Well, Floridians, the time has come. There's no longer any time to deliberate. It's time to decide. However, let's be clear about what your choices are.

First off, this is not any sort of anti-Hillary or anti-Obama vote. You will have the chance to cast that vote later this year. This is not about the Deocratic party, but about the Republican party. Your vote will help define what exactly the Republican party stands for.

Part of that choice will be the personality of the candidate. However, this should be a small portion of the equation because the Republican party is more than any single person's personality. The Republican party is a collection of (to varying extents) like-minded people. It is based on shared principles and values. Thus, the exaltation of personality qualities over principles and values subverts the intent of this coalition of principles.

The major part of your choice will be what principles, values, and policies are advocated by the Republican party. This is where the clearest distinction is between the candidates. It is also the area where I believe Mitt Romney is the clear choice.

Mitt Romney represents a broad coalition of conservative principles. He has clearly advocated conservative policies in national defense, economics, and social values. He has made clear that we must win in Iraq, not just because of the narrow interests represented by the situation there, but as part of the larger conflict between Islamic radicals and the freedoms represented by America. He has also consistently laid out the need to reduce the tax burden on Americans and control the spending and buracracy currently pervading the federal government. Finally, he shares conservative values on life and marriage issues. In terms of contrast with the other leading candidate, John McCain, they stand on opposite sides of such important issues as immigration (McCain-Kennedy), freedom of speech (McCain-Feingold), and global warming (McCain-Liberman).

Remember, Florida, this is about defining the Republican party. Do we as a party want to move left on immigration? Do we want to move left on Global warming? Do we want to restrict political speech? These are the decisions you must make. I believe the right decision is Mitt Romney.

Labels: Florida