In the Aftermath

The elephant fell
And with it a great hero.
Arise anew, friend.

Congratulations, Sen. Obama

This election did not turn out how I hoped, but the time has come to congratulate President-elect Barack Obama on his victory tonight. I also congratulate his supporters, of which I call many friends. We have called the election at OFB.

We may not agree on every issue, but I believe we agree that we want a better future for the country. Let's hope everyone can work together for that. Let us have a spirited debate on the issues that challenge us, but let us do so respectfully and remembering that we are all Americans.

I thank Sen. John McCain for running a honorable, challenging campaign and for representing me and many of my fellow Americans over the past months admirably. I look forward to seeing him continue to do the business of the country in the coming years in the Senate. I appreciate his classy speech tonight (Read It Here) congratulating Sen. Obama — it once more showed why I am proud to have cast my vote for him, despite the outcome.

May God bless the next president of the United States, my president, and the people he will govern in the years to come.

Don't Give Up Yet

It looks tough, but if you still have time to vote, don't give up on John McCain yet. Go Vote!

It isn't too late to VOTE

As I put on my Facebook status (borrowing and adapting from John McCain):

Stand up! Stand up and vote! Nothing is inevitable here. We never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. Vote!” (Oh, and Run Johnny Run!)about an hour ago clear

Don't give up hope. Be strong. Have courage. And fight.

Fight for a new direction for our country. Fight for what's right for America. Fight to clean up the mess of corruption, infighting and selfishness in Washington.

Fight to get our economy out of the ditch and back in the lead.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.

Fight for our children's future.

Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. America is worth fighting for. Nothing is inevitable here. We never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

Now, let's go win this election and get this country moving again.

And before you go to quick, no, I did not vote straight ticket.

For President and Vice President: John McCain and Sarah Palin (R )

For Governor: Kenny Hulshof (R )
For Lt. Governor: Peter Kinder (R )
For U.S. Congress: Todd Akin (R )
For Secretary of State: Mitch Hubbard (R )
For Attorney General: Mike Gibbons (R )

For State Senate: Tom Dempsey (R )
For State Representative: Mark Parkinson (R )
For Circuit Judge: Ted House (D )

Amendment 1, English as the Language of Business: YES
Amendment 4, Adjustments to storm-water control bond: NO
Proposition A, Removal of Casino Loss Limit: NO
Proposition B, Medicaid Provided Home Healthcare: NO
St. Charles Prop. B, Francis Howell $78.5 Bond Issue: NO
Proposition C, Mandatory Renewable Energy Use for Electric Companies: NO

Why I Will Vote for John McCain

Can you believe it has been two years? For two years we have listened to candidates build platforms, argue their cases and tear down their opponents. Now we look at the final two candidates and the question that should be on everyone’s mind is this: who offers the best solutions for this country? My answer is John McCain.

Note: Also check out OFB's editorial endorsement on John McCain, here.

Obama Gets Carved onto Mt. Rushmore

The man who should have been the next president of the United States, Gov. Mike Huckabee, aired this amusing video during his program on Fox News tonight as part of his opening (humorous) monologue:

Enjoy!

Sen. McCain at New Town

Well, here's the story. I first heard Sen. McCain was coming to town last Friday. When I discovered he was coming on Monday morning at a rally starting at 9:00 a.m., however, I was disappointed. I have a class at 11:30; I never skip class, but even had I wanted to, I couldn't, since there was a quiz.

That aside, I wondered if maybe just maybe there would be enough time to squeeze in the rally. I've been to rallies in 2000 and 2004, and I really hated to miss the opportunity to cheer on “my candidate” this year. There is something about the atmosphere of a rally which is worth experiencing, and just seeing the living, breathing candidate (and his entourage) is an amazing experience. It makes the race seem all the more personal.

