your heads in the sand and retreat from politics. "That is what the elites in both parties want," Ingraham said.
She said Christian conservatives will never have more political experience in this election season that they do right now. Jan. 3 is the Iowa caucuses, so this is the moment to stand up for what you believe in. "Right now, you have influence. Once the elites have made their calls and good citizens have decided to do nothing, don't expect to get your phone calls returned."
She said if someone can unite fiscal conservatives, hawks, and social conservatives, along with a few working class Democrats who don't like where their party has taken them, then they will win. Ingraham said if it's just warmed-over Democrats, a lot of people are thinking, "I'm out of this game."
Ingraham said the downward trend for the GOP began in 2005 when President Bush nominated Harriet Meiers for the Supreme Court. She said nothing against Meiers, but the Supreme Court isn't the place for on-the-job training. She said conservatives stood up to this bad move and won.
She asked if the elites understand where the Republican Party was the last time they ran a nominee that wasn't pro-life: out of power.
Ingraham said your values will only be represented by someone who identifies with them. She said you never go wrong by doing the right thing.
She said a lot of people want you (values voters) to go away, but you're smarter than that. The elites have been wrong time after time after time in their compromises. "Do what you know is right; you will once again prove you have more wisdom than they will ever hope to have from their ivory towers."
Ingraham spoke as strongly as anyone at the conference, perhaps the strongest, against putting your principles in the back seat and doing what people want you to do.
WB: Judge Robert Bork
Judge Bork said one of the supreme issues before us is who is chosen to judge in the courts, because we have come to the point where our judiciary greatly influences our culture. He asked what would happen if our next judges are chosen by Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid.
Bork said a judge is an activist when he announces a decision that has no plausible connection to the Constitution. He said the quintessential activist decision was the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision. He said seven justices wanted a right to abortion, and that was that.
Bork condemned recent rulings by the Supreme Court which have extended American rights and Geneva Convention rights that should be reserved for uniformed combatants to undeclared combatant terrorists.
Bork said he sympathized with values voters who wanted to withhold their support from a nominee who doesn't share their most deeply held values. However, he said the objective should be "the repeal of Roe." He said it's good to stand on principle, but you have to remember the overall objective and sometimes you have to use tactical discretion.
