Let Us All Move Forward

Well, now it is official. I am on the McCain-Palin bandwagon. I was already leaning that direction and knew that there was no way that I would vote for Obama. My views are no secret, as I am usually vocal about many things. And though I often hesitate to say I strictly belong to any certain political party, my friends and family all know that I always vote Republican on the national level. I am conservative in my social views and my political views, but I do not feel that I have been represented in our government lately. I fit the demographics of an Evangelical, but not the stereotype. I don't understand how abortion is a religious choice and I often separate myself from many mainstream churches and far-right fanatics. I'm not a fan of Rush Limbaugh, even though he is from "my neck of the woods". I like the job that Bill O'Reily does, and I do not view him as a fanatic, but I often find his ego difficult to swallow. The reason for these examples is to give insight into my stances. I'm not a moderate; I feel very strongly about many issues. But I am not just another conservative...

I have voted for George Bush four times. I have been disappointed by W's second term. And though my personal approval rating of him is low, I still have tried to support him, and don't feel he has been as bad as the national polls reflect. He's had an incredibly difficult set of circumstances to deal with and I can appreciate that, but it doesn't give him a free pass, none the less. The President of the United States isn't afforded that luxury...And I still think that he was a better choice than the others for leading our country.

Politically, I admire Reagan, Nixon, and Bush Sr. There are others historically, but these are the main men that have inspired me politically. In the past, I was never a big fan of McCain but always thought of him as a good, honest man.

But that has changed this week.

Maybe I got caught up in the hoopla, like many others.

But today I feel better about the conservative movement/platform/agenda and John McCain is a large reason for that.

I have been very disillusioned and felt that government was forgetting the reason it existed... To serve the people... I didn't feel that there was anyone representing my views or my beliefs or my ideas. There were too many Ted Kennedys and Fred Thompsons in Washington. Too many tired old men who put their jobs before their country. Too many people who have grand words and trivial mindsets.

But the convention this week worked. It re-energized the base; and I guess that I am part of that base now. It helped ease my mind about the candidate that I was leaning toward. I heard words and phrases about country first and serving the people, words about smaller government and more power for the people. Mention of lower taxes and less spending is always present at any convention, but I heard of policies and ideas that support those words. I heard words about more choices for citizens and less choices for government.

I heard a man mildly attack his own political party for being tired old men who have gotten out of touch. A man attack his party for corruption and failure. I heard vows of bi-partisan cooperation. There was mention of moving the country forward, and the country was meant as all of the the people in fifty states, not just the people in D.C. or one certain political party. I heard the arcane notion that people matter and that serving a cause bigger than ourselves is the answer to many of our problems.

I saw a man make an unpopular choice in his running mate. I then saw that running mate capture audiences and begin the restoration of my personal hope in government. I saw that person receive unjust treatment from the religion of the left. And that gave me faith in her strength and her ability to persevere. Important characteristics if one is to be a true reformer.

But the most important thing that I witnessed was a man that truly loves his country challenging all of us to do our part to better this nation. A man who has served the country he loves and encourages the rest of us to do the same, in any manner that we can. A man that encouraged us to fight for our children and fight for each other and fight for something bigger than ourselves.

Again maybe I'm just swept away with the movement, but I have more hope on Friday than I did on Monday. And I want it to be known that my ultimate hope is always in God, but my hope for this country is great. For the first time in a long time, I have hope that someone will challenge all of us to do better. I may be naive, but I believe in the McCain-Palin duo to shake things up. I believe in these people as people, not cogs in a wheel that turns a party.

There were lofty goals set and big words and ideas put into motion. If they don't deliver, disappointment will be great. But let's not focus on any negatives until it is time. Let's bask in the moment; a moment for some of us, at least.

But let's not bask long. Let us do as we were asked and fight, fight, fight. Let's be people of actions, as well as convictions. Let's reach across party lines and work together. Let's find our individual niches and begin to serve something bigger than ourselves.