Our journey has just begun.  Today marks the first day of America’s come back.  You made it possible to celebrate our Republicans victories in the House.  We have a long road ahead of us.  The sprint to 2010 is over.  Now the race turns into a 2012 marathon.  We need to move forward, pace ourselves with a clear strategy, a firm commitment, and the will to win.  There will be times when the climb will be steep and our energy spent.  There will be times when we will be ready to keep going with renewed hope.  There will be times when we will be ready to give up.  We must never give up.

The future of our great nation is in peril.  We must remain steady in our determination to preserve and protect our freedoms, our rights, and the legacy of our Founding Fathers. It will not be easy to undo the damage Obama, Reid, and Pelosi inflicted upon our nation.  Domestic policies now in place seek to reshape America in the image of a European social democracy.  Reversing the power grab of the federal government and its intrusiveness upon individual rights will take time.  Conservative Republicans in Congress need to stand firm on principle and need to be accountable to those of us who elected them. 

Our responsibility is to remain vigilant.  We need to remind our elected representatives that caving in to special interests or the White House when it comes to implementing fiscal restraint, is not an option.  On foreign policy, we need to remind our elected representatives that we are a nation at war. America’s national interest does not call for apologies or for the approval of the United Nations. It requires the political will to defeat our enemies. Liberal policies aimed at appeasement and negotiation with terrorists and their enablers put America at risk and degrade the courage and sacrifice of our military.

It is up to every one of us to reverse the Obama, Reid, and Pelosi agenda.  Barack Obama will continue to place blame on Republicans for “driving the car into the ditch.”  The imagery is powerful, but the excuse is lame. He will use his rhetorical skills to cajole and twist facts to accommodate his political ambitions and his vision for America’s future.  He will fight hard to win a second term.  His reelection campaign starts today.  Our task is to make sure that in 2012, Barack Obama has an opportunity to go back to Chicago, where he can enjoy an early retirement.  If we accomplish this task, America will have a chance to recover.  If we do our job, we will give future generations the gift our Founders bestowed on us: A just government capable of maintaining a strong national defense and a healthy free nation.

America’s exceptionality is not just a function of its constitutional form of government but is a result of its people.  Our Constitution sets forth the conservative principles of limited government for a just and free nation. Throughout our history, we have witnessed periods of great public engagement in the affairs of our government as well as periods of great apathy.  The role of government in American life caught the attention of Alexis DeTocqueville, who visited the United States in the 1830s. In his epic work, Democracy in America he noted that Americans take a zealous interest in public affairs, because they understand that their prosperity results from their own efforts. Individual responsibility is at the heart of America’s conservatism. 

Conservatism has been a steady presence in American life. Our Founding Fathers designed a perfect union.  Our Republic is a representative democracy, where the conservative principles of liberty, equality, and individual rights guide our relationships with our representatives within local communities, across state lines, and from sea to shining sea.  The Federalist Papers, the most authoritative commentary on our Constitution authored by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison remind us that those who represent us are clothed with the legitimate authority of the people. From time to time, the American people have taken this authority for granted, but that is not the case in 2010.

Today, Thomas Paine’s words ring true: “These are the times that try men’s souls.”  In times like these, common sense Americans show up at the public square.  In response to out of control federal spending, the Tea Party movement is voicing America’s deep conservative values of limited government, free markets, and fiscal responsibility.  This movement consists mostly of first-time activists who are challenging elected officials in both the Democratic and Republican Parties to reign in spending and get back to the basic values enshrined in our Constitution.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Karl Rove suggests that the Tea Party movement will be more effective if it remains separate from the two major political parties.  He argues that by remaining independent, the Tea Party movement can exert greater influence on both Democrat and Republican candidates.  I agree with Rove.  However, I offer a word of caution. The Tea Party can defeat its own objectives by misinterpreting Rove’s prescription. If remaining independent translates into becoming a third party, the Tea Party is capable of peeling away support from conservative Republicans in this year’s congressional elections. This will mirror the effect of Ross Perot during the 1992 presidential election.  Perot sealed Bill Clinton’s victory. 

A separate but influential Tea Party, unmoved by the lure of grabbing the limelight as a third party can make a valuable contribution to the future of our nation.  While maintaining the stable power balance resulting from our two-party system, the Tea Party can serve as the conscience of the Republican Party. The Tea Party should not merge with the GOP.  The Tea Party can be the little voice that reminds Republicans of the direction in which their own moral compass should point.

Conservative Republicans will listen attentively to the little voice, because their values are the same as those of their common sense Tea Party counterparts. Conservative Republicans and Tea Party activists complement one another. The Tea Party movement working in unison with the Republican Party can help defeat the false promises of liberalism.  This is the right thing to do for America. This is the right thing to do to preserve our perfect union and give the next generation a more secure and prosperous future.     

In a few days, we will be making a most important decision. We will elect to public office those we trust to make choices on our behalf and in the best interest of our state and nation. It is time to turn off the TV and computer, stop listening to pollsters and political pundits. It is time to walk away from all the political chatter. It is time to sit back and reflect on our responsibility as Election Day approaches.

Last evening, I got back to basics and looked up the president’s job description in our Constitution. Simply stated under Article II, section 2, his first responsibility is that of Commander in Chief. The Founders believed this was to be his most important responsibility. The Founders then went on to delineate the president’s power to make treaties and appoint judges to the Supreme Court and make other public appointments with the advice and consent of the Senate. 

Reading the president’s job description helped me clarify a number of important issues. This election boils down to two interrelated issues, national security and the economy, but my final decision has little to do with either one. Our next president will have to live by Harry Truman’s famous words: “The buck stops here.” He will not share the office with anyone else. He will not have time for on-the-job training. He will not be able to make decisions while holding a rally with thousands of adoring fans. He will not be able to come to your neighborhood for a town hall meeting and ask for your advice when a crisis lands on his desk. He will have many advisors whispering in his ear, but he alone will have to make decisions. His character, judgment, and experience will determine how well he gets the job done.

In their infinite wisdom, our Founders assigned our Commander in Chief the job of preserving, protecting, and defending America against its enemies as a primary duty. Nowhere in our Constitution did I find a single mention of presidential powers to “spread the wealth around.” Without a strong national security, our economic problems will pale in comparison to the hardships we will endure.   The reason I bring this up has to do with Joe Biden’s latest “rhetorical flourish.” You see, Senator Obama’s running mate reminded us that the junior Senator from Illinois is a novice in foreign affairs, who will be vulnerable as president and who will be tested during a “world crisis” within his first six months in office. This is very unsettling.

I made my decision. We need a president who will inspire us through his courage and commitment to achieve greatness at home and abroad, a Commander in Chief who will defend America and lead her to a more secure and prosperous future. We need someone who believes that America’s best days are still ahead. I am voting for John McCain.