“Reflecting on Yesterday’s Iowa Caucuses”
By Donna Garner
1.4.12
The vetting process of the Republican candidates is taking its normal course. The process is supposed to reveal as much about each candidate as possible because we are going to elect the person who will be the next President of the United States -- the person who will sit in the most powerful office in the world.
Last night’s Iowa caucus results have helped to narrow the field, and that is a good thing because now conservative voters can begin to coalesce behind one solid, conservative candidate – Rick Santorum.
What made Santorum’s rise to fame so amazing is that Mitt Romney beat Santorum by only eight votes even though Romney’s SuperPAC spent $3.4 Million and Santorum’s only spent $537,200 ( http://www.cbsnews.com/8300-503544_162-503544.html?tag=hdr ).
ANALYZING SANTORUM AS A CONSERVATIVE
One of the best ways to analyze Rick Santorum’s voting record is to look at the Interest Group Ratings while he was in Congress. Please go to this link: http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/27054
The first issue listed is Abortion. Please click on the name of the organization to see how other elected officials (listed by state) were rated on the same issue. Then you can compare Santorum’s percentage score with those elected officials who are known to be liberal and those who are known to be conservative.
For instance, Planned Parenthood gave Rick Santorum a 0% rating but gave a 100% rating to such elected officials as Barrack Obama, Joe Biden, Diane Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer, Lynn Woolsey, John Kerry, Barney Frank, Barbara Mukulski, Debbie Stebenow, and Carl Levin.
On Education, Santorum was given a 0% rating by the National Education Association; but the NEA gave a 100% rating to such elected officials as Henry Waxman, Jon Corzine, Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, Barney Frank, Barbara Boxer, Lloyd Doggett, Chris Dodd, Sheila Jackson Lee, Mark Udall, Charlie Rangel, Dennis Kucinich, Alcee Hastings, Sr.
LEGITIMACY OF RESULTS FROM IOWA CAUCUSES
Yes, I am a little bit concerned about the legitimacy of the Iowa caucus voting results because voters could register to vote at the caucuses themselves. All they had to do was to show an Iowa non-driver ID card, out-of-state driver's license or non-driver ID card, U.S. passport, U.S. military ID, ID card issued by employer, student ID issued by Iowa high school or college.
In lieu of a photo I. D., the person could use one of the following documents to show proof of residency: residential lease, utility bill (including a cell phone bill), bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document.
It is possible that the Iowa caucus results were somewhat skewed; but from the first-hand reports made by people who attended the caucuses, the meetings appear to have been conducted fairly; and the people who attended them were spirited and well-informed about the candidates.
FUN TO THINK ABOUT RICK SANTORUM’S CABINET PICKS
Because Rick Santorum is a highly principled person with a well-defined moral compass, conservative voters could count on him to choose the same principled type of people to put around him in his cabinet and in his administration. Just think how exciting it would be to have the following experienced experts to serve under President Santorum:
Michele Bachmann – Vice President or Department of Health and Human Services
Mario Rubio – Vice President, U. S. Trade Representative, or U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Bobby Jindal – Vice President or Department of Health and Human Services
Paul Ryan – Office of Management and Budget or Council of Economic Advisers
Rick Perry – Department of Agriculture
Herman Cain – Department of Labor or Department of the Treasury
John Bolton – Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, or U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations
John Ashcroft – Department of State or Department of Justice
Robert Scott (Texas Commissioner of Education) – Department of Education
Sarah Palin – Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, or Environmental Protection Agency
Mario Rubio – Vice President, U. S. Trade Representative, or U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Bobby Jindal – Vice President or Department of Health and Human Services
Newt Gingrich – White House Chief of Staff
*Not a complete list of appointed offices
TREAT YOURSELF TO MICHELE BACHMANN’S SHORT SPEECH
Please take a few minutes to listen to Michele Bachmann’s powerful and unforgettable concession speech. It is one that our country will not soon forget:
1.4.12 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpOalZh11YQ
Donna Garner
Wgarner1@hot.rr.com