Wyoming Vote Tracker

I was looking around on Technorati, trying to figure out why their ping update service is conveniently delaying updating the feed for WVT. After all, it managed to catch the post Google Gyps Wyoming! on Grizzly Groundswell–which I originally posted here–THREE times! Even more ironic is that it picked up the inadvertent duplicate post and not the one that remains.

Anyway, I came across this post regarding Iowa and New Hampshire and how they totally skew the Presidential nomination process.

Turns out, according to a study in 2000, that no more than 10% of Iowans show up for the all-important first caucus in the nation. Then on top of that, New Hampshire typically finds it hard as the first primary in the nation to run against popular Iowan politics.

So though we might not be able to predict what the Iowa results will be, we can say with relative certainty what will happen after. The press corps will invest those results with titanic meaning and import, and we voters will select from our remaining pre-approved choices, one of whom, on each side, will become his or her party’s nominee. Yet again, it will feel to all but a few Americans like a process in which they played no part. And they’ll be right.

The issue isn’t that 6 percent of Iowa voters shouldn’t be allowed to have their say. It’s that they shouldn’t speak for the other 300 million of us Americans.

And this came from, of all sites, Daily Kos (Eric, please forgive me for the link and mention). Anyway, now that the left fringe is on the side of Presidential nomination reform, can the RNC and DNC figure out some way of reforming what is a broken system? We seem to have a good idea here in Wyoming.

That to bring up an important point, especially for Wyoming Republicans. We need to get excited. You might recall that WYGOP is conducting the (for now) FIRST Presidential selection process by holding its county conventions on January 5, 2008. That is less than THREE months away. I know that we Wyoming Republicans like to be certain of who we support. Even in Wyoming politics, we don’t typically have real close elections (yes, there are exceptions like Rep. Cubin’s re-election in 2006), further demonstrating our certainty.

It’s time to get excited about the Republican Presidential nomination process. I’ve heard a number of folks from Wyoming and abroad that “There’s just no one getting me excited about supporting right now.” I’m sure much of it stems from how early the process is geared up. It almost seems like there is more excitement about not being excited for anyone, and simultaneously excitedly paranoid of Hillary. But, since no one is getting you positively excited, allow me to help you out and tell you about my choice, Rep. Duncan Hunter.

· He is pro-Second Amendment.
· He is pro-bring jobs back to America as a means of strengthening America and calling China out on their cheating ways.
· He is pro-define the boarder with a good fence, actually two good fences with a good road for the Boarder Patrol between them.
· On health care, he is all for deregulation of the insurance industry, allowing small businesses to pool together, removing mandates for what must be purchased and if you can find a better deal in another state, you should have the freedom to purchase there without moving there.
· He is pro-life and authored the Life Begins at Conception legislation; he also believes in a Mom and Dad leading the family, and by the way, marriage is a union between one man and one woman.
· American sovereignty is a must; we are not subject to being governed by the UN or any international body.
· School districts need more freedom to do what works best for them.

Some of you might be saying, but I’m not totally sold on one issue or another, but I implore you to think of what makes Wyoming and America great. I was talking with one of the precinct committee women here in Cody the other day and she told me about how my letter has impressed the committee members up here. She herself was impressed by it. We both understand that Rep. Hunter is not in the upper tier and has to overcome the New England fame of the likes of Mitt Romney and Rudy Guiliani, and potentially Hillary Clinton in the national general election. On top of that, she’s not totally sold on the pro-life movement

Here’s my theory. Somebody gets excited about say, Duncan Hunter. Why not; let’s say three people, even four. Those four people tell people in their individual and collective circles of influence. Their excitement and energy that started out as a spark begins to smolder and grow. Before you know it, people all through your community, town, county, and state are excited about supporting a candidate that started with open support of just a couple of average informed voters.

Neighboring states observe that Wyoming supported a candidate of little fame, a Californian nonetheless. They look at the candidate and find out there was good reason in that support. Their support shifts to Rep. Hunter. And the momentum carries on until delegates that aren’t barred from the floor are excited in support of choosing Duncan Hunter as the Republican nominee at the national convention.

But, you say, What about overcoming the New York transplant from Arkansas? Conservatism wins. I don’t mean being able to invoke President Reagan’s name the most times in a campaign commercial or debate. I mean having a pro-America platform.

A platform that supports securing the boarders and knowing who is coming across them and why. A platform that supports your right to defend your person and home as expressed in the Second Amendment. A platform that believes in the sanctity of human life from the womb to the deathbed and the home with children is best led by a Mom and Dad united in matrimony. A platform that believes you should be able to get the insurance that best meets your needs, no matter what state it comes from. A platform that believes there are a number of things best left to the states and even the local communities. A platform that consistently supports the troops and victory in their just cause. A platform that believes international trade should involve playing by the rules on both sides.

If you like the sound of that platform, then Rep. Duncan Hunter is your man. Get Excited!

Technorati Tags: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R, CA), , presidential nomination, election 2008, The Delaware Plan, Wyoming Republican county conventions, January 5, 2008

Attachment: Republican Precinct Committee Letter

3 Comments »