Doors opened at 7:00 a.m., at which point the New Town amphitheater was rather empty, but by 9:00 a.m. it was relatively crowded for an early morning, weekday rally. Rep. Kenny Hulshof (running for governor) started the series of speeches at 8:45 a.m. or so. Amidst live country music from a local band, Mike Gibbons (running for attorney general of Missouri) and my district's U.S. congressman, Todd Akin (a Covenant Seminary alumnus), spoke as well. Finally right before 10:00 a.m., retired Sen. Jack Danforth (R-MO), now heading up McCain's effort to stop voter fraud, and Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) spoke.

Then, nearly perfectly on queue, the motorcade pulled up — you could see it, since this was an outdoor event — and out came Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John McCain (R-AZ). It struck me as interesting that I was seeing two members of the Gang of 14 at once.

After Graham's introduction, McCain started speaking and a few things were striking. He seemed much younger, more passionate, more, well, John McCain-y, then he has seemed in a long time. Sen. McCain's voice boomed as he gestured wildly, defending Joe the Plumber, explained his plans, countered Sen. Obama's “spread the wealth” remarks, and worked his way to the crescendo of “Fight with me […] Stand Up! Stand up and Fight! Fight with me […] Now let's go win this election.”

It ended roughly like his nomination speech, but in person it was even more powerful. It works not just because the words are eloquent, but because the idea of Sen. McCain arguing for Americans to stand up and join him in a fight, fits his personality and his story. “We never hide from history. We make history.” McCain is a fighter, and a genuine American hero, for his service. That makes his call for so effective. While politically I have often had differences with him, I have been and remain confident he is the best man for the job. I supported him in the 2000 primary, and though I did not vote for him this primary season, I'm glad to have him as the nominee. It was an honor to see him in person.

Be sure to check out the photos I posted yesterday. I missed a few of my favorites, which I will post in the near future.

O'Reilly and McCain

I've had an amazingly fun last two days. In short, with more detail later:

• Yesterday, I discovered a signed copy of Bill O'Reilly's new book, A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, was at my door in a DHL envelope. It seems I won Parade Magazine's Bold Fresh Contest that I entered a few weeks ago. What a wonderful surprise!
• I saw Sen. John McCain today at New Town. I've posted some photos. The story will come tomorrow, hopefully. This makes for 3 presidential rallies I've attended, one in each of the last three presidential election cycles. Everyone should attend one.

Moving Forward...

One has to wonder, why doesn't this bit of McCain's nomination speech get plastered everywhere by the McCain campaign? If McCain is going to win this race, this inspiring call is the sort of thing that will do it. Hope, change, all that stuff — it goes right along with this video. Does McCain need a new campaign manager, perhaps? I could free up some time on my schedule…

The Coca-Cola Classic Presidential Hopeful

I'm going to fight for my cause every day as your president. I'm going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I'm an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.

Fight for what's right for our country.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.

Fight for our children's future.

Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.

Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

Thank you, and God bless you.

John McCain is not a guy known for his stunning speeches, but somehow he managed to do a pretty amazing follow up to Sarah Palin's excellent example of oratory. His acceptance speech, I think, will be remembered as one of the most sincere and well crafted in recent decades. Key to the speech was that it moved up to its climax slowly and patiently, reaching its pinnacle in his war story, which came later rather than (as I had expected) earlier. The fact that he used his POW story as an explanation for how he went from a egotistical fly boy to a “Country First” presidential candidate was powerful and gave a strong push down the slope of conclusion to his speech, so that he was able to end with the masterful crescendo above, which he shouted out over thunderous applause.

For a man whose preferred venue is the town hall, this was nearly magical.

The speech came across as humble, confident and connected. His critiquing of his own party — which delegates did not seem to know what to do with — was fitting and, I believe, will ultimately be effective. He presented a case for a return to more sensibly conservative Republicanism, and I think that is a brand far more attractive than the “compassionate conservatism” that the party had rebranded to in recent years. McCain was like the CEO of the Coca-Cola Co. announcing the return of Coca-Cola Classic after months of New Coke.

I'm excited. Let's win this election, shall we?