With Friends like this..... by Dr. T

With friends like Clint Eastwood...well you know the rest. Though he made a few substantive points, they were surely lost through bad delivery. He was rude, crude and disrespectful. This is the kind of thing I expect from the other side...not us. Make no mistake, the Dems and their surrogates in the media will feign outrage and rip Eastwood and, by association, the Republicans to shreds. Sadly at 82 years old the tough guy persona has given way to cursing incohesive banter. That episode out of the way, I can say with pride that the rest of the speakers representing the Republicans did the party proud. Most, like Condoleeza Rice, Marco Rubio and Susanna Martinez shared their personal stories which in every instance brought home the essence of America. Rubio talked of his immigrant parents coming to a land that would enable their son to fulfill his dreams and be whatever he wanted to be. Condoleeza gave us her story and in an uplifting way proved that America was long past the racial divide. She attacked the notion of envy or jealousy of success, clearly a jab at the President’s divisive rhetoric. She outlined the reforms necessary to once again bring America to greatness. In Susanna Martinez of New Mexico we can feel proud that a Hispanic woman rose to the role of governor proving that the “Republican tent” so often maligned has room for everybody. Paul Ryan was clearly the rock star and his long anticipated speech did not disappoint. This is a young man filled with confidence not bravado. He is an economics wonk, he can talk the talk because he is prepared to walk the walk. He is anxious to bring on the debt and Medicare debate because he actually has a plan. Joe Biden is surely hiding under his bed. The anticipation had been building for three nights and when Mitt Romney took the stage to accept the nomination the forum exploded. He delivered a perfectly crafted outline of what a Romney presidency would look like. He gave us a few personal snippets and a biography of Bain Capital, something I thought very instructive but he mostly concentrated on President Obama’s failed policies and how he would correct them. Point by point from failed stimulus to disastrous foreign policy, Romney left no stone unturned in looking at four years of a failed presidency and the reversal of hope that so many Americans feel. Romney laid out a plan for restoring America through energy independence, a strong military, balanced trade agreements and a foreign policy that reassures our allies and puts our enemies on notice. Though a very tall order, Romney has the experience to get the job done...on November 6th we’ll know if he gets the opportunity. For the sake of every American, I hope he does.

Game On by Dr. T

I love "pomp and circumstance;" I love rituals and traditions; and therefore I love "conventions!" On Tuesday night I settled in front of the TV to experience the speeches from some stars of the Republican Party. I was not disappointed. Rick Santorum was bold and credible as he made a compelling comparison between the vision of the GOP and the vision of the Democrats. He sprinkled his speech with personal anecdotes such as the story of Bella, his disabled child, whom doctors advised to "let go", yet today "she thrives." This story brought home the pro life lesson. He specified the GOP belief in individualism, hard work and structured family life as the platform for sucess. In contrast he highlighted the divisive strategy of an administration that seeks to pit one group against another: race against race, legal immigrant against illegal, rich against poor and young against old. Nikki Haley, the first woman governor of South Carolina, had example after example of the Obama administration's law suits against the states. Most notably the law suit against Boeing in her own state. South Carolina is a "right to work" state and Boeing brought thousands of jobs there. In an attempt to placate their union cronies the administration attempted to sue Boeing...the administration lost. Ann Romney gave us a look at the personhood of Mitt Romney as a father, a husband and caring citizen. As she explained it, Mitt quietly helps because he believes "give and it shall be given to you." She reminded us of his successes and let us know that he will approach the business of putting America back on track with the same determination. Her last line being "he will not fail." Chris Christie, bigger than life, gave the keynote address. In typical "Christie" fashion he laid out the case for what it will take to bring America to the next great century. He spoke of his own accomplishments within a very "blue" state which proves that bipartisan agreements are possible. He spoke of taking on the teachers union, something thought to be imposssible. Most importantly, he spoke about the fact that the American people want the truth... for too long we've been deceived. He believes that the American people will embrace programs that will cut spending and reduce the size of government. If it can be done in New Jersey it can be done throughout the country. I pray that he is right. I pray that the Romney / Ryan ticket is successful and that we embark on a new and prosperous path.

Do You Know What a Gaffe is? by Dr. T

I've been following Mitt Romney's overseas trip and the so called "reporting" along with it. I've come to two conclusions: 1) It's the British who are "wimps," 2) truth in journalism is "dead." With regard to item number one, Mitt Romney visited England for the occasion of the opening of the Olympics. Before he even arrived it was reported in their papers that there was a concern around adequate security for the games. Romney, as someone extremely experienced in the running of the Olympics(Salt Lake City, Utah 2002), simply repeated the concern around adequate security. Immediately the Brits took offense and slammed Romney for his remarks. I heard and saw the video of Romney's remarks, there was nothing disparaging in them. Our press who clearly are on Obama's team wasted no time in declaring Romney's remarks a "gaffe". All I can say is, if the British are THAT easily offended, it's no wonder we won the Revolution! As for item number two, again I will reiterate that our press is clearly in the tank for Obama and as such has painted Mitt Ronmey's overseas tour as one giant gaffe. It is anything but...Romney has been a statesman and a gentleman all the way through. He has been clear about his own thoughts on foreign policy without mentioning President Obama or his administration's philosophy. Romney has been straightforward on Israel. There was no ambiguity, he made it clear that the Israelis are our allies and as such he would back them. His remarks sent a message not only to the Jewish people abroad but to those in the United States as well. This is in sharp contrast to President Obama who has been non-committal and rude in his dealings with PM Netanyahu. When visiting Poland, Romney praised the region for its belief in democracy and free market systems. This sends a message to everyone that if he were to become President, he would work on restoring the American philosphy of success through individualism, hard work and capitalism. If this is a "gaffe", I hope he has many many more.