A Time for Choosing . . . Republican State Convention

I have heard it said that a person cannot know himself until he knows where he has been. The same is true for our Party here in Virginia and the Nation. Take a quick look at what Reagan said:

You and I are told increasingly that we have to choose between a left or right, but I would like to suggest that there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down–up to a man’s age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order–or down to the ant heap totalitarianism, and regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course. . . .

No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this Earth. Federal employees number 2.5 million, and federal, state, and local, one out of six of the nation’s work force is employed by the government. These proliferating bureaus with their thousands of regulations have cost us many of our constitutional safeguards. How many of us realize that today federal agents can invade a man’s property without a warrant? They can impose a fine without a formal hearing, let alone a trial by jury, and they can seize and sell his property in auction to enforce the payment of that fine. . . .

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on Earth, or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.

You can read the entirety of this remarkable speech here. It is good to remember this message and where it came from. It didn’t start and end with Reagan. It has been around for as long as man’s age old history can be recalled. At the Republican State Convention here in Virginia, it is a time for choosing a resurgence of Conservatism. It is a time for choosing principles over pragmatism. The Party is, in this contested election year, weaker than ever before. In 2004, there was a far higher turnout in the Congressional District Conventions. In November, make no mistake about it. We are going to get shellacked as I have argued in my first post to this blog. So why not choose candidates who argue with a message rather than candidates who want us to tread the same worn path as the last 8 years? It is the path to destruction and there is nothing left for us.

I choose Del. Bob Marshall. He may not beat Warner but out of the two Republican senate candidates, he has the best chance because he has a message. And, his message isn’t about the left or the right. It’s about right and wrong. This is the difference between Marshall and Gilmore. It is the reason Marshall can beat Warner in a debate. If you’re a delegate this Saturday in Richmond, then your time for choosing is now.