When Texas Senator Ted Cruz threw his hat into the ring, being the first Republican announcing his 2016 presidential run March 23 to a packed audience at Liberty University in Virginia, a part of me wanted to cheer him on simply because he is Hispanic and I, too, am a combination of both Hispanic and Italian (though in reality I am likely more Italian based on my temper and love of all Italian foods carb related).
For over 20 years now, in particular the past six years that President Barack Obama has been in office, I have repeatedly heard Obama supporters telling me how I should vote Democrat because I am a minority. Yet, when I asked all those people why I should be for Obama and the Democratic Party not a single one of them could offer any justification on why I should vote for him.
To quote the line from Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” “And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate,” instead of listening to the liberal drive-by media who loathe Republican conservatives anyway, especially those running for president and who pledge their allegiance to Obama and the Democratic Party. With the mass amounts of bile I saw posted at the end of various Cruz articles bashing his presidential aspirations, I went to the senator’s website, http://www.tedcruz.org, to see what the congressman stands for and what he could do as president.
Under the heading on his site titled Our Standard: The Constitution, I read some of the highlights that included keeping the words, “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and supporting students’ rights to display banners containing religious content at school sporting events.
On the subject of the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms, Cruz argued against gun restrictions before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and called for a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS’ targeting of conservatives.
I didn’t vote for Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections. But upon his winning on election night in 2008, my temporary support of him was not based on him being African American and was now the country’s first black president. I wanted to support him based on what he could accomplish in the next four to eight years.
With his second term almost over, this country is still in dire need of a positive change, but I am not sure Cruz, if the presidential election were held today, would be the country’s best choice. Do Americans want to make the same mistake again on the Republican side?
There is a lot more to voting for president than just race. I will be proud should the country one day elect a Hispanic or a female president on the Republican side.
If I vote for that person, however, it will be based on what they stand for and not because I am a minority and should vote for that person, regardless of their platform.
©4/1/15
For over 20 years now, in particular the past six years that President Barack Obama has been in office, I have repeatedly heard Obama supporters telling me how I should vote Democrat because I am a minority. Yet, when I asked all those people why I should be for Obama and the Democratic Party not a single one of them could offer any justification on why I should vote for him.
I equate being told to vote Democrat just because I am a minority as the equivalent of asking, “Why do bad things happen?” like when people are taken away from us too soon and I get the same answer, “It’s a part of God’s plan.” I am as sick and tired of hearing that same vague religious answer and being told to become a certified liberal Democrat simply because of my race.Unlike the ones I personally know who voted for Obama simply because it was time for an African American to be in the White House taking the “We shall overcome” stance and not look at what it was he stood for and wanted to accomplish, I actually attempted to get more information about Cruz. I didn’t vote for him when he ran as senator and the most I really know about him is his reading Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham” on the senate floor in 2013 speaking out against Obamacare.
To quote the line from Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” “And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate,” instead of listening to the liberal drive-by media who loathe Republican conservatives anyway, especially those running for president and who pledge their allegiance to Obama and the Democratic Party. With the mass amounts of bile I saw posted at the end of various Cruz articles bashing his presidential aspirations, I went to the senator’s website, http://www.tedcruz.org, to see what the congressman stands for and what he could do as president.
Under the heading on his site titled Our Standard: The Constitution, I read some of the highlights that included keeping the words, “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and supporting students’ rights to display banners containing religious content at school sporting events.
On the subject of the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms, Cruz argued against gun restrictions before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and called for a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS’ targeting of conservatives.
After reading some of Cruz’ accomplishments, I found that they are not enough for me to back him as a presidential candidate. Some may argue, like Obama’s single term as a senator, Cruz still has limited experience in Congress.“Real problem, I think is this: I mean senators are going to have a hard time; first term senators, we already tried a first-term senator (Obama),” said Charles Krauthammer on Fox News’ “Special Report.” “Cruz talks, but you have to ‘walk the walk’ rather than just talk the talk. You have to have done something. But that’s not his record in the Senate.”
I didn’t vote for Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections. But upon his winning on election night in 2008, my temporary support of him was not based on him being African American and was now the country’s first black president. I wanted to support him based on what he could accomplish in the next four to eight years.
With his second term almost over, this country is still in dire need of a positive change, but I am not sure Cruz, if the presidential election were held today, would be the country’s best choice. Do Americans want to make the same mistake again on the Republican side?
There is a lot more to voting for president than just race. I will be proud should the country one day elect a Hispanic or a female president on the Republican side.
If I vote for that person, however, it will be based on what they stand for and not because I am a minority and should vote for that person, regardless of their platform.
©4/1/15
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