Posted by As promised, I will now reveal the names I entered for President and Vice President on my ballot this year. The GOP should consider this ticket for 2024. It is imperative that The United States regain some of the idealism that inspired our Founding Fathers to establish this democratic republic.
President
The person selected for the Executive Office must have a strong background in international affairs. As noted in my previous post, Why I Cannot Vote for Donald Trump, a primary presidential duty is ambassador. The president needs all of the qualities of a foreign diplomat.
In addition, as the commander in chief, that international background will provide the vision necessary to survey the political, economic, and military battlefields of the perpetual global conflict which plagues the world.
As a result, I have chosen a former Secretary of State for President.
Condoleezza Rice is currently Director of the Hoover Institute and this nation’s best choice for President of the United States. Her expertise and background, and her personal character are firmly established nationally and internationally.
I encourage the reader to get to know Condoleezza Rice by reading Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom and Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family. Democracy will make it clear that Miss Rice is prepared to re-establish the Founding Fathers vision of this nation as a democratic republic. Extraordinary, Ordinary People will remind everyone about the power of family love to inspire and motivate people to embrace ideals.
If you want a quick introduction to this leader, watch Condoleezza Rice: Why Democracy Matters.
Vice President
International and domestic affairs will challenge the Vice President. It is imperative that the Vice President have the insight and energy to support the President’s foreign policy initiatives with the Legislature.
The Vice President should also be able to take the lead on domestic policies. The administration’s approach to fulfilling the promises of the Constitution, to form a more perfect union, establish Justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, requires a Vice President with legislative experience.
Senator Ben Sasse can do this. He is my choice for Vice President.
Senator Sasse currently serves on the Joint Economic Committee, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on Intelligence (Select). In addition, he was the president of Midland University from 2010 to 2014.
I encourage the reader to learn more about Ben Sasse by reading The Vanishing American Adult. The subtitle of the book, Our Coming-of Age Crisis – and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self- Reliance, says it all.
Of course, if you want a quick introduction to this leader, watch the senator’s civic lesson to the Judiciary Committee during the confirmation hearings of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Sasse Gives Civics 101 Lesson. For a brief overview of his book, view his interview with Peter Robinson at the Hoover Institute, The Vanishing American Adult [If you don’t have time to view everything right now, take 38 minutes to watch this. I guarantee you will be impressed and uplifted.]
A Final Thought
The ideal of a democratic republic is often referred to as The American experiment. This experiment will succeed or fail based on the activity or inactivity of this nation’s citizens. If voters simply check a box and submit their ballot, they are inactive. A voter’s responsibility begins after they submit their ballot (i.e. at the poll, in the mail, …). To be classified as active, a citizen should track the officials who received their vote. For instance, if your Congressman is not supporting the initiatives he or she promised to support, contact him or her.
The philosophy of voting for the lesser of the evils assumed that one candidate represented a venial sin and the other was a mortal sin. Regardless of what some might say, both candidates are lethal to this republic. The Catholic Church, the Church I’ve embraced from my youth, has tried to convince voters to vote for a vision as presented in the platforms, not for the candidates. I disagree.
If the vision is based on legislation to mandate moral behavior, it is doomed to fail. More laws will not solve what ails America. True metanoia is necessary to transform this society. Laws are meaningful only when people respect the law. Trying to eliminate immoral behavior (e.g. abortion) with legal mandates will simply push the activity underground again. It is not the laws which will eliminate evil behavior, it is a return to God. As the apostle Paul noted, the law of love is the only answer. This is not an ideal; it is Truth. The Pharisees never understood the Truth.
If there are immoral laws on the books, they are not binding. We are required to disobey the written law if it contradicts the divine law. Federal funding lost due to this civil disobedience is a small price to be paid to Caesar for the salvation of souls. Being a light on a hill may require moving from one hill to another. It’s a tactic that worked 2000 years ago.
All I have left to say is : “Good night and good luck.” (Edward R. Murrow)
Joe Allen 