GOP Unite

A Reality Check 
By Lauren Green

Well, here we are again. Party nominations are practically set, and the respective candidates are prepared for their standoff.

Is it just me or does this all seem a bit droll? I am only twenty-two, so maybe I am too young to be tired of politicians, but I still remember sitting on the living room floor as the voting results came in when Clinton beat out Dole in 1996. That night taught me a crucial lesson in politics: sometimes the “bad guy” wins.

Fast forward almost sixteen years, and here we are again. President Obama is up for reelection, and Mitt Romney will most likely be the Republican candidate. Most political pundits predicted this outcome months ago, but Rick Santorum put in a surprisingly strong run. Though his attempts were valiant, Santorum withdrew from the race this past Tuesday.

Mitt Romney does not really thrill me. Actually, he kind of makes me want to shrug my shoulders and stick my head in the sand until someone with more charisma or stronger credentials comes along. Responsible voters, however, do not have that luxury.

Forget what could have happened or who could have gotten the Republican nomination— for all intense purposes the primary is over. Regardless of how begrudging your attitude towards Romney is, how passionately you supported other candidates, conservatives must unite to get President Obama out of the White House.

Since President Obama took office in 2008, he has made no secret of where he stands. His $800 billion stimulus package in 2009 was the largest economic stimulus program in our nation’s history. We have seen the birth of ObamaCare and other blatant moves towards socialist policies— including Obama’s fight to raise taxes among the wealthy to promote “fairness.” Obama has repeatedly assured Planned Parenthood that they will continue to receive taxpayer dollars to fund the abortions they provide, and he has also used taxpayer dollars to fund embryonic stem cell research. The probable opportunities President Obama has to appoint left-leaning judges on both the Supreme Court and circuit courts of appeal should also cause alarm.

President Obama’s appointment of judges who fail to adhere to the original meaning of our Constitution could result in radical damage to our nation’s freedoms and values. His socialistic agenda will continue to change our government if he is given the chance to push them further. And who can stop this from happening? The answer, of course, is Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney is no Ronald Reagan. He is, however, the only man who stands between President Obama and another four years in the White House. Regardless of how unexcited we may be about Romney right now, please consider the fate of our country. In other words, unite and get the bad guy out.

Facing Reelection

An Update on the Recall 
By Jessica Walworth

If you have left campus in the past year, you might know that Scott Walker is on a lot of minds and protest signs. If you have not followed Wisconsin politics lately, and I grant that it is hard to keep up, let me fill you in. After fulfilling his 2010 campaign promises and taking Wisconsin from a $3 billion deficit to its current $300 million surplus, Governor Walker is facing recall. Walker’s accomplishments as Governor are not limited to the economy, yet union’s efforts were successful in procuring 840,000 signatures to force the Governor to face a recall election.  

The latest news on the recall is who Walker will face. A primary is scheduled for May 8th to decide Walker’s opponent on the June 5th general election. And current polls show the primary will prove complex.

The union’s favored candidate Kathleen Falk may not survive the primary now that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has thrown his hat into the race. Barrett, who lost the original 2010 race against Governor Scott Walker, is a “game changer,” according to executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association Union.

According to the Boston Globe, Falk has obtained every major endorsement and the backing of large unions representing teachers and public workers. Yet a Marquette Law School poll, released just days before Barrett got into the race, shows Barrett leading Falk 36 percent to 29 percent among surveyed voters, but with 17 percent undecided. In this poll, neither candidate takes Walker.

Barrett and Falk are not the only Democrats vying to get their names on the ticket. Secretary of State Doug La Follette and state Senator Kathleen Vinehout of Alma will join Barrett and Falk on the primary ballot in May.

The two leading candidates are approaching the election with different agendas and contradicting promises. Falk promises vetoing any state budget that does not completely restore collective bargaining rights and claims her campaign’s central focus is Walker’s betrayal of Wisconsin voters with his agenda of slashing education funding, reducing Medicaid services, and changing environmental laws. Barrett is implementing Walker’s law that spurred the recall efforts in Milwaukee—and saving Milwaukee a lot of money in doing so. Barrett concedes that union rights are not a sole focus in his campaign making him a less extreme candidate and a less desirable candidate for union members. 

Republicans remain hopeful—especially if Walker faces Barrett in the general election: "We look forward to contrasting Governor Walker's bold record of moving Wisconsin forward with Barrett's liberal tax-and-spend agenda that has only led to a total downward spiral of Milwaukee's economy," Wisconsin Republican Party spokesman Ben Sparks said.

June 5th is not the ideal voting date for most CCMC members. It does not, however, keep college students from casting their vote in the recall election. CCMC is partnering with Wisconsin Family Action to ensure Maranatha students have the opportunity to complete an absentee ballot application for the Governor race. Stay tuned to The Manifesto for more information on the recall election.